The evolution of human beings has been very interesting. So has been the development of human beings also. But there have been consequences. The unending hunger for power over the whole planet has compelled humans to take terrifying steps in the past. Things like creating free countries has been beneficial. But there have been times, when the actions of human beings have brought upon a few problematic situations.
After America became independent, there was prosperity in the country. But there was interference from the outside world also. The other countries especially the European countries had the curiosity of getting into the matters of independent country of America. But there were efforts made which stopped other countries from taking control over the territory of the Western Nation, especially the United States of America.
The step which was taken is called the Monroe Doctrine. According to this Doctrine, the European Union was not allowed to interfere in the matters of the Western Hemisphere. If any such thing is done, then it would be considered an unlawful act against the country. It was articulated on December 2, 1823, in the seventh message of President James Monroe in front of Congress.
It was invoked by the American Government in the year 1865. It was done in support of Mexican President Benito Juarez. This in turn also helped the Mexican President to remove Emperor Maximilian who was put on the throne by the French Government.
Then in 1904, again some of the European creditors threatened to recover the debt by using muscle power. But President Roosevelt intervened and stopped the worst-case scenario. As a result, Marines were sent by the U.S. government to Santo Domingo, Nicaragua and Haiti. But the other nations of Latin America nega. Then, the situations between various countries continued to be on a rocky path.
So, if we take a look at Monroe Doctrine. Then, Gorge Canning was the first one to propose the idea of this doctrine to the U.S. President. He was the British foreign minister to the U.S. He was the one who suggested such a declaration, but Secretary of State John Quincy Adams was extremely against the doctrine. Despite this case Despite that President, Monroe proposed the Doctrine in front of Congress on December 2, 1823.
On the principle front, this doctrine had four important points. The first two stated that the U.S. would not be a part of the internal matters of the European Union. And the second one stated that European Union would not interfere in the internal matters of the U.S., as discussed above.
After it was introduced, the doctrine didn’t find many takers outside the country. The main reason was that the U.S. was not a major world power at that time and also it needed British support for fighting any external cruelty. It was due to this fact that the doctrine was not known by the name of Monroe for the next 30 years after its introduction.
As evidence, at the time, while the doctrine was still an idea, there was unrest in the Western Hemisphere and also Britain because Continental powers were again trying to be considered as a superpower. They were also trying to capture the previous territories of Spain in Latin America. The U.S. was also worried about the rise of power of nations like Russia. So as a result, George Canning suggested such a doctrine.
But after the introduction of the Monroe Doctrine, the U.S. said nothing to the British or Spain, while they were trying to capture some of the parts of Latin America. But later on, in 1845 and 1848 U.S. President James K. Polk again formally reminded the British and Spain about the Monroe Doctrine. He intended to stop the two powers from capturing the parts of California, Oregon and even the Yucatan peninsula. In addition to that, he also stated that the other nations should not interfere in any way in the territorial expansion of the U.S.
Then, in the 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. In this corollary, Roosevelt stated that if there was anything harmful done to the other smaller countries present around the U.S. Then, the U.S. would interfere in the matters of that country for their well-being.
Then onwards, the world saw America as a potential superpower. The Roosevelt Corollary helped in improving the point of view of the world superpower and their approach towards the less developed countries of Latin America. It assured that in case of problems and bad situations America would help the weaker countries as needed.
In this way, Monroe Doctrine has been a very important milestone in American history. It helped America to come into the limelight and be trustworthy among the people.
