Roosevelt's Big Stick: American Power Declared
Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech at the Minnesota State Fair on September 2, 1901, in which he quoted a West African proverb: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." Roosevelt was still Vice President; President McKinley would be assassinated four days later. The phrase became the defining metaphor for Roosevelt's foreign policy as president: negotiate diplomatically but maintain credible military force. He applied this doctrine aggressively, building the Panama Canal, deploying the Great White Fleet around the world, mediating the Russo-Japanese War (winning the Nobel Peace Prize), and asserting American dominance in the Western Hemisphere through the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
September 2, 1901
125 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 2
Cicero was 62 years old, semi-retired, and knew exactly how dangerous this was. Mark Antony controlled Rome's legions. Cicero controlled words. His first Philip…
Cleopatra VII elevated her young son, Caesarion, to the Egyptian throne as co-ruler, cementing a political alliance with Julius Caesar. By positioning the boy a…
Octavian's fleet, commanded by the brilliant admiral Agrippa, crushed the combined naval forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the coast of Actium in western …
Galla Placidia had already been captured by Visigoths, married their king, widowed, ransomed back to Rome, and forced into a second marriage by her own brother …
Richard had spent three years fighting for Jerusalem and never took it. The Treaty of Jaffa was his admission that he couldn't — but he negotiated hard. Saladin…
Mary had been Queen of France, then widowed at 18, then forced to return to a Scotland she barely remembered. When she rode into Edinburgh in August 1561, Prote…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.