Yes, more American history posts! Yayy!! Forgetting to mention this in the previous post, my civic issues posts will be a little bit different. I will still be following the topic of politics, and more specifically, foreign policy. But with a twist, while other posts may focus on the now, I am taking you through the United States’ history of foreign policy leading up to the policies in place in today’s government. Going back in time and researching policies and how foreign relations developed will hopefully shed some light on reasoning behind the global powerhouse that is the United States of America.
Up until this point in American history, the United States remained a neutral and globally quiet country. But because of this, European powerhouses such as France, Great Britain, and Germany saw the United States as weak and noninfluential in international issues.
Which is EXACTLY why the United States should have hit the ground running with international involvement. The founding fathers and decades worth of leaders should have done as much as they could to internally strengthen the country then move in on foreign relations to avoid being seen as weak.
But thankfully the global perception of the Red, White, and Blue of the United States drastically changed when Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 and introduced his foreign policy philosophy of; “speak softly and carry a big stick”.
Which the United States demonstrated in the Spanish-American war that they were not afraid to do what needed to be done to both stand up for what they believe is right, in helping the rebels in Cuba; and that they will not hesitate to avenge any lost Americans, retaliating following the explosion of the battleship Maine.
Roosevelt’s foreign policy later became well known as, “Big Stick Diplomacy”. The “speak softly but carry a big stick” referred to the United States’ unspoken threat of military power that the American government had no issue using if they needed to.
His greatest use of this “Big Stick Diplomacy” being the Panama Canal. Up until this point the United States desperately wanted a way to essentially cut through the top of South America to avoid spending two months sailing to the bottom of the continent and back up again. 1901 granted them the opportunity to use Panama as that pathway; in return for the United States helping to fund a Panama revolution, and providing a Naval blockade that prevented Columbian troops from setting foot in Panama.
The Hay-Banau-Varilla Treaty was signed in 1903 and the building started! The United States gained control of the canal for $10 million and an annual price of $250,000. Which is absolutely incredible knowing how different that ten million and two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars would be today; $285,714,285.71 and $7,142,857.14.
Roosevelt became the first president to ever leave the country during his term when he traveled to Panama in 1906 to check the canal’s progress. Imagine what it would be like if American presidents never traveled abroad to visit other rulers/government officials.
Ten years, 30,000 workers working ten hours a day finally finished the canal in 1914.
Sources:
https://www.theusaonline.com/history/industrialization.htm
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/sep2/big-stick-diplomacy/
https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/foreign-affairs
I love your concept for these Civic Issue blogs! Just like the old saying “history repeats itself,” I believe that we can learn and grow from our pasts. Therefore, I appreciate that you take such an interesting approach to foreign policy by focusing on past policy decisions and how they made the United States what it is today.
It was fascinating to hear your take on the emergence of the United States as a “global powerhouse.” As you explain, it took a great deal of time for the United States to build up to this level. With creating a new country, they had to strengthen themselves from within before they could try to expand to make their strength known to other nations. But now, it can be hard to imagine anything different. The United States is certainly the “global powerhouse” that you describe, playing a large role in international politics.