Background on the Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine came into being circa the Concert of Europe, a year after the Congress of Verona. As Europe was dealing with its own independence movements and attempting to reinstate conservatory powers, the US created a code that protected revolutions within the Americas from European involvement. In addition to philosophical motives of protecting liberty and democracy from the likes of Metternich, President Monroe passed this declaration to gain more distance and protection for the US. Furthermore, President Monroe reaffirms George Washington's policy of neutrality with phrases such as Americans being "impartial observers" of the European conflicts, and through the sentence, "In the wars of the European powers in matters relating to themselves we have never taken any part, nor does it comport with our policy to do so."
Prevented Europeans from establishing new colonies in the Americas
The Monroe Doctrine states: "With the movements in this hemisphere we are of necessity more immediately connected, and by causes which must be obvious to all enlightened and impartial observers...we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety."
Through these statements, President Monroe makes it clear that the American continents are united through ideals of liberty and are free from Europe's complicated history of alliances and politics, and therefore are to be set apart from European control.
However, Monroe appeases European countries with current colonies by immediately following this declaration by writing: "With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered and shall not interfere", assuring them that the US would not rid America of pre-existing colonies.
Rather, America would support the Southern American nations who had revolted from their mother countries.
"But with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintain it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States."
Used to Realize "Manifest Destiny"
In 1845, President Tyler used the Monroe Doctrine to justify his annexation of present-day Texas. Following Tyler, President Polk wielded the Monroe Doctrine as a tool to acquire land from all (European or not) foreign nations in North America for the United. He accomplished seizing California and Texas from Mexico after sending troops to the Rio Grande in Texas and starting the Mexican-American War. Following the Treaty of Guadalupe, the US gained more territory which allowed the nation to stretch ocean to ocean.
Failures of the Monroe Doctrine
Example: Napoleon III and the Second French Empire
The main problem with the Monroe Doctrine is the inability to enforce it. While the Monroe Doctrine claims that the US is "more immediately connected" to the western hemisphere and will therefore protect those nation's "independence and maintain it", the US had no clear way of actively patrolling this doctrine at all times.
Consequently, while dealing with internal turmoil during the 1860's (the Civil War), the US could not maintain foreign policies. Because of the domestic unrest, the US could not stop Napoleon III from invading Mexico, holding a plebiscite and instating Maximilian I as Emperor. Following the Civil War, America, under the direction of President Lincoln, was able to ally with Mexico and throw out the French. However, the weakness of enforcing this international policy in times of domestic upheaval was proven.
Sources:
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=23&page=transcript
http://www.history.com/topics/monroe-doctrine
http://www.history.com/topics/monroe-doctrine
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Monroe_Doctrine
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/texas-annexation
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/polk-affirms-monroe-doctrine
http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/treaty_guadalupe_hidalgo_map.htm
Your post was very informative, interesting, and clear. Adding onto your discussion of the failures of the Monroe Doctrine, an interesting extension of the Doctrine was Roosevelt's Corollary from 1904. The corollary essentially stated that the US could intervene in foreign conflicts for the express purposes of maintaining peace and maintaining the rights of the US. The corollary was used to justify several US military interventions in Latin America in the name of restoring stability in those countries. Some notable examples include US intervention in Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Since the corollary was used to justify US interventions in foreign conflicts, do you think that in practice, the Roosevelt Corollary undermined the principle of neutrality stated in the Monroe Doctrine, essentially rendering the Doctrine (or at least an important part of it) ineffective?
ReplyDeletehttps://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/roosevelt-and-monroe-doctrine