America's Foreign Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

America's Foreign Policies - Essay Example Both the army and navy were less than 30,000 troops separately, and being situated in the midst of weak or friendly nations, no thought was given to building up an armed force for any reason (Mintz). Americans also felt badly towards expanding any holdings abroad, as the popular sentiment was that it went against the democracy that the country held dear to its heart, even more than a hundred years after winning it (Mintz). That changed, however, when European powers towards the end of the century started acquiring overseas holdings themselves, eventually becoming rulers of a fifth of the world between 1870 and 1900 (Mintz). Fearing that the United States would one day be left with nothing but the country that it had already started, sentiment changed to allow overseas diplomacy and dealings, which were brought to the forefront by the foreign policies of President Theodore Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft, and President Woodrow Wilson. Though these three had sometimes radicall y different views on how to handle different situations with respect to countries around the world, it cannot be denied that all had a hand in shaping the United States as a world power by the early 1920s. Theodore Roosevelt came into the presidency believing, in a way, that America was not enough for America. He believed that the United States should expand its presence in foreign countries and territories, and had a strongly â€Å"imperialistic philosophy† about where the nation stood, and should stand, in the world (â€Å"American Experience†). Despite being a diplomat who was more than capable of brokering any negotiation through words, Roosevelt believed that the nation should be ready to fight to protect its own interests above everyone else, and supported war in order to make his point to other countries about the greatness of America (â€Å"American Experience†). This can be seen in his main ambition while in office, which was to build a canal