The Monroe Doctrine and American Imperialism By Mike Kubic 2017

Transcription

1 Name: Class: The Monroe Doctrine and American Imperialism By Mike Kubic 2017 The Monroe Doctrine was a United States policy beginning in 1823 that opposed Europe s colonization of the Americas. Mike Kubic, a former Newsweek magazine correspondent, discusses the parameters of the policy, as well as its effects both nationally and globally. As you read, take note of how the meaning and implementation of the Monroe Doctrine have changed over time, and the effect that this has had on America s foreign policy. [1] When the British poet John Donne wrote in 1624 that No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent he defined an inescapable condition that pertains not only to individuals it shapes the fate of countries. Our Founding Fathers were aware of the hazards and burdens of belonging to the family of nations, and busy as they were creating their own society, they wanted to keep their coexistence with others down to a minimum. President George Washington said so in September 1796 in his famous Farewell Address. Turning to the subject in his 32-page list of things the nation should and should not do, he "Theodore Roosevelt and his Big Stick in the Caribbean" by William Allen Rogers is in the public domain. cautioned that: It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world, and added that The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is to have with them as little political connection as possible. A quarter of a century later, minimizing foreign involvement was still the United States policy. John Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State in 1821, declared America to be the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all, but rejected the idea that She goes abroad in search of monsters to destroy. 1 Yet only two years later, Adams authored a seminal document that pointed American foreign policy in the opposite direction. It was a declaration that made the United States the guardian of the independence of all the nations of the North and South American continents the entire half of the globe called The Western Hemisphere. 1. strongly influencing later development 1

2 [5] The doctrine, presented by President James Monroe in his December 2, 1823 annual message to Congress, declared that the United States would regard any extension of European power to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety and asserted that The American continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers. In a breathtaking about-face, the proclamation reversed George Washington s policy of American noninvolvement and self-restraint in dealings with foreign nations. Instead, it warned them to restrain themselves in their dealings with the U.S.- protected Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine illustrated two truths about our (and every other nation s) foreign policy. It started by setting forth principles that were meant to be immutable. 2 And over time, it showed how they can be changed in response to changing circumstances such critical facts as its political stability, the growth of the economy, and its military readiness. As long as our country was preoccupied with building up these strengths, the Monroe Doctrine and American foreign policy remained largely the same. But as time went on, the relative strengths of America and the foreign powers underwent a profound change. To begin with, America became the magnet for millions of people who were brave, restless, and hardy enough to hazard the long and dangerous journey to what was seen as the land of endless opportunities. They arrived in staggering numbers. In 1820, the U.S. population was 9.5 million and its average annual increase was 240,000. By 1901, the corresponding totals were 77.6 million and 1.5 million. [10] The immigrants were capable, and they worked hard. By 1895, the U.S. had surpassed Great Britain in manufacturing output and by 1900, the New World was producing more energy than Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Japan, and Italy combined. Between the end of the American Civil War and the turn of the century, U.S. coal production rose by 800 percent, steel rails by 523 percent, and wheat production by 256 percent. No nation has ever experienced such an increase in its power without seeking to translate it into global influence, wrote former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Diplomacy, his history of the U.S. foreign policy. And successive U.S. administrations were no exceptions. They began stretching the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine until it covered practically any action they wanted to take in the Hemisphere. For example, President James K. Polk tried to justify the 1845 annexation of Texas by arguing that as an independent state it might become an ally or dependency of some foreign nation, and thus endanger American security. In 1861, State Secretary William H. Seward proposed to invade Cuba on similarly specious 3 grounds he warned that if the South should secede from the Union, some European power might exploit the Union s weakness to take over the island. (President Lincoln turned down the idea.) 2. Immutable (adjective): unchanging over time or unable to be changed 3. Specious (adjective): superficially plausible, but actually wrong 2

