Shaping the 19th Century Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 699 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 3

Page 1 of 2

Shaping the 20th Century

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt proposed the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Though the Monroe Doctrine was aimed at stopping European influence in the United States, the Roosevelt Corollary marked the United States' first officially aggressive stance as policeman of the western hemisphere. The effects of this Corollary were far-reaching, revealing an official change in U.S. attitude about the world and our place in it, and marking not only the 20th Century but also the 21st Century.

A defining moment marking the start of 20th Century United States of America was the 1904 Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.[footnoteRef:1] Reflecting President Theodore Roosevelt's aggressive approach to foreign policy, the Corollary states in part, "…in the western hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrong-doing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power."[footnoteRef:2] Roosevelt deemed this a logical result of the Monroe Doctrine, which was aimed at protecting the United States from European aggression and influence.

Stuck Writing Your "Shaping the 19th Century" Essay?

View All Our Example Shaping the 19th Century Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

[footnoteRef:3] This seemingly benevolent statement is believed by some historians to be the "high-water mark of American imperialism."[footnoteRef:4] Though supported by some, the corollary was denounced by other Roosevelt contemporaries as "patronizing" and even "jingoism gone mad,"[footnoteRef:5] for it opened the door to U.S. aggression in the affairs of foreign countries. [1: John Milton Cooper, Jr. Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920. New York, NY W.W. Norton & Company, 1990, p. 50.] [2: Ibid.] [3: Candice Millard. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey (Paperback). New York, NY: Broadway Books, 2005, p. 39.] [4: Cooper, Jr., p. 50.] [5: Edmund Morris. Theodore Rex (Paperback). New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group, 2002, p. 326.]

Certainly, the United States intervened in foreign matters prior to Roosevelt's enunciation of his corollary; for example, Roosevelt himself participated in the Spanish American War of the late 19th Century to protect threatened U.S. interests.[footnoteRef:6] Nevertheless, the corollary marks the United States' official change of attitude about foreign affairs and the U.S.'s role in the world. Here,….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Shaping The 19th Century" (2013, March 12) Retrieved July 1, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/shaping-19th-century-103010

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Shaping The 19th Century" 12 March 2013. Web.1 July. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/shaping-19th-century-103010>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Shaping The 19th Century", 12 March 2013, Accessed.1 July. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/shaping-19th-century-103010
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example