Roosevelt & the Caribbean - Howard Copeland Hill

Roosevelt & The Caribbean

By Howard C. Hill, Ph.D.

A Book Review

Prepared by

Dan Beynon

Submitted to

Dr. Gary Starnes

HIST 1302.01

American History Since 1865

April 13, 2007

Author

Howard Copeland Hill was born December 20, 1878, in Saint Louis, Missouri to the Reverend James Renwick and Margaret Agnes (Kirkpatrick) Hill. Howard's father ran a Presbyterian school in the suburbs of Saint Louis.

Howard C. Hill received his A.B. from Indiana University in 1906. He received his A.M. from the University of Wisconsin in 1909 and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1925.

After completing his A.B. at Indiana University, Mr. Hill returned to St. Louis where he began to raise a family and taught high school from 1907 to 1910. Howard's family consisted of himself, his wife and five children. One unfortunately passed away. As an author, Dr. Hill wrote many books. His first was titled Community Life and Civic Economics and was published in 1922. Some of his later works include: Roosevelt and the Caribbean, Readings in Vocational Life, English Literature, Treasury of Life and Literature Volume five, Historic Background of our United States, Community Civics, Contemporary Literature, Early America: A History of the United States to 1789 (Amazon.com). Dr. Hill also co-authored several books.

In 1924 Dr. Hill was the summer Lecturer for the University of Chicago, however that was not his only collegiate affiliation, Dr Hill was also associated with Indiana University, the University of Hawaii and Colorado State University.

Dr. Howard Copeland Hill departed from this world in 1940 having spent a lifetime in the field of education.

Summary

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of experiencing growing pains can and will validate the agony of their torment. Just as individuals suffer consequences of growth, so do nations. Theodore Roosevelt was a man who understood the pains of growth - having suffered most of his childhood from various ailments. Perhaps that helped prepare him to lead a country that was suffering from the pangs of growth. As a child young "Teedie" realized the benefit of tedious physical exercise to strengthen his growing frail body (theodoreroosevelt.org). As a student and later as a public servant "Teddy" would realize the importance of exercising authority, decisiveness, and action to strengthen the resolve and position of an ever expanding United States of America.

Roosevelt and The Caribbean by Dr. Henry Copeland Hill is a book that takes a look at an unprecedented era of American history. It is an era where the President and entire American government would be submerged in matters of foreign affairs, any one of which could have been detrimental to the sovereignty of this great nation.

"We cannot sit huddled within our own borders and avow ourselves merely an assemblage of well-to-do hucksters who care nothing for what happens beyond. Such a policy would defeat even its own ends; for as the nations grow to have ever wider and wider interests and are brought into closer and closer contact, if we are to hold our own in the struggle for naval and commercial supremacy, we must build up our power without our own borders. We must build the Isthmian canal, and we must grasp the points of vantage which will enable us to have our say in deciding the destiny of the oceans of the east and the west." The preceding excerpt is from a speech Roosevelt gave while still Governor of New York (Hill). The speech expounds Roosevelt's concern for national security, foreign standing (both politically and commercially), and capitalizing upon opportunity. While still a student at Harvard, T.R. begins writing his first book: The Naval War of 1812. Having spent much time in study and investigation, Roosevelt came to identify and understand costly mistakes that were made in part by the U.S. navy's lack of preparedness and the dangers of allowing possible aggressors a close proximate foothold. While serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt experienced first hand the tactical need for the Isthmian canal when it took the Oregon several weeks to steam its way to Cuba. Undeterred by Columbia's refusal to sell or allow the United States to start digging, Roosevelt chose intervention as an end to his means. President Roosevelt ordered two gunboats to ensure that the Columbians could not land within fifty miles of Panama. Though many claim that this was an act of land grabbing, T.R. was quick to point out that this was the fifty-third insurrection revolution in as many years and not a shot was fired or life lost (Time). Theodore had acquired what he needed to start the construction of the Panama canal.

No sooner had the canal issue been settled that the two opposing political parties of the newly fashioned Cuban government began to revolt causing upheaval and unrest. Realizing the vulnerability of the divided island and having emotional ties with the newly liberated tropical land, Roosevelt felt obliged to intervene when his services were requested on behalf of the Cubans. With assurances made to the American people, the Cubans and other various nations that the U.S. will once again leave Cuba once order has been restored, the marines landed on Cuban soil. And just as promised they vacated the island once the Cuban government was strong enough to stand on its own.

A new situation was a stir among the South American countries - Venezuela which had seceded from Columbia in 1829 only to remain in constant turmoil and revolution until 1899. By that time Venezuela amassed massive debts and defaulted on most of them. Three European countries wanted their money and were determined to get it, by force if necessary. Great Britain, Germany and Italy decided that they would send their navies to Venezuela, capture their gunboats and place a blockade upon the Venezuelan ports as a way to obtain funds. The Germans contacted the U.S. and advised them of what they were planning to do, explaining that they had no interest of permanent occupation of any part of Venezuela. After an unproductive chain of events failed to put an end to the episode Roosevelt, perhaps already angered by the Germans ability to acquire a foothold along the Isthmian called Kiauchau, gave the German ambassador an Ultimatum; resolve