How Did The Monroe Doctrine Affect The Spread Of Western Expansion

Western expansion is one of the defining moments in United States history. The country grew tremendously and the country became the powerhouse it is today. Another moment that is more debatable was the Monroe Doctrine. In 1823, President Monroe published a document that outlined American policy on European involvement in North America. It stated that any foreign interference on the continent would be taken as a threat to American democracy. Some historians claim that the Monroe Doctrine opened the door for expansion, but that is clearly not true. Western expansion and American foreign policy were not affected by the Monroe Doctrine; the movement was already gaining ground and only grew as manifest destiny gained ground.
The American people had been moving westward long before the
But this idea was not supported by the government at all in the Mexican-American War. The Mexican-American War was an American attack on Mexico, an independent nation. If the Monroe Doctrine actually changed the way United States approached western expansion, Americans never would’ve attacked Mexico. A cartoon of Mexico portrayed as an eagle decimated by the Mexican-American war shows American intentions during the war (Doc I). Feelings of pride and power pushed American efforts to expand westward, not a “responsibility” to push impeding European powers out of North America. Americans wanted to gain land and spread democracy, and because of this desire, they attacked another independent nation with no connections to Europe. The US government was interested in gaining land already claimed by an independent nations than preventing Europe from interfering with American affairs. The American foreign policy was not defined by the Monroe Doctrine and the government blatantly ignored the ideas being promoted in the