Question

What was the cause of the Monroe Doctrine?

Answer 1

C. Spain and Portugal wanted to regain Latin American lands they had lost

Answer 2

The correct answer is C) Spain and Portugal wanted to regain Latin American lands that they had lost.

The Monroe Doctrine (1823) was the product of president James Monroe. In this document, he developed a foreign policy that would greatly shape America's development during the 19th century. In this document, Monroe stated that any new attemps of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere would be met with military conflict by the United States. In other words, Monroe was stopping European countries from colonizing more territories in the Western Hemisphere (primarily the Latin American territories).

Monroe did not want to take away any colonies already established, rather he wanted to stop countries like Spain and Portugal from re-entering the Western Hemisphere and gaining influence.