LAD #10: The Monroe Doctrine

James "Tweety Bird" Monroe

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

The War of 1812 occurred because the US felt as though it was being pushed around by Great Britain, and still being treated like a colony. The British freely regulated American trade and impressed sailors on their ships, with basically no repercussions. By issuing this doctrine, James Monroe sent a message to all European nations that this would not happen again. America was a strong, independent nation who didn't need no mother country to control them. The Monroe Doctrine made it clear that further colonizing the Americas, or interfering with the United States, or the other independent countries situated in the Americas would prompt US intervention, and would carry serious repercussions.

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

John Quincy Adams hoped that this document would make the position of the United States on the matter of European interference and colonization of lands claimed by the US and its neighboring countries clear. He also wished that they would take this message, and the United States themselves, seriously, trusting that intervention was a serious enough consequence, and that the powerful European nations could not put aside their differences to invade the Americas regardless of the involvement of the US. It worked, and as such is often regarded as an effective form of diplomacy.

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

"But with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintain it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States."

Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?

 Columbus doesn't deserve a picture, so here's Leif Erikson balling out of control.

In my opinion, there is simply no way in which Christopher Columbus could be considered a hero, or anything but a villain. His sparse and over-exaggerated accomplishments pale in comparison to the atrocities committed by him and his men while he held governorship in the West Indies. Columbus' "accomplishments" are few and far between; he is often credited with being the "discoverer of America," despite many reasons this is untrue. For one, there were indigenous people living on the continent for thousands of years prior to this discovery. It wasn't a new, never-before-seen land mass that he had found. Not only that, Columbus was not even the first person from the outside world to discover the continent, preceded by the Vikings led by Leif Erikson nearly 500 years prior. Lastly, Columbus did not even accomplish his original goal of discovering the Northwest Passage, which he was paid by the Spanish to do. Accidentally running into a continent and claiming you discovered it is not an accomplishment, it's just dumb luck. Columbus's tyranny while he was in control of the area negates and outweighs any prior accomplishments he might have had. He infamously enslaved, raped, tortured, and murdered countless natives as a characteristic of his government. This is well documented fact which has even been confirmed by those closest to Columbus, and descriptive accounts can be found in the notes of his successor, after the explorer was removed from rule by the Spanish when they heard about the atrocities he had committed. Even viewing the matter from an antiquated lens doesn't make it better; while slavery was commonly accepted in those times, the abuse of power through violence and countless human rights violations was not. As a typically open-minded person, it's impossible for me to see how anyone could consider Christopher Columbus a hero.

LAD#9: Jefferson's First Inaugural Address

Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson starts off the speech by thanking his supporters (Democratic Republicans/Jeffersonian Party) and saying that while he is afraid of what the future might hold, he has high hopes for this term as President and for America as a whole. He addresses the conflict between his party and the Federalists, saying he would like to quell the conflict and restore unity to the nation. Jefferson claims the US government is the strongest of its kind, because its citizens care about laws and politics since they can directly influence them. He calls it a "chosen country," that Americans can live in and be free for many generations to come. Jefferson also makes his vision for the government clear: a ruling body that will stay out of the lives and personal freedoms of its citizens as much as possible. He outlines what he believes to be the essential principles of the government, including but not limited to: personal freedoms, republican ideals and inclusions and support of state governments. Jefferson concludes by saying he will work hard to protect and uphold these principles with the powers granted to him by the people.