This book examines President Theodore Roosevelt’s use of the United States naval services as supporting components of his diplomatic efforts to facilitate the emergence of the United States as a Great Power at the dawn of the 20th century. After reviewing the development of Roosevelt’s personal philosophy with regard to naval power, the book traverses four chapters that reveal Roosevelt’s use of the Navy and Marine Corps to support American interests during the historically controversial Venezuelan Crisis (1902-03), Panama’s independence movement (1903), the Morocco-Perciaris Incident (1904) and the choice of a navy yard as the sight for the negotiations that ended the Russo-Japanese War. The voyage of the Great White Fleet and Roosevelt’s actions to technologically transform the American Navy are also covered. In the end the book details how Roosevelt’s actions combined to thrust the United States forward onto the world’s stage as a major player, and cemented T.R’s place in American history as a great president despite the fact that he did not serve during a time of war or major domestic disturbance. This history provides new information that finally lays to rest the controversy of whether Theodore Roosevelt did or did not issue an ultimatum to the German and British governments in December, 1902, bringing the United States to the brink of war with two of the world’s great powers. It also reveals a secret war plan developed during Panama’s independence movement which envisioned the United States Marine Corps invading Colombia to defend the sovereignty of the new Panamanian republic.

In the 1890s, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt led a campaign to modernize the navy. Paramount in Roosevelt's vision was the creation of a fleet of modern, steel-hulled warships armed with the most powerful weapons available. The future president and his intellectual soul mate, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, firmly believed that America's emerging global expansion would only reach its full potential through sea. power. The swift and overwhelming US victor in the Spanish-American War of 1898 vindicated the views of Theodore Roosevelt and Captain Mahan, and marked the debut on the world stage of the modern US Navy. Theodore Roosevelt, the U.S. Navy and the Spanish American War considers the impact Roosevelt had on the US navy in general and how his reforms affected the course and outcome of the Spanish-American war in particular. The nine contributors to this volume include leading historians, and prominent naval officers from the US and Spain. With essays ranging from the Roosevelt family's naval heritage to the impact of the Spanish-American War on enlisted forces in the navy, this work is a major contribution to our understanding of Theodore Roosevelt and 'his' navy.

The joint efforts of Roosevelt and Mahan to secure U.S. prominence in the Western Hemisphere through sea power and to develop a navy capable of confronting powerful enemies in the Atlantic and Pacific altered hemispheric relations irrevocably and had important consequences for the conduct and outcome of both world wars. The author describes the working relationship that developed between the two men when Roosevelt served first as civil service commissioner and subsequently as assistant secretary of the navy, and the events, controversies, and policies that eventually led to the creation of a strong naval force. Professor Turk's balanced, informed analysis sheds new light on the Roosevelt-Mahan relationship--both its collaborations and its conflicts--and the significance of their interaction for modern American history.

A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt is the first comprehensive anthology to encompass Roosevelt as whole, highlighting both his personality and his skilled diplomacy. Revitalizes and internationalizes scholarship on this most popular and highly-rated American president Covers many aspects of Roosevelt’s personality and his policies, domestic and foreign, to create a complete picture of the man Provides scholarship from both sides of the Atlantic, from established Roosevelt specialists, respected scholars, and a new generation of historians A new and fresh historiographical exploration of Roosevelt’s life and ideas, political career and achievements, and his legacies

Analyzes the international relations, foreign policy, and diplomatic efforts of the the administration of Theodore Roosevelt in the context of his time