LAD #10

In President Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress, it became clear that the United States sought to eradicate European influence from the Western Hemisphere. Monroe's statement, which later became known as the Monroe Doctrine, declared that the United States would protect the interests of newly sovereign states in the Western Hemisphere from European domination. Monroe sympathized with these new countries because he believed that they were founded on ideals that paralled those of the American Revolution. Their governments differed from those European institutions which had previously governed them. The statement made it clear that European influence was not welcome in the Western Hemisphere and that it would be seen as a direct infringement on American sovereignty. Monroe warned Europe that the United States was prepared to violate its desire to remain neutral in order to protect its sovereignty and the sovereignty of the new nations. Through the Monroe Doctrine, he also emphasized that the United States wished to maintain friendly relations with European nations and had no desire to interfere wth European affairs.  In this way, the Monroe Doctrine was America's way of asserting its jurisdiction over the Western Hemisphere while still attemting to preserve peaceful relations with Europe.