Roosevelt and Imperialism
Mr. Williams
10th Grade U.S. History
• How did the Spanish-American
War End? What were the
results?
• What were arguments for and
against annexing the
Philippines?
What about the Filipinos?
• Rebels enraged, Aguinaldo
warned that he was prepared
to take military action
• Fighting lasted 3 years, this
cost 4,000 U.S. lives and
220,000 Filipino lives
Roosevelt’s Big Stick Policy
• “Speak softly and carry big
stick; you will go far.”
• Platt Amendment: limited
Cuba’s ability to sign treaties
with other nations, and gave
the U.S. the right to intervene
in Cuban affairs
Guantanamo Bay
• Platt Amendment also
required Cuba to sell or leas
land to the United States for
naval and coaling stations
• Eventually this peace of land
would be used for prison site
Protectorate
• Platt Amendment also made
Cuba a protectorate
• A country under the
protections of another country
but local ruler is still in control
• Amendment eventually
repealed but we still have G.B.
Puerto Rico
• U.S. Territory
• Foraker Act: 1900 established
that the U.S. would appoint
P.R.’s governor and upper
house of legislature
• The people would elect lower
house
• 1917 Puerto Ricans granted
U.S. citizenship meaning
voters could now elect all of
their legislative
representatives
• 1952 Self-Governing
Commonwealth, but U.S. still
has some control
Panama Canal
• Why was it built?
• Create shorter route between
Atlantic and Pacific
• Started by the French but
finished by U.S. with 44,000
workers
Roosevelt Corollary 1904
• Wanted to protect American
economic interests in L.A.
• “Chronic wrongdoing…in the
Western Hemisphere…may force
the United States, however
reluctantly…to the exercise of
international police power.”