Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine was presented by President James Monroe in his annual address to Congress in 1823. Essentially its author, John Quincy Adams, who served as Monroe’s Secretary of State, wrote the Doctrine as a proclamation to the United States’ opposition of European colonialism. As of today the Doctrine has been re-interpreted and extended in a variety of ways to conform to the situation at hand, such as President Theodore Roosevelt’s Corollary.

The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 began the break up of the Spanish empires in the New World. From this point, many leaders guided their countries out of colonialism and led them into independence. These newly formed republics requested and expected diplomatic recognition from the United States and many Americans were in favor of the recognitions. Although, as previously identified, the United States had been warned that if it acknowledged the independence of these nations it would be seen as hostile actions towards Europe and both Monroe and Adams were unsure of going to war over countries that could not guarantee survival. Monroe and Adams were prepared to stay neutral as long as the other European powers did not interfere and let Spain and its colonies fight out their differences. The United States was in the process of obtaining East Florida from Spain after gaining West Florida in the Louisiana Purchase which the Spanish Minister Onis agreed to as long as the United States promised not to assist the revolutionaries nor recognize their independence. Once the Transcontinental Treaty was ratified, Monroe began to extend recognition to the new Latin American republics stretched out over a few years so not to gain a European response.

In 1823, there was talk of Spain and France joining together for attacks on the new republics with the backing of Russia, Prussia, and Austria; fear of France becoming a power once again in the Americas encouraged the British to propose that the United States and Britain join together to warn off the two. Although Jefferson and Madison were in support of the offer, Adams was suspicious. In a cabinet meeting, Adams argued that it would be undignified to address Russia and France explicitly and fight in the shadows of the British, which won over the cabinet and Monroe delivered the Adams drawn independent policy in his address to Congress. In the address, the United States informed the European powers that any independent countries in the American continents were no longer subject to new European colonization. The United States was against European interference and intervention. The Doctrine implied that any effort to extend their political influence into the Western Hemisphere or occupation of armed forces would jeopardize our own peace and safety. With this said the United States clarified that it would not interfere in European affairs and expected Europe to do the same for American affairs.

The Monroe Doctrine was originally a defensive policy. It aimed to limit European expansion in the Americas after the United States had accepted the responsibility of being a protector of the newly independent states. In 1823, when news stirred of Spain and France restoring their combined power to bring war upon the new nations, it appalled the British who felt all the work statesmen had done to get France out of the New World would be undone. The British wanted the support of the United States, but Adams felt instead of standing behind the British war seekers, they would come out with their own independent doctrine stating the Western Hemisphere’s independence from European colonization.

Implicit corollaries were added the Doctrine at various times to clarify the wishes of the United States to the European powers and mentioned any issues that it may not have touched on originally. The “no transfer” principle was an extension to the original no new colonization principle. This was in response to the British trying to cede Cuba from Spain. The United States opposed British annexation and Adams claimed that since Cuba was incapable of self-support, it could only lean towards North American support. Thus the Doctrine came to include that it prohibited any transferring of ownership of a colony to another European country.

In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes added that no European country could operate or fortify a canal. This extension contradicted the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which stated that the United States had to jointly control a Central American canal with Britain. During the time of the extension, the United States was more involved in Latin America than in any other country. It attracted the interests of the United States because of prospects for an isthmian canal that would link the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico. With this canal it would reduce commercial and naval travel time to the Asian markets. The Suez Canal had just opened in 1869 and it stirred canal