LAD #10: Monroe Doctrine

1. What did the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine express from an American perspective post War of 1812?

• It showed that America was a strong, independent nation that the European countries were no longer able to manipulate. Since it proclaimed that the Americas were off limits to further European colonization, and America would intervene if a country tried to colonize, it showed that America was now a force to be reckoned with. 

2. What was Secretary of State Adams's hope when he wrote the Monroe Doctrine?

• Adams hoped that European countries would leave the American continent alone and stop trying to colonize it. 

3.  What is the key phrase in the entire document that you need to remember as the cornerstone of American foreign policy?

• "....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." This is the key phrase that is most central to American foreign policy.