Foreign Policies of McKinley,
Roosevelt, Taft, & Wilson
Presidents’ Beliefs
William McKinley
• Beliefs
– Moral responsibility to
Christianize and civilize those
who were not
– Main interest –
• to secure the will and interest of
the average working man
• The “people” should get what they
want
– Wanted to expand the frontier –
continue “manifest destiny”
Theodore Roosevelt
• Big Stick Diplomacy
– “Speak softly and carry a big stick”
– Big stick = military
– International negotiations backed by
threat of force
• U.S. has moral responsibility to
“civilize” weaker nations
• Roosevelt Corollary (to Monroe Doctrine)
– U.S. can use “international police
power” in Latin America to prevent
European nations from intervening
William Howard Taft
• Wanted to expand American
trade
• Dollar Diplomacy
– “Substituting dollars for bullets”
– Maintain orderly societies abroad
by increasing investments in
foreign economies
• Main Goals
– Maintain Open Door to China
– Preserve Stability in Latin America
Woodrow Wilson
• Wanted Foreign Policy based on
principles rather than materialism
• “Moral Diplomacy”
– Hoped to spread democracy, condemn
colonialism, and promote peace
– 3rd Party Mediation of Conflicts
• Nations would remain peaceful during
mediation
– Hoped "to cultivate the friendship" w/ LA
• Help other nations achieve selfgovernment eventually
– U.S. model (democracy)