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Monroe Doctrine Facts & Worksheets

James Monroe established the Monroe Doctrine, a U.S. foreign policy that effectively closed off North and South America from further colonization by Europe.

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President James Monroe originally stated the Monroe Doctrine in a speech to Congress in 1823. He said that the United States would see any further colonization, military invasion, or other meddling in the Western Hemisphere by European nations as potentially hostile. The Monroe Doctrine has been a cornerstone of American foreign and defense strategy for many years.

See the fact file below for more information on the Monroe Doctrine, or you can download our 20-page Monroe Doctrine worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Purpose Behind the Monroe Doctrine

  • By the early 1820s, several countries in Latin America were free of Spanish or Portuguese rule. The newly established republics of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico were formally acknowledged by the United States in 1822.
  • However, the United States and Britain were concerned that the nations of continental Europe might make future attempts to reinstate colonial administrations in the area. With Czar Alexander I asserting authority over the region in the Pacific Northwest and forbidding foreign ships from accessing that coast in 1821, Russia had also given rise to worries about imperialism.
  • Monroe initially supported the idea of a joint U.S.-British resolution opposing future colonization in Latin America, despite John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, arguing that siding future U.S. growth potential might be restricted by the British, and Britain might work very well.
  • Adams persuaded Monroe to issue a lone declaration of American policy that would chart a distinct route for the fledgling country and assert a new function as a defender of the Western Hemisphere.

Monroe’s Message to Congress

  • On December 2, 1823, during his usual speech to Congress, President Monroe laid forth the fundamental principles of what would eventually come to be known as the Monroe Doctrine.
  • Monroe’s message is that the Old World and the New World should have their spheres of influence since they are fundamentally different (primarily authored by Adams).
  • For its part, the United States would not meddle in European politics or the affairs of any European colonies that already existed in the Western Hemisphere.
  • The American continents are no longer to be regarded as potential targets for colonization by any European countries due to their presumed and maintained autonomous and independent status, said Monroe.
  • Any attempt by a European country to assert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere would be seen as a threat to American security.
  • The Farewell Address of George Washington in 1796 and James Madison’s declaration of war against Great Britain in 1812 are two previous statements of American diplomatic principles that inspired the Monroe Doctrine. These statements demanded distinct zones of influence and a non-interference approach to Europe’s foreign policy.

Monroe Doctrine in Practice: U.S. Foreign Policy

  • When Monroe spoke before Congress, the United States was still a tiny participant on the international stage. It lacked the military and naval might necessary to back up its pretension of solitary dominance over the Western Hemisphere. Outside of American borders, Monroe’s bold policy announcement received little attention.
  • The United States refused Argentina in 1845 and did not use the Monroe Doctrine to stop the British takeover of the Falkland Islands in 1833.
  • However, as the country’s economic and military power increased, it started to back up Monroe’s words with deeds. Benito Juarez received military and diplomatic backing from the U.S. government as the Civil War ended, enabling his forces to depose Emperor Maximilian, who had been installed on the throne by the French government in 1867.

Roosevelt Corollary

  • The Monroe Doctrine would support a long string of American operations in Latin America starting in 1870 as the United States began to gain prominence as a significant player.
  • After 1904, when President Theodore Roosevelt asserted the U.S. government’s authority to interfere with prohibiting European creditors from threatening violent action to collect debts in Latin American countries, this war became more prevalent.
  • However, he went further in his assertion. In his annual speech to Congress that year, Roosevelt stated that “chronic misbehavior may finally compel intervention by some civilized nation” in America and abroad.
  • “In the Western Hemisphere, the United States’ adherence to the Monroe Doctrine may lead the United States, if unwillingly, to wield an international police authority in glaring situations of such malfeasance or incapacity.”
  • Roosevelt’s broad interpretation, often referred to as the “Roosevelt Corollary” or the “Big Stick” doctrine, was quickly used to support military incursions in Central America and the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba.
  • Later leaders, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt, attempted to temper this harsh application of the Monroe Doctrine by replacing the Big Stick with the Good Neighbor doctrine.
  • Although the Organization for American States (OAS) and treaties negotiated during and after World War II represented a strategy of closer collaboration between North and South American nations, the intervention in the domestic affairs of its southern neighbors continues.
  • Roosevelt argued that the Monroe Doctrine supported the use of “international police authority” by the United States to put a stop to ongoing disturbance or wrongdoing throughout the Western Hemisphere. It was in line with Roosevelt’s foreign policy of “walk softly, but carry a strong stick.”

