Creating the Monroe Doctrine

The inauguration of James Monroe in 1817 was a giant step in the right direction for America. Although it seemed the Republicans had obtained complete control of the government with their fifth consecutive term as president, James Monroe was different. He was a man of the people, calling Americans "one great family with a common interest" (James Monroe, www.law.ou.edu). It also appeared that Monroe was going to be the first president to take the powerful words in George Washington's Farewell Address into consideration. Finally a president was going to formally address the nation's foreign policy. In order to establish a successful foreign policy, there must be a focused plan for self-defense that also addresses ongoing international issues. The Monroe Doctrine was so successful because it had the ability to adapt to current issues while still maintaining its main objective. Monroe's biggest help in accomplishing this was his Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams. Adams is credited for the Rush-Bagot Treaty, a treaty limiting naval forces in the Great Lakes, as well as the Adams-Onís Treaty. The Adams-Onís Treaty essentially gave America present day Florida for free, and a border was set in the west for the Louisiana Purchase. For this boundary, the United States acquired $5 million worth of claims by American citizens against Spain, and gave up its claim for Texas. This treaty was a great accomplishment, but it only temporarily resolved the conflict between the U.S. and European nations. Monroe and Adams needed to find a way to protect America from the problems in Europe, leading to an extraordinary policy for self-defense, the Monroe Doctrine.

Following the American Revolution, the United States needed to find an identity for itself. George Washington took office as the first president which was a very important task. Washington did an admirable job and helped set precedents that still have an effect on our nation today. He is the man responsible for using members from executive departments to make a cabinet, and the selection of particular men was crucial to our nation. Alexander Hamilton brought forth many ideas regarding the economy, including the first national bank. While the bank eventually closed, it put the nation's economy in the proper direction. At the conclusion of Washington's service as president, he made his Farewell Address. In this document, Washington warns the people that the involvement with other countries is damaging, and "time and habit" (George Washington, www.yale.edu) are more effective strategies to resolve problems. Several decades passed and while important events such as the Louisiana Purchase and the War of 1812 occurred, it did not seem that America had made itself a power in the world. The Adams, Jefferson, and Madison Administrations put forth feeble efforts to fix the nation's foreign policy. Almost nine years after the end of the war, James Monroe altered this trend with his presentation of the Monroe Doctrine.

The Monroe Doctrine dealt with four major issues in the world. Monroe wanted no European intervention in American affairs, and America would not invade in European affairs. Monroe also had to decide if he was going to recognize the Spanish provinces. Instead of making an impulse decision on this issue, Monroe takes his time and he manages to keep both parties happy. The new policy also asks for European nations to stay out of the Western Hemisphere, for purposes including colonization. Monroe and Adams are able to create a solid proposal regarding foreign policy, attempting to protect the United States and allowing it to further grow and develop.

Since James Monroe was a man of the people, he tried to get numerous opinions for advice. Before the creation of the Monroe Doctrine, Monroe and Thomas Jefferson had a long correspondence in which Monroe is seeking advice. Jefferson feels that Monroe should establish principles that prevent engagement in European issues. Looking back at Washington's Farewell Address, Washington states that the involvement with other countries is damaging. In the early 19th century Europe and the United States had very different interests. The Europeans always worried about jealousies, alliances, and the balances of power. Since America was all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, the government did not have to worry about these types of issues. It also seemed that Europe was heading towards destruction. There were many provinces that were being conquered and some were declaring independence. Norway, Greenland, and Greece are prime examples of this. Also, French and Great Britain had numerous battles in the Napoleonic Wars. The two powers were in a great struggle with their allies for control of the continent. On the other hand, Monroe was trying to lead the nation towards peace and friendship. Therefore, there was no reason to be involved with the European nations. Furthermore, once the United States had become an independent nation, hostility with Europe had been avoided for the most part and most of the U.S. government's requests were still being met. Becoming involved in fights with European nations would serve no extra benefit to America.

