Monroe Doctrine
With this Primary Source Essay, you will be grappling with the idea of American Imperialism, specifically Theodore Roosevelt’s views on the Monroe Doctrine. The idea of being involved in the world was not an idea that many people believed in during the latter half of the nineteenth century. But the goal of creating and maintaining an American Empire grew in popularity, and one of the biggest supporters was Theodore Roosevelt. Appointed as Assistant Secretary to the Navy in 1896, elected as Vice-President in 1900, and elevated by an assassin’s bullet to President in 1901, Roosevelt held very specific views about the US role in the world in general and the Monroe Doctrine in particular.
For this essay, you will be reading three documents relating to Roosevelt and the Monroe Doctrine. First, we have a newspaper article from 1896, shortly before Roosevelt’s naval service began, where he mentions his views on America’s role in the world and the Doctrine. Second, we have another newspaper article, this one from 1897, that reports on an address by Roosevelt during his time as assistant naval secretary, addressing his views on the navy and US foreign relations. Third, we have a portion of Roosevelt’s fourth message to Congress (written, not given as a “State of the Union” speech, at the time) that describes US foreign policy ideals and his take on the Monroe Doctrine that became known as the Roosevelt Corollary on the Monroe Doctrine
After reading these three documents, you need to compose an essay that answers the following question: Did Roosevelt’s views on the US role in the world change over time in relation to the Monroe Doctrine? Answering this question should take up most of the essay. A good essay will also evaluate whether or not his views and methods concerning how the United States should relate to the world, specifically to the Western Hemisphere, are appropriate for today, and why, as part of the conclusion, without slipping into informal language or using first and/or second person.
