Compare And Contrast Roosevelt And Wilson

The Early Twentieth Century was a time of transformation in American Politics. After being ruled by the Democratic and Republican Party platforms, a new philosophy named Progressivism began to spread through the minds of the American People. The two Progressive Presidents of the time were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Even though the two presidents shared a progressive mindset, they differed in their foreign policy intentions. Roosevelt was known as an imperialist president while Wilson believed to push for democracy and popular sovereignty to foreign nations. Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy’s was summed up under one motto, “speak softly and carry a big stick”. Roosevelt believed in peaceful negotiations with foreign nations but also having the option to use violence to avoid any conflicts. Roosevelt much believed in his military and …show more content…
This plan was called The Fourteen Points. The Fourteen Points also included the League of Nations. The League of Nations was an organization drafted during the Treaty of Versailles. The Main goal of the League of Nations was to keep peace and prevent war. Overall, Wilson’s vision was more seen for the generations to come. He believed in self-determination and that the world could live in peace. Wilson’s participation to the U.S intervention in international disputes and cooperation between nations differed from the approach of Roosevelt’s and marked his legacy as a peace-maker and anti-imperialist. When Roosevelt wanted to engage in war, Wilson was very hesitant and always looked for another way. Roosevelt wanted to express the U.S power by the creation of the Great White Fleet and the Panama Canal while Wilson attempted to spread the American ideals of Democracy. While they both had different intentions and ideas, they were both equally able to handle the era of the difficult 20th