Full Control Over The Panama Canal Zone example essay topic

(I got 100% on this one.) Out line: I. Theodore Roosevelt (republican) A. Birth: October 27, 1858 at New York, New York B. Died: January 6, 1919 at Oyster Bay, New York II. Background A. Education- Attended Harvard and he graduated 21st of 177. He studied in the fields of sciences, German, rhetoric, philosophy, and ancient languages. (1876-1880) Attended Columbia Law School, but he dropped out to run for the state assembly.

(1880-1881) B. Occupation-Elected into the New York State Assembly as a Republican, and during his time in the Assembly, his consistent struggle against machine politics earned him the nickname of 'the cyclone assemblyman. ' (1881-1884) Wrote the biography of Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri and The Winning of the West (1884-1889) Appointed to the U.S. Civil Service Commission by President Benjamin Harrison. During which time, he vigorously pressed for the strict enforcement of the civil service laws. (1889-1895) President of the New York City Police Board. He used his time there to root out corruption in the Police Department, which he described as 'utterly demoralized. ' (1895-1897) Assistant Secretary of the Navy, during which time he stood as a principle advocate of expansionism.

He initiated the invasion of Cuba without the Secretary's approval, and with it the Spanish-American war. (1897-1898) First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 'Rough Riders', during the Spanish American War, rising from lieutenant colonel to colonel. (May to September 1898) Governor of New York. During his term, which was abbreviated when he took the office of vice-president, he obtained laws that further removed civil service from politics, that limited the number of hours that women and children could work, that curbed sweatshop abuses, and that put a state tax on corporations. (1898-1900) . Term in Office A. First Term-Presidency: September 14, 1901 - March 3, 1905 Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks B. Second Term-Presidency: March 4, 1905 - March 3, 1909 Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks IV.

Issues A. Election of 1900 Succeeded to office after President William McKinley was shot, making him the youngest president, at 42, ever to serve in office. B. Election of 1904 Both candidates, Parker and Roosevelt, stood behind the same views on the fundamental issues: They stood behind the gold standard. They favored an eventual independence for the Philippines. They championed the rights of laborers and consumers. They condemned monopoly. 2. Neither candidate campaigned actively.

3. The campaign turned on personality and, in the end, voters chose Roosevelt's flamboyant, popular style over Parker's colorless, sober demeanor. V. Opponents A. Election of 1900 None. Election of 1904 Judge Alton B. Parker (Democrat) VI. Domestic Happenings A. JP Morgan organizes the US Steel Corp. (1901) United States Steel Corporation became the largest corporation in the world through the consolidation of most existing steel companies in the United States. Controlled about 75% of the country's steel output in 785 plants with a total of about $1.4 billion in assets. Consolidation included the Carnegie steel interests, which were purchased for $400 million. B. The Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902 Advanced the cause of conservation.

Roosevelt was an enthusiastic supporter of this bill, which dealt with reclamation and irrigation. C. Anthracite Coal Strike (1902) When the anthracite coal miners held a strike, Roosevelt became the first president to intervene in a labor-management dispute, threatening to seize the mines in order to persuade the stubborn owners to accept mediation. An arbitration commission subsequently awarded the miners a favorable settlement. D. Lochner vs. New York (1905) The Supreme Court invalidated a maximum-hour labor law enacted by the state of New York. Joseph Lochner had been found guilty of violating an 1897 law that prohibited employers from allowing employees to work more than 60 hours per week or 10 hours per day in bakeries. The purpose of the law was to protect the health of bakers who worked long hours in the heat generated by the ovens. The Court, with Justice Rufus W. Peckham as its spokesman, declared the law unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated 'freedom of contract' implicitly guaranteed by the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. The statute, said Peckham, interfered with the right of employees and employers to make a contract of labor. E. Hepburn Act (1906) It was an attempt for moderate reformist action, it strengthened the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission over railroads. F. The Burke Act (1906) It was an attempt by Congress to speed the assimilation of American Indians into white culture. G. Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) Defined adulteration Outlawed interstate transportation of adulterated foods Prohibited the misbrand ing of foods and drugs. H. The Financial Panic of 1907 Killed stock prices and resulted in the death of about a dozen banks and railroads.

