He accomplished this by persuading Congress to add battleships and increase their men. The Navy was strengthened into one of the largest in the world. He even launched a tour to show off the amazing power of his Great White Fleet. It sailed around the whole world impress other countries and to give the Navy experience with wide world travels. It was also his office that was responsible for the completion of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal was the long sought after solution for a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Central America. Roosevelt sought a large land that was owned by Colombia. Initially Colombia refused to sell it, but the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with Panama gave it to Roosevelt for $10 million. The Panama Canal was one of Roosevelt's greatest investments because of the multiple strategic advantages it gave the U.S. It was able to grant the U.S. a better, safer, and shorter route for international trades. Furthermore, it also gave the U.S. an advantage because the United States' control of the massive land makes the U.S. the dominant force in Central America. Roosevelt's vigorous participation in foreign affairs benefitted the United States by strengthening its influence and power. .
William Howard Taft, a federal judge from Ohio was Roosevelt's choice as his successor. However, Taft was more conservative than Roosevelt. This led to him to focus on antitrust policies during his presidency. He was able to convince the Supreme Court that The Standard Oil Company run by John D. Rockefeller was violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. There was an order to for the company to be broken into separate marketing, producing and refining companies. This was a direct challenge towards Roosevelt, since the Standard Oil Company was in good standing with Roosevelt and had his support. Taft also thought that economic individualism was still the structure of the social order if the government and private entrepreneurs cooperated in social ills.
After the rivalry that heated up between France and Great Britain right from the Seven Year war, France and Britain signed a liberal trade agreement called the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty of 1960, which as a result lowered tariff barriers between both nations. ...