Roosevelt The Monroe Doctrine example essay topic

The Monroe Doctrine was presented by President James Monroe in his annual address to Congress in 1823. Essentially its author, John Quincy Adams, who served as Monroe's Secretary of State, wrote the Doctrine as a proclamation to the United States' opposition of European colonialism. As of today the Doctrine has been re-interpreted and extended in a variety of ways to conform to the situation at hand, such as President Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary. The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 began the break up of the Spanish empires in the New World.

From this point, many leaders guided their countries out of colonialism and led them into independence. These newly formed republics requested and expected diplomatic recognition from the United States and many Americans were in favor of the recognitions. Although, as previously identified, the United States had been warned that if it acknowledged the independence of these nations it would be seen as hostile actions towards Europe and both Monroe and Adams were unsure of going to war over countries that could not guarantee survival. Monroe and Adams were prepared to stay neutral as long as the other European powers did not interfere and let Spain and its colonies fight out their differences.

The United States was in the process of obtaining East Florida from Spain after gaining West Florida in the Louisiana Purchase which the Spanish Minister Ones agreed to as long as the United States promised not to assist the revolutionaries nor recognize their independence. Once the Transcontinental Treaty was ratified, Monroe began to extend recognition to the new Latin American republics stretched out over a few years so not to gain a European response. In 1823, there was talk of Spain and France joining together for attacks on the new republics with the backing of Russia, Prussia, and Austria; fear of France becoming a power once again in the Americas encouraged the British to propose that the United States and Britain join together to warn off the two. Although Jefferson and Madison were in support of the offer, Adams was suspicious. In a cabinet meeting, Adams argued that it would be undignified to address Russia and France explicitly and fight in the shadows of the British, which won over the cabinet and Monroe delivered the Adams drawn independent policy in his address to Congress.

In the address, the United States informed the European powers that any independent countries in the American continents were no longer subject to new European colonization. The United States was against European interference and intervention. The Doctrine implied that any effort to extend their political influence into the Western Hemisphere or occupation of armed forces would jeopardize our own peace and safety. With this said the United States clarified that it would not interfere in European affairs and expected Europe to do the same for American affairs. The Monroe Doctrine was originally a defensive policy. It aimed to limit European expansion in the Americas after the United States had accepted the responsibility of being a protector of the newly independent states.

In 1823, when news stirred of Spain and France restoring their combined power to bring war upon the new nations, it appalled the British who felt all the work statesmen had done to get France out of the New World would be undone. The British wanted the support of the United States, but Adams felt instead of standing behind the British war seekers, they would come out with their own independent doctrine stating the Western Hemisphere's independence from European colonization. Implicit corollaries were added the Doctrine at various times to clarify the wishes of the United States to the European powers and mentioned any issues that it may not have touched on originally. The "no transfer" principle was an extension to the original no new colonization principle. This was in response to the British trying to cede Cuba from Spain.

The United States opposed British annexation and Adams claimed that since Cuba was incapable of self-support, it could only lean towards North American support. Thus the Doctrine came to include that it prohibited any transferring of ownership of a colony to another European country. In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes added that no European country could operate or fortify a canal. This extension contradicted the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which stated that the United States had to jointly control a Central American canal with Britain. During the time of the extension, the United States was more involved in Latin America than in any other country. It attracted the interests of the United States because of prospects for an isthmian canal that would link the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico.

With this canal it would reduce commercial and naval travel time to the Asian markets. The Suez Canal had just opened in 1869 and it stirred canal enthusiasts, so once the constructor of the Suez wanted to attempt to build a canal through Panama, Hayes jumped at the opportunity to voice U.S. concern. Secretary of State to Garfield in 1881, reinstated that the United States would not consent to any treaty that voided our right to priority in the American continent, and asked that the British abrogate the Treaty. The third extension solved the South American boundary dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela over the boundary separating Venezuela from British Guiana. For years, Venezuela had been appealing to the United States over the violation of the Monroe Doctrine by Britain. They felt they were being robbed of land.

Secretary of State Richard Olney interpreted the Doctrine as giving the U.S. the authority to mediate boundary disputes. So after being haggled over not annexing Hawaii and for not helping in Nicaragua when the British landed there in 1895, bold action was needed to lessen the criticism of the Cleveland administration and recoup the Democratic Party. The extension prohibited the other European powers from interfering and reiterated the no military intervention clause in the original Doctrine. Venezuela owed money to Germany and Great Britain during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

The Venezuelan dictator had perpetually deferred payment on bonds held by German investors and owed money to British collectors. Both countries agreed to send a combined fleet to create a blockade in Venezuela ports after delivering an ultimatum demanding immediate settlement of their claims. Even though this forth extension was in opposition to the international law, Roosevelt added through the Drago Doctrine which prohibited any foreign force in the Western Hemisphere, even if the only reason for their occupation was for the collection of debt. To Roosevelt the Monroe Doctrine was a guarantee of commercial independence for the Americas and the United States should intervene itself in the domestic affairs of its neighbors if they proved unable to protect U.S. investments in the region on their own. The U.S. had to be a police power in the Western Hemisphere when Europeans wanted to forcefully collect their debt. Continual wrongdoing by European nations needed the intervention of a "civilized society".

It is the job of the United States to uphold stability in the Americas and non-payment of debts interfered with the stability, so the U.S. is forced to intervene. This extension to the Doctrine became known as the Roosevelt Corollary. It replaced European intervention with that of the United States. This extension often causes the forth to be overlooked because they both refer to European powers using force to collect debt, but the Roosevelt Corollary states the police role of the United States and he attached it to the Monroe Doctrine to win public acceptance. The Roosevelt Corollary became a justification for the United States intervening in countries when something jeopardized U.S. investments. Such as Roosevelt's seizure of the Dominican Republic once Europeans were threatening to intervene on behalf of the new Dominican Republic regime which owed over twenty million.

When Roosevelt initially intervened, he took control over the country's customs and receivership. Through this seizure, he distributed 45% of their revenues to their foreign creditors, although this occupation lasted for more than three decades. After this intervention the U.S. extended its power throughout the Caribbean when an opportunity arose. In 1930, a memorandum was issued stating that the United States did not have the power to intervene in the less able countries, unless European powers were threatening, which reversed the Corollary. When the Monroe Doctrine was first introduced it seemed just as a warning to Europe not to interfere with the revolutions of Latin America, almost a gesture of solidarity and sympathy to the newly independent nations, but it was evident of American selfishness. Monroe and Adams carefully exempted the United States through careful wording when addressing the influence in the Western Hemisphere.

The Doctrine was a valid basis for U.S. policy towards Latin America and became a fence to block out European expansion.