Set off by the failure of the Knickerbocker Trust Company Some blamed the panic on Roosevelt's antitrust and pro-labor policies for squeezing corporate profits. Roosevelt, in turn, blamed the panic on big business. I. Oklahoma admitted to the Union (1907) J. The National Conservation Committee (1908) Comprised of 49 prominent men of science, industry, and politics. This group made the first inventory of natural resources in the United States. Muller vs. Oregon (1908) Louis Brandeis, a brilliant lawyer, insisted that judges! | opinions should be based on factual, scientifically gathered information about social realities. In the case, he collected scientific data on the harmful effects of long hours to convince the Supreme Court to uphold Oregon's law limiting women's working hours.

VII. Foreign Policy Decisions A Insular Cases (1901) The Supreme foreign Court determined that the Philippines and Puerto Rico were neither foreign countries nor integral parts of the US. The new acquisitions were treated as colonies, and their inhabitants American nationals, though not American citizens; and that Congress could impose tariffs on their trade B. Platt Amendment (1901) Defined the relationship between Cuba and the United States. At the end of the Spanish-American War, U.S. military forces, under Gen. Leonard Wood, occupied Cuba in order to maintain stability there after Spain's withdrawal. The newly independent Cubans drew up a constitution in 1900; however, the document made no provision for the continuation of Cuban-U.S. relations. U.S. Secretary of War Elihu Root told the Cubans that such provisions were a necessary condition for U.S. withdrawal from the island.

He formulated a series of provisions, incorporated into a rider attached to the Army Appropriations Bill of 1901 and sponsored by U.S. Senator Orville H. Platt. The amendment made Cuba a U.S. protectorate. Limited Cuba's treaty-making capacity Restricted its right to contract public debt Gave the United States the right to maintain naval bases in Cuba and to intervene in Cuban affairs in order to preserve order or Cuba's independence. C. The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty (1901) Agreement between the United States and Great Britain allowing the U.S. government to negotiate for control of the proposed Panama Canal with Colombia. D. The Venezuelan Debt Dispute (1902) occurred because of Venezuela's failure to pay off the loans they had acquired from Europe. German and British ships blockaded Venezuelan ports to force payments of the debts.

Fearing that Germany planned to take part of Venezuela, Roosevelt warned Germany that he would use force if they planned to seize any Venezuelan territory. E. Philippine Government Act (1902) Gave government powers and commission to Philippines subordinate to US F. Hay-Herran Treaty (1903) The failure of the Colombian legislature to approve the Hay-Herran Treaty, by which Colombia had tentatively agreed to lease a canal zone to the United States, provoked the secession of Panama from Colombia. G. Hay Bunau Varilla Treaty (1903) After Panamanian rebels declared Panama independent, the new republic's minister to the United States, Philippe Jean Bunau-Varilla, negotiated the Hay Bunau-Varilla Treaty The United States acquired full control over the Panama Canal Zone. H. Alaska boundary dispute settled (1903) The discovery of gold in the Klondike, Canada claimed a line which gave them full control of important routes to the gold fields. This provoked the United States Great Britain asked that the matter be settled by arbitration Roosevelt arranged a tribunal of six 'impartial jurists' appointed by both countries. The tribunal ruled in favor of the United States. I. Work on the Panama Canal (1904) Shortly after the Hay Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed. Work continued on the canal for 10 years. J. Roosevelt Corollary announced (1904) Justified U.S. intervention in the affairs of Latin American nations if their weakness or wrongdoing warranted such action. Roosevelt's insistence on U.S. participation in affairs in the Western Hemisphere was part of the philosophy that came to be known came to be known as! S SBig-Stick Diplomacy. !" K. Santo Domingo Debt Dispute (1904) Santo Domingo found it could not pay its debts to several European countries.

