The Power of Words:
The Precedent of Theodore Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy
Erica R. Gilliland
Prof. Alan Dowd
Honors Freshman Seminar
December 9, 2009
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Erica R. Gilliland
Prof. Alan Dowd
Honors Freshman Seminar
11 February 2012
The Power of Words:
The Precedent of Theodore Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy
Words are the most powerful weapons humans possess. They can initiate fights, negotiate peace,
plant seeds of hatred, begin seasons of understanding. With the simple power of words, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. stirred up the hope of a people. Hitler persuaded a nation into prejudice and relentless genocide.
John F. Kennedy petitioned the patriotism of the American people. No other weapon can be used to create
as much harm as it can good. Words formed the basis of our democratic nation. They stand the test of
time and are preserved from generation to generation. Many historical figures are remembered by their
words, and United States (U.S.) President Theodore Roosevelt is no exception. In a letter addressed to
Henry L. Sprague, Roosevelt first quoted the African proverb “speak softly and carry a big stick”
(American Treasures of the Library of Congress: "Speak Softly..."). This phrase came to be known as the
summary of Roosevelt’s foreign policy throughout his eight years in office. Because of his “speak softly,
carry a big stick” diplomacy, Roosevelt successfully advanced the interests of the U.S. on the world stage.
It was Roosevelt’s two prong approach to diplomacy that made him so effective. When Roosevelt
took the oath of office after the assassination of President McKinley, America was “an empire in-themaking” (Milkis). Roosevelt, like McKinley, moved away from the isolationist tendencies that had
dominated U.S. policy throughout the 1800’s and sought to make the country a world power. Throughout
his presidency, there are several examples of when Roosevelt chose to “speak softly.” Roosevelt was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his third-party negotiations that lead to the end of the Russo-
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Japanese War (Morris 473). In that same year, Roosevelt was also involved in negotiating peace between
France and Germany, which possibly aided in delaying World War I for another decade (Foreign Affairs:
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President). Although some may say that his actions were more iron-fisted than
softly-spoken, Roosevelt’s Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine illustrated his desire to ensure peace.
America became the “policeman” of the Western Hemisphere (Milkis). By asserting his ability to be a
successful negotiator and protector, Roosevelt began to build America’s standings as an influential global
power. But it was the second prong of his diplomacy that Roosevelt was most proud of.
Roosevelt carried out his “big stick” diplomacy by building up U.S. defense in order to prove that
the U.S. was a strength to be reckoned with (Milkis). When Roosevelt entered the presidency in 1901, the
U.S. Navy was ranked fifth in the world (Morris 455). By 1909, at the end of his last term, the U.S. Navy
was second only to Great Britain (548). Roosevelt took great pride in his “Great White Fleet” and
convinced Congress—through the persuasion of motives and money—to send it on a tour around the
world (Milkis). But Roosevelt’s was not only concerned about building a strong national defense; he also
took the initiative to use it. Roosevelt supported the building of a canal through Central America, and
when negotiations with Columbia began to crumble in 1903, he refused to give up. Roosevelt secretly
initiated a revolution in Panama and later endorsed their independence (Foreign Affairs: Theodore
Roosevelt, 26th President) and protected them from the Columbian government by providing a naval
blockade (Milkis). By flexing our defense muscles, Roosevelt secured international respect for the U.S.
and forced the world to recognize America as a superpower.
Roosevelt managed to take the U.S. out of its isolationist shell and thrust it into a new position of
power and influence. He successfully managed his approach to foreign relations and was able to achieve
his goal of making the U.S. and important actor on the world stage. He managed to center his whole
policy around the now famous African proverb he so loved, “speak softly, but carry a big stick,” and did
so with great effectiveness. But his policy did not die with him; instead his words set an example for
presidents yet to come. Whether intentional or not, the foreign policies of Presidents Harry Truman and
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Ronal Reagan resemble the diplomatic precedent set by Theodore Roosevelt. They set similar goals, had
similar diplomatic mottos, and supported small fractions.
Although pure imperialism was a concept none of the three Presidents accepted, they each sought
to increase America’s influence by being involved in the affairs of the world. According to Theodore
Roosevelt: An Intimate Biography, to Roosevelt “…imperialism meant national strength, the
acknowledgment by the American people that the United States are a World Power and that they would
not shrink from taking up any burden which that distinction involved” (Thayer 172). While Truman and
Reagan shrank away from the word imperialism (Pierce 126; Reeves 100), they maintained the idea that
the U.S. would become a world power by demonstrating strength. Truman is responsible for the creation
of the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the National Security Council.
