What Should You Know About The Monroe Doctrine?
The Monroe Doctrine was established on the 2nd of December 1823 and it proved to be one of the cornerstones for the entire U.S. foreign policy. The annunciation of the Doctrine was done by President James Monroe in the annual messages that he had for Congress. The main points that were laid down by President James Monroe state that the New World and Old World had differences in the systems and hence had to have distinct spheres as well. Hence, there were 4 major points added to the Monroe Doctrine. In this article, we are going to learn those important points along with some other details such as the purpose of Monroe Doctrine and much more.
The Origin and Framing of The Monroe Doctrine
According to the Monroe Doctrine Summary, these important points were made due to the concerns rising in the United States as well as Britain regarding the rise of the Continental power in the former colonies of Spain. Most of the colonies in Latin America had become independent nations by then. There was also an added concern in the United States that the territorial ambitions of Russia would be a very major threat towards the section of North America.
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Looking at the consequences, the British Foreign Minister at that time, George Canning made a suggestion of joining a declaration between the U.S. and Great Britain. This declaration would forbid any colonization aspects in the future with Latin America. Monroe was actually in favour of the idea in the initial stages. Also, the former presidents of the United States James Madison and Thomas Jefferson showed their acceptance as well. However, an argument was made by the Secretary of State John Quincy about issuing a state regarding the policy exclusively. Ultimately his view prevailed.
The doctrine was a result of concerns rising in both Britain as well as the United States regarding the rise of Continental powers that could potentially the former colonies of Spain. By then, these Latin American colonies had turned into self-governing nations. The United States was also concerned about Russia’s territorial ambitions on the northwest coast of North America. Due to these concerns, George Canning, the British foreign minister, made a suggestion of creating a joint U.S.-British declaration that forbade the prospect of future colonization in Latin American colonies. President Monroe did attest to the idea in the beginning when some of the former presidents James Madison and Thomas Jefferson agreed to the idea. But Secretary of State John Quincy Adams made an argument that the United States should promptly issue a statement regarding American policy. His view ultimately prevailed in the end.
Thus, due to that, on December 2nd, 1823, which came to be known as the Monroe doctrine date, President Monroe declared these four points:
The United States will have no interference when it comes to important internal affairs or the wars between the different European powers.
The United States would recognize the differences between the colonies that existed and would not interfere in the dependencies situated in the Western Hemisphere.
Further colonization was closed for the Western Hemisphere.
In case there is an attempt made by any European power to control or oppress any of the nations situated in the Western Hemisphere, it would be seen as an act of hostility against the United States of America.
These important points further stated the Monroe Doctrine history and significance in American history. The Monroe doctrine was definitely one of the most important parts of the history of America after that.
Application and Extension of The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe doctrine declared that there was unilateral protection provided over the entire region of the Western Hemisphere. However, this foreign policy could not have been properly sustained militarily during that time. Adams and Monroe were completely aware of their need for the British fleet in order to deter the potential aggressors who were situated in Latin America at that time. Since the United States was not really that big a power during that time, James Monroe Foreign Policy was not really taken seriously and was ignored just outside the United States. Another one of the reasons behind the failure of the policy was that the Continental powers weren’t really interested in the recolonization of Latin America during that time.
However, during the years between 1845 and 1848, U.S. President James K. Polk reiterated the Monroe Doctrine and the principles left behind by the former president. He warned Spain and Britain not to make any footholds in the different regions of the Western Hemisphere. These policies were adopted by the United States Congress after the reinterpretation was complete and the Western Hemisphere still to this day remains under the influence of the United States of America.
Conclusion
This Monroe Doctrine summary is meant to provide an idea about the important principles that were proposed by then-President James Monroe. Students will have an idea about the origin and the implementation of the Monroe Doctrine from this article.
FAQs on The Monroe Doctrine
1. What was the significance of the Monroe Doctrine?
While the Monroe Doctrine was widely disregarded in the initial stages by all the important powers of Europe, it still became a mainstay in the foreign policy of the United States. The Monroe Doctrine declared that the United States of America would have sole ownership of the Western Hemisphere and there would be no colonization efforts from the different European powers in this particular region. In return, Monroe made the commitment that there will be no interference from the United States on the matters of conflicts, affairs, and other colonial enterprises of the different United States. It was in 1904 when the Monroe Doctrine was implemented and it laid the ground for interventionist and expansionist practices in the United States.
2. What changes were made in the Monroe Doctrine?
According to history, the Monroe Doctrine stated that all the major European powers were forbidden from participating in any colonizing activities in the American Territories. However, during the time it was created, the Monroe doctrine didn’t have much support from the U.S. Military. All of that changed when the United States finally had the chance to emerge as a supreme power all over the world. In the year 1904, the reimplementation of the Monroe Doctrine happened as the United States took over the role of policeman and security for the entire Western Hemisphere. By then, the United States also had the right to make interference in the affairs of Latin America and that proved to be a great help.
