The Monroe Doctrine is like the poster child for American Exceptionalism. The idea that the U.S. has a unique ideology and a special mission to spread that ideology in the world found a real foothold in this speech.
The president directly talks about the American system vs. the European one, but there is also an undercurrent of moral superiority throughout the text. The implication is that America is a better guardian of Latin America than Europe was; also, any attempt to re-take Latin America would obviously only happen as part of a threat to re-take the U.S. as well. It's all about the United States, even when it's not.
The Monroe Doctrine also paved the way for Manifest Destiny, an even better poster child. Not that it's a competition—everyone gets to pose for that American Exceptionalism poster.
Questions About American Exceptionalism
- Do you agree that Europe taking new colonies in the Americas would threaten the United States?
- How different were the systems of government between America's main European colonizers and the U.S.?
- How does the Monroe Doctrine set the stage for Manifest Destiny, the ultimate embodiment of American Exceptionalism?
- Do you think the U.S. had a responsibility to Latin America, being the trendsetters for independent republican government?
Chew on This
The fact that Monroe thought this part of his speech was a good idea shows just how highly Americans thought of themselves. He's potentially taking on powerful European countries despite having almost no military power; that's the sign of someone extremely confident with their image.
Although the Monroe Doctrine isn't super obvious about spreading the American system far and wide, it opens that door, which leads to the future addition of the rest of the United States. And Puerto Rico…and Guam…and American Samoa.