U.S. Foreign Policy in the Early 20th Century

Introduction

U.S. Foreign Policy in the Early 20th Century - 11th or 12th grade US History. 

USHC-5.3 Summarize United States foreign policies in different regions of the world during the early twentieth century, including the purposes and effects of the Open Door policy with China, the United States role in the Panama Revolution, Theodore Roosevelt’s “big stick diplomacy,” William Taft’s “dollar diplomacy,” and Woodrow Wilson’s “moral diplomacy” and changing worldwide perceptions of the United States. 

Task

Explore each of the foreign policies mentioned below. Then determine the impact on American economics, politics, and the International perception of the United States. 

  • Open Door Diplomacy
  • Big Stick Diplomacy
  • Dollar Diplomacy
  • Moral Diplomacy 

Be prepared to discuss these policies in class for a classroom grade. 

Process

  1. What was the Open Door Policy? 
  2. Did the Open Door Policy last in American economics for an extended amount of time? 
  3. What was Big Stick Diplomacy? 
  4. Was Big Stick Diplomacy used to intimidate - prevent war? Explain answer. 
  5.  how does this image portray the effect of Big Stick Diplomacy on American Politics?
  6. What was Dollar Diplomacy? 
  7. Did Dollar Diplomacy work for either American or American controlled territories' economies? 
  8. What was Moral Diplomacy?
  9.  Did Moral Diplomacy always work? (Did it create bad relationships?)
  10. Was America an Imperialist country? Explain answer. 

Evaluation

5 3 1
Summary Adequate and well thought out summary. Great effort. Summary lacks complete detail but is still effective. Shows effort. Lacks all detail. No effort. 
Discussion Quality Brought good information to the class. Was well prepared. Brought decent information. Somewhat prepared. Brought no information. No preperation. 
Contribution Helped the class as a whole. Semi-helpful to the class. No help to the class. 

Conclusion

The early 20th century saw many foreign policies take place in America. 

Each of these foreign policies effected American economics, politics, and relations with other world powers. 

They each had advantages and disadvantages that led to another policy being put into place. 

Credits