What were some negative events during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency?
While Teddy Roosevelt was President, many good things happened to our country. However, there were some events that had some negative consequences for us.
When Teddy Roosevelt was President, we intervened in Latin American affairs several times. We helped Panama become independent from Colombia, which then allowed us to build the Panama Canal. We also intervened in the Dominican Republic to be sure that they paid their debts to Europe. These actions by the United States didn’t sit well with some people in Latin America. The people of Latin America began to view us in negative terms. They viewed us a bossy big brother that looked out only for the best interests of the United States. This feeling continues to exist today in many parts of Latin America.
Big businesses didn’t like Roosevelt’s actions regarding the breaking up of trusts. They felt the government was intervening too much in the affairs of businesses. They also didn’t like the development of government agencies, such as the Bureau of Corporations, which monitored the activities of businesses. From the perspective of some business owners, this government involvement was not a positive development.
There were many good things that happened while Teddy Roosevelt was President. There were a few things that were considered bad by some groups of people.
What negative aspects were associated with Teddy Roosevelt's presidency?
While Teddy Roosevelt was progressive domestically and didn't have many personal failings (he was a dedicated family man), it can be argued that his imperialist policies hurt other countries and set a poor precedent for American foreign policy. For example, when he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he agitated for the U.S. to become involved in the conflict between Cuba and Spain as Cuba was fighting for independence from Spain. When the Secretary of the Navy was away, the U.S. battleship the Maine exploded in Havana harbor, and Roosevelt informed the navy that they should prepare for war. He was clearly itching for a fight, and he played a critical role in dragging the U.S. into the Spanish-American War. In the war, he fought at San Juan Hill in Cuba as part of the Rough Riders. He asked the Rough Riders to charge up San Juan Hill, without any orders from superiors, and 200 soldiers were killed and 1,000 soldiers were injured as a result. In addition, as a fervent imperialist, he also pushed for American control of the Philippines, which were subdued with a great deal of American military aggression and subjugation of the Filipino people.
As President, he continued his imperialist policies. For example, he wanted an isthmus canal to be built in Central American to reduce the time it took for ships to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast (or to make the reverse journey). When Columbia refused to allow a canal to be built in their country, he supported a revolt in Panama that enabled an American-controlled canal to be built there.
One other thing you can use against Teddy Roosevelt is his behavior during the Panic of 1907. He allowed J.P. Morgan's U.S. Steel to inject money into a failing railroad, coal, and iron company to prop it up, and this action went against his position as an anti-monopolist.
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