U.S. Imperialism in Latin America: Bryan’s Challenges and Contributions, 1900-1920

Latin America’s proximity to the United States made the improvement of relations between the two regions imperative in the first two decades of the 20th century. William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State for Woodrow Wilson until 1915, was largely responsible for the task. Although Bryan has denounced as imperialistic his predecessors’ political and economic intervention in Latin America, his own policies also had an imperialist tone. Bran designed in June 915, but his actions while in office served as the foundation for later intervention in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This work details Bryan’s attitudes toward Latin American prior to assuming the title of secretary of state, his actions while in office, and his political stance after resignation. Six topical chapters cover Bryan’s policies, toward Nicaragua, Haiti, the Deominican Republic, Mexico, the Panama Canal Tolls controversy, and the Columbian Treaty. The work concludes with an analysis of Bryan’s inconsistent attitude on imperialism.