1. The U.S. In Latin America
Chapter 9 Section 4

2. Puerto Rico In 1900 congress passed the Foraker Act
Authorized POTUS to appoint a governor and part of the legislature of Puerto Rico
The rest of the legislature would be determined by a general election in PR
U.S. taxed Puerto Rican goods
Puerto Ricans did not have the same rights as U.S. citizens

3. Jones-Shafroth Act Granted Puerto Ricans more citizenship rights
Gave them greater control of their legislature
Still didn’t have all the same rights as Americans

4. Cuba Platt Amendment Restricted rights of the Cubans
Brought Cuba within the US sphere
Prevented Cuba from making agreements with other nations without US approval
Required Cuba to lease naval stations to the US
Gave US the “right to intervene” to preserve order in Cuba
Cubans didn’t like it!

5. “Big Stick” Diplomacy TR’s policy for US action in Latin America
Depended on a strong military to achieve goals
“Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
America had a duty to “civilize” weaker nations
America’s captains of industry should be international leaders

6. Panama Canal
U.S. bought a French company’s claim in 1903 for $40 million
Before building a canal to connect the Pacific to the Atlantic the US needed the permission of the Colombian govt
Colombia demanded more than the US was willing to give
TR sent warships to assist in the Panamanian rebellion against Colombia

7. Panama Canal
Colombia backed down after the military presence of the US
Panama declared its independence and granted the US control over the “canal zone”
US agreed to pay Panama $10 million and annual rent of $250,000
US transferred control in 1999

8. Panama Canal More than 35,000 workers dug canal
More than 5,000 died from disease or accidents
Opened in 1914

9. Roosevelt Corollary
Europe was angry because Latin Americans were not paying debts to foreign investors
Updated the Monroe Doctrine
TR wanted to keep the Western Hemisphere free from European intervention
US would act as police
Latin Americans wanted to police themselves!

10. Taft’s “Dollar Diplomacy”
“Less big stick, more dollars”
“substitute dollars for bullets”
Wanted to increase American investments in Central American businesses and banks
“Big Stick” sometimes had to be used to protect “dollar diplomacy”
Example: Nicaragua…troops sent twice to protect the pro-American govt there

11. Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
Taft’s diplomacy basically failed

12. Wilson’s “Moral Diplomacy”
Unlike his predecessors, Wilson was anti-imperialism
Vowed US would not conduct territorial conquests, instead they would promote “human rights, national integrity, and opportunity.”
Despite his rhetoric, he still used military to “guide” Latin Americans
Example: Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Mexico

13. Wilson’s Moral diplomacy
Wilson’s plan didn’t really work either :’(

14. Wilson sends troops to Mexico
Mexico arrested US sailors
Wilson sent in Marines and collapsed Mexican government
Things were good for a short time
Rebels rose again led by Pancho Villa
Villa attacked and killed 18 Americans in NM
Troops sent to Mexico on a “punitive expedition”
WWI distracted US from Villa

15. Poncho villa
US gave up the hunt, but he was killed by an unknown assassin in 1923.

16. EXIT SLIP
At the end of the Spanish-American War, the U.S. had accomplished its goal of becoming a world power, a role we still retain today.
What problems have we faced as a nation historically because of the role we play in the rest of the world?