Understanding the Monroe Doctrine: A 202-Year-Old Address to Congress
The Monroe Doctrine, a concept learned about in high school, has suddenly become a hot topic, with its 202-year-old address to Congress going viral. Historian Jay Sexton, author of a book on the Monroe Doctrine, has seen his phone blow up with inquiries, with his “five minutes of fame” turning into a week of fame.
Sexton’s book explores how just three paragraphs in an 1823 address by President James Monroe have been used to justify U.S. actions in Latin America ever since. Monroe’s original message was a simple statement to Europe, warning them to “stay out of the Americas.” As Sexton notes, “It wasn’t a pronouncement of law or statute, it was simply a statement made by a president to Congress about what foreign powers could not do in the Western hemisphere.”
Evolution of the Monroe Doctrine
It wasn’t until decades later that Monroe’s statement would be ordained a “doctrine.” President James K. Polk invoked it to justify war with Mexico in 1846, expanding the U.S. by nearly half. Later, in 1904, President Teddy Roosevelt brandished his big stick, proclaiming his own corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Roosevelt saw instability in the Caribbean and Central America and believed the U.S. needed to take preemptive action to prevent European intervention.
Sexton explains that Roosevelt’s corollary was based on the idea that the U.S. had kept Europeans out of the hemisphere, so it was the responsibility of Latin American countries to keep their “house in order” or face U.S. intervention. This led to the U.S. Marines being deployed to several Latin American and Caribbean countries, attempting to stabilize them and protect U.S. business interests.
Consequences and Legacy
These occupations, known as the Banana Wars, soon became bloody quagmires, with hundreds of military and tens of thousands of civilian casualties. The Banana Wars ended with the U.S. withdrawal from Haiti in 1934, and the Monroe Doctrine was barely mentioned after World War II. However, in recent times, the doctrine has been revived, with President Trump citing it to justify his foreign policy in Latin America.
As Sexton notes, the Monroe Doctrine has been used to justify U.S. actions in Latin America for nearly two centuries. Its legacy is complex and multifaceted, with both positive and negative consequences. Understanding the doctrine’s history and evolution is essential to grasping its ongoing impact on U.S. foreign policy.
For more information on the Monroe Doctrine and its history, visit Here
Image Source: www.cbsnews.com
