The changes in American foreign policy at the turn of the 20th century Essay - 1

The changes in American foreign policy at the turn of the 20th century - Essay Example The foreign policies were however, modified clearly in the next decade-a-half. This modification brought in a cautious non-entanglement between U.S. and other countries if not complete isolationism. The isolation gap grew bigger between the increasingly internationalist policy and the isolationist American policy when Franklin Roosevelt won elections into White House. However, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor as America entered into the World War II. The changes in the American foreign policy can therefore, be categorized as follows: This was characterized by a period where America was making confident interventions. Theodore Roosevelt had arrived as the president. The situation was however, less promising. This was because President William McKinley had been assassinated. The new president had a lot of self-confidence (Hastedt 68). Theodore Roosevelt came in to push through the goal of U.S. that had been held for a long time. This goal was about building the inter-oceanic canal, which had to go through the Central America. The U.S. policy makers chose the northern side of the Republic of Columbia as the route for the canal. However, resistance from the Columbian government was clear. Because of this, the U.S. president found a reason to support an â€Å"independence movement† in from the state of Panama, northern Columbia. Apart from detecting this movement, Roosevelt also recognized the government, which was supporting the construction of the canal. Panama, as a result, fought for independence from Columbia, and eventually granted the rights to the U.S. government to construct the Panama Canal (Hastedt 68). Cautious of the possibility of European nations coming in to intervene in the internal affairs affecting the Latin American nations, Roosevelt not only toughened but also extended the â€Å"Monroe Doctrine† (1824) by inserting his â€Å"Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.† This period was characterized by cautious