The post War of 1812 period also developed a clearer "American" foreign policy. One of these examples is in the Monroe Doctrine. The following two articles deal with the Doctrine and the long term implications.

 

A chief cornerstone of United States foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine dates to President James Monroe’s 7^th Annual Message to Congress, given on December 2, 1823. Monroe’s warning that any interference with the newly emerging republics in this hemisphere would be viewed as “the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States” came in response to European continental policies motivated by the conservative Holy Alliance as well as an offer of an Anglo-American joint condemnation. The Monroe Doctrine reflected the belief that the European “system” was diametrically opposed to the new system operating in this hemisphere.

 

European Conflicts and Conservative Responses

 

The precedent of stable governments intervening in the internal affairs of weaker ones was set at the Congress of Troppau in 1820 and again at the Congress of Laibach in 1821. These congresses were led by Austria, Russia, and Prussia and focused on stamping out revolutionary activity that threatened the monarchies reestablished by the 1815 Congress of Vienna in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat. In 1820, a revolution broke out in Spain and King Ferdinand VII, was forced to accept parliamentary reform including a constitution.

 

In October 1822, the European Powers met at the Congress of Verona and supported French intervention in Spain. Britain, however, rejected this decision, reasoning that if successful, the action might lead to renewed efforts on the part of Spain to reclaim lost colonies in Central and South America. Many of the newly independent republics, once former colonies, were recognized by Britain and maintained commercial relations with Britain.

 

Role of the United States

 

President Monroe also knew of the on-going events in Europe. After receiving several communications from George Canning, the new British Foreign Secretary, soliciting joint condemnation of the Spanish intervention, Monroe sought the advice of former presidents Jefferson and Madison. Both men advised Monroe to cooperate with Britain in this matter, but Monroe chose to follow the recommendations of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams instead.

 

The threat of Spanish interference in this hemisphere would be blocked by the British navy, intent on protecting British commerce in the region. Adams counseled an independent approach, one which highlighted the difference between the old conservative system being defended by the Holy Alliance and the new system in this hemisphere. Monroe’s message was that “we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety.” This policy would, of course, also apply to Russian interests on the continental west coast.

 

Doctrine of Geographic Boundaries

 

Monroe’s “doctrine” also noted the distance between Spain and her American colonies. The Atlantic Ocean, viewed in terms of 19^th Century notions of geographic predestination, was a natural boundary. According to historian Albert Weinberg, this view was prevalent from the earliest days of the republic. Weinberg refers to the “conception of hemispheric hegemony as a consequence of isolation”, basing his conclusions on remarks by Alexander Hamilton and others.

 

Historian John Kasson, writing in 1881, likens the Monroe Doctrine to an American version of the Concert of Europe’s goal of preserving a balance of power. In this, geography played a decisive role. Congressman Frederick Stanton, in 1846, best characterized this ideal when he asserted that “The law which makes the ocean a barrier…the law of nature, which has separated continents…forbids that nations on one continent shall have rights on another…” This was the “higher law” that Illinois Congressman Stephen A. Douglas referred to during the same Congressional debate.

 

Effects of the Monroe Doctrine

 

The effects of the Monroe Doctrine reverberated throughout the 19^th and 20^th Centuries. In the contemporary post-Cold War era of Globalism, the Doctrine may have become moot. Although divergent American notions of geographic predestination may still guide economic hegemony, natural boundaries are being erased by financial globalism.

 

References:

 

Donald Kagan and others, The Western Heritage, 10^th Ed., Vol. II (Prentice Hall, 2009)

John A. Kasson, “The Monroe Doctrine,” North American Review, Vol. 0133, Issue 301, December 1881

Library of Congress, papers on the Monroe Doctrine

James Monroe, Seventh Annual Message to Congress, December 2, 1823

Albert K. Weinberg, Manifest Destiny: A Study Of Nationalist Expansionism In American History (Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1958)

Published in Suite101 March 15, 2010 by M.Streich, copyright