Roosevelt, Spain and the Misuse of Central America

“We assert that no nation can long endure half republic and
half empire, and we warn the American people that imperialism abroad
will lead quickly and inevitably to despotism at home.”
Democratic National platform 1900


Born into the age of manifest destiny, Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth President of the United States, was probably the most domineering politician of the first half of the twentieth century. He was a hunter, a soldier, a cowboy, and a Statesman, his likeness forever carved into Mount Rushmore. He started the National Park Department, and collected specimens for the museum of Natural History. The Teddy Bear was named after him; he even won the Nobel peace prize. His political doctrine shaped not only our own country, but even affects international affairs today. Throughout his political career Roosevelt worked to build an American Empire. Roosevelt got what he wanted with little or no regard for other countries. From the Spanish American War to the...