U.S. Intervention in Latin America

Learning Goal 5: I can evaluate how the construction of the Panama Canal, the Roosevelt Corollary, and the dollar diplomacy spread U.S. influence to other nations

Friday 8/22 - US Intervention in Latin America

Do Now:Take out computer

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Open Ended

Warm up:

What do you think gives a country more control over others – physical power or financial power?

• Was Vice President under William McKinley and became president when McKinley was assassinated

• Favored increasing U.S. power and believed U.S. had a duty to shape the “less civilized” corners of the Earth

• Believed displaying U.S. power to the world helped advance the success of the nation’s foreign policy goals

• “Big stick” policy was evident in the American acquisition and construction of the Panama Canal

Theodore Roosevelt

Open Ended

President Roosevelt used West African saying “Speak softly and carry a big stick”

What do you think this means?

Teddy Roosevelt believed that building a canal through Central America was vital to U.S. power in the world and would save time and money for commercial and military shipping

The Panama Canal

Why do you think that a canal in this region would be desirable?

• Project was started by a French company in 1882 and was abandoned in 1889 due to many challenges: rainy season brought water and mudslides that buried men and machines and mosquitoes carried malaria and yellow fever

• 1902: Congress authorized U.S. purchase of French company’s assets and the construction of the canal

• Panama was a province of Colombia at the time, and in 1903, the U.S. offered to pay Colombia a large sum of money and yearly rent to build the canal and control a strip of land on both sides of it

History of the Panama Canal

• Colombia refused, and tensions rose between Colombia and Panamanians who did not want to be ruled by Colombia

• The U.S. lent military support to fight for Panamanian independence

• With the U.S. recognizing Panama’s independence, the two nations were able to sign a treaty allowing the Panama Canal to be built

• The United States paid Panama $10 million and took possession of the Panama Canal Zone

History of the Panama Canal Continued

Open Ended

What did you find most interesting about the Panama Canal's history?

• U.S. encountered same difficulties as the French when starting construction

  • Malaria and yellow fever sickened workers and slowed progress

• U.S. Army Surgeon General helped minimize disease and allowed workers to continue building the canal

• Panama’s geography made construction difficult

  • Middle of country much higher than sea level

• Engineers built a series of lakes and concrete locks to raise and lower ships when traveling through canal

Panama Canal Construction

• 5,600 workers died due to accidents or disease before construction was finished

  • Many of the workers were West Indians

• Construction of Panama Canal embodied spirit of expansionism and became a symbol of American political power, domestic strength, and ingenuity in an international setting

Panama Canal Construction Continued

Multiple Select

What were some of the challenges faced in building the Panama Canal?

• People could not locate the Panama Canal

• Yellow Fever and Malaria

• The geography of Panama

• Abundance of skilled labor

• In 1902, Venezuela failed to repay its debts to European banks

• Britain, Germany, and Italy blockaded Venezuelan ports

• Crisis was resolved peacefully after U.S. pressed both sides to reach agreement

• Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine: stated that the United States would intervene in Latin American affairs when necessary to maintain economic and political stability in the Western Hemisphere

• Goal of Roosevelt Corollary was to prevent European powers from using the debt problems of Latin America to justify intervening in region

• Roosevelt Corollary was first applied when the Dominican Republic fell behind on debt payments to European nations

• In 1905, the U.S. started collecting customs tariffs in the Dominican Republic using the Marine Corps

Roosevelt Corollary

• Was president after Roosevelt

• Placed less emphasis on military force and more on economic development

• Believed supporting Latin American industry would:

  1. Increase trade profits for American businesses

  2. Lift Latin America countries out of poverty

  3. Increase American influence in the region

• This policy is known as dollar diplomacy

William Howard Taft

• Taft’s administration replaced European loans to Latin America with American loans to keep Europeans from intervening with Latin American affairs

• Dollar diplomacy in action:

  • 1911: American bankers gave loans to Nicaragua to support its unstable government

  • The next year, Nicaragua experienced civil unrest, and the government asked the U.S. for more help

  • U.S. marines replaced the customs collector in Nicaragua with an American and formed a committee to control the customs commissions

  • U.S. support continued until 1933

Dollar Diplomacy

Open Ended

What was Dollar Diplomacy?

• Woodrow Wilson was the next president, inaugurated in 1913

• He opposed imperialism and believed that democracy was essential to a nation’s stability and prosperity

• Wanted the United States to promote democracy to create a world free of revolution and war

• Hoped the U.S. would lead by moral example instead of force

• Also believed the U.S. had special rights and duties in Latin America

Woodrow Wilson

• Mexico was ruled by a dictator, and foreign investors owned the new railroads and factories that were built

• Most citizens were poor and landless and started a revolution in 1910 led by Francisco Madero

• U.S. had special rights and duties in Latin America

• Madero supported democracy, constitutional government, and land reform but was an unskilled administrator

Wilson’s Diplomacy in Mexico

Wilson’s Diplomacy in Mexico Continued

• In 1913, General Victoriano Huerta took power and Madero was assassinated

• Woodrow Wilson did not like Huerta’s brutality and refused to recognize the new government

• Wilson’s new policy – to be recognized by the United States, groups that seized power in Latin America had to establish a government based on law and not force

  • He believed this would make a less violent leader emerge in Mexico

• Wilson also ordered the navy to intercept arms shipments to Huerta’s government and allowed Americans to arm Huerta’s opponents

Wilson’s Diplomacy in Mexico Continued

• In 1914, American sailors in Mexico were arrested for entering a restricted area

• The soldiers were released, their commander demanded an apology, and the Mexicans refused

• Wilson took this as a chance to overthrow Huerta

•   A German ship was unloading weapons at a Mexican port, and Wilson ordered warships to the port where marines seized the city

• Wilson thought Mexicans would welcome this, but Anti-American riots broke out

• Venustiano Carranza became president

• Mexican farmers who thought Carranza did not do enough for the common people conducted raids into the U.S. hoping Wilson would intervene

  • Francisco “Pancha” Villa and a group of guerrillas burned down the town of Columber, New Mexico

    • 17 Americans were killed

• Wilson sent 5,800 troops to find and capture villa but was unsuccessful

Wilson’s Diplomacy in Mexico Continued

Aftermath of Wilson’s Mexican Policy

• Damaged U.S. foreign relations

• British ridiculed president’s attempt to “shoot” Mexicans into self-government

• Latin Americans thought his moral diplomacy was no better than Roosevelt’s big stick diplomacy

• Wilson followed Roosevelt’s example in the Caribbean

Open Ended

Wrap up:

Which method do you think is better – Theodore Roosevelt’s use of a strong military presence or Taft’s use of financial power?