Monroe Doctrine

On December 2, 1823, President James Monroe (1758–1831; served 1817–1825) addressed Congress. A portion of his speech was devoted to U.S. foreign policy. The ideas he set forth have come to be known as the Monroe Doctrine. While it had limited meaning and application at the time, it has since become a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere.

Two events led President Monroe to explain U.S. foreign policy to the rest of the world. The first involved Russian expansion southward from its colonies in Alaska . Diplomatic tensions sparked American fears that Russia wanted to take U.S. territory along the Pacific coast.

A second reason for Monroe's address concerned the state of affairs in Latin America. Revolutions had removed Spain and Portugal from most of their Latin American colonies, and new governments had been established. In 1822, the United States began recognizing the new governments. By 1823, rumors circulated that some European countries planned to reconquer their Latin American colonies. This threatened the United States's economic and territorial interests in the region.

President Monroe's message contained three simple points. First, he announced to Europe that the United States would oppose further colonization in the New World. Second, he promised that the United States would not intervene in European quarrels unless a nation's rights were endangered. Third, the president insisted that Europe must not interfere with the independent republics that had been established in the Western Hemisphere, including in Latin America.

The United States was not powerful enough at the time to support this policy. Instead, it counted on Great Britain for support should trouble arise, as Great Britain and the United States had interests that did not conflict greatly. In the years following Monroe's speech, European countries did not always heed the doctrine's warnings, and the United States did not always try to enforce them. Over time, however, the United States became strong enough to control international policy in much of the Western Hemisphere, making the rhetoric of the Monroe Doctrine match reality.