MONROE DOCTRINE BY PRESIDENT JAMES MONROE MONROE DOCTRINE FOREIGN POLICY REGION EUROPE REGION SOUTH AMERICA REGION CENTRAL AMERICA REGION CARIBBEAN COLONIES U.S GOVERNMENT AND CONSTITUTION GLOBAL RELATIONS DECEMBER 2 1823 A PRECISE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN POWERS AS RESPECTS OUR NEGOTIATIONS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH IS THOUGHT TO BE PARTICULARLY NECESSARY AT THE PROPOSAL OF THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT MADE THROUGH THE MINISTER OF THE EMPEROR RESIDING HERE A FULL POWER AND INSTRUCTIONS HAVE BEEN TRANSMITTED TO THE MINISTER OF THE UNITED STATES AT ST PETERSBURG TO ARRANGE BY AMICABLE NEGOTIATION THE RESPECTIVE RIGHTS AND INTERESTS OF THE TWO NATIONS ON THE NORTHWEST COAST OF THIS CONTINENT A SIMILAR PROPOSAL HAS BEEN MADE BY HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN WHICH HAS LIKEWISE BEEN ACCEDED TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN DESIROUS BY THIS FRIENDLY PROCEEDING OF MANIFESTING THE GREAT VALUE WHICH THEY HAVE INVARIABLY ATTACHED TO THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE EMPEROR AND THEIR SOLICITUDE TO CULTIVATE THE BEST UNDERSTANDING WITH HIS GOVERNMENT IN THE DISCUSSION TO WHICH THIS INTEREST HAS GIVEN RISE AND IN THE ARRANGEMENTS BY WHICH THEY MAY TERMINATE THE OCCASION HAS BEEN JUDGED PROPER FOR ASSERTING AS A PRINCIPLE IN WHICH THE RIGHTS AND INTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES ARE INVOLVED THAT THE AMERICAN CONTINENTS BY THE FREE AND INDEPENDENT CONDITION WHICH THEY HAVE ASSUMED AND MAINTAIN ARE HENCEFORTH NOT TO BE CONSIDERED AS SUBJECTS FOR FUTURE COLONIZATION BY ANY EUROPEAN POWERS IT WAS STATED AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE LAST SESSION THAT A GREAT EFFORT WAS THEN MAKING IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL TO IMPROVE THE CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE OF THOSE COUNTRIES AND THAT IT APPEARED TO BE CONDUCTED WITH EXTRAORDINARY MODERATION IT NEED SCARCELY BE REMARKED THAT THE RESULT HAS BEEN SO FAR VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WAS THEN ANTICIPATED OF EVENTS IN THAT QUARTER OF THE GLOBE WITH WHICH WE HAVE SO MUCH INTERCOURSE AND FROM WHICH WE DERIVE OUR ORIGIN WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ANXIOUS AND INTERESTED SPECTATORS THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES CHERISH SENTIMENTS THE MOST FRIENDLY IN FAVOR OF THE LIBERTY AND HAPPINESS OF THEIR FELLOW MEN ON THAT SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC IN THE WARS OF THE EUROPEAN POWERS IN MATTERS RELATING TO THEMSELVES WE HAVE NEVER TAKEN ANY PART NOR DOES IT COMPORT WITH OUR POLICY SO TO DO IT IS ONLY WHEN OUR RIGHTS ARE INVADED OR SERIOUSLY MENACED THAT WE RESENT INJURIES OR MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR OUR DEFENSE WITH THE MOVEMENTS IN THIS HEMISPHERE WE ARE OF NECESSITY MORE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED AND BY CAUSES WHICH MUST BE OBVIOUS TO ALL ENLIGHTENED AND IMPARTIAL OBSERVERS THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE ALLIED POWERS IS ESSENTIALLY DIFFERENT IN THIS RESPECT FROM THAT OF AMERICA THIS DIFFERENCE PROCEEDS FROM THAT WHICH EXISTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS AND TO THE DEFENSE OF OUR OWN WHICH HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY THE LOSS OF SO MUCH BLOOD AND TREASURE AND MATURED BY THE WISDOM OF THEIR MOST ENLIGHTENED CITIZENS AND UNDER WHICH WE HAVE ENJOYED UNEXAMPLED