Monroe Doctrine - by Jay Sexton (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Concise History of the (In)Famous Doctrine that Gave Rise to the American Empire

President James Monroe's 1823 message to Congress declaring opposition to European colonization in the Western Hemisphere became the cornerstone of nineteenth-century American statecraft. Monroe's message proclaimed anticolonial principles, yet it rapidly became the myth and means for subsequent generations of politicians to pursue expansionist foreign policies. Time and again, debates on the key issues of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foreign relations--expansion in the 1840s, Civil War diplomacy, the imperialism of 1898, entrance into World War I, and the establishment of the League of Nations--were framed in relation to the Monroe Doctrine.

Covering more than a century of history, this engaging book explores the varying conceptions of the doctrine as its meaning evolved in relation to the needs of an expanding American empire. In Jay Sexton's adroit hands, the Monroe Doctrine provides a new lens from which to view the paradox at the center of American diplomatic history: the nation's interdependent traditions of anticolonialism and imperialism.

Review Quotes

"A first-rate, comparatively brief, and comprehensive introduction to a subject that is, at once, pertinent and fascinating. The Monroe Doctrine, and its application over time, teaches us a lot about the growth of the American republic. It also tells us something about American and European statecraft, the art of diplomacy, the extent to which mythology informs realpolitik, and right or wrong, the enduring value of our nation's founding principles." --Philip Terzian, The Weekly Standard

"Sexton supplies valuable context to . . . America's competing impulses of professed anti-colonialism and robust imperialism. Today, especially, the Monroe Doctrine--that sometimes illusory, always fascinating engine of diplomacy--should merit our attention." --Jonathan E. Lazarus, The Star-Ledger (NJ)

"Lucidly written, shrewd in its insights, compelling in its interpretations, Jay Sexton's book shows the Monroe Doctrine being reinterpreted and variously applied by American statesmen across the decades from its inception to the time of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson." --Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

"In this sparkling gem of a book, Jay Sexton reveals the sheer versatility of the Monroe Doctrine, its principles, and its application during the United States's nineteenth-century journey toward national consolidation and empire. His global perspective on national history delivers a subtle and powerful analysis of the interaction of American domestic politics and foreign policy within the shaping framework of British power. This is the Monroe Doctrine interpreted with unequalled complexity, originality, and clarity." --Richard Cawardine, president, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power

"Splendid! In what is destined to become the standard account of the Monroe Doctrine, Jay Sexton does a marvelous job of bringing that much-misunderstood body of principles back to life in all its historical complexity. This is a must-read for anyone, scholar or amateur, with an interest in the history of U.S. foreign relations." --Frank Ninkovich, author of Global Dawn: The Cultural Foundation of American Internationalism, 1865-1890

"Jay Sexton's The Monroe Doctrine is a provocative and original reinterpretation of the history of U.S. foreign policy in the long nineteenth century. Building on and moving beyond the best new work in international, British imperial, and American political history, Sexton illuminates the internal stresses and external challenges that transformed a weak federation of republics into a continental, hemispheric, and ultimately world power. Far more than the history of an iconic doctrine, this extraordinary book recasts the larger narrative of the new American nation's rise to power in exciting new ways." --Peter S. Onuf, author of Jefferson's Empire: The Language of American Nationhood

"A brisk, authoritative, essential history of the major pillar of American foreign policy. More often referenced than understood, the Monroe Doctrine served as the framework for debate over U.S. international relations for more than a century. Here, in a clear and confident analysis, Jay Sexton provides a vital account of its conception and evolution from John Quincy Adams through Theodore Roosevelt." --Eric Rauchway, author of Murdering McKinley

"Explores competing and evolving conceptions of the doctrine from its origins in President James Monroe's 1823 address to Congress." --The Chronicle of Higher Education

About the Author

Jay Sexton is University Lecturer in American history at Oxford University. He is the author of many works in the field of foreign relations, including Debtor Diplomacy: Finance and American Foreign Relations in the Civil War Era 1837-1873.