LAD/Blog #11: Monroe Doctrine

Summarize the Monroe Doctrine:

One of the key points of the Monroe Doctrine was that it expressed America's solidarity as a nation and its stricter policy towards colonizers of North America. It stated that any attempt to colonize North America would be seen as an act of violence and would be met with military force. This assertion was meant to let other foreign powers know that the U.S. was no longer a weak power. Another concept addressed in the doctrine was that America would not be involved in any internal affairs between European powers so as to maintain foreign neutrality. This was one of the main purposes of Secretary of State Adam's writing the doctrine because he believed that America needed time to rebuild and repair their nation following the War of 1812, so avoiding further warfare was crucial. Moreover, the Monroe Doctrine is often referred to as "the cornerstone of American foreign policy" because it expressed the still prevalent ideas of neutrality in American government. The document recognized that America would not interfere with any existing colonies in North America or any established countries across the globe. This ensured that the United States would remain impartial in the realm of foreign affairs, ultimately helping to prevent war.





The Monroe Doctrine reminded me of the Neutrality Acts passed in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 because both attempted to establish U.S. global neutrality and to limit U.S. involvement in future wars.

LAD/Blog #10: Jefferson's First Inaugural Address

Summary of Jefferson's First Inaugural Address:

     Thomas Jefferson opened his first inaugural address by expressing his gratitude and honor to hold such an important position in the country that he had dedicated his life to helping to create. Later on in the speech, Jefferson encourages the strength of the constitution and urges the people to respect the document for protecting the rights of all citizens. He ensures that he will defend the constitution to the best of his ability during his presidency, but will also rely heavily on the support of the people and his administration to effectively lead the country. One of the most important aspects of Jefferson's address was the motivation for unification, despite the current state of divide between political parties. Furthermore, he acknowledges that his presidency will not be perfect, but he will do everything in his power to lead for the common good of the country. Jefferson pledges to dedicate the next four years of his life to serving his country and even makes the humble assurance that he will listen to the people and will even step down from his role if they deem it necessary, illustrating his whole-hearted belief in popular sovereignty.





Jefferson's inauguration speech reminded me of that of President Obama's because both addressed the importance of national unity and dedication to serving the country as a whole.

Blog #9: Was Columbus a Hero or a Villain?

     While it is true that Christopher Columbus possessed both positive and negative traits, the latter far outweighs the former. Despite the fact that he is remembered most commonly throughout the U.S. as a hero, he should instead be remembered as a villain for the horrible crimes he committed against the Native American populations that he encountered in the Caribbean islands. First of all, throughout many of his writings created during his time in the Caribbean, Columbus expressed extremely ethnocentric and xenophobic views towards the natives. As a result, Columbus was very involved in the slave trading of natives and even auctioned girls as young as 9 years old into sexual slavery. "Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold." In fact, in 1499, word of some of his heinous actions was brought to the King and Queen of Spain and he was arrested by the Spanish government later that year and removed from position of governor in Hispaniola. As is evident, Christopher Columbus was a ruthless man with vile intentions for Indian populations. Clearly, he was not the heroic figure that many proclaim him to be.

Christopher Columbus reminded me very much of Benjamin Franklin because both are widely remembered as heroes but have a great deal of controversy surrounding their historic virtue.