Reagan is created with the largest peace time military-budget in history (Cannon). Both of them
successfully followed Roosevelt’s precedent of building military strength and used it as a way to carry out
their goals for the U.S.
But, like Roosevelt, Truman and Reagan did not rely on defense strength alone. They adopted
mottos very similar to Roosevelt’s “speak softly, but carry a big stick” diplomacy. Reagan’s axiom was
strikingly reminiscent of Roosevelt’s famous saying. He promised to achieve “peace through strength”
and involved himself heavily in both sides of Roosevelt’s two-prong approach to foreign relations.
Reagan set up peace summits with Mikhail Gorbachev in hopes of reducing the number of nuclear
weapons the two superpowers possessed (Ronald Reagan). In other situations Reagan, like Roosevelt,
was not afraid to wield his “big stick.” He was not afraid to issue immediate military action against
international terrorist groups in Libya (Ronald Reagan), but most of his time and energy was dedicated to
the Cold War. While Truman’s personal axiom—“the buck stops here”—did not parallel Roosevelt’s, his
diplomacy did. Truman shaped the U.S. into a humanitarian nation through the Marshall Plan and proved
he was able to “speak softly” at the Potsdam Conference (Hamby). But Truman also recognized the
power of the “big stick” when he made the decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, thus ending
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World War I. So while his axiom was not the same, his actions proved that he implemented Roosevelt’s
motto.
Another parallel between Roosevelt’s foreign policy and that of Truman and Reagan is their
support of small fractions. Roosevelt supported an uprising in Panama, an area that was not only the ideal
location for Roosevelt’s canal but also had been trying to gain independence for fifty years (Thayer 184).
Truman was faced with the problem of whether or not to recognize Israel as an independent nation
(Hamby). He was afraid that splitting Israel from Palestine would anger other Arab nations in the region
and stir up military action. Truman decided to support the interests of the Jews and in May of 1948 the
U.S. became the first country to recognize Israel as a nation. Reagan gave U.S. support to a small fraction
of contras rebelling against a Marxist government in Nicaragua, but his plan backfired (Foreign Affairs:
Ronald Reagan, 40th President). Reagan employed the help of the CIA in Nicaragua, but when members
of Reagan’s staff redirected government money to support the contras without his knowledge, Reagan
found himself in the middle of a scandal. So while Truman managed to successfully support Israel,
Reagan’s attempt to support the contras was a failure.
There are numerous other parallels between the foreign policies of Roosevelt, Truman, and
Reagan, but the most important ones are their goals, diplomatic mottos, and support of small fractions.
While Truman’s axiom was not a perfect comparison to Roosevelt’s, he followed the example of “speak
softly, but carry a big stick” diplomacy. In almost every area, Truman and Reagan were successful in
implementing Roosevelt’s precedent. Reagan’s fatal failure came in his unsupervised support of the
contras, a mistake that had good intentions, but ended badly. The words of President Theodore Roosevelt
continued to the impact the foreign policy of the U.S. for years to come. They proved to hold the power of
negotiation. They embodied the strength of a country. But most of all, they inspired others to adopt them.
When Roosevelt first penned those historic words to his friend, I wonder if he understood the power they
possessed.
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Works Cited
American Treasures of the Library of Congress: "Speak Softly...". 31 October 2007. 14 December 2009
<http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm139.html>.
Cannon, Lou. Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-2004): Foreign Affairs. 2009. December 10 2009
<http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/reagan>.
Foreign Affairs: Ronald Reagan, 40th President. 2009. December 10 2009
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/40_reagan/reagan_foreign.html>.
Foreign Affairs: Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President. 2009. 10 December 2009
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/26_t_roosevelt/t_roosevelt_foreign.html>.
Hamby, Alonzo L. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972): Foreign Affairs. 2009. 10 December 2009
<http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/truman>.
Milkis, Sidney. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919): Foreign Affairs. 2009. 10 December 2009
<http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/roosevelt/essays/biography/5>.
Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 2001.
Pierce, Anne R. Woodrow Wilson & Harry Truman: Mission and Power in American Foreign Policy.
New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2007.
Reeves, Richard. President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.
Ronald Reagan. 10 December 2009 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/ronaldreagan>.
Thayer, William. Theodore Roosevelt: An Intimate Biography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1919.