Monroe Doctrine Down Through the Years
When James Monroe, in a speech to Congress on December 2nd, 1823, he thought he was extending the ideals of what led to the founding of this country to those in South and Central America who wanted independence. The speech had two primary points.
One, was the right of the citizens in colonies in the Western Hemisphere to determine their own future, free of intervention by a foreign power. Two, the United States would not look kindly on any attempt by a foreign power to oppose or suppress an independence movement in the Western Hemisphere.
The words were written by Monroe’s Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams. In many ways, Adams was restating the views and policies of George Washington, his father John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.
However, with the War of 1812 in the rear view mirror, the United States didn’t have a large enough Navy (or Army) to enforce what became known as the Monroe Doctrine. But the British did. And, for a time, the Royal Navy became the enforcer of an American policy, particularly if it was a French or Spanish colony revolting against their colonial rulers.
As one can imagine, the international response was mixed. The Austrians outright opposed it. The Spanish, who were trying to squash revolts in their South American colonies led by Simon Bolivar, tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, Bolivar became one of the doctrine’s champions.
Since it was promulgated, the Monroe Doctrine has become a tenet of U.S. foreign policy. What follows is a partial list of the times that U.S. Presidents have invoked the Monroe Doctrine.
1833 – Britain takes the Falkland Islands and violates the Monroe Doctrine. President Jackson publicly opposes the seizure but does nothing.
1842 – President Tyler tells the British of the U.S. Interest in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and not to interfere, thus paving the way for U.S. annexation.
1845 – 1848 – President Polk applies the Monroe Doctrine when he informs all the major European Powers not to interfere with the Westward expansion, i.e., the U.S.’ “manifest destiny.” The Monroe Doctrine is part of the justification of the annexation of Texas, an independent country, and the Mexican War.
1865 – In 1862, the French conquered Mexico, and the U.S. was unable to respond due to the Civil War. However, with the war over, President Johnson sent the U.S. Army to the Mexican border and tells the French to leave Mexico. Napoleon III, not wanting a war with the U.S., and realizing France’s hold on Mexico was tenuous, ordered his troops to leave in 1868.
1898 – President McKinley used the Monroe Doctrine as part of the U.S. justification for its invasion of Cuba and the Spanish-American War.
1902 – Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier stated that the Monroe Doctrine was essential to Canada’s national security because the U.S. Navy in the Pacific and the Royal Navy in the Atlantic provided protection.
1903 – President Roosevelt used the Monroe Doctrine as the basis of using U.S. naval power to intervene in favor of nations in the Western Hemisphere and to mediate disputes between Central and South American nations and colonial powers.
1941 – The U.S., not yet in the war, viewed the conquest by the Free French of two islands south of Newfoundland – St. Pierre and Miquelon –held by the Vichy French as violations of the Monroe Doctrine. But, once the U.S. was in the war, President Roosevelt ordered the invasion of Greenland. The U.S. ignored Danish requests to return the island until NATO was formed. As part of the agreement, the U.S. has rights to base troops on the island. In 2025, the U.S. has troops stationed at Pituffik Space Base (the old Thule Air Force Base).
1948 – U.S. uses the Monroe Doctrine as the basis for forming the Organization of American States.
1961 – President Kennedy uses the Monroe Doctrine as the basis of U.S. support of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The foreign power – The Soviet Union.
1962 – During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Monroe Doctrine was part of President Kennedy’s justification for the blockade of Cuba.
2013 –John Kerry, President Barak Obama’s Secretary of State, told the Organization of American States that the Monroe Doctrine is no longer a tenet of U.S. foreign policy.
2017 and 2025 – President Trump made it clear that the Monroe Doctrine is still a tenet of U.S. foreign policy.
The point is that ever since the Monroe Doctrine was promulgated, many U.S. presidents have used it as a tenet underpinning many of their policy decisions.
For more about how the Monroe Doctrine came about, read post #137 from December 19th, 2021, Origins of the Monroe Doctrine – https://marcliebman.com/origins-of-the-monroe-doctrine/.
Image is 1904 Louis Dalrymple cartoon depicting TR’s policy toward European powers vis a vis the Dominican Republic
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