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Essay question for about the monroe doctrine
What is the monroe doctrine and what is its historical importance
What is the monroe doctrine and what is its historical importance
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There have been numerous documents that have impacted the United States of America after 1787, but none have quite changed the trajectory of the nation like the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was an address to Congress declaring that no European or foreign power could further colonize lands in the Americas. Though President Monroe is credited for the doctrine, it was really his Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, that was the mastermind behind the document that forever changed American politics. It has been so influential that the doctrine itself has been used as justification for actions by the U.S. all the way into the 21st century. The Monroe Doctrine put the United States not only on the path to becoming a regional power, but …show more content…
Since the discovery of the New World, European powers have challenged each other for new colonies in the Americas, but the Monroe Doctrine set out to end the threat of foreigners taking over neighboring regions. The document would be used to enhance the power of the US, such as told in The Monroe Doctrine: The Cornerstone of American Foreign Policy, by Edward J. Renehan Jr., when it says,“When Monroe had indicated that the Western Hemisphere was not available for European colonialism, Polk expanded on this to make clear that the U.S. would not allow Europeans to interfere with U.S. territorial ambitions in the same hemisphere” (90). Before the United States could grow and gain more power, it had to ensure that there would be no competitors. The Monroe Doctrine made the U.S. the sole expanding nation in the region, a nation whose homeland was in the Americas itself. One aspect of gaining global prestige is to create a belief in oneself or one 's fellow man that it is their duty, their right, to spread their nation’s culture. This was called Manifest Destiny, an idea firmly supported by President James K. Polk when, “...Polk once again invoked the Monroe Doctrine when he warned against European interloping on the Yucatan …show more content…
As the architect behind the Monroe Doctrine, John Quincy Adams, once said, “I believe that [the Monroe Doctrine] will wear well through the years, and deliver good service not only to the United States, but to mankind. In crafting something of use in our own time, our immediate moment, we may well have designed a device that will last and be of service through the centuries. I hope so” (Renehan 89). He is most certainly correct, since the western hemisphere as well as much of the world has been protected from incalculable threats by the global power which is the U.S. The Monroe Doctrine paved the way for the United States of America to wield the immensely important power of being the protector of freedom and democracy in a dangerous world, and it is the doctrine that will allow this nation to continue to battle both the militant and ideological threats that are certain to arise in an increasingly unstable
72. The Monroe Doctrine incorporated a strong warning to European powers. This is important because the United States was trying to get Europeans powers out
The War of 1812 and the Monroe Doctrine both played prominent roles in solidifying the United States as an independent and free nation. The War of 1812 showed to the world that America was capable of defending itself, as well as demonstrating that the country could function without Great Britain’s presence. The War of 1812 is commonly referred to as the “Second War of American Independence,” because of the obstacles the Americans had to endure to chase their former mother country away. America did not appreciate England blocking seaports, disrupting trade, as well as kidnapping American sailors (impressment). So America declared war, and proved its independence furthermore by successfully beating the world’s strongest military force again.
James Monroe will always be best known by his Doctrine, but what most people don’t know is that most of the Monroe Doctrine was written by the Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams. Also that Adams was the one who told him to do it. The Monroe Doctrine was originally a letter to congress in 1823. The document stated that it was the end of colonizing the Americas.
1. The Monroe Doctrine was a bold statement of American Foreign Policy-discuss its origins-its focus at the time and the impact it has during the pre-Civil War period of American diplomacy.
During the years surrounding James K. Polk's presidency, the United States of America grew economically, socially, and most noticeably geographically. In this time period, the western boundaries of the Untied States would be expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Many Americans in the 19th century believed that the acquisition of this territory to the west was their right and embraced the concept of "Manifest Destiny". This concept was the belief that America should stretch from sea to shining sea and it was all but inevitable. Under the cover of "Manifest Destiny", President Polk imposed his views of an aggressive imperialistic nation. Imperialism is the practice of extending the power and dominion of a nation by direct territorial acquisitions over others, and clearly America took much of this land by force rather than peaceful negotiations with other nations. Polk acquired three huge areas of land to include: the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico under the Mexican Cession.
The French and Indian war, also better known as the seven year war, was in 1754. It all began in the early spring of 1754 through 1763, when George Washington and some 160 Virginians and hand full of Mingo Indians started to move when they were concerned about the French military presence in their county. The battle first started when a Mingo chief, the Indian leader that was with George Washington in his campaign, led a unit of soldiers into a small French encampment in the woods. It was a very small battle but, the fight ended up with 14 French men wounded. While Washington was trying to get all the available information from their French dying commander to help their plans in the war, the Indians killed and scalped the remaining survivors including the commander.