In his Farewell Address, Washington felt that simply waiting out problems was easier and actually more effective than resorting to violence and starting a war. For instance, Great Britain had been trying to take over Cuba due to its excellent location geographically. James Monroe was rightly concerned with this issue. Thomas Jefferson advised Monroe by saying, "But, should she take it, I would not immediately go to war for it; because the first war on other accounts will give it to us; or the island will give itself to us, when able to do so." (Thomas Jefferson, memory.loc.gov) This was wise of Jefferson because usually when a treaty is signed for the end of the war, areas of land are given also. If Great Britain were to lose a war they would have to cede Cuba to the United States. Monroe also had to use his patience with the new Spanish provinces fighting their independence wars. It would have been very easy for Monroe to send the American troops in to help one side, but this would show total contempt to the opposition. Making an enemy in the 1820's would have been devastating to the United States for future matters where they may have needed help. Instead, Monroe was very sensible in the way that he went about the situation.

Americans at the time were empathetic towards the provinces. After all, they had been in a similar situation only 50 years before and because of this, they felt the provinces should be recognized as nations. This issue was an issue of high priority, and the government needed to make a decision. Without proper communication domestically, Americans would be unable to understand the position and support it, leading to hostility. Both Spain and the provinces had been involved with the U.S. commerce, and making an enemy could hurt the economy. This is why James Monroe had to be so careful with his decision: there could be long term repercussions that would damage America. The Spanish provinces had all been enjoying undisturbed independence. However, Spain did not want this to become official. Previously it had seemed to the world that Spain was very powerful and controlled a lot of land. The Spanish government would lose a lot of respect as a world power if they officially lost the provinces. Therefore, they felt that they needed to put forth a strong effort in battle to try to maintain these provinces. If James Monroe chose to recognize the countries, it would be crucial for them to have solid governments. This would give much more hope for keeping peace worldwide. Even with this hope, Monroe chose to wait not only due to the words in Washington's Farewell Address, but also because he felt it was necessary to respect Spain's rights. Proper respect from Monroe would lead America to the possibility of no enemies.

James Monroe's decision contained no feelings of spite. A major part of foreign policy is respecting both parties to try to avoid enemies. The man was simply trying to build his nation, and he wanted to make sure the whole world understood this. By waiting so long, Monroe was able to help secure friendships for many future generations. It also allowed everyone's voices to be included. Monroe was considered a people's man and an excellent president due to this. He was also thought to be a pioneer for U.S. foreign policy. In the end, James Monroe did in fact decide to recognize the provinces. In 1822 the Adams-Onís Treaty was signed by Spain and ratified, making the U.S. the first nation to recognize the provinces. Although it seems Spain would be furious over this decision, they understood that they were losing the war and it was now time to let the provinces go. Instead of sour feelings between the two nations, they ended up respecting one another. This was very crucial in keeping America a stable nation.

Even though America seemed to have accomplished a great task by keeping everyone happy and remaining stable, there were still many issues confronting the government. In order to maintain this stability, the government would have to tackle each and every task. With even the slightest fault, there would be a chance for America to be sent in a downward spiral. The main goal would be to keep foreign nations out of the Western Hemisphere. All of Europe had to be stopped from taking part in any affairs across the Atlantic Ocean. If Monroe could establish this, the U.S. would be extremely safe for many years to come. The easiest way that Monroe could present this to the world would be by showing that nations with different interests need different governmental systems. Thomas Jefferson warned Monroe that no matter what, the two basic American principles had to be maintained. The first and most important was freedom. After all, the territory was colonized because of freedom. It then became a nation because the Americans wanted freedom. The United States was built on freedom and it was essential that James Monroe did not give this principle up. Monroe also had to present his points strongly. If he was adamant on his views and made his decisions firm commitments, this would send a statement to other nations. Providing the appearance of strength to other nations, whether it truly existed or not, would send a powerful message around the world.
There were two very real issues sitting in front of Monroe to establish how stable America really was. After the provinces eventually obtained their independence, France wanted to take them over. To go along with this, Great Britain was also looking to acquire Cuba. At the time Cuba was a nation in an excellent location. It had excellent water access, and the ability to access the United States, along with other islands, with great ease. Great Britain attempted to strike a deal that would prevent all other European nations' access to the Western Hemisphere, as long as an alliance was formed. In his correspondence with Monroe, Jefferson agrees with other politicians, saying "Great Britain is the nation which can do us the most harm of any one, or all, on earth; and with her on our side we need not fear the whole world." (Thomas Jefferson, memory.loc.gov) But, it does not make very much sense for America to form an alliance with a nation they broke away from only 50 years before. James Monroe feels that he would be much better off establishing the policy himself.