FELICITY THIS WHOLE NATION IS DEVOTED WE OWE IT THEREFORE TO CANDOR AND TO THE AMICABLE RELATIONS EXISTING BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THOSE POWERS TO DECLARE THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER ANY ATTEMPT ON THEIR PART TO EXTEND THEIR SYSTEM TO ANY PORTION OF THIS HEMISPHERE AS DANGEROUS TO OUR PEACE AND SAFETY WITH THE EXISTING COLONIES OR DEPENDENCIES OF ANY EUROPEAN POWER WE HAVE NOT INTERFERED AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE BUT WITH THE GOVERNMENTS WHO HAVE DECLARED THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND MAINTAINED IT AND WHOSE INDEPENDENCE WE HAVE ON GREAT CONSIDERATION AND ON JUST PRINCIPLES ACKNOWLEDGED WE COULD NOT VIEW ANY INTERPOSITION FOR THE PURPOSE OF OPPRESSING THEM OR CONTROLLING IN ANY OTHER MANNER THEIR DESTINY BY ANY EUROPEAN POWER IN ANY OTHER LIGHT THAN AS THE MANIFESTATION OF AN UNFRIENDLY DISPOSITION TOWARD THE UNITED STATES IN THE WAR BETWEEN THOSE NEW GOVERNMENTS AND SPAIN WE DECLARED OUR NEUTRALITY AT THE TIME OF THEIR RECOGNITION AND TO THIS WE HAVE ADHERED AND SHALL CONTINUE TO ADHERE PROVIDED NO CHANGE SHALL OCCUR WHICH IN THE JUDGMENT OF THE COMPETENT AUTHORITIES OF THIS GOVERNMENT SHALL MAKE A CORRESPONDING CHANGE ON THE PART OF THE UNITED STATES INDISPENSABLE TO THEIR SECURITY THE LATE EVENTS IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL SHOW THAT EUROPE IS STILL UNSETTLED OF THIS IMPORTANT FACT NO STRONGER PROOF CAN BE ADDUCED THAN THAT THE ALLIED POWERS SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT PROPER ON ANY PRINCIPLE SATISFACTORY TO THEMSELVES TO HAVE INTERPOSED BY FORCE IN THE INTERNAL CONCERNS OF SPAIN TO WHAT EXTENT SUCH INTERPOSITION MAY BE CARRIED ON THE SAME PRINCIPLE IS A QUESTION IN WHICH ALL INDEPENDENT POWERS WHOSE GOVERNMENTS DIFFER FROM THEIRS ARE INTERESTED EVEN THOSE MOST REMOTE AND SURELY NONE MORE SO THAN THE UNITED STATES OUR POLICY IN REGARD TO EUROPE WHICH WAS ADOPTED AT AN EARLY STAGE OF THE WARS WHICH HAVE SO LONG AGITATED THAT QUARTER OF THE GLOBE NEVERTHELESS REMAINS THE SAME WHICH IS NOT TO INTERFERE IN THE INTERNAL CONCERNS OF ANY OF ITS POWERS TO CONSIDER THE GOVERNMENT DE FACTO AS THE LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT FOR US TO CULTIVATE FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH IT AND TO PRESERVE THOSE RELATIONS BY A FRANK FIRM AND MANLY POLICY MEETING IN ALL INSTANCES THE JUST CLAIMS OF EVERY POWER SUBMITTING TO INJURIES FROM NONE BUT IN REGARD TO THESE CONTINENTS CIRCUMSTANCES ARE EMINENTLY AND CONSPICUOUSLY DIFFERENT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT THE ALLIED POWERS SHOULD EXTEND THEIR POLITICAL SYSTEM TO ANY PORTION OF EITHER CONTINENT WITHOUT ENDANGERING OUR PEACE AND HAPPINESS NOR CAN ANYONE BELIEVE THAT OUR SOUTHERN BRETHREN IF LEFT TO THEMSELVES WOULD ADOPT IT OF THEIR OWN ACCORD IT IS EQUALLY IMPOSSIBLE THEREFORE THAT WE SHOULD BEHOLD SUCH INTERPOSITION IN ANY FORM WITH INDIFFERENCE IF WE LOOK TO THE COMPARATIVE STRENGTH AND RESOURCES OF SPAIN AND THOSE NEW GOVERNMENTS AND THEIR DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER IT MUST BE OBVIOUS THAT SHE CAN NEVER SUBDUE THEM IT IS STILL THE TRUE POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES TO LEAVE THE PARTIES TO THEMSELVES IN THE HOPE THAT OTHER POWERS WILL PURSUE THE SAME COURSE FROM THE MONROE DOCTRINE BY JAMES MONROE REPRINTED IN THE ANNALS OF AMERICA VOLUME 5 1821 1832 COPYRIGHT 1976 BY ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
