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The Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe and the Independence Movement in South America
Guiding Questions
- How did conditions in Europe relate to the independence movements in South
America?
- What reasons did President Monroe give for recognizing the independence
movements in South America?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Name some of the present-day countries where independence movements began
in the first quarter of the ninteenth century.
- List the reasons President Monroe gave Congress for recognizing certain
independence movements in South America.
Students having completed this lesson and the previous lesson will be able to:
- Make connections between "Monroe on Recognition of the Independent States
of South America" and earlier diplomatic events.
- Take a stand, with support, on what was the key motivation behind "Monroe
on Recognition of the Independent States of South America."
Background on the Monroe Doctrine
If desired, share with the class information on the connection between independence
movements in South America and the formulation of the Monroe
Doctrine from the class textbook or another source, such as the website of
the U.S. Department of State, which offers
the following summary:
In his December 2, 1823, address to Congress, President James Monroe
articulated U.S. policy on the new political order developing in the rest of
the Americas and the role of Europe in the Western Hemisphere. The statement,
known as the Monroe Doctrine, was little noted by the Great Powers of Europe
but eventually became a longstanding tenet of U.S. foreign policy. Monroe and
his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams drew upon a foundation of American
diplomatic ideals such as disentanglement from European affairs and defense
of neutral rights as expressed in Washington's Farewell Address and Madison's
stated rationale for waging the War of 1812. The three main concepts of the
Doctrine—separate spheres of influence for the Americas and Europe, noncolonization,
and nonintervention—were designed to signify a clear break between the
New World and the autocratic realm of Europe. Monroe's administration forewarned
the imperial European powers against interfering in the affairs of the newly
independent Latin American states or potential U.S. territories. While Americans
generally objected to European colonies in the New World, they also desired
to increase U.S. influence and trading ties throughout the region to their south.
European mercantilism posed the greatest obstacle to economic expansion. In
particular, Americans feared that Spain and France might reassert colonialism
over the Latin American peoples who had just overthrown European rule. Signs
that Russia was expanding its presence southward from Alaska toward the Oregon
Territory also were disconcerting.
For their part, the British also had a strong interest in ensuring the demise
of Spanish colonialism, with all the trade restrictions mercantilism imposed.
Earlier in 1823 British Foreign Minister George Canning suggested to Americans
that two nations issue a joint declaration to deter any other power from intervening
in Central and South America. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, however,
vigorously opposed cooperation with Great Britain, contending that a statement
of bilateral nature could limit U.S. expansion in the future. He also argued
that the British were not committed to recognizing the Latin American republics
and must have had imperial motivations themselves.
The essay Defending
American Interests in Foreign Affairs on the EDSITEment resource Digital
History offers this:
The critical foreign policy issue facing the United States after the
War of 1812 was the fate of Spain's crumbling New World empire. Many of Spain's
New World colonies had taken advantage of turmoil in Europe during the Napoleonic
Wars to fight for their independence. These revolutions aroused intense sympathy
in the United States, but many Americans feared that European powers might restore
monarchical order in Spain's New World.
President Monroe and the Revolutionary Movements in South America
The leaders of the revolts exploited and were inspired by their connections to
the American Revolution, despite the many differences between their movements
and the movement that established the United States. To increase their legitimacy,
the revolutionary leaders of South America sought U.S. recognition, as documents
offered in this lesson reveal. President Monroe also attempted to exploit the
relationship of the United States to the revolutionary struggles, encouraging
"the popular perception of Simon Bolivar of Colombia as the George Washington
of Latin America" (from James
Monroe: Foreign Affairs on the EDSITEment-reviewed website The
American President). Share with the class the annotated excerpts from
"Monroe on Recognition
of the Independent States of South America" on pages 11-12 of the PDF file
(see Preparing
to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions). Or, if desired,
use the full text of President
Monroe to Congress: Recognition of the Independent States of South America,
available on the EDSITEment-reviewed website American
Memory. As a guide to your discussion, use "Questions
to Accompany President Monroe's Message on Recognition" on page 13 of the
PDF file (see Preparing
to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions).
Assessment
Students should be able to respond effectively, either in writing or class discussion,
to the following questions:
- How did conditions in Europe relate to the independence movements in South
America?
- What reasons did President Monroe give for recognizing the independence
movements in South America?
Extending the Lesson
Revolutionary Movements in South America: Primary and Secondary Sources
Students interested in extending this lesson can read some secondary accounts
of and primary documents from the revolutionary movements in South America. They
can begin their study of any country listed below with a brief secondary account
(from the Library of Congress
Country Studies, a link from the EDSITEment resource American
Memory, unless otherwise specified) and a primary document (from American
Memory, unless otherwise specified). Students should come to a better
understanding of the following:
- The connection between independence movements in South America and relations
between European countries.
- The resemblance between the independence movements of South America and
the struggle for independence in the United States.
- The differences between the independence movements of South America and
the struggle for independence in the United States.
- The intent of the primary document. Which one or more of the following applies?
Based on what evidence? Or are there other intentions?
- To gain legitimacy for the independence movement.
- To gain momentum and support for a movement that has not yet achieved
its goals.
- To establish diplomatic relations with other countries.
- To formalize its independent status.