Cold War Into the 21st Century

  • Invoking the Monroe Doctrine during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis when the Soviet Union started constructing missile launch pads there, President John F. Kennedy did so during the Cold War era. He ordered Cuba’s naval and air quarantine.
  • Ronald Reagan justified American intervention in El Salvador and Nicaragua in the 1980s using the 1823 policy concept. George H.W. Bush, who succeeded Reagan, similarly approved an invasion of Panama to remove Manuel Noriega.
  • The United States reduced its military presence in Latin America when the Cold War ended and the twenty-first Century began. Still, it continued to have a substantial political impact there.
  • The Monroe Doctrine left a complex legacy and significantly impacted U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, as evidenced by socialist leaders in Latin America like Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Hugo Chavez, who have won the support of their people by opposing what they see as American imperialism.

Criticisms

  • While the doctrine featured a pledge to oppose other European colonialism in the Americas, historians have noted that because it did not restrict the U.S.’s activities, it had some aggressive consequences for American foreign policy. 
  • According to historian Jay Sexton, the strategies utilized to put the ideology into practice were based on those used by European imperial powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. The doctrine was referred to as “imperial anti-colonialism” by American historian William Appleman Williams, who saw it as a manifestation of American imperialism. 
  • According to Noam Chomsky, the U.S. administration has utilized the Monroe Doctrine as a proclamation of hegemony and a justification for unilateral action over the Americas in practice.

Monroe Doctrine Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Monroe Doctrine across 20 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use Monroe Doctrine worksheets are perfect for teaching students about the Monroe Doctrine. James Monroe established the Monroe Doctrine, a U.S. foreign policy that effectively closed off North and South America from further colonization by Europe. This doctrine has proved incredibly long-lasting, influencing the foreign policies of many presidents who came after Monroe, including Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • The Basics
  • Men Behind the Doctrine
  • Key Figures
  • Seeing the Big Picture
  • Domestic vs. Foreign
  • America vs. Europe
  • Foreign Policy Today
  • Okay or Not Okay
  • From a Kid’s Perspective
  • Let Your Voice Be Heard

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Monroe Doctrine?

President James Monroe originally stated the Monroe Doctrine in a speech to Congress in 1823. He said that the United States would see any further colonization, military invasion, or another meddling in the Western Hemisphere by European nations as potentially hostile. The Monroe Doctrine has been a cornerstone of American foreign and defense strategy for many years.

What is the purpose behind the Monroe Doctrine?

By the early 1820s, several countries in Latin America were free of Spanish or Portuguese rule. The newly established republics of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico were formally acknowledged by the United States in 1822. However, the United States and Britain were concerned that the nations of continental Europe might make future attempts to reinstate colonial administrations in the area. Monroe initially supported the idea of a joint U.S.-British resolution opposing future colonization in Latin America, despite John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, arguing that siding future U.S. growth potential might be restricted by the British, and Britain might work very well.

What is Roosevelt’s Corollary?

Roosevelt’s broad interpretation, often referred to as the “Roosevelt Corollary” or the “Big Stick” doctrine, was quickly used to support military incursions in Central America and the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba.

What is the impact of the Monroe Doctrine in the Cold War?

The Monroe Doctrine left a complex legacy and significantly impacted U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, as evidenced by socialist leaders in Latin America like Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Hugo Chavez, who have won the support of their people by opposing what they see as American imperialism.

What are the criticisms that Monroe Doctrine got?

According to historian Jay Sexton, the strategies utilized to put the ideology into practice were based on those used by European imperial powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. The doctrine was referred to as “imperial anti-colonialism” by American historian William Appleman Williams, who saw it as a manifestation of American imperialism. According to Noam Chomsky, the U.S. administration has utilized the Monroe Doctrine as a proclamation of hegemony and a justification for unilateral action over the Americas in practice.

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