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Primary sourceSpeech2 December 1823

Monroe Doctrine

James Monroe · 2 December 1823

Monroe's 1823 annual message to Congress warning European powers against colonizing or intervening in the Americas, drafted with Secretary of State John Quincy Adams.

Monroe delivered this message to Congress, making the doctrine the defining statement of his presidency.

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Handwritten manuscript page numbered 29 in brown ink on aged, yellowed paper, in cursive script. The text discusses events in Spain and Portugal, the independence of the Americas, and non-interference by European powers. A small signature 'Adams' appears at the bottom right.
Message of President James Monroe containing the Monroe Doctrine, December 2, 1823. U.S. National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This is a manuscript page from President James Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress, delivered December 2, 1823. The passage warns European powers against further colonization or intervention in the Western Hemisphere. It is held by the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

Though buried in a routine annual message, this statement became known as the Monroe Doctrine and grew into one of the most lasting principles of U.S. foreign policy. It shows Monroe, working with Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, asserting that the Americas were the United States' sphere of interest, separate from Europe. Later presidents invoked it in very different ways, including to justify American interventions abroad.

Look closer

  • Why might such a far-reaching statement be included in a routine annual message rather than announced separately?
  • Whose interests does this doctrine protect, and whose does it ignore?
  • How might Latin American nations have felt about a U.S. president declaring their continent a U.S. sphere of interest?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and James K. Polk on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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