LAD #10: Monroe Doctorine

1) What did the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine express from an American perspective post War of 1812?

The Monroe Doctrine tried to express that the US was an independent nation now, free from tyrannical British rule, and that it wanted the same rights as other European nations. Before and after the MD, world powers did not see the US as an independent nation for reasons such as the fact that Britain still controlled a lot of America's economy. Great Britain also treated America like it was still a colony through actions such as the impressment of US sailors. This was one of the reasons the US went to war in the War of 1812. Although the Monroe Doctrine wanted to establish the US as the world superpower that it was, it also preached neutrality and disapproved of getting involved in the issues of other nations. It supported neutrality and created American pride.

2) What was Secretary of State Adams' hope when he wrote the Monroe Doctrine?

Adams wanted to see everything he wrote about in the Monroe Doctrine come true and wanted the United States to become a powerful nation that had its own colonies in other parts of the world. This did end up happening, although it was a long time later. He also wanted the US to be seen as an independent nation, and after the War of 1812, the US was seen as an independent nation (finally). Just like Washington, the Monroe Doctrine preached neutrality, which did not end up happening and still has not happened today.

3) What is the key phrase in the entire document that you need to remember as the cornerstone of American Foreign Policy?

The US foreign policy in regards to European nations remains unaffected; refrain from interfering in their internal affairs and to maintain friendly relations with them.

The Monroe Doctrine can be related to Washington's farewell address because in his address, Washington preached neutrality and warned of the consequences should the country get involved in other countries' problems. The Monroe Doctrine preached these same things. Neither were successful in keeping America a neutral country.

LAD #9: Jefferson's First Inaugural

Jefferson's Inaugural address was the conclusion of a long-standing rivalry between the Federalist Party and the Republican (Anti-Federalist) Party. The expectation for his address was that he would bash federalist policy, because he was a Republican, however, that did not happen at all. He ended up complimenting the fact that his party and his opposition could express their opinions freely, although there were many aggressive confrontations. This helped to calm down the Federalists' in light of their loss of the White House. In his address, Jefferson spoke about good government. He spoke about how good government would make sure that people did not hurt each other, would uphold freedom of pursuit for improvement and never take away property that citizens had earned for themselves. He says that a few principles would shape his "ideal" terms such as equal and exact justice to all men, peaceful commerce and honest relationships with other countries. He also states that he would not create entangling alliances, which was a reference to Washington's Farewell Address.

First Inaugural addresses are still considered extremely important today. Presidents often talk about important issues that they campaigned on, as well as problems that are plaguing the nation (as Obama did in his inaugural address), and then they talk about what they will do about it. In President Obama's inaugural address he talked a lot about the economy, and how he was going to set out to make jobs. He also talked about how America was involved with a war that they shouldn't be involved with. Just as Jefferson did in his inaugural address, Obama talked about the main issues of the country, as well as praised the person who came before him and the person he ran against.

Blog #8: Columbus

After reading Howard Zinn's article, "Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress", it's hard to think that Christopher Columbus, who Americans supposedly love and celebrate, is anything but a crazy murderer. It only took a few articles and library books to realize that a lot of historians agree with what Zinn thought. Although Columbus supposedly discovered America, there was already people living in America so he was definitely not the first person here. Also, even if he had not discovered America, somebody else would have. Just because he did it before someone else got the chance doesn't make him a hero. Also, Columbus was greeted with open arms and grand hospitality by the Native Americans living in America, and he thanked them by killing them because of his greedy search for gold. His initial massacre of Native Americans set the stage for a long standing tradition of racism and discrimination against Native Americans. Columbus was absolutely not a hero, in fact, he embodied everything that one thinks a villain would be.

Hernan Cortes (pictured above) was also an explorer, like Columbus. His expeditions caused the fall of the Aztec Empire, much like Columbus' expeditions caused the fall of many Native American tribal societies.