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Monroe Doctrine
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The Monroe Doctrine was a U.S. docttrine which on December 2, 1823, proclaimed that European powers would no longer colonize or interfere with the affairs of the newly independent nations of the Americas. The United States planned to stay neutral in wars between European powers and their colonies.However, if these later types of wars were to occur in the Americas, the United States would view such action as hostile. President James Monroe first stated the doctrine during his seventh annual State of the Union Address to Congress. The Monroe doctrine did not have a profound effect of the United States until 1845 when President Polk revived it, and not until midcentury did it become an important national dogma. Even though James Monore was credited with the writing of the doctrine it was really written by John Quincey Adams. This doctrine proved that the Americans did have some back bone and were ready to step up to the plate and take control of their own fate.
The Monroe Doctrine is a U.S. doctrine which, on December 2, 1823, proclaimed that European powers would no longer colonize or interfere with the affairs of the newly independent nations of the Americas. The United States planned to stay neutral in wars between European powers and their colonies. However, if later on, these types of wars were to occur in the Americas, the United States would view such action as hostile. President James Monroe first stated the doctrine during his seventh annual State of the Union Address to Congress, a defining moment in the foreign policy of the United States.
The importance of the Monroe Doctrine was to have the Americas break off and become their own. It simply stated that there be no further colonization in the western hemisphere by European nations. This was a huge step in the development of the united states. John Quincy Adams should have been recognized for his work in creating the document,although since it was during Monroe’s presidency he gained all credit. The doctrine even warded off British movement.This then created a whril wind of new found economy and national independence. It forced the Americas to develop into an self sufficent nation.
As a component of foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine has had considerable effect and has had strong support in the U.S., in part because it promoted U.S. interests. The doctrine has served other American nations too, particularly because it asserts their right to independence. Because the doctrine as originally formulated made no clear distinction between the interests of the U.S. and those of its neighbors... the U.S. has used it to justify intervention in the internal affairs of other American nations. Given growing U.S. anxiety about the unstable politics of Latin American countries, intervention has been especially prevalent and controversial in the 20th century.R.S., RANDALL SHROCK, Ph.D.
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U.S. President James Monroe The debate over this new spirit of the Monroe Doctrine came to a head in the 1980s, as part of the Iran-Contra Affair. Among other things, it was revealed that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had been covertly training "Contra" guerrilla soldiers in Nicaragua in an attempt to destabilize the country and overthrow the Sandinista revolutionary government and its President, Daniel Ortega. CIA director Robert Gates vigorously defended the Contra operation, arguing that avoiding U.S. intervention in Nicaragua would be "totally to abandon the Monroe doctrine". In a case brought before the International Court of Justice by Nicaragua... the court ruled that the United States had exercised "unlawful use of force." The U.S. ignored the verdict. The Carter and Reagan administrations embroiled themselves in the civil war in El Salvador, again citing the Monroe Doctrine as justification. The conflict was marked by large scale human rights abuses and the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero by right-wing death squads.
The Monroe Doctrine was developed because the United States and Britain were concerned over the possibility of European colonial expansion in the Americas. Britain feared that Spain would attempt to reclaim its former colonies, which had recently gained independence. This would have caused Britain's trade with these new nations to decline. The United States wanted to ensure that no European nations would attempt further colonialization in the western hemisphere. The British foreign minister George Canning suggested a joint venture with the United States to preserve the interests of both nations. However, John Quincy Adams, the secretary of state, convinced President Monroe that the United States should develop its own policy which would safeguard U.S. interests independent of Britain.
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