1821-1848 ~ The Monroe Doctrine, Manifest Destiny, & The Mexican-American War

18 Feb 2009 3 Comments

by Marvin Lance Wiser in U.S.-Latin American Relations Tags: American Foreign Policy, Empire's Workshop, Greg Grandin, James Monroe, Latin America, Manifest Destiny, Mexican Cession, Mexico, Monroe Doctrine, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, U.S.-Latin American Relations, United States

Due to one of my more recent posts, it has been brought to my attention that one area in which I am passionate about is Latin America.  I want to make it my personal goal to work hard in being a participator in bringing to a realization of more just societies in our hemisphere.  This realization is or has been hindered by certain multinational corporations, oil and banana tycoons, social inequalities presented in class systems, and past and present hegemonic interests of particular states within the international community, among other factors.

Today, as I am undertaking New York University Professor Greg Grandin’s acclaimed book, “Empire’s Workshop: Latin America, The United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism (henceforth referred to as Grandin’s EW),” I am starting a new series entitled “U.S.-Latin American Relations,” it may be accessed in the Categories column on the right side of the page.  It will consist of snippets of U.S. intervention in Latin American affairs throughout history- expounding on which I could not expound in one of my earlier post, and drawing from Grandin’s work or as my research, acting as a companion to it. I will try to keep to individual events in a chronological bend, rather than examining and dissecting over-arching policies as I am not schooled per se in American Foreign Policy.  This series is meant to raise awareness of the delicacy of the situation concerning U.S.-Latin American Relations, showing the history that lies beneath the situations that we find ourselves amidst today and why there remains for a number of Latin Americans, resentment towards people from the States. Grandin responds to the question as posed by United States citizens, “Why do they [the 'third world'] hate us?’  like this:

The United States would go on thinking of America as an anticolonial power, but elsewhere in the world many now condemn U.S. policy as imperialism- informal as opposed to the European variety but imperialism nonetheless (Grandin’s EW, 55).

This shall also serve as an exercise for me to reacquaint myself with the ‘other side’ of American history, perhaps making new acquaintances along the way while exploring the ideas of empire and imperialism.

The first entries will take us back prior to the U.S. Civil War. Under the Presidency of James Monroe in 1823 a doctrine was put into action that told Europe that they have no right to continue colonizing in the Americas (or to put it more bluntly- “you are no longer welcome here!”), it is known as the Monroe Doctrine. This transpired shortly after Mexico claimed independence from Spain after a bloody duel in 1821. Basically, it assured that the U.S. would not interfere with Europe’s- that is Britain, France, and Spain’s- matters in their respected hemisphere, but expected the same cordial gesture in return.  This along with the ever present idea of Manifest Destiny, the God-given right of American expansion- created quite the political milieu. The two factors essentially secured the pursuit of interests for the United States. In this political climate the states of Central America claimed independence in 1824.

Some years later in 1846 the Mexican-American War transpired, due to the annexation of Texas (which succeeded in a military victory in 1836 from Mexico, but the Mexican government refused to acknowledge the succession) in 1845 by the U.S. (that’s the Manifest Destiny concept).  The war resulted in over 20,000 deaths. At the close of the war and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory to the U.S., this included then Alta California and Nuevo Mejico along with Tejas and Mexico received as its border to the U.S. the Rio Bravo.   Mexico received a sum of 18,250,000 USD in exchange for the lands- about half of what was initially offered before the outbreak of war (actually 15 million USD for the land and 3.25 million in debt cancellation). This act would be later known as the Mexican Cession. The whole affair was a source of great controversy.  A U.S. newspaper at the time, both prophetically and satirically stated:

We [the U.S.] take nothing by conquest. . . thank God.

I think this is a good launching pad to begin a series about U.S.-Latin American Relations.  Look for a new post in this category every Wednesday.  The next entry will be about Cornelius Vanderbilt & William Walker and their adventures in Nicaragua.

-MLW

América no es tanto una tradición que continuar como un futuro que realizar -Octavio Paz

U.S. Intervention Map