3 By the end of the century, the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine had been expanded to justify U.S. hegemony 4 throughout the hemisphere and America was ready to flex its muscles still farther. As Secretary Kissinger pointed out, no one articulated this attitude more [effectively] than Theodore Roosevelt, the president who insisted that it was America s duty to make its influence felt globally. The Roosevelt Corollary [15] President Teddy Roosevelt, the fifth cousin to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the U.S. president during World War II, was a study in contrast. He was the son of a wealthy, patrician 5 family that had lived in New York for 200 years, and as a Harvard-educated adult, he travelled the world to study scientific subjects and authored 17 books. But he was pugnacious, 6 loved strenuous 7 physical exercise, and during the 1898 Spanish-American War won fame for such bravery as leading the charge of his Rough Riders up the San Juan Hill in Cuba. As the Vice President and successor of President William McKinley, Roosevelt continued to demonstrate both sides of his personality. He negotiated a treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, and became the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. But already years earlier, he was America s foremost advocate of an aggressive foreign policy that broke the limits of the Monroe Doctrine. For example, in 1893, Roosevelt then a Civil Service Commissioner demanded the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands after their American residents had brazenly overthrown Queen Liliuokalani. Two years later, he called for a war with Britain because of its dispute with Venezuela over the boundary of the British Guayna. And In 1901, as the vice president, he supported the so-called Platt Amendment that compelled the Cuban government to let the U.S. to intervene unilaterally 8 in Cuban affairs, and gave Washington a lease on two naval bases. [20] Sworn-in as the president following the 1901 assassination of McKinley, Roosevelt announced that he wished to see the United States the dominant power on the shores of the Pacific Ocean"; started a major naval build-up; and urged the construction of a Central American canal that would enable the ships to quickly reach the Pacific. When he was elected president, the U.S. ranked fifth among naval powers. By 1917, it had 20 battle ships and was second only to Great Britain. Roosevelt s recent biographer, Nathan Miller, argued in his Theodore Roosevelt, a Life that the president had distorted the Monroe Doctrine because he believed that America had the moral obligation to overawe 9 international bullies, maintain order, and uplift backward peoples. 4. Hegemony (noun): leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others 5. belonging to or characteristic of the aristocracy 6. Pugnacious (adjective): eager or quick to argue 7. Strenuous (adjective): requiring or using great exertion 8. used to indicate that something is done by only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of others 9. Overawe (verb): to impress someone so much that they become silent or inhibited 3

4 But whatever his intentions, Roosevelt s major legacy was an addition to the Monroe Doctrine that rather than protecting the Hemisphere put the fear of Uncle Sam 10 into South American debtors. What prompted the measure was chaos in the Dominican Republic after it defaulted on its foreign debts, and Italy threatened to interfere in support of the creditors. The president first declared that If any South American country misbehaves toward any European country, let the European country spank it, and said he wanted to do nothing but what a policeman has to do in Santo Domingo. But on second thought, he instructed on May 20, 1904 his Secretary of War to read at a ceremonial dinner an open letter that spelled out the so-called Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. It said in part that If a nation shows that it knows how to act with decency, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, then it need fear no interference from the United States. But, Roosevelt added with his customary bluntness, brutal wrongdoing, or an impotence 11 which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may finally require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere, the United States cannot ignore this duty [25] After an Italian cruiser appeared off the coast of the Dominican Republic, Roosevelt saw to it that the debts were collected by an American. Two of Roosevelt s successors tried to rid the Monroe Doctrine of the sting of his big stick 12 policy. One of them was Woodrow Wilson, who in January 1917 announced his plan for the League of Nations by proposing that the nations should adopt the doctrine of President Monroe... that no nation should extend its polity 13 over other nation or people... that all nations henceforth avoid entangling alliances which would draw them into competitions for power... His proposal was accepted by 58 foreign countries but rejected by the majority of U.S. Senators, some of whom saw it as an example of the entangling alliances abhorred 14 by George Washington. The other president was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who renounced the embarrassing Platt Amendment. In the 1890s, the United States, once again by unilateral action 15 extended the doctrine to include the right to decide how a dispute between Venezuela and Great Britain over the boundaries of British Guiana should be settled. Secretary of State Richard Olney told the British, Today the United States is practically sovereign 16 on this continent and its fiat 17 is law upon the subjects to which it confines its interposition. its infinite resources combined with its isolated position render it master of the situation and practically invulnerable as against any or all other powers. The British, troubled by the rise of Germany and Japan, could only acquiesce 18 in American pretensions. 19 But Latin American nations protested the way in which Washington had chosen to defend Venezuelan interests. 10. a national personification of the American government or the United States in general 11. Impotence (noun): inability to take effective action 12. Theodore Roosevelt s policy asserting the United States domination when it is considered the moral imperative 13. a form or process of civil government or constitution 14. Abhor (verb): to regard with disgust and hatred 15. Unilateral action is when one country acts on their own and without the support of other countries. 16. Sovereign (noun): a supreme ruler 17. a formal authorization or proposition 18. Acquiesce (verb): to accept something reluctantly but without protest 19. Pretension (noun): a claim or the assertion of a claim to something 4

