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Part 2: American Looks Outward: Imperialism & World War I |
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Part 2 covers the age of neo-imperialism, 1900-1917. During this reform age Americans began to look outward and reject their traditional sense of separation from the rest of the world. The world was growing smaller, and during this period the United States emerged as a world power, partly as a result of the Spanish-American War, from which the United States gained an empire, and partly through the active engagement of President Theodore Roosevelt in world affairs. In 1905 he became the first American to win the Nobel Peace prize for negotiating and end to the Russo-Japanese War, an act that would have been unthinkable for any American president before that time. While we continue to keep in mind the working classes, we now shift our attention to two great Progressive leaders—Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson—in their roles as statesmen and formulators of American foreign policy . These two men dominated the first two decades of the 20th century. Poles apart politically, and sharply different in personality and temperament, they were often at odds after they ran against each other for President in 1912 (along with incumbent President Taft). Yet they shared much—a vision of a highly moral America, a nation that was rising to leadership throughout the world, and a sense that America was a nation of destiny that could change the world for the better. Both were Progressives, and in that regard their politics were similar. Both enjoyed large successes and tragic failures, but their collective legacy lived on in the young men who grew up under them—men who would lead another crusade a generation later. |
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Topic Summaries and Resources: |
Theodore Roosevelt |
USMC Memorial, France |
Updated
July 31, 2006
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