At this time James Monroe needed to fulfill the second part of Washington's "time and habit" statement. He needed to set his position for the whole world to know; not by declaring war, but by using his words. A powerful statement that the Americans could stick by for international problems would be very helpful, as it would set the boundaries for everyone to see. Monroe had a chance to settle all of America's foreign issues once and for all. If he was successful, he would be remembered as one of the best presidents ever.

James Monroe's position presented three strong points along with his decision that identified the Spanish provinces as nations. The Monroe Doctrine first demands that there be no colonization in the Western Hemisphere by European nations. Establishing this would protect America from all foreign powers. This would allow plenty of time for the nation to grow. Monroe also says he will prevent interference by the United States in European affairs. The third issue Monroe presents is that there should be no intervention by Europe in the affairs for new world nations. In his speech Monroe says, "It is impossible that the allied powers should extend their political system to any portion of either continent without endangering our peace and happiness…" (James Monroe, www.yale.edu) With this, he is satisfying Jefferson, along with others, that nations with different interests should not mingle with each other. Lastly, the doctrine repeats Monroe's position on Spanish provinces, and that these new nations should be recognized by all. Monroe's speech officially presents the United States position on provinces to the whole world. American citizens liked Monroe's proposal, and also enjoyed that they were being powerful with their statement. The interesting part of the Monroe Doctrine is that his three major points are all things that should be avoided. This has a greater effect for a speech and sets very definite boundaries. If Monroe had said what nations should be able to do, there would be many open doors and the doctrine would have meant nothing to the whole world. However, even with Monroe's skillful wording in the doctrine, some nations were not convinced.

The primary reason that the Monroe Doctrine worked was because Great Britain had already committed to preventing European colonies from going into the Western hemisphere. Since Great Britain had lost its only true hope at colonization in the Western Hemisphere, it wanted to try to keep everyone else from reaching their previous goal. Even though the U.S. did not agree to Great Britain's proposal of an alliance, this did not change Great Britain's position. James Monroe recognized this from the time of Great Britain's proposal, and this is why he chose to ignore other politicians. Monroe was very wise in realizing that Great Britain would never want to be behind the rest of Europe in colonization, and as a nation it would do everything they could to avoid this. While James Monroe brought forth wonderful ideas regarding foreign policy, the power of Great Britain's Navy is truly what set the policy in stone.

Future generations would not remember that the Monroe Doctrine was successful because of the British Navy. Given that Monroe did put forth such strong ideas, future generations would recognize how valid the thoughts actually were. A major reason that Monroe was not taken as seriously at the time of the Monroe Doctrine was because the United States was not very powerful. Nevertheless, Monroe was able to get the policy enforced, which would allow America to become stronger. Theoretically, within the next several decades the United States would be considered a major power and then the whole world would truly respect the Monroe Doctrine. In the end, this is exactly what happened.

