Question

but whatever his intentions, roosevelt’s major legacy was an addition to the monroe doctrine that — rather than protecting the hemisphere — put the fear of uncle sam into south american debtors. what prompted the measure was chaos in the dominican republic after it defaulted on its foreign debts, and italy threatened to interfere in support of the creditors. the president first declared that “if any south american country misbehaves toward any european country, let the european country spank it,” and said he wanted “to do nothing but what a policeman has to do in santo domingo.” but on second thought, he instructed on may 20, 1904 his secretary of war to read at a ceremonial dinner an open letter that spelled out the so - called roosevelt corollary to the monroe doctrine. it said in part that “if a nation shows that it knows how to act with decency... if it keeps order and pays its obligations, then it need fear no interference from the united states.” but, roosevelt added with his customary bluntness, “brutal wrongdoing, or an impotence 11 which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may finally require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the western hemisphere, the united states cannot ignore this duty... ” guiding questions which of the following describe teddy roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy as president? a he believed america was superior and he was unforgiving towards other nations. b he was understanding towards the differences america had with other nations. c he believed it was important to protect other nations in the western hemisphere. d he didnt want to interfere in problems abroad unless it directly benefited america.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The text doesn't suggest Roosevelt thought America was "superior" or "unforgiving" in a way that matches. The focus is on intervention for order, not superiority.
• Option B: The passage is about intervention in the Western Hemisphere, not understanding differences between nations.
• Option C: The text states "Roosevelt’s major legacy was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine... protecting the Hemisphere" and "if a nation... keeps order and pays its obligations, then it need fear no interference... But, Roosevelt added... may finally require intervention... the United States cannot ignore this duty". This shows he believed protecting other nations (in the Western Hemisphere) from European interference (or when they can't maintain order) was important.
• Option D: The text implies intervention when needed, not avoiding it unless it benefits America. The focus is on order/debt issues, not direct benefit.

Answer:

C. He believed it was important to protect other nations in the Western Hemisphere.