How important was President Roosevelt to the development of America imperialism in the years 1895 to 1912?

Robyn Ashton How important was President Roosevelt to the development of America imperialism in the years 1895 to 1912? Roosevelt sought to bring the United States out of isolationism and fulfil its responsibility. He believed that America should “speak softly and carry a big stick” and so helped with the beginning of the construction of the Panama Canal, coined the term Dollar Diplomacy and issued a “corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. Roosevelt introduced the Big Stick Policy, the idea of negotiating peacefully and acting like an international police whilst being willing to use force to back up any diplomatic negotiations. It was Roosevelt’s belief that the United States was justified to exercise their power to put an end to all the universal unrest and wrongdoing. He followed his Big Stick Policy in his dealings in Latin America. In 1903, Roosevelt freed Panama from Colombia, however, this was because of a selfish motive as he wanted to begin the construction of the Panama Canal. Through the construction of the Panama Canal, the United States gained naval influence in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific where the seas had been initially dominated by the British and French and strengthen trade links, developing America’s imperialistic ideals. In addition to saving time when travelling from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, the construction of the canal it

  • Word count: 1180
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Assess the importance of the President in the expansion of the USA from 1815-1917

Assess the importance of the President in the expansion of the USA from 1815-1917 It can be seen that the various Presidents of the United States contributed to expansion between 1815 and 1917, this essay will explore to extent to which they contributed to expansion. President James Monroe can be seen as a President who didn’t contribute greatly to the expansion of the USA between 1815 and 1917. An example of how Monroe took a more backseat role in expansion is his actions in Florida’s first Seminole War in 1918. Here the USA was trying to unite escaped slaves living in the Seminole bands with their owners and it was at this point Monroe sent in General Andrew Jackson to retrieve them. However Jackson overstepped his mark and ended up pressuring Spain into selling Florida to the USA. The selling of Florida to American meant that the USA now had more land for exploitation and settlements and had reduced Spanish influence on a more global scale. It can be seen that it was the character of Andrew Jackson, not the role of President Monroe that led to the USA gaining more land. The actions of Jackson sparked a bitter debate within the government; during all this Monroe did little if anything to subdue the conflict. Historian Joe Knetsch says that Monroe ‘remained relatively quiet, allowing a long and acrimonious debate to play out before taking a vacation.’[1]This

  • Word count: 1918
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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To what extent did Marcus Garvey improve the situation of African-Americans 1916 1924?

To what extent did Marcus Garvey improve the situation of African-Americans 1916 – 1924? Marcus Garvey has been heralded as one of the foremost leaders of African American rights, however despite his influence on later African American rights movement; did he actually improve the situation of African Americans during his campaign in America in the period 1916 – 1924? From the evidence, it seemed that Garvey improved the situation of African-Americans in the respect that he raised public awareness of the racial discrimination they face and gave African-Americans an identity. - Some argue that rather than improving the situation of African Americans, Garvey actually tarnished the reputation of African Americans. Certainly towards his later years in America, Garvey had created for himself an unsavoury image. Garvey would like to present himself as a ‘shining example,’ but to onlookers, he was the embodiment of all negative stereotypes African Americans were associated with. Over the years in power, he had gained a reputation for being aggressive and violent. He advocated for armed self-defence against the whites, unlike other leading figures at the time such as Booker T. Washington, whose policy “Accomodationism” suggests using publicity and education to elevate the position of African Americans and complying with the whites’ segregationist policies. Garvey was

  • Word count: 396
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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The policies of the Federal Government failed to support the civil rights of Native Americans To what extent do you agree with this view of the period from 1865-1992?

‘The policies of the Federal Government failed to support the civil rights of Native Americans’ To what extent do you agree with this view of the period from 1865-1992? It is apparent that the policies of Federal Government failed to support the civil rights of Native American’s due to a lack of clarity in their policies about what civil rights for Native Americans should be. There is however a similar discrepancy between Native Americans themselves who were also indecisive about what their civil rights mean to them. This proposes that although the paternalistic views of Federal government hindered and failed to support civil rights of Native Americans the Native Americans also played a part in their own lack of self-determination. The 1903 Lone Wolf v Hitchcock case is an example of Federal Government failing to support Native American rights and also displays the government annulling previous legislation made prior to the turn of the century to help Native Americans become American Citizens. The Lone Wolf v Hitchcock case concluded in a Supreme Court decision that enabled Federal Government to dispose of Indian land without the need to gain consent of the Indians involved. This makes Federal Government seem unsympathetic to the rights of Native Americans because they are seen not to support Native civil rights as they aim to ensure that Federal Government power and

  • Word count: 750
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Assess the view that the Supreme Court was the most important branch of the federal government in assisting African Americans achieve their civil rights in the period 1865-1992?

Assess the view that the Supreme Court was the most important branch of the federal government in assisting African Americans achieve their civil rights in the period 1865-1992? In terms of African American civil rights include social rights, being treated equal to a White American and integrating with them, and political rights, gaining the vote. The US system of the government has been created so there is a ‘balance of power’ between the branches, executive, legislative and judiciary. Therefore, it is difficult for only one branch to help blacks attain their civil rights. However, this essay will argue that the that the Supreme Court was the most important branch of the federal government in assisting African Americans achieve their civil rights in the period 1865-1992 The Supreme Court acted as the most help in assisting blacks to achieve their social rights. Although they strongly hindered the blacks with their ruling in the Plessy vs Ferguson case in 1896, they ‘redeemed themselves’ in the Linder Brown case 1954. Also during the first half of the period, the policies of the leaders including Booker T Washington and Marcus Garvey appear to support the doctrine ‘separate but equal’. For example, Garvey suggested that the African Americans should go out and live in Africa. Therefore it is questionable whether the Supreme Court’s ruling was a hindrance to the

  • Word count: 1209
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Why did Reagan win by a landslide in 1984?

