The Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal reprints the foreword and three chapters (two, five, and nine) from Theodore Roosevelt’s 1915 work America and the World War. In the foreword, Roosevelt expounds on the need for preparedness and criticizes President Woodrow Wilson for not bolstering the nation’s defenses. In chapter two, “The Belgian Tragedy,” Roosevelt states that neutral Belgium was a victim of German aggression, and he warns that failing to arm leads to such violations of a nation’s neutrality. Roosevelt invokes his famous maxim of “speak softly and carry a big stick,” and he makes several references to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and their attitudes towards war and peace. Roosevelt says that international bodies and treaties that promote arbitration are worthless unless they are backed with the threat of force.
In chapter five, “How to Strive for World Peace,” Roosevelt stresses that nations either need to rely on themselves for their defense, or international bodies and treaties must have provisions so that violations of agreements and boundaries are punished by force. Roosevelt opens chapter nine, “Our Peacemaker, the Navy,” with a call to not extend a security guarantee to the Philippine Islands if the United States is committed to their independence. Roosevelt also argues that the navy needs to be used for offensive operations and not for coastal defense, and he excoriates the Wilson administration, especially Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, for not maintaining the readiness of the navy with regular training and maneuvers.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
1915
