ABSTRACT
Theodore Roosevelt characterized his foreign policy by a “proverb” that he attributed to a West African source, “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick; You Will Go Far.” Using images of manliness and unmanliness, Theodore Roosevelt maintained that the United States would continue its support of “The Monroe Doctrine” and its opposition to the intervention and colonization by Europe in the Americas. The project appealed to Theodore Roosevelt’s traits of manliness that guided him through much of his life. There were attendant risks and challenges in building a canal and constructing locks across a challenging terrain, a project that had already taken thousands of lives. Initially, the nations rejected Theodore Roosevelt “good offices” as a mediator, but as Russia’s war losses continued to increase, Russia and Japan accepted the offer. For his role as mediator, Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Prize for Peace, the first US President to receive the honor.
