In celebration of our national heritage, we continue our Pride in America series by honoring James Monroe, whose presidency embodied the principles of America First.
James Monroe was among the most successful and popular statesmen of his era, holding the honor of being the last of the Founding generation to serve as president of the United States. In his half-century of service to what he called “the celestial cause of liberty,” he participated in some fashion in nearly every significant historical event of the age, from the Revolution in 1776 to the Missouri Compromise in 1820.
As President, Monroe is most renowned for the doctrine that bears his name. To this day, the Monroe Doctrine remains one of the clearest articulations of an American First foreign policy ever written.
Drawing upon his many years of diplomatic and military experience, Monroe understood that to preserve our independence, any and all foreign aggression had to be resisted. "National honor," he declared, "is national property of the highest value." A people who fail to aggressively assert their sovereign rights "can scarcely be said to hold a place among independent nations."
Under this principle, the Monroe Doctrine established the precedent that America would resist any encroachments on its national interest, including within its sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere. In short, Monroe declared that the United States would interpret any attempt by a hostile foreign power to intrude in affairs near our borders as "dangerous to our peace and safety.”
At the same time, however, Monroe reaffirmed that America would act “only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced.” Regarding all other international affairs, America would maintain a “frank, firm, and manly policy” of neutrality. So long as the monarchies of Europe did not directly or indirectly threaten the liberties of the American people, the United States would not “interfere in the internal concerns of any of its powers.”
The Monroe Doctrine is a pertinent reminder that we cannot sit idly by as hostile powers meddle along our borders, threatening the life and liberties of the American people. More importantly, it also reminds us that it is not our responsibility to spread democracy by entangling ourselves in costly and unnecessary foreign wars in far-flung corners of the world. America's foreign policy has one purpose and one purpose only: to serve the interests of the American people.
