Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft, Essay Example

Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft had similar foreign policies in that they favored the expansion of the United States. Roosevelt’s influence on the country’s foreign policy occurred even before he was president; as Assistant Secretary for the Navy under McKinley, he enacted policy to strengthen the navy (PBS, n.d.). One of Roosevelt’s most significant contributions to foreign policy however was the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. In this document, Roosevelt stated that the United States would become involved with any nation in the Western Hemisphere that had become involved in wrongdoings. He used this opportunity for the U.S. to become involved with mediation between nations and help resolve conflicts; for the most part, this involvement had good intentions and positive outcomes. Overall, Roosevelt’s foreign policy was referred to as “big stick”.

President Taft engaged in foreign policy that is known as “dollar diplomacy”. This policy was designed primarily to encourage “U.S. investments in South and Central American, the Caribbean, and the Far East” (PBS, n.d.). Specifically, this involved the promotion of sales of U.S. goods in foreign countries by domestic officials (Miller Center, n.d.).

Ultimately, Roosevelt’s foreign policy was more effective than Taft’s policy, because Roosevelt’s intervention in foreign affairs was done primarily out of concern for people in other countries and the belief that nations with more power are responsible for sticking up for weaker nations in their time of need. These interactions would then encourage the weaker countries to support the United States and encourage trade. While Taft’s policy was good for the United States’ economy, foreign countries felt like they were being attacked and forced into doing business which weakened social alliances the United States could have had with these nations. Roosevelt’s policy indirectly improved commerce and was more effective because of the peaceful nature of his plan.

References

Miller Center. (n.d.). American President: A Reference Resource. Retrieved from   http://millercenter.org/president/taft/essays/biography/5

PBS. (n.d.). General Article: Foreign Policy. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tr-foreign/