5 Roosevelt s Big Stick Latin American policy became synonymous with the Monroe Doctrine, much to the chagrin 20 of later American policymakers, who sought in various ways to change the image of the Monroe Doctrine. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the cousin of Teddy Roosevelt announced his intention to replace the Big Stick with the Good Neighbor. 21 At his direction, for example, the United States renounced 22 the right to intervene in Cuban affairs under the Platt Amendment. But it did not give up its naval base in Guantanamo Bay. 23 [30] A variety of treaties signed during and after World War II attempted to turn the Monroe Doctrine into a multilateral 24 undertaking, renamed the Inter-American System. When the United States dealt with the problem of Castro s Cuba, for example, or intervened in the Dominican Republic in 1965, Washington was always careful to declare that it was acting with, and even at the behest 25 of, the Organization of American States. The Monroe Doctrine and American Imperialism by Mike Kubic. Copyright 2017 by CommonLit. This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA Chagrin (noun): distress or embarrassment at having failed 21. the foreign policy designed to improve relations with Latin America 22. Renounce (verb): to formally declare one s abandonment of a right 23. The United States still owns Guantanamo Bay, the location of the prison that holds suspected terrorists of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. 24. having members or contributors from several groups, especially different countries 25. a person s orders or command 5

6 Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences. 1. PART A: Which of the following identifies the central idea of the text? [RI.2] A. America has remained true to the objectives of the Founding Fathers in matters concerning foreign affairs. B. The Monroe Doctrine has reinforced the initial intentions of the Founding Fathers for the United States to not involve itself with other nations. C. The United States continues to become more aggressively involved with the affairs of other nations. D. America turned away from the original wishes of the Founding Fathers by extending its power through the Monroe Doctrine, the terms of which evolved over time to allow further influence. 2. PART B: Which section best supports the answer to Part A? [RI.1] A. 'The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is to have with them as little political connection as possible. (Paragraph 2) B. As long as our country was preoccupied with building up these strengths, the Monroe Doctrine and American foreign policy remained largely the same. (Paragraph 8) C. By the end of the century, the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine had been expanded to justify U.S. hegemony throughout the hemisphere and America was ready to flex its muscles still farther. (Paragraph 14) D. When the United States dealt with the problem of Castro s Cuba, for example, or intervened in the Dominican Republic in 1965, Washington was always careful to declare that it was acting with, and even at the behest of, the Organization of American States. (Paragraph 30) 3. PART A: What is the meaning of about-face in paragraph 6? A. turnaround B. setback C. reprimand D. announcement [RI.4] 4. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A? A. The doctrine, presented by President James Monroe in his December 2, 1823 annual message to Congress (Paragraph 5) B. the proclamation reversed George Washington s policy of American noninvolvement and self-restraint (Paragraph 6) C. it warned them to restrain themselves in their dealings with the U.S. (Paragraph 6) D. It started by setting forth principles that were meant to be immutable. (Paragraph 7) [RI.1] 6

7 5. PART A: How has the Monroe Doctrine changed over time? [RI.3] A. The Monroe Doctrine was initially aimed towards ensuring the safety of Americans, then became a tool to gain power, but its power has declined somewhat over the past century. B. The goals of the Monroe Doctrine have remained consistent over the years, with the protection of America being its ultimate goal. C. The Monroe Doctrine shifted from a means of securing peace in America to a way to gain additional power through the invasion of foreign countries. D. The Monroe Doctrine was initially a means for America to extend its power, but has since been modified to protect America. 6. PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A? [RI.1] A. minimizing foreign involvement was still the United States policy: John Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State, in 1821 declared America to be the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all (Paragraph 3) B. And over time, it showed how they can be changed in response to changing circumstances such critical facts as its political stability, the growth of the economy, and its military readiness. (Paragraph 7) C. As long as our country was preoccupied with building up these strengths, the Monroe Doctrine and American foreign policy remained largely the same. (Paragraph 8) D. he supported the so-called Platt Amendment that compelled the Cuban government to let the U.S. to intervene unilaterally in Cuban affairs, and gave Washington a lease on two naval bases. (Paragraph 19) 7. How do paragraphs contribute to the development of ideas in the text? [RI.5] 7

8 Discussion Questions Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion. 1. In your opinion, does the Monroe Doctrine s influence still exist today? If so, in what ways does it affect foreign policy? What role does the Monroe Doctrine play in the War on Terror? 2. In your opinion, was the Monroe Doctrine necessary to ensure America s security? Do you think it is necessary today? 3. In the context of the text, how has America changed over time? How and why has America s views on foreign policy changed over time? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer. 4. In the context of the text, what is fair? America involved itself with other countries for reasons of personal security and gain: was this fair? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer. 5. In the context of the text, how does power corrupt? How did the power America gained from the influx of immigrants alter its original values? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer. 8