<p>Hi, so I’m in tenth grade and the AP Exam is coming up in a couple of months and I was wondering if you could give me any advice on how to improve my papers? Oh, and what grade would you give this essay on a scale of 1-9
Question: Compare and contrast the foreign policies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.</p>
<p>The era of the early 1900’s was characterized by two presidents with two completely different attitudes on foreign policy, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. While Roosevelt, who served as President from 1901-1909, was an expansionist and progressive reformer who took a more militaristic approach in his dealings with other nations, Wilson, who served as President of the United States from 1913-1919, was often a proponent of international cooperation and working together for a common good. Despite differences, both presidents were avid supporters of American freedom and felt the need to spread this ideal around the world. </p>
<p>A progressive reformer at home, Theodore Roosevelt was a pioneer of American interests abroad. As president, he developed a new approach to overseas involvement, called the “big stick ideology” that promoted American might through dealings with foreign countries. For example, Roosevelt ordered the construction of the “Great White Fleet,” a naval expansion project approved by Congress that constructed a fleet of war ready ships that circumnavigated the globe to prove that the United States was a rising industrial and military power. Moreover, President Roosevelt completed the construction on the Panama Canal. To secure the construction rights for the project, his administration is often credited with initiating the Panamanian Revolt against the Colombian government. Although the project was started under Roosevelt’s predecessor William McKinley, its completion gave the U.S. economic control over transoceanic trade and boosted its international reputation. On a side note, Theodore Roosevelt represented the United States during Russo-Japanese War negotiations that ended bloody conflict. For his efforts in resolving the dispute, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. Despite Roosevelt’s aggressive approach to foreign policy, his actions set a precedent for America as a global policeman, and refuted earlier policies of isolationism. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Woodrow Wilson, was more cautious President in terms of foreign entanglements and tended to push cooperation as a practical alternative to war. Elected in 1912 on a platform of no involvement against the Triple Alliance during World War One in Europe, Wilson kept America out of the fighting all throughout his first term. His promise was later broken in 1917, due to the Zimmerman telegram, a German message to Mexico promising military support if they were to declare war on the United States, and German U-Boats sinking U.S. merchant vessels in the Atlantic. These shocking incidents turned public opinion in favor of fighting and swayed Wilson to ask Congress to declare war. After the Allies defeated Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire in 1919, Wilson attempted avert the destruction a second time through the creation League of Nations. The League of Nations was an organization drafted during the Treaty of Versailles by Allied leaders including Wilson, and its primary goal was to keep the peace and prevent the secret alliances that started the War. Although the exact treaty was rejected by radical Republicans in Congress who feared the organization would inhibit America’s capability to function as an independent diplomatic entity, his ideas were carried over into the United Nations, founded by Franklin Delano Roosevelt after the Second World War. Overall, Woodrow Wilson’s objections to U.S. intervention in military conflict and promotion of cooperation between nations drew stark contrast to the pro-expansionist approach of Theodore Roosevelt and solidified his legacy as a diplomat and peace-maker.
While Roosevelt was eager to engage in conflict for the sake of expanding American power, and Wilson was very hesitant to join in a fight, both ideologies supported American freedom. Roosevelt wanted to protect the freedoms of the U.S. through expanding the reach of American Power with the Panama Canal, Great White Fleet, and intervention in the Russo-Japanese War. Wilson wanted to protect the freedoms that republicanism brought by shutting out overseas conflict and pushing for diplomacy. While different, both Presidents are well remembered for their commitment to American interests and their ability to deal with difficult eras of foreign policy.</p>