Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909
"The steady aim of this Nation, as of all enlightened nations, should be to strive to bring ever nearer the day when there shall prevail throughout the world the peace of justice. There are kinds of peace which are highly undesirable, which are in the long run as destructive as any war. Tyrants and oppressors have many times made a wilderness and called it peace. Many times peoples who were slothful or timid or shortsighted, who had been enervated by ease or by luxury, or misled by false teachings, have shrunk in unmanly fashion from doing duty that was stern and that needed self-sacrifice, and have sought to hide from their own minds their shortcomings, their ignoble motives, by calling them love of peace. The peace of tyrannous terror, the peace of craven weakness, the peace of injustice, all these should be shunned as we shun unrighteous war. The goal to set before us as a nation, the goal which should be set before all mankind, is the attainment of the peace of justice, of the peace which comes when each nation is not merely safe-guarded in its own rights, but scrupulously recognizes and performs its duty toward others. Generally peace tells for righteousness; but if there is conflict between the two, then our fealty is due first to the cause of righteousness." -Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1905) |
The Roosevelt Corollary stated that the United States would intervene in Latin American affairs to protect them from the Europeans. The Monroe Doctrine was previously made for the goal of isolation and to stop European powers from colonizing America any farther. However, the Corollary gave America the power to intervene to protect any nation that could not protect themselves when deemed necessary. This gave America a stronger sense of power and militarism.
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William Howard Taft 1909-1913
In the election of 1912, Roosevelt created his own "Bull moose party" and ran against Taft, Wilson and Debs. It was the first time 4 candidates ran for president. It legitimatized third parties running in the election as the Progressive party won 88 electoral votes from 6 states and still remains a prominent political party today.
Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921
Wilson wrote the 14 points to declare to congress that WWI was a moral war and to call for peace in Europe. Woodrow delivered this speech in the hopes of establishing world peace and keeping Russia on the side of the Allied Powers
Wilson wrote the 14 points to declare to congress that WWI was a moral war and to call for peace in Europe. Woodrow delivered this speech in the hopes of establishing world peace and keeping Russia on the side of the Allied Powers
Warren G Harding 1921-1923
In 1921 Harding transferred supervision of the Navy's oil reserve lands to the department of interior. The Teapot Dome Scandal caused a rise in panic as Mammoth Oil's value fell right before the crash of the stock market. The Teapot Dome Scandal tarnished Harding's presidential reputation and fed into the stock market crash and ultimately the great depression.
Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was created after the end of WWI to prevent another major war. It was initially intended s a pact between the U.S and France but it was feared it might be seen as an alliance so many other nations were invited into the pect. It was a failure as it did not stop the increase in militarism during the 1930s. It was another ant-war attempt for peace.