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Monroe’sattitudewaspositive.However,hedecidedtoconsulttheanswerwithhis
aides.AmongthemwereformerpresidentsThomasJeffersonandJamesMadison.Both
recommendedapositivereplytotheBritishinitiative.Oneoftheveryfewpersons
opposedtothatwasMonroe’sSecretaryofState,JohnQuincyAdams.Ashestrongly
supportedtheideaofnocolonizationoftheAmericancontinent,hewasverycareful
aboutthejointannouncementwithGreatBritain.Hewasdeeplyconvincedthatthisidea
shouldbeclearlyexpressedbuthismainconcernwasthatthiskindofjointdeclaration
couldhavenegativeeffectsinthefuture.Inshort,hewasawareofthebenetsofthe
currentsituationbut-asoneofthegreatestSecretariesofStateinUShistory-hewas
alsothinkingaboutthefuture.Andhewasafraidthatthejointdeclarationcouldbound
USpolicyintheLatinAmericanregionwithBritishinterests.Inthiscase,heproposed
thatPresidentMonroeannouncethisprincipleunilaterally.Theunilateraldeclaration
wasalsojustiedasBritishdiplomacylostinterestinthejointannouncement.
AsthedateofthePresident’sannualmessagetotheCongresscamealong,John
QuincyAdamswrotesomefundamentalprinciplesofAmericanforeignpolicy.They
weresoftlyamendedbythePresidentandincludedinthetextofhisseventhannual
message,December2,1823.Apartfromthealreadymentionednocolonizationrule,it
includedtheexplicationofdifferencesbetweenEuropeandtheNewWorld.Oneofthe
mostimportantoneswastheverynatureofthepoliticalsystem.AccordingtoPresident
Monroe,theEuropeanpoliticalsystemwasoneoftheprinciplecausesofwarsonthe
Europeancontinent.Forthisreason,theUnitedStateswouldperceiveeveryeffortto
expandEuropeanpoliticalsystem-meaningamonarchy-asadangertoitsnational
security.Also,PresidentMonroemaintainedthefundamentalruleofAmericanforeign
policywhichwasthenon-interventioninEuropeanpoliticalaffairsandconicts.
Theso-calledMonroeDoctrineisoftendescribedasthebasisofAmerican
isolationism.InfacttheUnitedStatesdidnotisolateitselffromanypartoftheworld.It
playedanactiveroleintheLatinAmericanregion;ithasitsinterestinAsiaandnorthern
Africa.TheEuropeancountrieswerethemostimportanteconomicpartners.Ifthere
wasisolationismintheAmericanpolicy,itwasthedesiretoisolatefromthepolitical
disputesinEurope.ThisstatementisnothingnewinAmericanforeignpolicy,asitcan
befoundintheDeclarationofIndependence(1776)andGeorgeWashington’sFarewell
Address(1796).
JamesMonroeSeventhAnnualMessage,December2,1823
Source:http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29465(16.09.2013)
ACompilationoftheMessagesandPapersofthePresidents,1789–1897,Publishedby
theAuthorityofCongress,1898;pp.207–220
ThecitizensoftheUnitedStatescherishsentimentsthemostfriendlyinfavorofthe
libertyandhappinessoftheirfellowmenonthatsideoftheAtlantic.Inthewarsofthe
Europeanpowersinmattersrelatingtothemselveswehavenevertakenanypart,nor
doesitcomportwithourpolicysotodo.