Latin American Relations Dbq Essay

The century between 1820 and 1920 encompassed many different visions for types of relations that would exist between the newly founded American republics. For the United States, the vision consisted of a paternalistic dominance towards its fractious neighbors. Whether carried out by businessmen or diplomats, this policy was readily apparent. Latin American nations held an entirely different view for how relations between themselves and their more powerful sister republic should be. These conflicting visions would lead to marked alterations in how American countries interacted with one another, but while some things were inevitably transformed, others endured.
U.S. businessmen saw Latin America was a resource to be exploited. Not only could it provide the raw materials needed but also the markets for the finished products. With this motivation, entrepreneurs came to dominate the region. The principle example for this is Minor C. Keith, who, in addition to owning …show more content…
politicians encapsulated the U.S. vision for dominance of the region. The first such policy was the Monroe Doctrine, summed within quotation 1. Another influential policy was the Roosevelt Corollary explained by Roosevelt in quote 11. This was followed by President Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy, the idea being to create stability in Latin America through investment. President Wilson employed Missionary Diplomacy, the intention of which was to bring civilization to Latin America.
Latin Americans held a very different vision for the relationship between their countries and the United States. They desired equality among the American nations. A sentiment expressed by Carlos Calvo in quotation 8. This desire did not blind them to the actions and intentions of their more powerful neighbor. This was the reason Victor Haya de la Torre founded the APRA, as he explains in quote 14. José Martí, a Cuban journalist, who had lived in New York City, addressed the failings of the U.S. in quote