Roosevelt argued that American citizens were entitled to protection abroad regardless of religion, race, or birthplace. He objected to Russian travel restrictions on Jewish Americans imposed on religious or racial grounds. Lawful conduct was the relevant distinction in his argument: an individual who misbehaved could be expelled, while an ordinary traveler should receive the same treatment as other Americans. His criticism of Ottoman conditions in Armenia and Macedonia concerned a different problem, the suffering of local populations and the response it provoked.
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Citizenship and religious discrimination abroad
Roosevelt defended American travelers against religious discrimination and distinguished their diplomatic protection from responses to persecution elsewhere.