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Leonard Gordon Stephen R. Tilson History 2700-001 27, March, 2014 Monroe Doctrine The Monroe Doctrine is the best known United States foreign policy. President James Monroe first stated the doctrine in 1823 at his seventh annual State of the Union address to congress which warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. President Monroe stated, 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. It is only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our defense. It stated further attempted colonization of land in America by European countries or interference with North or South American states would be viewed as an act of aggression, and any such acts would require United States intervention. President Ulysses Grant stated, The doctrine promulgated by President Monroe has been adhered to by all political parties, and I now deem it proper to assert the equally important principle that hereafter no territory on this continent shall be regarded as subject of transfer to a European power. The policy also stated the U. S. would not interfere with existing European colonies or countries and the U. S. would not get involved with internal European affairs.

The Monroe Doctrine has been invoked many times. First in 1865 when the U. S. government gave support to Mexican President Benito Juarez, as he lead a revolt against French

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forces and an Austrian born archduke named Emperor Maximilian Ferdinand, who had been placed on the throne of Mexico by the French government. President Theodore Roosevelt announced that European nations would not be allowed to use force to collect debts owed to them by Latin American countries and warned, "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" President Roosevelt invoked the doctrine by sending military forces to Santo Domingo in 1904, Nicaragua in 1911, and Haiti in 1915. In 1962, the Monroe Doctrine was invoked once again when the Soviet Union began to build missile-launching sites in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy enforced a blockade of the island, calling it a quarantine. After several days the confrontation ended when President Kennedy, the U. S., and the United Nations reached an agreement with Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev. The Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union, in exchange, the U.S. agreed never to invade Cuba again.

The French revolution, Europeans efforts to suppress the republican movements, and the newly formed Holy Alliance all served as inspiration for the Monroe Doctrine. President Monroes principal concern had been to make sure that European mercantilism not be reimposed in America or in the Western Hemisphere. By the mid 1800s, Monroes declaration, combined with ideas of Manifest Destiny, provided precedent and support for U. S. expansion on the American continent. The Monroe Doctrine was based on the American fears related to the possible resurgence of monarchies in Europe and the Monroe Doctrine still affects foreign policy to this day.