Do not yell out the answer!!!

Which of the following most accurately describes the central purpose of the Monroe Doctrine?

 A. limits European influence in the Western Hemisphere

B. gains official independence from England

C. establishes the southern border of the US and Mexico

D. establishes the President of the US as the head of the United Nations

Explanation

The Monroe Doctrine was a policy established by the United States in the administration of President James Monroe that sought to limit European influence in the Western Hemisphere. President Monroe's message to Congress put "European Powers" on notice that American continents were off limits to European colonization, and that any attempts to interfere with American lands would be considered the "manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States."

European Empires in the New World

300 Years of European Rule

The Spanish (French, Portuguese, Dutch, English) dominated the social, racial and political system

Plantation System – need for labor (slaves)

Key Points

Mercantilism: Plantations in the Colonies (cotton, sugar cane) provide raw materials for mother country

The need for workers results in slavery (the west end of the Triangle Trade / Middle

Passage)

Native indigenous population (Indians) are decimated due to disease and murder

Spanish influence in the Americas is significant. (spread of Christianity, culture, customs,

language)

Social Hierarchy (Caste System)

Based on Skin Color

Peninsulares (European Born)

Creoles (European descended Latin Americans)

Mestizos & Mulattoes (mixed blood)

Native Indians & African Slaves

Root Causes of Unrest

Growth of Nationalism (pride in one’s nation)

Racial and Social Injustice

European Domination / Exploitation

The “Spark” of Independence

Napoleon’s Invasion of Spain in 1808 ignites widespread revolt across Latin America

Mexican Independence won from Spain 1821

Creole lead - (European descendants born in the Americas)

Simon Bolivar“The Great Liberator”

Educated in Europe Admirer of the Ideals of the French Revolution

“I swear before God and by my honornever to allow my hands to be idle normy soul to rest until I have broken the chains that bind us to Spain.”

Bolivar in South America

1800 - 1825 1810 uprising establishes a new

Republic in his native Venezuela

1819 New Granada (Columbia) freed

By 1821 – Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia are free of Spanish rule

Dreams and Disappointments

By 1824 wars of independence are over

Bolivar’s dream of “one nation” - Gran Columbia - splits into 3 nations (Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador)

Power struggles and local rivalries trigger violent civil war

Years of military juntas & continued oppression of the common people

European Empires in Latin America