page_title: History of U.S. foreign policy, 1897–1913
section_title: Roosevelt administration
hierarchical_section_title: History of U.S. foreign policy, 1897–1913 / Leadership / Roosevelt administration
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph showing head and shoulders, facing slightly left.
context_page_description: The history of U.S. foreign policy from 1897–1913 concerns the foreign policy of the United States during the Presidency of William McKinley, Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and Presidency of William Howard Taft. The period began with the inauguration of McKinley in 1897 and continued until the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson and the 1914 outbreak of World War I, which marked the start of new era in U.S. foreign policy.
  During this era, the United States emerged as a great power that was active even outside of its traditional area of concern in the Western Hemisphere. Major events included the Spanish–American War, the permanent annexation of Hawaii, the temporary annexation of the Philippines, the annexation of Puerto Rico, the Roosevelt Corollary regarding oversight of Latin America, the building of the Panama Canal and the voyage of the Great White Fleet that showed the world the powerful rebuilt U.S. Navy. S. foreign policy, 1861–1897. S. foreign policy, 1913–1933.
  The Cuban War of Independence against Spain broke out in 1895, and many Americans demanded American intervention in the war to stop Spanish cruelty. The business community and top GOP leaders held back.
context_section_description: McKinley was assassinated in September 1901 and was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt came into office without any particular domestic policy goals, broadly adhering to most Republican positions on economic issues. He had stronger views on the particulars of his foreign policy, as he wanted the United States to assert itself as a great power in international relations. Anxious to ensure a smooth transition, Roosevelt convinced the members of McKinley's cabinet, most notably Secretary of State John Hay and Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage, to remain in office. Another holdover from McKinley's cabinet, Secretary of War Elihu Root, had been a Roosevelt confidante for years, and he continued to serve as President Roosevelt's close ally. Root returned to the private sector in 1904 and was replaced by William Howard Taft, who had previously served as the governor-general of the Philippines. After Hay's death in 1905, Roosevelt convinced Root to return to the Cabinet as secretary of state, and Root remained in office until the final days of Roosevelt's tenure.
caption: President Theodore Roosevelt personally directed U.S. foreign policy from 1901 to 1909
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