Facts, information and articles about Monroe Doctrine, an event of Westward Expansion from the Wild West

Monroe Doctrine Facts

Date

December 2, 1823

Enacted By

President James Monroe

Effect

Stated that any European attempts to colonize in North or South America would be deemed acts of aggression.

Monroe Doctrine Articles

Monroe Doctrine summary: The Monroe Doctrine was first stated by the fifth American President James Monroe during the State of the Union Address to Congress; his seventh in a row on December 2, 1823. The Napoleonic Wars served as the inspiration for the Monroe Doctrine. It was based on the American fears related to the possible revival of monarchies in Europe. The main objective of US government was to secure the newly independent colonies of Latin America from European intervention and control.

The Monroe Doctrine’s Intent

The Monroe Doctrine stated that the free American continents are not to be subject to future colonization by European powers. The United States intended to remain neutral to existing European colonies in America but strongly opposed the creation of new ones among the Hispanic American republics that recently gained independence. The Monroe Doctrine revealed that any further efforts of countries from Europe to colonize land in North or South America would be regarded as acts of aggression and as such requires American intervention.

At the time the Doctrine was issued, all Spanish and Portuguese colonies in Latin America, except for Cuba and Puerto Rico, had gained independence. The United States wanted to have guarantees that no other European power would move in. The British Empire was on the same page with them because the British also wanted to keep other European powers out of the New World for fear that their trade would be in jeopardy. Since the United States didn’t have much of a navy, the British Royal Navy was mostly the agent of enforcing the Monroe doctrine as part of their efforts to secure the neutrality of the seas.