What are some negative facts about Theodore Roosevelt?

Teddy Roosevelt was a larger-than-life character in the history of the United States. It can be said that Teddy liked being viewed in this manner. Teddy had a rather large ego and pretty much did what he wanted without regard to the consequences. He believed in American supremacy and was an advocate of American imperialism. A prime example of all of these qualities is his handling of the Panama Canal. When Colombia would not give the United States favorable terms to build a canal in their territory, Roosevelt instigated Panama do break free from Colombia. He did this without being honest to the American people about the situation.

He most likely acted in this way towards Colombia because he felt they were inferior to the Americans. Roosevelt had the attitude that white Europeans were a superior race to nonwhites. He demonstrated this feeling throughout his political career. He worked to exclude Chinese as immigrants and limit Japanese immigration. Roosevelt also railed against integration of other groups into American culture, especially Native Americans.

It can also be stated that Teddy Roosevelt was a war hawk. The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine increased the likelihood of American intervention in conflicts in Latin America. He was also an agitator in American intervention in Cuba that led to two American wars: the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Roosevelt believed that America was so great that it deserved an empire. Involvement in these conflicts cost thousands of American lives.