The Hypocrisy of the Monroe Doctrine

Abstract

On December 2, 1823, the fifth President of the United States, James Monroe, announced the most important declaration regarding American foreign policy. His seventh annual message to Congress, more commonly known as the Monroe Doctrine, asserted the Western Hemisphere as America’s rightful sphere of influence. This paper argues how later federal administrations, under John Tyler and James K. Polk, manipulated the Monroe Doctrine’s terms to justify territorial expansion across North America. By examining four instances of American imperialism during the mid-nineteenth century, including the Texas Annexation, the Oregon Treaty, the Mexican-American War, and Cuban-American relations, this paper addresses how the United States turned a defensive declaration into an aggressive policy fueling socioeconomic and territorial gains. Although American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere remains undoubted, in great part due to the Monroe Doctrine, an insight into its controversial origins demonstrates the ironic nature of present-day American foreign policy. As global geopolitical tensions between the West, China, and Russia increase, the Monroe Doctrine may perhaps reemerge as a focal point in the United States’ grand strategy.