The Monroe Doctrine

This 19th century work is a seminal study of the Monroe Doctrine, one of the most famous foreign policy doctrines advocated by the U.S. throughout the history of the nation. Named after President James Monroe, the doctrine asserts American authority over the Western hemisphere and warns against foreign intervention. From the preface: “It is perhaps not too much to say that, while the use of the name ‘Monroe Doctrine’ serves a purpose in exciting and rendering intelligible to the world a particular American feeling which may be the outcome of legitimate national aspirations, it too often reveals the defects of a formula imperfectly expressed and inappropriately applied. The Monroe Doctrine of current politics, indeed, seems to have become rather an ‘Adams sentiment,’ changed by the development of circumstances from anything that Adams, as a statesman of the Thirties, can be said to have expressly advocated. The author has therefore chosen to dwell on the evolution and application of the original Doctrine, rather than on the twisted and spasmodic products which have, during the last half-century, been labelled with its name. Among the published authorities on which the work has been based are the ‘Memoirs of John Quincy Adams,’ the various writings of Richard Rush, the biographical works of A. G. and E. J. Stapleton dealing with George Canning, E. T. Williams’ ‘Statesman’s Manual,’ the ‘American Annual Register,’ D. C. Gilman’s ‘Life of Monroe,’ Chateaubriand’s ‘Congres de Verone,’ Senator T. H. Benton’s ‘Thirty Years’ View,’ a series of articles in the ‘Political Science Quarterly,’ a series of despatches and discussions in the ‘Times,’ W. B. Lawrence’s ‘Commentaire sur Wheaton,’ Professor Bryce’s ‘American Commonwealth,’ Mr. Goldwin Smith’s ‘United States,’ and the writings of A. H. Everett. A mass of the unpublished documents in the Public Record Office bearing upon the subject, together with the printed papers which they contain, has also been largely laid under contribution.”