The Monroe Doctrine Continuation And Change On The US

713 Words3 Pages

The Monroe Doctrine Continuation and Change on the U.S. Foreign Policy After decades of expansion, John Quincy Adams thought the United States should have dominance over the whole western hemisphere. Spain, though, had quite different ideas. They wanted to reestablish control over all their colonies in South America, Mexico, and Texas. Through fear of their colonies revolutionizing, Spain and other European countries created the "Holy Alliance", aimed at preventing revolutions in the name of Christian and monarchist principles. Because Britain's trade with these colonies would greatly suffer due to Spanish restrictions, they refused to join the Holy Alliance. Instead, Britain offered the U.S. a joint statement of keeping the New World and …show more content…

The Proclamation of 1793, also referred to as the Proclamation of Neutrality and written by George Washington, stated the United States' absolute neutrality in the conflict of the French revolution. The U.S. made a pact that it shall not supply materials to either side: Britain or France. If any part of the U.S. violated this, there would be consequences. Washington made his feelings of neutrality even more clear in his Farewell Address, in which he recites his advice to stay out of foreign affairs. "The great role of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible." The United States keeps Washington's words a potent inspiration for many years to come, and the Monroe Doctrine remains right along the lines of Washington's stance on foreign politics. The doctrine makes it very known that if the pact of neutrality was violated by a European country, the U.S. would take harsh measures to make sure the country …show more content…

Other countries were not as fearful as they seem to be now. After the Monroe Doctrine, though, the European countries were aware of the power that the U.S. seemed to have because of their proclamation of dominion over the whole western hemisphere. One of the key principles of the Monroe Doctrine, the forbiddance of European colonization in the Americas, gave the United States an advantage with Spain gone, meaning there was one less world power to worry about taking their land and causing trouble in the New World. This gave the United States plenty of room and power to expand and grow influence without