Chapter 27 Empire and Expansion, 1890-1909 In the years after the ...

8. In 1904 the construction of the Panama Canal began, and in 1914 just as World War I was
beginning. Faced difficulties with labor troubles, landslides, and lethal tropical diseases. Colonel
William C. Gorgas dealt with the yellow fever and other diseases, making the area safe.
TR's Perversion of Monroe's Doctrine
1. Several nations of Latin America were in debt to European countries. President Roosevelt feared
that if the European nations (mainly the Germany and Britain) got their feet in the door of Latin
America, then they might remain there, in violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
2. Roosevelt therefore created a policy known as "preventive intervention." Knows as the Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, it declared that in the event of future monetary problems of
Latin American countries with European countries, the U.S. would intervene, take over the
customs houses, pay off the Latin American counties' debts and keep European nations out of
Latin America. Did so first in the Dominican Republic in 1905.
3. Did more than anything else to promote a “bad neighbor” policy. Latin American countries began
to hate the Monroe Doctrine for it had become the excuse for numerous U.S. interventions in Latin
America.
Roosevelt on the World Stage
1. Japan began war with Russia in 1904 after Russia failed to withdraw troops from Manchuria and
Korea. Japan was defeating Russia in the war when Japan's supply of troops and money began to
run low.
2. Japan therefore asked President Roosevelt (secretly) to step in and sponsor peace negotiations.
Roosevelt agreed. He wanted to avoid a complete Russian collapse because he wanted a
counterweight to Japan’s growing power.
3. In 1905 the treaty to end the Russo-Japanese War was signed. Neither side was satisfied, but it
captures the Nobel Peace Prize for TR in 1906. Because of the treaty, friendship with Russia faded
away and Japan became a rival with America in Asia.
Japanese Laborers in California
1. When the Japanese government lifted its ban on its citizens emigrating in 1884, thousands of
Japanese were recruited to work in California. More came after the end of the Russo-Japanese
War. Japanese immigrants were confronted with racist hostility by whites who feared a new
“yellow peril”.
2. In 1906, San Francisco's school board segregated the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students to
make room for white students. The Japanese saw this action as an insult and threatened with war.
3. President Roosevelt invited the entire San Francisco Board of Education to the White House to
settle the dispute. TR broke the deadlock and the Californians were persuaded to repeal the
segregation and to accept what came to be known as the "Gentlemen's Agreement." The Japanese
agreed to stop the flow of immigrants to the United States.
4. Concerned that his intercession in the CA-Japanese dispute might be seen as fear, TR decided to
impress the strength of the US upon the Japanese and the rest of the world. He sent the entire
battleship fleet (the Great White Fleet) on a highly visible voyage around the world, where they
were welcomed at every port.
5. A rousing reception by the Japanese was the high-point of the trip and brought diplomatic success
in 1908, when the Root-Takahira agreement was reached with Japan. The U.S. and Japan pledged
themselves to respect each other's territorial possessions.