Semester 1 Unit 6: American Imperialism and WWI
Notes 2: The Panama Canal and Justifications for American Imperialism
Theodore Roosevelt – “Speak softly, and carry a big stick”
Teddy Roosevelt was born to wealthy parents in 1858 in New York City. He was born a _________________
child, but quickly began to follow what he deemed a “strenuous life”. He was devoted to
_____________________, outdoor activities, and scholarly studies. Roosevelt became a state legislator soon
after college, but took a break from politics after both his mother and wife died within 12 hours of each other.
He moved west to be a _____________________________________ in the Dakotas. Although being a cowboy
only lasted two years, this part of his life stayed with him forever. In 1897, Roosevelt became assistant secretary
of the ___________________. He then served in Cuba during the war leading the voluntary “_____________
________________” cavalry. A book of his accounts during the war brought him to the public eye and helped
him become governor of New York. In the 1900’s, President McKinley was running for his second term and
nominated Roosevelt to be his running mate. McKinley’s platform was based on _______________________, a
stance that Roosevelt himself embodied. Teddy Roosevelt was not only experienced in politics and war, but he
also was had more gusto than other politicians at the time. His strong ___________________________
overshadowed McKinley in the election, but they won the race. Less than a year after the election, on
September 6, 1901, McKinley was _____________________ and Teddy Roosevelt became president.
Roosevelt’s attitude of strength and his overwhelming personality would mark his presidency.
The Panama Canal
The aftermath of the Spanish American War was a greater involvement in ______________________________
for the U.S. The Caribbean and Pacific were the major stages for this involvement since America gained
territory there from the Spanish. For centuries, explorers and engineers had dreamed of carving a passage
through the narrow ________________________ in Central America.
Isthmus: A narrow strip of land surrounded by water
During the Spanish American War, the need for an easy passage between the Pacific and Atlantic was realized
when it took the Oregon months to travel around Cape Horn in South America to reach Cuba. American
engineers identified two possible __________________ through Central America – one through Nicaragua,
which posed fewer problems because much of it would be cut through a lake, and the other through Panama.
The Panamanian route was shorter but would cut through swamps and _________________________. In the
late 1800’s a French company began to work on the Panamanian route, but gave up. It sent an agent to
Washington to convince the U.S. to buy the project. In 1903, after negotiations, the U.S. bought the French
company’s route for $_________________________.
At the time the country of __________________________________ actually ruled Panama. The U.S. would
have to obtain Columbia’s permission before proceeding with work. When Columbia refused the treaty, the
U.S. and the French company’s representative helped to stage a ___________________________ in Panama. A
dozen U.S. warships were present when Panama declared its independence in November 1903. Two weeks
afterwards, Panama and the U.S. signed a treaty that allowed the U.S. to rent and control the “______________
_______________”. The U.S. agreed to pay $10 million outright and $250,000 a year for rent. Ill feelings were
formed, though, between the U.S. and Columbia. The U.S. tried to buy its way out of this by paying Columbia
$25 million in 1921 to ______________________________ for its lost territory.
Unit 6 Imperialism and WWI
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Semester 1 Unit 6: American Imperialism and WWI
Notes 2: The Panama Canal and Justifications for American Imperialism
Constructing the Panama Canal was a great feat of ________________________________ and perseverance.
Work began in 1904 and the canal opened on August 15, 1914. At the height of construction in 1913, more than
_____________________ workers were employed. 75% were blacks from the British West Indies and others
had come from Southern Europe. More than _________________ canal workers died on the project from
accidents or terrible diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. The terrain was also difficult and in the end, it
cost the U.S. $380 million to complete. The canal operates on a system of _________________. A ship sails in
through one gate in the lock, the gate is closed, the water level is raised, and then the ship can sail out to the
next higher lock. This was the only way to move ships across the mountainous region.
Justifications for Imperialism - Monroe Doctrine
In 1823 President Monroe created the Monroe Doctrine. This defined United States foreign policy in the
Americas at the time. It declared that the United States had an _________________________ in the Western
Hemisphere and that European powers must not meddle in the affairs of any developing nations there. This
meant that the U.S. had decided that no European power could establish ________________________ in
Central or South America.
In his December 1904 message to Congress, President Roosevelt added the Roosevelt
_____________________ to the Monroe Doctrine.
Corollary: additional statement that logically follows the first one
This stated that the U.S. had the right to exercise international _____________________ power in the
Americas, including force if necessary. The U.S. continued to establish itself as a world power, but at this time
focus was on the Americas.
Justifications for Imperialism – Cultural Superiority
During this time, some people believed in the idea of _________________________________________. They
took Darwin’s scientific notion of “survival of the fittest” and applied it to culture. They felt that since white
Anglo-Saxons (people of British, German, and Scandinavian decent) had developed certain technological
advances like _______________ that they had the right to conquer those who were not as “advanced.” Of
course this attitude defines culture, civilization, and achievement from the __________________ of those doing
the conquering.
Along with Social Darwinism came the idea of helping out those who were “less civilized.” This originally took
the form of missionary work – people would devote their life to Christianizing and _______________________
tribal people from other countries. This idea then moved on to be a governmental and social justification for
imperialism. People who believed in this felt that by colonizing a country and placing it under imperial rule, the
U.S. was Americanizing the people of that country and __________________________ their lives. The famous
English writer, Rudyard Kipling, wrote a poem that was released in a popular magazine of the time.
“________________ __________________________” was the name of the poem and it told Americans to
sacrifice themselves in order to help the __________________________ in the world. This concept of
“helping” through imperialism is still used as a justification for imperialism today.
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January 20, 2012