History of U.S. foreign policy, 1897–1913
Okay, kiddo, let's see if we can make sense of the United States' foreign policy from 1897 to 1913. First of all, foreign policy is how a country interacts with other countries in the world. It is like when you play with your friends at school, and you have to decide how you will treat each other and what games you will play.
During this time, the United States was becoming more powerful and influential in the world, so its foreign policy was changing too. One important event was the Spanish-American War. The United States fought against Spain and gained control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
After that, the U.S. was looking to expand its influence even more, and President Theodore Roosevelt had a big part in shaping foreign policy. He believed in something called "big stick diplomacy." This meant using military power to show other countries who was boss.
For example, in 1904, Roosevelt helped to negotiate the Panama Canal Treaty, which allowed the U.S. to build a canal through Panama. This helped trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and made the U.S. even more powerful.
In addition to using military power, the U.S. also used economic power to influence other countries. President William Taft called this "dollar diplomacy." He believed that if the U.S. invested money in other countries, they would become more economically dependent on the U.S. and would be more willing to do what the U.S. wanted.
So, the U.S. used its power and influence to try and shape other countries' policies and make them more favorable to the U.S. This is what is meant by foreign policy.
During this time, the United States was becoming more powerful and influential in the world, so its foreign policy was changing too. One important event was the Spanish-American War. The United States fought against Spain and gained control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
After that, the U.S. was looking to expand its influence even more, and President Theodore Roosevelt had a big part in shaping foreign policy. He believed in something called "big stick diplomacy." This meant using military power to show other countries who was boss.
For example, in 1904, Roosevelt helped to negotiate the Panama Canal Treaty, which allowed the U.S. to build a canal through Panama. This helped trade between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and made the U.S. even more powerful.
In addition to using military power, the U.S. also used economic power to influence other countries. President William Taft called this "dollar diplomacy." He believed that if the U.S. invested money in other countries, they would become more economically dependent on the U.S. and would be more willing to do what the U.S. wanted.
So, the U.S. used its power and influence to try and shape other countries' policies and make them more favorable to the U.S. This is what is meant by foreign policy.