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What Is The Monroe Doctrine

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James Monroe was the fifth president of the United States and is considered the last of the founding fathers to become president. He was born on April 28, 1758 in Virginia, and before he became president he had a career as a soldier, governor, senator, diplomat, and a cabinet official. Monroe was a member of the Democratic Republican party (Holt). He defeated Rufus King in the presidential election to become president. His presidency began in 1817 and ended in 1825. He was the first president to ride a steamboat. James Monroe died on July 4, 1831 from tuberculosis and heart failure(Summers).

Since the War of 1812, bands of Seminole Indians in Florida were harassing Americans in southern Georgia. In 1817, fighting broke out between the American settlers and the Seminoles. So, President James Monroe ordered Andrew Jackson to send the Indians south to the Everglades. Monroe ordered Jackson to attack the Indians and to seize Spanish-held Pensacola in 1819. The Transcontinental Treaty was a result of these attacks, as Spain ceded its Florida territory to …show more content…

Monroe decided to make a strong statement, “the Monroe Doctrine,” to create separate spheres of American and European influence. Monroe delivered “the Monroe Doctrine” to Congress in a speech on December 2, 1823.(Appleby). The Monroe Doctrine covers these points: the United States would remain neutral in European affairs; the United States would not interfere with existing European colonies in the Western Hemisphere; Europe would not establish new colonies in the Americas; and Europe would not interfere in the affairs of the Americas (Britannica.) Perhaps Monroe was telling Europe, 'You keep out of our business, and we'll keep out of yours.' However, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, because the United States was not a major power at the time, the Monroe Doctrine was largely ignored by the United

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