THE U.S. AND LATIN AMERICA

Theodore Roosevelt became President in 1901, which was just three years after the Spanish-American War. To show America's naval power, he sent sixteen battleships on a trip around the world. The ships were called the "Great White Fleet." He sometimes sent warships and marines to small countries in Latin America to protect American property and to keep European countries from interfering in Latin America.

Those actions were protected by the Monroe Doctrine, which had been issued by President Monroe in 1823 as a warning to Europe not to start any new colonies in Latin America. Eighty years later President Theodore Roosevelt found a new use for it in the Dominican Republic. Later Presidents used the Monroe Doctrine as a reason for sending troops into Latin American countries. Because of such policy many people in Latin America and in the world called the U.S. 'the Yankee Giant" and wanted it to stay out of their affairs.

One idea Theodore Roosevelt had for expanding American power was to build a canal through the narrow land that connects North and South Americas. With such a canal, the United States Navy could move more easily between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal was planned across Panama, but the area belonged to the South American country of Columbia, which turned town Roosevelt's offer to buy Panama. In 1903, with the help of American warships, Columbia had to accept Panama's independence, and the new nation agreed to lease the Canal Zone to the United States. In 1906 Roosevelt visited the Canal to see how the work was going. In 1914 the work was complete, and the Panama Canal was open to ship traffic.

Theodore Roosevelt was no longer President by the time the Panama Canal was completed, but he was very proud of having it started.

Another Roosevelt became President in 1933. His name was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he was a distant relative of Theodore. Franklin Roosevelt's way of acting toward Latin America was called the Good Neighbor Policy, and most later Presidents used the term, as it demonstrated the intention to be friendlier.

1. Who was given a warning by the Monroe Doctrine?

2. How did President Theodore Roosevelt make use of the Monroe Doctrine?

3. Why did Roosevelt want to build the Panama Canal?

4. What was the Good Neighbor Policy intended to demonstrate?

3. WORLD WAR I

At the start of the 1914 war, Great Britain, France, and Russia had an alliance called the Allies. They were fighting against Germany and Austria-Hungary, called the Central Powers. Soon many other nations joined the war, and most of the fighting took place in Europe, though there was also fighting in colonies owned by those countries

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. Congress declared war, and it also passed a law to draft men into the army; General John J. Pershing was made commander of the army.

The Allies defeated Germany and the Central Powers. The fighting stopped in November 1918.

The next year a peace conference was held in France. President Wilson offered a plan for a world organization to help prevent another war. The organization was called the League of Nations. But Congress refused to let the United States join the League as it supported the idea to stay out and not get involved in new European quarrels.

Without the support of the United States, hopes for the League of Nations began to fade.

Alliance - союз; ally – союзник;

1. What was the position of the United States during WWI?

2. What was the position of the United Stales as to the League of Nations?

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 918