The Monroe Doctrine
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The Monroe Doctrine can be considered as the United States first major declaration to the world as a fairly new nation. The Monroe Doctrine was a statement of United States policy on the activity and rights of powers in the Western Hemisphere during the early to mid
1800s. The doctrine established the United States position in the major world affairs of
the time.
Around the time of the Napoleonic Wars in the 1820s, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and
Colombia all gained their independence from Spanish control (“Monroe Doctrine” 617). The
United States was the first nation to recognize their independence from Spain. The
European powers had still considered the new nations as still belonging to Spain. The
Americans had a sense of pride in the former Spanish colonies gaining independence. They
felt as if the American Revolution was a model for these new Latin American nations
(Faragher 265).
After Napoleon went down, the monarchy in Spain regained power (“Monroe Doctrine” 617).
The Spanish had felt embarrassed after losing their colonies to independence. In 1815
Tsar Alexander I of Russia and the monarchs of Austria and Prussia formed the Holy
Alliance. This alliance was a group set out to maintain autocracy (Migill 594). Spain
then demanded the return of its colonies of the New World (Migill 594). With the
possibility of help from the Holy Alliance and France, Spains goal was looking
realistic. The Americans also feared that if the Spanish colonies were recaptured the
United States might be next (“Monroe Doctrine” 617).
Great Britain refused to let the Spanish take back their now independent colonies. As
free countries the new Spanish-American nations could trade more goods with Great
Britain. However,