|
|
The Monroe Doctrine: U.S. Foreign Affairs (circa 1782-1823) and James Monroe
Guiding Questions
- What was the Monroe Doctrine? What principles of foreign policy did this
Doctrine establish?
- What were the significant events in U.S. diplomacy before 1823?
- What diplomatic roles had James Monroe played before he became president?
- Who were the key figures in U.S. diplomacy before 1823? What did each do?
- Which events were connected to peace and safety concerns for the United
States?
- What factors led the United States to engage in diplomatic exchanges with
other countries?
- Which events touched on American sympathy for revolutionary movements?
- Which events related to the expansion of the United States?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Create a timeline of significant events in U.S. foreign affairs before 1823.
- Cite the roles played by James Monroe and his contributions to U.S. diplomacy
before he became president.
- Make connections between diplomatic events and revolutionary movements,
concerns over U.S. peace and safety, and U.S. expansion.
NOTE TO THE TEACHER: Each of the four lessons in this unit can stand on its own,
depending on the students' previous knowledge. However, if you plan to use all
of the lessons, begin the unit by introducing the following: In its entry
for The Monroe
Doctrine (1823), Information USA, an
exhibit of the website of the U.S. Department
of State, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Internet
Public Library, states:
In Monroe's message to Congress on December 2, 1823, he delivered
what we have always called the Monroe Doctrine, although in truth it should
have been called the Adams Doctrine.
The writer expresses the opinion that the Monroe Doctrine should have been named
after John Quincy Adams to honor his role in its formulation. Additional evidence
indicates that former President Thomas Jefferson strongly influenced President
Monroe. Tell students that, in this series of lessons, they will decide for themselves
if the famous Doctrine has been correctly or incorrectly named. This question—which
is interesting but far from central—provides the environment for a closer
look at the Monroe Doctrine and the circumstances leading to it.
A Glance at the Monroe Doctrine
In Lesson Three
and Lesson Four students will do a close reading of the text of the Monroe Doctrine (1823).
Here, a careful examination of the document anticipates what is to come. Share
a copy of the Monroe Doctrine,
available on the EDSITEment-reviewed website Avalon
Project, with the class. Ask the students to read the document, list the key
points, then discuss its central tenets (noted below):
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….
…declare that we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system
to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety.
Our policy in regard to Europe… remains the same, which is, not to interfere
in the internal concerns of any of its powers…
Once the class has had an opportunity to study and discuss the essential ideas
presented in the doctrine, encourage your students to analyze and evaluate the
Monroe Doctrine. Among the questions they should address is whether the United
States was militarily strong enough to enforce its position and, if not, why the
government might have felt confident in issuing the Doctrine. When your class
has completed the survey of American foreign policy, outlined below, you might
bring the students back to these questions in order to re-evaluate their initial
positions. When they have completed their initial review of the Monroe Doctrine,
ask students to scan the text looking for names of countries and continents. They
may also find indications of unspecified countries, for example, "But with the
Governments who have declared their independence and maintain it.." The class
should compile a complete list. If desired, students can look at maps of Europe
and South America. The EDSITEment-reviewed resource Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity: Exploring The French Revolution offers a map Europe
1815. The EDSITEment-reviewed website American
Memory features a New
map of South America from the latest authorities (Samuel Lewis' Atlas, 1817).
Online, students can zoom in and out and focus on any part of either map. The
EDSITEment-reviewed resource National
Geographic Xpeditions offers a Contemporary
Map of Europe and a Contemporary
Map of South America, both available in PDF format. The next step in this
lesson will be to review the events in American diplomacy leading up to the Monroe
Doctrine to better understand the relationship between the text of the Doctrine
and the countries and continents Monroe mentions. The students also will focus
on several important discussion questions.
A Documentary Crash Course in American Foreign Relations before the Monroe
Doctrine
To achieve a better understanding of the Monroe Doctrine, students need to review
American diplomacy prior to the Doctrine's formulation. The handout "Documentary
Timeline: American Diplomacy before the Monroe Doctrine," on pages 1-7 of
the PDF file (see Preparing
to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions), provides a capsule
review of early American diplomacy and related events. How the handout will
be used will differ from class to class (some suggestions are provided below),
depending largely on the background students bring to the lesson and the available
time. However, the goal is to provide the conditions for a discussion of the following
questions:
- Prior to adoption of the Monroe Doctrine, how would you characterize U.S.
relations with the countries named in the document?
- In what ways was Monroe involved with key diplomatic events prior to his
inauguration in 1817?
- What threats to American peace and safety occurred before 1823?
- What events or circumstances may have led Monroe or his Secretary of State
John Quincy Adams to want to protect the newly independent Latin American
states?
- What evidence suggests that Monroe/Adams had expansionist intentions for
the United States in the Western Hemisphere? Which events or circumstances
may have contributed to the need or desire for expansion?
- What is the central thesis of the Monroe Doctrine?
- What connection, if any, exists between events on the timeline and the central
thesis of the Monroe Doctrine?
- What other events or circumstances, if any, should have been included in
the timeline?
The handout provides a list of events from 1782 to 1823. Though not comprehensive,
it attempts instead to highlight the major events. It offers URLs for brief secondary
accounts and primary documents and a selection of quotes from some of each. If
desired, use the timeline as a guideline for lecture and/or discussion. As a graphic
organizer, students can use the "Basic
Timeline: American Diplomacy before the Monroe Doctrine" on pages 8-10 of
the PDF file (see Preparing
to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions). Alternatively, the
class can review the entire timeline or relevant portions of it without reference
to the full online documents. Student groups or individuals also can be assigned
a few primary documents to review and then select one or two especially pertinent
excerpts. (If desired, students can use the Written
Document Analysis Worksheet on the EDSITEment-reviewed resource Digital
Classroom.) Student groups or individuals can be assigned specific years (or
a particular decade) in an attempt to share with the class the significant events
from those years. The teacher can use the timeline as the basis for a lecture
or a handout custom-made for the needs of the class. Students can use the timeline
as the basis for their own timeline(s) of significant events
Assessment
Students should be able to respond effectively to the bulleted discussion questions
above. To assess how much they have learned from this lesson, ask students, working
in small groups or individually, to complete the following statement in one paragraph
or less: The history of American foreign relations before 1823 could be characterized
as… If desired, students can expand their ideas into brief essays beginning
with the opening statement above and then marshaling evidence to support their
positions. When they have completed their evaluation of American foreign policy
prior to 1823, return to the question of whether the United States had the power
to enforce the Monroe Doctrine against the great powers of Europe.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
American Studies at the University of
Virginia
[http://xroads.virginia.edu/]
The Avalon Project
[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm]
Digital Classroom
[http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html]
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity:
Exploring The French Revolution
[http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/index.html]
National Geographic
Xpeditions
[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/]
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
|