The United States has had diverse policies and practices with its Latin American neighbors, characterized by military expeditions and diplomacy. During the period between 1820 and 1900, most of the US foreign policies with Latin American countries were mainly aggressive. These policies were aimed at replacing the influence of European countries such as Britain and Spain with that of the United States as the dominant political and economic power in the Western Hemisphere (Long, 2018). Some of the major events that had a significant influence on the US policies with its neighbor include the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, the rise of the notion of Manifest Destiny in the 1840s, the 1846 American-Mexican war, and the 1898 Spanish-American war. This paper analyzes how the United States used these events to establish political and economic influence with its Latin American neighbors.
In 1823, President James Monroe developed the Monroe Doctrine that barred any European nation from interfering with the political affairs of the Americas. Any form of interference was considered a threat to the United States that triggered a military response (Coleman, 2019). This doctrine aimed to protect the independence of the Latin American nation from European colonialists. However, the doctrine largely favored the interest of the United States by eliminating the economic and political competition that European nations posed in the western hemisphere. Additionally, the United States used the Monroe Doctrine to expand its territories by invading its neighbors, including Mexico. The doctrine was largely received positively by the Latin American countries, which saw the United States as a guardian of their sovereignty (Coleman, 2019). As a result, most of these nations adopted the US constitution and granted the US access to their mineral deposits.
The belief that American expansion was inevitable has been widely attributed to the large size of the US territory. During the 1840s, the concept of Manifest Destiny became prominent among Americans who believed that the United States had a divine duty of spreading democracy and capitalism by expanding its territory on the North American continent (Gómez, 2018). This belief made America disregard the sovereignty of its Latin American neighbors and invaded them to acquire more territories. One of the significant effects of the notion of Manifest Destiny was the Mexican-American War of 1846.
The war started after Mexico failed to recognize the independence of Texas, which had planned to join the United States. However, Mexico threatened to start a war if the annexation of Texas to the United States occurred (Watson, 2018). In 1945, Texas officially joined the United States, thus sparking the Mexican-American war. After winning the war, the United States acquired other Mexican territories, including California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and western Colorado (Watson, 2018). Although the war negatively impacted Mexican relations with the United States, the US played a significant role in demanding the withdrawal of the French from Mexico, enabling it to regain its sovereignty.
The Spanish-American war was another significant event that influenced the relations between the United States and its Latin American neighbors. Cuba was a significant trading partner with the United States. However, the Cubans were subjected to various atrocities by the Spanish colonialist. The struggle for independence greatly disrupted US investments in Cuba, leading to losses (Menchaca, 2021). This standoff between the US and Spain led to the war after one of the naval ships belonging to the US marines was sunk. After the war ended, Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris, which declared Cuba an independent state and allowed the US to gain territory in the islands of Guam, Philippines, and Puerto Rico, which were strategic for US economic interests.
In conclusion, the US used aggressive policies to influence Latin American countries. Although the US appeared to advocate and safeguard the sovereignty of its Latin neighbors, most of the policies were aimed at protecting the interest of the United States. One of the vital mechanisms that the United States used to dominate its neighbors was reducing European nations’ influence through the Monroe Doctrine. Therefore, the US established economic and political power in the region without much interference.
References
Coleman, K. M. (2019). The political mythology of the Monroe doctrine: Reflections on the social psychology of hegemony in Latin America, the United States, and the inter-American system (pp. 95-114). Routledge.
Gómez, L. E. (2018). Manifest destinies. In Manifest Destinies. New York University Press.
Long, T. (2018). Latin America and the liberal international order: An agenda for research. International Affairs, 94(6), 1371-1390.
Menchaca, M. (2021). From the Spanish-American war to the outbreak of the Mexican revolution. In Naturalizing Mexican Immigrants (pp. 160-205). University of Texas Press.
Watson, S. J. (2018). The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American war. Journal Review.