Theodore Roosevelts the Threat of Japan - 1630 Words

Document: Theodore Roosevelt: The Threat of Japan, 1909 [At Mt. Holyoke] Introduction: For my history assignment, I chose the document â€Å"Theodore Roosevelt’s The Threat of Japan†. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, modernization took place, bringing Japan to the height of power equivalent to a western power after defeating both China and Russia. United States was maintaining its policy of isolationism but was slowly transitioning to self interest imperialism, keeping control over countries with economic benefit such as open door policy with China. A summary of this article would be Roosevelt’s changing ideas of how US should change their foreign policy with regard to the dynamic change in the balance of world powers in 1909. My†¦show more content†¦Paragraph 3: Japan’s immigration problems Since the opening of Japan from its self imposed seclusion policy in 1854, scholars have studied aboard to acquire Western teachings. The immigration problem manifested once Japanese started immigrating to Hawaii, Canada and US motivated by economic gains and evasion of military services. In the year 1900 alone, 12000 Japanese entered United States and by 1910 the population trebled to a total of 72,517. Although this bought a solution to their demand of cheap labour, another set of problems arise in the form of economic, racial and anti-Japanese agitation. Examples included would be San Francisco School Board implemented segregation of education school between Japanese and American children, and â€Å"California legislature passing offensive legislation aiming at Japanese†. This background knowledge is coherent in identifying the social problems such as a â€Å"race problem and contest† is forecasted if nothing is done to keep them out. He understands that his people will not permit the Japanese to come in â€Å"as citizens and will not tolerate their presences.† US experienced widespread anti-Japanese sentiments and this is supported from evidence that Roosevelt received insults such as â€Å"an unpatriotic President, who united with aliens to break down the civilization of his own countrymen† by San Francisco Chronicle when he decided to back Japan up against