Monroe Doctrine - Definition, Purpose & Significance - HISTORY

In a speech to Congress in 1823, President James Monroe warned European powers not to attempt further colonization or otherwise interfere in the ... 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ContentsU.S.MotivationsBehindtheMonroeDoctrineMonroe’sMessagetoCongressTheMonroeDoctrineinPractice:U.S.ForeignPolicyTheRooseveltCorollaryTheMonroeDoctrineFromtheColdWarIntothe21stCenturySourcesInaspeechtoCongressin1823,PresidentJamesMonroewarnedEuropeanpowersnottoattemptfurthercolonizationorotherwiseinterfereintheWesternHemisphere,statingthattheUnitedStateswouldviewanysuchinterferenceasapotentiallyhostileact.LaterknownastheMonroeDoctrine,thispolicyprinciplewouldbecomeacornerstoneofU.S.diplomacyforgenerations.U.S.MotivationsBehindtheMonroeDoctrineBytheearly1820s,manyLatinAmericancountrieshadwontheirindependencefromSpainorPortugal,withtheU.S.governmentrecognizingthenewrepublicsofArgentina,Chile,Peru,ColombiaandMexicoin1822.YetbothBritainandtheUnitedStatesworriedthatthepowersofcontinentalEuropewouldmakefutureattemptstorestorecolonialregimesintheregion.Russiahadalsoinspiredconcernsofimperialism,withCzarAlexanderIclaimingsovereigntyoverterritoryinthePacificNorthwestandbanningforeignshipsfromapproachingthatcoastin1821.ThoughMonroehadinitiallysupportedtheideaofajointU.S.-BritishresolutionagainstfuturecolonizationinLatinAmerica,SecretaryofStateJohnQuincyAdamsarguedthatjoiningforceswiththeBritishcouldlimitfutureU.S.opportunitiesforexpansion,andthatBritainmightwellhaveimperialistambitionsofitsown.HeconvincedMonroetomakeaunilateralstatementofU.S.policythatwouldsetanindependentcourseforthenationandclaimanewroleasprotectoroftheWesternHemisphere.Monroe’sMessagetoCongressDuringthepresident’scustomarymessagetoCongressonDecember2,1823,MonroeexpressedthebasictenetsofwhatwouldlaterbecomeknownastheMonroeDoctrine.AccordingtoMonroe’smessage(draftedlargelybyAdams),theOldWorldandtheNewWorldwerefundamentallydifferent,andshouldbetwodifferentspheresofinfluence.TheUnitedStates,foritspart,wouldnotinterfereinthepoliticalaffairsofEurope,orwithexistingEuropeancoloniesintheWesternHemisphere.“TheAmericancontinents,bythefreeandindependentconditionwhichtheyhaveassumedandmaintain,arehenceforthnottobeconsideredassubjectsforcolonizationbyanyEuropeanpowers,”Monroecontinued.AnyattemptbyaEuropeanpowertoexertitsinfluenceintheWesternHemispherewould,fromthenon,beseenbytheUnitedStatesasathreattoitssecurity.Indeclaringseparatespheresofinfluenceandapolicyofnon-interventionintheforeignaffairsofEurope,theMonroeDoctrinedrewonpaststatementsofAmericandiplomaticideals,includingGeorgeWashington’sFarewellAddressin1796,andJamesMadison’sdeclarationofwarwithBritainin1812.TheMonroeDoctrineinPractice:U.S.ForeignPolicyAtthetimeMonroedeliveredhismessagetoCongress,theUnitedStateswasstillayoung,relativelyminorplayerontheworldstage.ItclearlydidnothavethemilitaryornavalpowertobackupitsassertionofunilateralcontrolovertheWesternHemisphere,andMonroe’sboldpolicystatementwaslargelyignoredoutsideU.S.borders. In1833,theUnitedStatesdidnotinvoketheMonroeDoctrinetoopposeBritishoccupationoftheFalklandIslands;italsodeclinedtoactwhenBritainandFranceimposedanavalblockadeagainstArgentinain1845.Butasthenation’seconomicandmilitarystrengthgrew,itbeganbackingupMonroe’swordswithactions.AstheCivilWardrewtoaclose,theU.S.governmentsuppliedmilitaryanddiplomaticsupporttoBenitoJuárezinMexico,enablinghisforcestooverthrowtheregimeofEmperorMaximilian,whohadbeenplacedonthethronebytheFrenchgovernment,in1867.RecommendedforyouHowBobbyGrierIntegratedOneofCollegeFootball'sBiggestGames1929ClevelandbecomesfirstMLBteamwithnumbersonbackofjerseys6ScandalsThatRockedtheWinterOlympicsTheRooseveltCorollaryFrom1870onward,astheUnitedStatesemergedasamajorworldpower,theMonroeDoctrinewouldbeusedtojustifyalongseriesofU.S.interventionsinLatinAmerica.Thiswasespeciallytrueafter1904,whenPresidentTheodoreRooseveltclaimedtheU.S.government’srighttointervenetostopEuropeancreditorswhowerethreateningarmedinterventioninordertocollectdebtsinLatinAmericancountries.Buthisclaimwentfurtherthanthat.“Chronicwrongdoing...mayinAmerica,aselsewhere,ultimatelyrequireinterventionbysomecivilizednation,”RooseveltannouncedinhisannualmessagetoCongressthatyear.