The strength and purpose of the Monroe Doctrine relies on there being a difference between the U.S. (with Latin America) and Europe. The idea of America as the pure republican improvement to the corruption of absolutist Europe goes back to the pre-Revolution days, and persists throughout the 19th century.
It's New World versus Old World, republic versus monarchy, former colonies versus colonizers, Gryffindor versus Slytherin.
Monroe keeps his language very diplomatic and respects Europe's current territory, but he also tries to strengthen the natural border that is the Atlantic Ocean. In the immortal words of the Backstreet Boys, "'cause we / are two worlds apart / can't reach to your heart."
Questions About Contrasting Regions
- What are the main differences between the United States and Europe in 1823? How did the different political systems affect the social and cultural situations in each region?
- How does emphasizing the gap between the U.S. and Europe help Monroe's argument?
- What has changed in the Americas that the time had come to oppose colonization?
- How would you characterize Monroe's level of aggression when he pits the two regions against each other? Is he blatant or subtle about it?
Chew on This
Monroe had to play up the division across the Atlantic Ocean to justify the fact that he didn't want any more European colonies, without being too warlike about it. It's like he's trying to convince everyone that they've just grown too far apart, and things will never be like they once were, so everyone has to move on with their lives.
The Americas were, in fact, very different from Europe in a whole bunch of ways, because of their history and location. As the rest of the century proves, the contrasts between the Americas and Europe did make any further colonization a pretty bad idea.