Primary sourceSpeech6 December 1904

Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

Theodore Roosevelt · 6 December 1904

Roosevelt's 1904 annual message to Congress in which he expanded the Monroe Doctrine, claiming an 'international police power' for the US in the Western Hemisphere.

Roosevelt wrote and delivered this message, making it a direct statement of his own foreign policy.

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Scanned page numbered 33 of printed text in a serif typeface on cream paper, containing part of Roosevelt's message discussing the Monroe Doctrine, the Hague conference, Latin American nations, and the Caribbean Sea. Marginal labels read Arbitration treaties, Second Hague conference, and Policy toward other nations of Western Hemisphere. — Theodore Roosevelt, Annual Message to Congress, 1904. U.S. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

About this source

What it is

This is a page from President Theodore Roosevelt's Annual Message to Congress, delivered in December 1904. In it, Roosevelt expanded the Monroe Doctrine by claiming the United States had the right to intervene in Latin American nations to preserve order. The original document is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

Roosevelt issued this statement after European powers used gunboats to pressure Latin American countries over debts. Historians call this extension the Roosevelt Corollary. It shows Roosevelt reshaping American foreign policy, tying it to his idea of 'speak softly and carry a big stick.' The irony is that the Monroe Doctrine had originally aimed to keep European powers out of the Americas, but Roosevelt's corollary now justified American intervention there instead.

Look closer

What words does Roosevelt use to describe the United States' responsibility toward other nations?
Why might Roosevelt have connected this policy to military and naval strength?
How might people in Latin American countries have reacted differently to this document than people in the United States?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Theodore Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.