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Newspaper cartoon from 1912 about the Monroe Doctrine. Photo by Newspaper cartoon from 1912 about the Monroe Doctrine. .

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Monroe Doctrine (1823)

The Monroe Doctrine was articulated in President James Monroe’s seventh annual message to Congress on December 2, 1823. The European powers, according to Monroe, were obligated to respect the Western Hemisphere as the United States’ sphere of interest. Any interference of the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as hostile by the United States government.

President James Monroe’s 1823 annual message to Congress contained the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. The doctrine basically proclaimed the United States as protector of the Western Hemisphere.

The doctrine became a mainstay of U.S. foreign policy, laying the groundwork for U.S. expansionist and interventionist practices in the decades to come. Here are 10 top interesting facts about Monroe Doctrine (1923).

1. It was established by President James Monroe

The Monroe Doctrine, 1823. Photo by USCapitol.

James Monroe was a secretary of state appointed by President James Madison on April 2, 1811. Monroe assumed duty on April 6, 1811, and served until March 3, 1817, with a brief period from October 1, 1814, to February 28, 1815, as ad interim Secretary of State.

Monroe had a prestigious military career before embarking upon a distinguished career in public service. In his December 2, 1823, address to Congress, Monroe stated the doctrine of Monroe. His speech set forth the government’s intention to protect the Western Hemisphere.

2. The Napoleonic Wars inspired the Monroe doctrine

The Napoleonic Wars served as the inspiration for the Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine 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.

3. At its issuance, many Spanish and Portuguese had gained independence

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.

4. The doctrine stipulated that the US would not interfere in Europe’s affairs

The Monroe Doctrine laid out basic tenets that would define U.S. foreign policy for decades. Some of the tenets promised that the U.S. would not interfere in the affairs of European states, be they wars or internal politics, and that the U.S. would not interfere with European states’ extant colonial enterprises. It declared that the Old World and New World had different systems and must remain distinct spheres.

5. Britain and United States were to jointly issue a statement

In Gillam’s 1896 political cartoon, Uncle Sam stands with rifle between the outrageously dressed European figures and the native-dress-wearing representatives of Nicaragua and Venezuela. Photo by Victor Gillam. .

The doctrine was an outgrowth of concern in both Britain and the United States that the Continental powers would attempt to restore Spain’s former colonies, in Latin America, many of which had become newly independent nations.

George Canning, the British foreign minister, suggested a joint U.S.-British declaration forbidding future colonization in Latin America. Monroe was initially favorable to the idea, and former presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison concurred.

But Secretary of State John Quincy Adams argued that the United States should issue a statement of American policy exclusively, and his view ultimately prevailed.

6. The doctrine was barely executed after it was established

Because the United States was not a major power at the time and because the Continental powers apparently had no serious intentions of recolonizing Latin America, Monroe’s policy statement was largely ignored outside the United States.

The United States at the time was unable to implement the Monroe doctrine using to  military. It did not have the power it does right now. They were mocked for this.

7. The doctrine was not invoked to oppose occupation of American land

The United States did not invoke the Monroe doctrine nor oppose British occupation of the Falkland Islands in 1833. In Spanish America, Royalist guerrillas continued the war in several countries, and Spain attempted to retake Mexico in 1829. All these happened because the United States lacked the capacity to enforce the doctrine.

8. The Monroe doctrine has four main points

U.S. President James Monroe presides over a cabinet meeting in 1823, discussing the Monroe Doctrine. Photo by Clyde O. DeLand. .

Monroe made four basic points: (1) the United States would not interfere in European affairs; (2) the United States recognized and would not interfere with existing colonies in the Americas; (3) the Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonization; and (4) if a European power tried to interfere with any nation in the Americas, that would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States.

9. The doctrine was implemented for the first time in 1861

No serious European interference was attempted until 1861. In that year the leader of France tried to establish a monarchy in Mexico. The United States was just entering the Civil War, but it protested to France immediately.

When the Civil War ended in 1865, the United States sent troops to the Mexican border and insisted on the removal of the French army. The French left in 1867.

10. The Monroe Doctrine has been expanded over the years.

Monroe Doctrine. Photo by Keppler, Udo J.

In 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary. The addition stated that the United States could become involved in a Latin American country’s internal affairs in cases of clear and long-term wrongdoing by that Latin American country.

However, this was reversed in the 1930s when President Franklin Roosevelt instituted the Good Neighbor Policy. According to that policy, the United States gave up its right to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries. Later, other countries in the Americas agreed to work together to help keep other powers from interfering in the area.

Several countries signed an agreement in 1947. The agreement says that an armed attack by any state against an American state would be considered an attack against all American states.