"I Took the Canal Zone": Theodore Roosevelt & The Big Stick

Target: I can explain how the United States acquired the Panama Canal by comparing Theodore Roosevelt’s "Big Stick" policy to the criticism of his actions.

Key Vocabulary

• The Panama Canal: A man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It allowed U.S. Navy ships to move quickly between oceans, making the U.S. a global superpower.

• "Big Stick" Diplomacy: Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." It meant trying to negotiate peacefully but using the military (the "stick") if necessary.

• The Roosevelt Corollary: An addition to the Monroe Doctrine. It said the U.S. had the right to act as an "international police power" in Latin America to collect debts and keep order.

• Colombia: The country that originally owned Panama. When they refused to sell the land to the U.S., Roosevelt helped Panama revolt and become independent so he could build the canal.

Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)

Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.

Prompt: Imagine the government wants to build a new high-speed train that will help thousands of people travel faster and cheaper. However, the only way to build it is to bulldoze your family's house. Your parents say "No," but the government decides to force you out and take the house anyway because "it is necessary for the good of the country." Is this fair? Does the government have the right to hurt one family to help thousands of people? Explain.

Sentence Starter: I think this is (fair/unfair) because... Even if it helps thousands of people, taking someone's home is...

Part 2: Analyzing the Sources

Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.

Source 1: Theodore Roosevelt, "The Roosevelt Corollary" (1904)

Context: In this speech to Congress, Roosevelt explains why the U.S. has the right to intervene in Latin America.

Original Text

Simplified Text

"Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation... In the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power."

"If a country acts badly again and again, or if its government is too weak to keep order, it might require a 'civilized nation' to step in and fix it... In North and South America, the United States follows the Monroe Doctrine. This means that if there is a serious problem in a Latin American country, the United States might be forced to act as an 'international police power' to fix it."

Source 2: Political Cartoon - "The Man Who Can Make Dirt Fly" (1903)

Context: This cartoon was published after Roosevelt helped Panama break away from Colombia so he could start digging the canal.

Description: Theodore Roosevelt is shown as a giant, energetic worker stripping off his coat. He is holding a giant shovel and violently digging out the Panama Canal. He is dumping the dirt onto the city of "Bogota" (the capital of Colombia). He looks determined and powerful, ignoring the destruction he is causing to Colombia.

Analysis Questions

Directions: Answer the writing questions and the two Multiple Choice questions.

1. According to Source 1, what does Roosevelt say gives the U.S. the right to act as an "international police power"?

Sentence Starter: Roosevelt claims the U.S. can act as a police power if a country shows "chronic wrongdoing" or is too...

2. Look at Source 2. How does the cartoonist show that Roosevelt did not care about the rights of Colombia?

Sentence Starter: The cartoonist shows this by drawing Roosevelt dumping dirt directly onto... This symbolizes that he treated Colombia like...

Regents-Style Multiple Choice

3. The "Roosevelt Corollary" (Source 1) was an expansion of which earlier American foreign policy?

(1) The Open Door Policy

(2) The Monroe Doctrine

(3) The Truman Doctrine

(4) The Good Neighbor Policy

4. The actions shown in Source 2 (building the canal) were most criticized by those who believed that:

(1) The U.S. should return to a policy of isolationism

(2) The canal was unnecessary for trade

(3) The U.S. was bullying weaker nations and violating their sovereignty

(4) The canal should have been built in Nicaragua instead

Part 3: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).

Prompt: Using evidence from both sources, explain how Theodore Roosevelt used "Big Stick" diplomacy. Why did he believe he had the right to take the Canal Zone, and how did this affect Latin America?

Sentence Starter: Theodore Roosevelt used "Big Stick" diplomacy to get what he wanted. In Source 1, he claimed the U.S. had the right to be an "international police power" whenever... In Source 2, he is shown using this power to... This affected Latin America because the U.S. started interfering in their countries to...