After the American Revolutionary War of between 1775and 1783, it took a little more than a quarter of a century before Britain faced its previous colonists of North America in yet another battle, the War of 1812. Still, it was not until 1823 that the United States issued a decree to govern its involvement with Britain and the rest of Europe in the form of the Monroe Doctrine. Thus said, the central problem in both instances entailed the actions of one or more European powers and for that reason, it is safe to claim that the War of 1812 paved the way for the Monroe Doctrine.
Foremost, the American government’s declaration of war against Britain in 1812 revolved around its economic interests within and outside the country. Apparently, British forces sought to regulate the United States’ international trade by not only demanding tax for all shipped goods but also through the impressments of sailors aboard the ships (Foner 244; Zinn 79). Meanwhile, on American soil, there were reports of Britons encouraging the Indian tribes to fight for their lands and stop the whites from moving to the West (Foner 244). For a country attempting to expand its territories and influence, the mentioned actions did not sit well with the American public and authorities. Therefore, the country viewed the Crown’s antics as an attempt to reinstate its colonial control and in retaliation was in support of the war. However, engaging in battle did not necessarily mean that there would be no more confrontations in the future; hence, even after 1812, the United States still viewed any nation that could rival its power as a threat.
In conclusion, one could argue that the War of 1812 was a preview of what would happen without the Monroe Doctrine. In other words, the fact that the United States had to fight its previous colonizers a mere twenty-nine years after independence was a wake-up call for the former. European nations were insatiable in their quest for colonies. Without proper measures, the United States was probably going back to its previous status of helplessness instead of progressing.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 4th. Vol. I. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. Print.
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print.