- To elicit empathy in comparison to America's struggle for independence.
NOTE: Students may encounter the Spanish word "criollo" (English: creole). The
criollos were of mixed parentage—European and Native American. Though
many criollos had achieved relative prosperity and power in their countries,
they resented their inability to achieve full power or recognition due to racism
and/or the entrenched power structure.
- Argentina
- Background information on Argentine history from Argentina,
The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth
Edition, a link from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Internet
Public Library:
Independence and the Nineteenth Century
A prelude to independence was the British attack on Buenos Aires. Admiral
Sir Home Popham and Gen. William Carr Beresford took the city in 1806
after the Spanish viceroy fled. An Argentine militia force under Jacques
de Liniers ended the British occupation and beat off a renewed attack
under Gen. John Whitelocke in 1807.
On May 25, 1810 (May 25 is the Argentine national holiday), revolutionists,
acting nominally in favor of the Bourbons dethroned by Napoleon (see Spain),
deposed the viceroy, and the government was controlled by a junta. The
result was war against the royalists. The patriots under Manuel Belgrano
won (1812) a victory at Tucumán. On July 9, 1816, a congress in Tucumán
proclaimed the independence of the United Provinces of the Río de La Plata.
Other patriot generals were Mariano Moreno, Juan Martín de Pueyrredón,
and José de San Martín.
Uruguay and Paraguay went their own ways despite hopes of reunion. In
Argentina, a struggle ensued between those who wanted to unify the country
and those who did not want to be dominated by Buenos Aires. Independence
was followed by virtually permanent civil war, with many coups by regional,
social, or political factions. Rule by the strong man, the caudillo, alternated
with periods of democratic rule, too often beset by disorder.
Anarchy was not ended by the election of Bernardino Rivadavia in 1826.
The unitarians, who favored a centralized government dominated by Buenos
Aires, were opposed to the federalists, who resented the oligarchy of
Buenos Aires and were backed by autocratic caudillos with gaucho troops.
The unitarians triumphed temporarily when Argentinians combined to help
the Uruguayans repel Brazilian conquerors in the battle of Ituzaingó (1827),
which led to the independence of Uruguay. The internal conflict was, however,
soon resumed and was not even quelled when Gen. Juan Manuel de Rosas,
the most notorious caudillo, established a dictatorship that lasted from
1835 to 1852.
- Primary document: Presenting
Colonel Martin Thompson as the authorized deputy or minister of Buenos
Ayres, and requesting the protection and assistance of the United States,
1816, January 16
- Chile
- Colombia
- Background information on Columbian history: Colombia
(Click on "Developments Leading to Independence" and "The Independence
Movement.")
- Primary document: The
Republic of Colombia Declared, uniting Columbia, Venezuela, and Ecuador
(February 20, 1821)
- Peru
- Venezuela
- Background information on Venezuelan history: Venezuela
(Click on "The Epic of Independence.")
- Primary documents: Don
Manuel Torres to the Secretary of States (John Quincy Adams) page 1
(November 1821), Don
Manuel Torres to the Secretary of States (John Quincy Adams) page 2
(November 1821), and Simón
de Bolívar: Message to the Congress of Angostura, 1819, from the Internet
Modern History Sourcebook, a link from the EDSITEment resource LANIC.
(NOTE: Don Manuel Torres delivered, among other papers, a letter from
the vice president of the newly declared Republic of Columbia—created
from a combination of Venezuela and New Granada [present-day Venezuela,
Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador]—introducing himself as an official
agent of the Columbian government.)
Selected EDSITEment Websites
American Memory
[http://memory.loc.gov/]
- Act
of the Independence of Peru (July 15, 1821)
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=
004/llsp004.db&recNum=834]
- Bernardo
O'Higgins to the President of the United States, April 1, 1817
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=
004/llsp004.db&recNum=183]
- Don
Manuel Torres to the Secretary of State (John Quincy Adams), November 30,
1821
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=
004/llsp004.db&recNum=841]
- New
map of South America from the latest authorities. From Samuel Lewis' Atlas,
1817
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/gmd:@field
(NUMBER+@band(g5200+ct000170))]
- Presenting
Colonel Martin Thompson as the authorized deputy or minister of Buenos Ayres,
and requesting the protection and assistance of the United States, January
16, 1816
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=
004/llsp004.db&Page=174]
- President
Monroe to Congress: Recognition of the Independent States of South America
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsj&fileName=
011/llsj011.db&recNum=178]
- The
Republic of Columbia Declared, February 20, 1821 (uniting Columbia, Venezuela,
and Ecuador)
[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=
004/llsp004.db&recNum=839]
- The Library of Congress
[http://www.loc.gov/]
The American President
[http://www.americanpresident.org/]
- James Monroe
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/jamesmonroe/]
- Biography
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/jamesmonroe/
biography/]
- Foreign
Affairs
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/jamesmonroe/
biography/ForeignAffairs.common.shtml]
- A
Vision for the Hemisphere
[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/jamesmonroe/
biography/resources/Articles/KunhardtMonroe.article.shtml]
American Studies at the University of
Virginia
[http://xroads.virginia.edu/]
Digital History
[http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/]
Internet Public Library
[http://www.ipl.org]
LANIC
[http://lanic.utexas.edu/]
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