Roosevelt's "Big Stick" diplomacy refers to negotiating peaceably with other nations while simultaneously displaying military might.
KEY POINTS[ edit ] The idea is derived from Roosevelt's memorable phrase: "speak softly, and carry a big stick". Big Stick Diplomacy was a major component of Theodore Roosevelt's international relations policy. The theory is that leaders strive for peace while also keeping other nations aware of its military power. Roosevelt displayed his policy during the Venezula crisis when he amended the Monroe Doctrine to read that the U.S. would get involved with the affairs of its Latin American neighbors if they defaulted on its debt to Europe. The Big Stick policy was also applied to the Panama Canal Crisis and the Cuba question, where the United States set a list of rules and standards to which it would hold Cuba instead of annexing it.
Source: Boundless. “The Big Stick.” Boundless U.S. History. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 01 Feb. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-progressive-era-1890-1917-22/roosevelt-s-progressivism-171/the-big-stick-936-2220/
President Taft's Dollar Diplomacy focused on economic goals overseas. He emphasized the spread of American influence through economic activity. But he also sent troops to protect American interests. Dollar Diplomacy, 1909–1913 From 1909 to 1913, President William Howard Taft and Secretary of State Philander C. Knox followed a foreign policy characterized as “dollar diplomacy.” William Howard Taft shared the view held by Knox, a corporate lawyer who had founded the giant conglomerate U.S. Steel, that the goal of diplomacy was to create stability and order abroad that would best promote American commercial interests. Knox felt that not only was the goal of diplomacy to improve financial opportunities, but also to use private capital to further U.S. interests overseas. “Dollar diplomacy” was evident in extensive U.S. interventions in the Caribbean and Central America, especially in measures undertaken to safeguard American financial interests in the region. In China, Knox secured the entry of an American banking conglomerate, headed by J.P. Morgan, into a European-financed consortium financing the construction of a railway from Huguang to Canton. In spite of successes, “dollar diplomacy” failed to counteract economic instability and the tide of revolution in places like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and China.
Woodrow Wilson's Moral Diplomacy President Wilson favored a moral approach to foreign policy. He wanted to spread democratic ideals overseas.. Yet he also used force to uphold American interests.
Wilson disliked the assertive policies of Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. He advocated "moral diplomacy" (a policy that made the U.S. the conscience of the world).