Fearing European intervention, Roosevelt announced that the United States might be forced 'in flagrant cases of... wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international power. ' L. The Gentleman's Agreement (1907) Made in response to growing hostility toward Japanese immigrants. Under the agreement, which Roosevelt had reached in private meetings with Tokyo officials, Japan promised to curb the emigration of Japanese laborers and the United States would withhold from the creation of an outright exclusion law similar to the one created for the Chinese. M. In the Root-Taka hira Agreement (1907) Made shortly after the Gentleman's Agreement Japan and the United States promised not to seek territorial gains in the Pacific and to honor the Open Door Policy in China. IX. Major Conflict A. Independence of Panama The creation of the new republic, with the building of the Panama Canal coming on the heels of independence, caused turmoil, power struggles, and confusion to what part the U.S. should play in the new republic's future. Government's response to this was to grab as much control as possible, taking control of the Panama Canal Zone almost the instant Panama was created. Roosevelt supported this mentality with his Corollary, advocating Big-Stick Diplomacy ('Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far') and advocating interference in the affairs of all Latin America (when deemed necessary). X. Social Changes A.W.E.B. DuBois publishes The Souls of Black Folks (1903) Expressed lyrically and with passion that an educated black elite should lead blacks to liberation. f^2 f|fn First Niagara Conference (Niagara Movement) (1905) A group of black intellectuals, led by DuBois, formed the Niagara Movement to demand full civil rights for blacks.

The movement, the first of its kind, was strong and caused quite a stir with intelligent and rational notions, goals, and intentions which challenged accepted stereotypes of white superiority XI... Major technological change A. Wright Brothers make first airplane flight (1903) The brothers made the first successful flight in a heavier than air plane. The brother and Charles Taylor designed and built the 16 horsepower engine and propeller for their plane, which was originally name Flyer I.B. Construction of Panama Canal begins (1904) Work on the canal began shortly after the Hay Bunau Varilla Treaty was signed. Work continued on the canal for 10 years Evaluation: Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States, was one of Americas most inquisitive presidents of his time. Unlike most presidents before him, Roosevelt showed great compassion and sensitivity in helping weaker nations assure their freedom.

This allowed America to gain more power over foreign affairs and more respect from other nations. If rate on a scale from one to ten (ten being the highest) I would have to give Roosevelt no less than a nine. Theodore Roosevelt's main goal for America was for us to become significantly involved with foreign nations thus allowing us to become a more dominant country. To achieve this goal he promoted many treaties involving several countries. One of which was The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty. This treaty was an Agreement between the United States and Great Britain, allowing the U.S. government to negotiate for control of the proposed Panama Canal with Colombia.

This treaty soon lead to another treat by the name of Hay-Herran Treaty. Due to the failure of the Colombian legislature to approve the Hay-Herran Treaty, by which Colombia had tentatively agreed to lease a canal zone to the United States, provoked the secession of Panama from Colombia. Yet again this lead to another treated called Hay Bunau Varilla Treaty, which in turn gave the U.S. full control over the Panama Canal Zone. This was a prime example of how Roosevelt's goal to achieve American domination through involvement in foreign issues worked due to the fact that we gained control of what was soon to be a great canal. Although most of congress shared Roosevelt's republican views, his relationship with Congress in general was strained. Roosevelt consistently insulted the time-consuming debate with which it operated and called members 'scoundrels and crooks' and 'fools.

!" The Senators and Representatives resented the steady rise in presidential power that had been occurring since 1877, and resented even more Theodore Roosevelt's usual tone of command. Though he never addressed the whole Congress, Roosevelt sent to Congress more than 400 presidential messages. Through out Roosevelt's presidency he superbly handled numerous domestic and foreign crisis's. Most issues during his administration dealt with foreign country's due to his aforementioned goal. For instance, the Platt Amendment. This amendment was put into affect after the Spanish-American war.

It stated that the U.S. would withdraw it's troops under certain conditions, which lead to cuba becoming a U.S. protectorate. Another foreign policy dispute was the Alaska boundary conflict. It began with the discovery of gold in the Klondike, Canada claimed a line which gave them full control of important routes to the gold fields. This provoked the United States and soon Great Britain asked that the matter be settled by arbitration. Roosevelt arranged a tribunal of six 'impartial jurists' appointed by both countries, which ruled in favor of the United States.

These were great models for how well Roosevelt handled foreign crisis's. As for domestic crisis's, though there were little, there is one that I think illustrates how he really handled most domestic problems which was the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902. When the anthracite coal miners held a strike, Roosevelt became the first president to intervene in a labor-management dispute, threatening to seize the mines in order to persuade the stubborn owners to accept mediation. In the end, the miners were awarded a favorable settlement.

As in the majority of the other domestic happenings, he used force only enough to get the job done. Theodore Roosevelt is still one of the most respected presidents in history. He will always be remembered for his prestigious work in foreign affairs. He's administration set the standers for how America handles those foreign affairs to this day. He is without a doubt a brilliant politician.