Though James Monroe brought forth such a wonderful new foreign policy, he should be also noted for giving the doctrine great adaptability. That is the reason why the Monroe Doctrine is considered to be so successful. Monroe's proclamation saw well into the future for possible issues that could occur. The Monroe Doctrine was able to last for more than just the era that Monroe drafted it. While dealing with current issues, the policy also reveals James Monroe to be a true leader. Only a leader would be able to have such foresight to make a doctrine last so long. Ever since December 2, 1823, when James Monroe made his speech, the doctrine has been able to take on many additions while still keeping the belief that the Western hemisphere should be a hemisphere for no extra nations.

One of the first expansions that became associated with the Monroe Doctrine was Manifest Destiny. This is the idea that the United States had a divinely inspired mission to expand. Manifest Destiny also suggested that expansion was not only good, but it was bound to happen. Looking back at the Monroe Doctrine, Monroe leaves the issue of American colonization open. Monroe wanted to prevent European nations from colonizing in the Western Hemisphere which essentially gave this right to America. However, Monroe knew that the United States was not truly ready to expand. Still, he left this ability possible. Western expansion in the mid 1840's became much easier thanks to the Monroe Doctrine. Clearly, James Monroe knew that eventually America would have to expand beyond the Louisiana Purchase border. With the Monroe Doctrine and the newer ideas of Manifest Destiny, there was clear support for western expansion.

The greatest expansion took place almost 60 years after the first thoughts of Manifest Destiny. By now the president was Theodore Roosevelt. At the time Europe had begun to intervene with Latin American nations and the European governments had started using force to pressure Latin American countries to repay debts. Setting up blockades was the most common way the Europeans acted. With all of this force, the United States began to worry that European intervention would damage America's usual dominance of the region. "Chronic wrongdoing . . . may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation," he announced in his annual message to Congress in December 1904, "and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power." (Theodore Roosevelt, www.usnews.com) Again, an addition to the Monroe Doctrine was possible. Roosevelt justified his corollary because the Monroe Doctrine called for the "international police power" in cases where the Western Hemisphere was subject to unrest. Monroe had called for no intervention by European nations in new world nation affairs. By the late 1800's the United States had already established economic and military power. It was now a nation to be respected. Even though back in 1823 Monroe did not have a strong military, he knew that eventually the nation would have one. This vision paid big dividends by allowing Theodore Roosevelt to simply add on to an old but still strong policy, rather than creating a new one. In this sense, the Monroe Doctrine was an amazing policy.

Creating successful foreign policy is an extremely difficult task to accomplish. America is living proof of this, as it took the nation nearly 50 years to obtain a quality policy. James Monroe was able to do this by first recognizing all of the problems America had to deal with. He then made sure to identify any issues Great Britain might have had that pertained to the United States. James Monroe made sure to form a solid plan that would keep European nations out of the Western Hemisphere and all of the United States' issues. The Monroe Doctrine needed to protect the United States so that it had time to grow and develop. Monroe was extremely specific in his doctrine, leaving little up to question. There were no loopholes, and with a lot of help from the British Navy at the time, the policy was accepted.

However, the Monroe Doctrine also looked towards the future, understanding problems that were very likely to occur in future generations. Monroe made assumptions that helped solidify his doctrine and also allowed for the adaptability that was exhibited. Since he assumed the United States would eventually have a strong military, Monroe was able to add in his "international police policy". If James Monroe had left out critical details such as that, the Monroe Doctrine would not have been nearly as successful.

The Monroe Doctrine contained everything that was necessary to establish foreign policy. It included essential advice from Washington's Farewell Address to stay away from other nation's problems. It also incorporated the guidance from Thomas Jefferson that the Eastern and Western Hemispheres were hemispheres of different interests. Additionally, the Monroe Doctrine helped for future generations to be able to colonize in the land west of the Louisiana Purchase. Lastly, the Monroe Doctrine allowed future presidents to add on to the policy. There were very few changes that were necessary for the doctrine, but James Monroe realized that the world would have different issues in later years and these would have to be dealt with. The fact that the Monroe Doctrine had a strong focus and was able to be effective generation after generation proves how great of a policy it was.