Even more complicated than Russia and even more influential in persuading Monroe and Adams that the Monroe Doctrine was necessary was the nation who had the most presence in the New World-- Spain. The Spanish colonies and territorial claims were massive spanning from Florida out to the West coast, including the Oregon territory, down through Central America and spanning almost all of the South American continent. After the wars in Europe ended, the previous King of Spain was replaced by King Ferdinand VII. Though a series of rebellions threatened his hold on the Spanish crown, the Congress of Vienna agreed to aid King Ferdinand in securing his throne and in 1822 the reinstallation of absolute monarchy in Spain was successful (Robertson). This caused concern for Monroe because King Ferdinand was adamant on restoring balance and control in the Spanish colonies (McDougall). There was also concern, as aforementioned, that Russia would intervene to
John L. O’Sullivan, an editor, coined the term “Manifest Destiny” and gave the expansionist movement its name in 1845. The “Manifest Destiny” was the belief that Americans had the divine right to occupy North America. The Americans believed they were culturally and racially superior over other nations and other races such as the Native American Indians and Mexicans. The notion of the ‘Manifest Destiny’ was that the Americans were morally superior and therefore morally obligated to try to spread enlighten and civilization to the less civilized societies. According to World History Group, “The closest America came to making ‘Manifest Destiny’ an official policy was The Monroe Doctrine, adopted in 1823, it put European nations on notice that the U.S. would defend other nations of the Western Hemisphere from further colonization” (World History, 2015). This divine American mission caused Anglo-Saxon Americans to believe they had the natural right to move west and bring blessings of self-government and religion, more specifically-
Primarily, the United States foreign policy behind the Monroe Doctrine was introduced by President James Monroe in the midst of many Latin American countries gaining their independence from Spain. The doctrine stated that attempts by European countries to colonize or interfere with states in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as acts of aggression and U.S. intervention would be necessary. The Monroe Doctrine set the precedent for various foreign policies that would result in U.S. involvement in Latin America.
Rhode Island which is the only one state adopted a new state constitution that all white men had the right to vote. Tocqueville, who was French writer, identified democracy as an essential attribute of American freedom, but the democracy was limited. Blacks and women still had low status. Despite increased democracy in America, blacks were seen as a separate group. The War of 1812 revealed that United States still was not a truly integrated nation. “In 1815, President James Madison put forward a blueprint for government-promoted economic development that came to be known as the American System” (Foner P286). This plan based on a New national bank, Tariffs and Federal financing for better roads and canals. However, the Bank of the United States didn’t regulate the currency and loans effectively. The Panic of 1819 disrupted the political harmony of the previous years. Fearing that Spain would try to regain its colonies, Adams drafted the Monroe Doctrine in1832. It reflected American nationalism, but “sectionalism seemed to rule domestic politics” (Foner P291. Andrew Jackson was the only candidate in the 1824 election to have national appeal, but None of the four candidates received a majority of the electoral votes. Henry Clay supported John Quincy Adams and helped him to win the voting. During the Age of
The United States, as a young nation, had the desire to expand westward and become a true continental United States that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Various factors, strategic and economic, contributed to the desire to expand westward. According to John O’Sullivan, as cited by Hestedt in Manifest Destiny 2004; "the U.S. had manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence to the free development of our yearly multiplying millions" (¶2). As Americans ventured westward to settle the frontier, their inherent superior beliefs, culture and the principles of democracy accompanied them. America’s ruthless ambition to fulfill its manifest destiny had a profound impact on the nation’s economy, social systems and foreign and domestic policies; westward expansion was a tumultuous period in American History that included periods of conflict with the Native Americans and Hispanics and increased in sectionalism that created the backdrop for the Civil War.
As the United States grew in power, so did her ideas of expansion. The foreign powers were beginning to move out of their continents and seek land in other countries. The United States soon followed. They followed in their founder’s footsteps and tried to occupy lands in the far seas. However, in the beginning, this need for more land was called Manifest Destiny. This idea claimed that God was forcing them to occupy the new western lands. The expansionism that occurred in the late 1800’s was not a result of Manifest Destiny, and thus this "new" idea of expansionism was different from the expansionism ideas of early America. For the most part, the United States’ need for more land was primarily to keep other nations (mainly European powers) out of the western hemisphere. However the United States began to see reason behind change towards the "new" expansionistic ideas.
On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe articulated his seventh annual message to Congress. This message presented Americans with a statement that changed the way the Western Hemisphere would be view and how international affairs toward the new Latin colonies would be handle from this point forward. It addressed European nations in particular and stated that “the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet nations” The Monroe Doctrine was initially designed to protect the Latin colonies but later President Theodore Roosevelt extended the Doctrine to include the United States would be the policing powers of the Western Hemisphere, this became known as the Roosevelt Corollary. Roosevelt stated that the United States had a “morale mandate” to ensure that other nations used appropriate attitudes toward Latin America. Roosevelt felt strongly in about the conduct of other nations and further stated: “It is not that the United States feels and land hunger or entertains any projects as regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere save such as are for their welfare. All that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the U...
The Monroe Doctrine and the Manifest Destiny stated America's philosophies regarding foreign policy. The Monroe Doctrine (1823), crafted by President Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, was a statem...
The Thirty Years War was a series of conflicts, not-knowingly involving most European countries from 1618 to 1648. The war, which was fought mainly in Germany, was started when Bohemian Protestants furiously attacked the Holy Roman Emperor in terms to impose a restriction on their religious and civil liberties. By understanding the Thirty Years War, you will notice the notable religious, political and social changes. The changes paved the religious and political maps of Europe. Not only did this war affect the religious and political demographic, it caused populations to perish and lose large amounts of their goods. What was known as a religious battle, turned out to be a political feud in competition of which state has the greater power affecting men, women, soldiers and civilians. “[The bohemians] had no idea that their violent deed would set off a chain reaction of armed conflict that would last thirty years and later be called Europe’s “first world war” of the modern era.” When the war ended, the lands were defiled and over 5 million people were killed.