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The Monroe Doctrine is often summed up with the sentence “America for the Americans.” Prepared by John Quincy Adams, it was presented by US President James Monroe in his sixth speech to Congress in December 1823. The doctrine raised opposition to the restoration of colonialism by European nations, particularly Spain, in the nations of South America. South that had become independent. It also established that an intervention by the colonial countries would be interpreted as a hostile act.
The Monroe Doctrine was raised in relation to a specific political situation but it became a State policy in force for several decades. Although it was silvered by James Monroe, the one who developed and promoted it was John Quincy Adams, who was President Monroe’s Secretary of State and later President of the United States.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the United States and Haiti were the only two independent countries on the American continent; It was then that the processes that led to the independence of the Spanish colonies in Latin America began. Although the political leaders of the United States welcomed the new nations, there was a widespread fear that their independence could not be sustained over time. For this reason, when France invaded Spain in 1823 to support Ferdinand VII, it was believed that France would also help Spain to recover her colonies in South America. The British government conceived the idea that France and Spain ally with this objective, so its Foreign Office asked the American ambassador what measures they would take in this regard.
john quincy adams
The American ambassador in London proposed that the United States government cooperate with England in rejecting the possibility of Spain trying to recover its former colonies in Latin America. President Monroe consulted former presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison about the situation and both agreed to approve an alliance with the British on this issue. However, John Quincy Adams disagreed; At a cabinet meeting on November 7, 1823, he argued in favor of the United States government issuing a unilateral declaration.
John Quincy Adams had been a diplomat in Europe and had a broader view of the political situation. He was not only concerned with what was happening in Latin America, but he also considered the situation on the west coast of North America. The Russian government claimed territory on the Pacific Northwest coast that extended as far south as the present-day state of Oregon. His logic was that by issuing a strong unilateral statement, he also warned that the United States would not allow other countries to interfere in North America.
The Monroe Doctrine
This was the political framework for the declaration of this foreign policy doctrine. President Monroe included the doctrine in a lengthy message to the United States Congress on December 2, 1823, along with other items such as financial reports from various government sectors. In December 1823, newspapers in the United States published the full text of the message to Congress, as well as several articles about the foreign policy statement. The central part of the Monroe Doctrine on United States foreign policy stated: “we should regard any attempt at foreign interference in any part of this hemisphere as a threat to our peace and security.”
The reception of the press before the declaration of the doctrine was mixed. The Massachusetts Salem Gazette said the declaration endangered the peace and prosperity of the nation. However, other publications supported it, such as the Haverhill Gazette , also from Massachusetts.
The foreign policy statement included in President Monroe’s message to Congress was not correlated with concrete facts, since there were no interventions by European countries in South America. However, two decades later, President James K. Polk reaffirmed the Monroe Doctrine in his annual message to Congress as part of the United States’ effort to extend its reach to the coasts of both oceans.
The Monroe Doctrine was an essential part of the foreign policy of the United States in the second half of the 19th century and well into the 20th century, as an expression of the dominance of the United States in the American continent.
Sources
Mignolo, Walter. Coloniality Far and Wide: The Western Hemisphere on the Colonial Horizon of Modernity . CLACSO, Buenos Aires, 2000.
The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Monroe Doctrine: History, Summary, & Significance . Encyclopaedia Britannica.
