The American continents . . . are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.”
With these words, President James Monroe announced his foreign policy to the world. It became known as the Monroe Doctrine. Over the decades, other U.S. presidents have used variations of it to warn foreign nations against interfering in the politics of the Western Hemisphere. Some presidents have used it to insert the United States in the affairs of its neighbors.
For Monroe, threats from Europe inspired him to take this step. In 1821, several Spanish colonies in the Americas had declared their independence. The United States recognized those places as new countries. In Europe, however, the Holy Alliance urged Spain to reclaim its empire in the New World.
The United States was determined to
