The Monroe Doctrine began on December 2, 1823. It was articulated in President James Monroe’s seventh annual message to Congress. Monroe stated that the European powers were obligated to limit their influence in the Western Hemisphere. The Western Hemisphere is the domain of influence belonging to the United States.
The age of colonization of the New World was coming to a close. Ever since Columbus discovered the Americas, the European powers raced to establish colonies to enrich the mother countries. With the United States being fully established as an independent nation, Monroe made clear that the United States would no longer tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs in the Americas. Once established, the Monroe Doctrine became a cornerstone for American foreign policy for decades to come.
In 1865, the Monroe Doctrine was invoked to support Mexican President Benito Juárez. U.S. support enabled the Mexican President to successfully revolt against Emperor Maximilian, who was established in Mexico by the French government.
In 1904, Roosevelt used the Monroe Doctrine when European creditors threatened Latin American countries with armed intervention to collect on debts. The Monroe Doctrine also played a significant role in stopping the Soviet Union from building missile sites in Cuba in the 1960’s.
Still today, the Monroe Doctrine matters. The Chinese communists are consistently increasing their influence in our hemisphere. Their involvement in the Panama Canal is contributing to our ongoing fentanyl crisis, and their purchases of domestic land threaten any sense of American business. The Monroe Doctrine still matters, and it must be invoked here to put a stop to the influence of Chinese Communism.
The Monroe Doctrine exists because America pioneered a very special form of government. Our Constitutional system and limited government allow for a country that allows individual freedom to flourish, and that is worth protecting. Not only is our system special, but it is wholly incompatible with other forms of government. From monarchy to communism, the Monroe Doctrine exists to keep these other systems out of our hemisphere.
