The year was 1823. The United States was a small, young country comprised of twenty-four states. Forty-seven years earlier, however, the United States was just an idea on paper. On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies had declared themselves “free and independent states…absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown.”1 Then, in 1783, after a seven-year war to protect that independence, the Treaty of Paris declared the United States of America a separate country. Troubles with Great Britain, however, were far from over. Enraged over British impressment of American sailors, the US declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. After several key American naval victories, the War of 1812 was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814. In spite of all this however, the United States was scorned by European countries as a small second-rate power. There was still an abundance of unclaimed and unsettled land in the Americas, and President James Monroe needed a way to protect the United States from unchecked European colonization, a scenario that could threaten the security of the US. On December 2, 1823, in his annual message to Congress, James Monroe outlined his ideas to achieve this protection—the Monroe Doctrine. However, the Monroe Doctrine was not the only way President Monroe contributed to the homeland defense of America. It was the highlight of many fortuitous foreign policy decisions Monroe made while in office. Monroe also brought about a period from approximately 1817-1823 when there was little open party feeling. This became known as the Era of Good Feelings. James Monroe, through his successful foreign policy and sound bipartisan leadership, brought about the best form of homeland security and defense—national unity.
One of Monroe’s first national security goals was to secure the borders of the United States. He began with British Canada through one of his first major foreign policy decisions—the Rush-Bagot Agreement. Approved by the Senate on April 10, 1817, it provided for the near disarmament of the Great Lakes between British-held Canada and the United States. The agreement stated that each nation should have no more than four warships on the Great Lakes, and each warship was not to exceed 100 tons or have cannon greater than eighteen pounds.2 Monroe, concerned about possible British interference with American merchant vessels on the St. Lawrence River, deftly orchestrated most of the negotiations for the agreement in June and July of 1816. It created the longest unguarded border in the world, and its stipulations still remain in effect today. Even after Canada severed all ties with Britain in 19823, the agreement still remained in effect between the two countries. The Rush-Bagot Agreement paved the way for friendly relations between the United States and Canada, and as a result of President Monroe’s actions, the United States has become a close ally with its northern neighbor.
After securing the disarmament in the north, President Monroe turned his attentions and interests to bolstering homeland defense in the south. In March of 1818, after Seminole raids in several US towns, Andrew Jackson marched into Spanish Florida and captured the capital, Pensacola. Monroe realized that the best way to protect the southern United States from any possible Spanish or Seminole invasion would be to acquire Florida. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams demanded the Spain “control or cede” Florida to the United States. However, only when President Monroe threatened war and the seizure of both Florida and Texas did Spain agree to relinquish Florida. On February 22, 1819, the Adams-Onis Treaty was signed. Spain agreed to cede Florida to the US in return for a nullification of a $5 million debt.4 The treaty banished any threat of a Spanish invasion from the south. James Monroe, through two treaties, had secured many miles of America’s shared borders, and had given the American people a sense of safety and protection.
Then Monroe turned his attentions toward the West. As in many places in the Americas, the future states of the US suffered from European depredations. There were great expanses of unsettled land, and many European countries were taking advantage of this opportunity. Russia was setting up colonies in present-day Alaska and Oregon, and both Spain and Portugal were trying to expand further colonization throughout South America. President Monroe needed to act quickly in order to defend America’s land and keep the country safe from various foreign encroachments. On December 2, 1823, in his seventh annual message to Congress, Monroe stated that “…the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers…”5 Monroe also stated in the same message that the United States would stay out of any foreign wars. This became known as the Monroe Doctrine. Although the speech was met with great success among the American people, many European powers scoffed at the idea of a second-rate power like the United States making such demands. However, European countries held true to the principles laid out in the Monroe Doctrine, and none of them founded new colonies in the Western Hemisphere. This acquiescence was mostly due to the backing of the British navy, but other factors, including independence movements and other wars, influenced European powers to stay out of the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine was successfully used by later US presidents, including James Polk, Grover Cleveland, and Theodore Roosevelt, in facing foreign threats. In enunciating the Monroe Doctrine to the European leaders, James Monroe not only kept the United States safe from European threats, but he made sure that American lives would not be wasted on foreign wars or affairs. Through the Monroe Doctrine, James Monroe defended the homeland against both foreign powers and foreign wars.
Although Monroe is well known for his brilliant foreign policy decisions, he brought about a period of time where there was little open party feeling. This became known as the “Era of Good Feelings.” It started when, upon taking office, James Monroe decided to tour the United States. After visiting New England, the Columbian Sentinel, a Federalist newspaper, praised Monroe and stated that his visit started an “Era of Good Feelings.”6 The idea that a representative from the heartland of Federalism could speak so laudably about the visit of a Southern president whose election not only marked the success of the Republican party, but also the demise of the Federalist party, was testimony that former foes and adversaries were inclined to put aside their factional differences. This, coupled with the new sense of security brought by Monroe’s policy, led to a new sense of nationalism that took the country by storm and led to national unity.
James Monroe’s foreign policies have been emulated by many of America’s past presidents in securing a defense for the homeland. Many of this country’s presidents have held fast to the principles outlined in the Monroe Doctrine in trying to keep America safe and strong. They kept the United States out of foreign entanglements and spared the American people the hassle and anxiety that comes as a result of being involved with international affairs. While serving the country as president, James Monroe did more than secure international borders and keep European countries out of the Western Hemisphere. His Monroe Doctrine, combined with the Era of Good Feelings, brought about a sense of nationalism that swept through the entire country. National unity was the best defense that Monroe could give his country. This defense “strategy” has been proven over and over again in history, from the time of Monroe to World War I and II. Now, in the wake of September 11th, Americans need to bond together in order to keep America secure. Today’s leaders, in order to achieve an effective homeland defense, need to try to emulate the policies and tactics of President James Monroe. They need to secure borders, just as Monroe did through the Rush-Bagot Agreement and the Adams-Onis Treaty. However, today’s borders are not secured by invasions and ensuing peace talks. America, in order to defend herself from possible terrorist attacks, needs to fortify borders economically. For example, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has helped to bolster Mexico’s economy while improving relations between Mexico and the US. America needs to be on the lookout for rich terrorist organizers, such as Osama bin Laden, who might bribe a country with financial troubles in order to be harbored within it. The best way to prevent this from happening close to home would be to emulate Monroe and secure borders, not only militarily, but economically as well. Monroe also created an atmosphere of “good feelings.” Political parties then were united behind a common goal—the betterment and advancement of the United States. Today, all political parties need to put aside any factional differences and embrace bipartisanship. As in Monroe’s administration, such a change would bring about a sense of national unity, and it is national unity that truly defines a nation. Unity is the best security measure for achieving homeland defense, and although presidents can strive to emulate Monroe’s actions, it is the national unity that binds the country together in an impenetrable defense.
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McGeveran, Jr., William A. The World Almanac: 2002. New York: World Almanac Books, 2002
Old, Wendie C. James Monroe. Springfield: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1998