Why did Reagan win by a landslide in 1984? Ronald Regan changed American political with his new, modernist policies such as Reaganomics. Reagan’s previous experience of being a television personality on shows such as General Electric Theatre, and acting in Hollywood movies besides stars such as Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. This landed him in celebrity culture and made him a household name. Comedy was one of Reagan’s strengths, and he had the ability to attract attention from congress and the public, as he spoke in an oratorio style. When having a debate against the Democrat opposition Walter Mondale, he humorously claimed that he was not going to exploit his opponent’s ‘youth and inexperience’. This gave Reagan a large amount of positive press from the media, and meant that he had a greater advantage in attracting the public interest, to help gain the vote. I believe this factor largely caused him to win by a landslide in 1984. Although Ronald Reagan was seen as being an attractive personality; some could argue that the Republicans’ advantage over the Democrats was mainly due to the poor leadership of Walter Mondale. Mondale, who lacked media presence, was seen as being less attractive than Reagan. His Equal Rights Amendment proposition was deemed unpopular for Middle America, as many believed that Civil Rights had taken up a lot of focus in past

  • Word count: 837
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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How far is it accurate to say that the Black Power movements of the 1960s achieved nothing for Black Americans?

How far is it accurate to say that the Black Power movements of the 1960s achieved nothing for Black Americans? The Black Power movement was a civil rights movement that differed from the mainstream non-violent movement most famously associated with Martin Luther King, in that it advocated self defense and black separatism. Black Power was more successful in the North, where people were not as interested in MLK, as he mostly appealed to middle class, Christian black people. The Black Power movement appealed to young men, and in the Nation of Islam, 90% of New York’s Temple Number 7 had criminal records. “Freedom Cities” were set up in an attempt to prove that black people could govern themselves. For example, in Washington D.C black people were able to elect their own school board and took control of a black school in Harlem, and improved conditions there. Other ways that the black power movement provided practical help and improved the lives of children was through an initiative set up by the Black Panther Party, called Free Breakfast For Children, which was extremely popular and fed up to 10,000 children a day. The government were suspicious of the black power movement and believed that it was linked to communism, due to the Black Panther Party having Marxist beliefs. They were also worried that there would be a violent “black uprising” or a communist

  • Word count: 568
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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The American Civil War

The American Civil War By Tuvara Huston Pro. Wach His-10-9041 Topic IV- Web Assignment One of the documents I have chosen is the Address of Negroes. It started in Alexandria, Virginia, from August 2 to 5, 1865 was address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of America adopted by a Convention of Negroes. It states that the war is over, the rebellion is " put down", and we are declared free! Four-fifths of our enemies are paroled or amnestied, and the other fifth are being pardoned, and the president has, in his efforts at the reconstruction of the Civil government of the states, late in rebellion, left us entirely at the mercy of these subjugated but unconverted rebels, in everything save the privilege of bringing us, our wives and little ones, to the auction block. During the 19th century United States Civil War began at 1861-1865 and the Reconstruction era also began 1865-1877 tested and defined American Nationality. The revolutionary declared of Liberty and Equality, American National Identity was tainted and haunted by the question of slavery and racial prejudice. The Reconstruction Amendments reflected that the federal efforts to enforce Constitutional rights and legal equality for African-Americans. The amendments remained, though legal equality faded with the reassertion of "states rights" and white supremacy in southern states after

  • Word count: 604
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Slavery was extremely common throughout southern culture. The south had crops that required hard labor and whites where not willing to do it. Slaves were not necessarily willing to do the work either; however since they were slaves they stood forced to do the job. Sugar, tobacco, rice, and cotton were among the commercial crops grown in the south. These crops were extremely profitable, but backbreaking and hard labor for the slaves. Sugar and cotton were harder and more demanding to grow, therefore, increasing the death rates of slaves in those areas. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass shows from first-hand what life as a slave meant for some of the slaves in the south. The Narrative starts off by mentioning the harsh truths of being the son of a slave mother. It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at an early age. I never saw my mother, to know her as such, more than four or five times in my life.[1] Frederick Douglass, born in Tuckahoe, Maryland lived to see his mother only a few times in his life while she was alive and did not learn about her death after she had passed. Slavery was immoral, degrading, and absolutely wrong; Douglass talks about slave owners depriving their slaves of general information like birth dates and other basic facts about

  • Word count: 1127
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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The Root of All Evil

Matthew Emmons Mrs. Cerrone Language/Composition AP 3 January 2005 The Root of All Evil Since the beginning of time, one great evil has corrupted the world. The evil gives one person the right to abuse, use, and misuse another human being just for his or her own personal gain. One would think that after all of these years the issue of slavery would be done with, but people today still have slaves and are racist to those who were slaves. No matter what time period, slavery and racism always seemed to expand and cause great conflicts. During the 1830's to the 1860's, slavery was expanded through the major conflicts with sectionalism, greed, and want for territorial expansion. Unfortunately, the issue of slavery brought up sectionalism between the northern and southern states. Many southerners put a great deal of slaves to work upon their plantations so the slave owners could still have a normal life. At that time, the white slave owners made all of their money off the slaves working the plantations. Due to the southerners' belief of superiority over the slaves, many of the owners became covetous and lazy. Our nation's greed for money and land was added upon after the north had finally abolished slavery. With this, many slaves tried to escape their plantations for a better life in the north. These actions caused a great divide in relations between the north and south.

  • Word count: 667
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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