“IntheWesternHemispheretheadherenceoftheUnitedStatestotheMonroeDoctrinemayforcetheUnitedStates,howeverreluctantly,inflagrantcasesofsuchwrongdoingorimpotence,totheexerciseofaninternationalpolicepower.”Knownasthe“RooseveltCorollary”orthe“BigStick”policy,Roosevelt’sexpansiveinterpretationwassoonusedtojustifymilitaryinterventionsinCentralAmericaandtheCaribbean,includingtheDominicanRepublic,Nicaragua,HaitiandCuba.TheMonroeDoctrineFromtheColdWarIntothe21stCenturySomelaterpolicymakerstriedtosoftenthisaggressiveinterpretationoftheMonroeDoctrine,includingPresidentFranklinD.Roosevelt,whointroducedaGoodNeighborpolicytoreplacetheBigStick.ButthoughtreatiessignedduringandafterWorldWarIIreflectedapolicyofgreatercooperationbetweenNorthandSouthAmericancountries,includingtheOrganizationforAmericanStates(OAS),theUnitedStatescontinuedtousetheMonroeDoctrinetojustifyitsinterferenceintheaffairsofitssouthernneighbors.DuringtheColdWarera,PresidentJohnF.KennedyinvokedtheMonroeDoctrineduringthe1962CubanMissileCrisis,whenheorderedanavalandairquarantineofCubaaftertheSovietUnionbeganbuildingmissile-launchingsitesthere.Inthe1980s,PresidentRonaldReagansimilarlyusedthe1823policyprincipletojustifyU.S.interventioninElSalvadorandNicaragua,whilehissuccessor,GeorgeH.W.Bush,similarlysanctionedaU.S.invasionofPanamatooustManuelNoriega.WiththeendoftheColdWarandthedawnofthe21stcentury,theUnitedStatesreduceditsmilitaryinvolvementsinLatinAmerica,whilecontinuingtoassertapowerfulinfluenceintheaffairsoftheregion.Atthesametime,socialistleadersinLatinAmerica,suchasHugoChavezandNicolasMaduroofVenezuela,haveearnedsupportbyresistingwhattheyviewasU.S.imperialism,reflectingthecomplicatedlegacyoftheMonroeDoctrineanditsdefininginfluenceonU.S.foreignpolicyintheWesternHemisphere.SourcesMonroeDoctrine,1823.U.S.StateDepartment:OfficeoftheHistorian.“BeforeVenezuela,UShadlonginvolvementinLatinAmerica.”AssociatedPress,January25,2019.“TheEconomistExplains:WhatistheMonroeDoctrine?”TheEconomist,February12,2019.TheodoreRoosevelt’sCorollarytotheMonroeDoctrine,1904.OurDocuments.govFACTCHECK:Westriveforaccuracyandfairness.Butifyouseesomethingthatdoesn'tlookright,clickheretocontactus!VIDEOSJamesMonroeTheEisenhowerDoctrineTheTrumanDoctrineMarilynMonroeonFameSubscribeforfascinatingstoriesconnectingthepasttothepresent.SIGNUPRELATEDCONTENTJamesMonroeJamesMonroe(1758-1831),thefifthU.S.president,oversawmajorwestwardexpansionoftheU.S.andstrengthenedAmericanforeignpolicyin1823withtheMonroeDoctrine,awarningtoEuropeancountriesagainstfurthercolonizationandinterventionintheWesternHemisphere....readmoreEisenhowerDoctrineOnJanuary5,1957,inresponsetotheincreasinglytensesituationintheMiddleEast,PresidentDwightEisenhower(1890-1969)deliveredaproposaltoajointsessionoftheU.S.CongresscallingforanewandmoreproactiveAmericanpolicyintheregion.TheEisenhower...readmoreElizabethMonroeEliabethMonroe(1768-1830)wasanAmericanfirstlady(1817-1825)andwifeofJamesMonroe,thefifthpresidentoftheUnitedStates.ElizabethandJamesspentmuchoftheirearlymarriedlifeabroad,whereJamesservedastheU.S.ministertoseveralEuropeannations.Afterher...readmoreManifestDestinyManifestDestiny,aphrasecoinedin1845,istheideathattheUnitedStatesisdestined—byGod,itsadvocatesbelieved—toexpanditsdominionandspreaddemocracyandcapitalismacrosstheentireNorthAmericancontinent.Thephilosophydrove19th-centuryU.S.territorial...readmoreLouisianaPurchaseTheLouisianaPurchaseof1803broughtintotheUnitedStatesabout828,000squaremilesofterritoryfromFrance,therebydoublingthesizeoftheyoungrepublic.WhatwasknownatthetimeastheLouisianaTerritorystretchedfromtheMississippiRiverintheeasttotheRocky...readmoreLewisandClarkExpeditionTheLewisandClarkExpeditionbeganin1804,whenPresidentThomasJeffersontaskedMeriwetherLewiswithexploringlandswestoftheMississippiRiverthatcomprisedtheLouisianaPurchase.LewischoseWilliamClarkashisco-leaderforthemission.Theexcursionlastedover...readmoreWestwardExpansionIn1803,PresidentThomasJeffersonpurchasedtheterritoryofLouisianafromtheFrenchgovernmentfor$15million.TheLouisianaPurchasestretchedfromtheMississippiRivertotheRockyMountainsandfromCanadatoNewOrleans,anditdoubledthesizeoftheUnitedStates....readmoreCowboysThecowboyplayedanimportantroleduringtheeraofU.S.westwardexpansion.ThoughtheyoriginatedinMexico,Americancowboyscreatedastyleandreputationalltheirown.Throughouthistory,theiriconiclifestylehasbeenglamorizedincountlessbooks,moviesand...readmoreSanteFeTrailTheSantaFeTrailwasAmerica’sfirstcommercialhighway.Tradersestablishedthetrail—whichconnectedMissouritoSantaFe,NewMexicoandcoveredsome900milesoftheGreatPlains—in1821.BeforeitsdemiseduetothecompletionoftheSantaFerailroad,theSantaFeTrail...readmoreLoading…SeeMoreCLOSECLOSECLOSECLOSE