What is the Monroe Doctrine?

Civics 101

NHPR

History, Government, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

After its inception in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was largely ignored. But after a while, different administrations saw the value in maintaining control over the western hemisphere. And notably, it is having a renaissance in the Trump presidency. So what IS the Monroe Doctrine? How has it been interpreted in various presidencies? And, most importantly, is it legal under international law? Civics 101 regular Dan Cassino takes us from Monroe to Maduro. Click here to listen to our episode on the history of Venezuela leading up to America's invasion in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot.
0:07.0	Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued an order to, quote, kill everybody on the vessel.
0:13.0	By a real life.
0:14.0	Panama Canal is ours. Trump should mind his own business, and all countries have the ability to use the canal.
0:19.0	Monroe Doctrine, we sort of forgot about it very important
0:23.0	but we forgot about it we don't forget about it anymore you're listening to civics 101 i'm
0:29.5	nick capadice i'm hannah mccarthy and today we are talking about a 200-year-old written
0:34.9	statement by a president that didn't really mean much until it did
0:39.1	the Monroe Doctrine. What it was, what it became, how it was used over the centuries,
0:45.3	and why everybody is talking about it right now. Stick around.
0:52.0	All right, Nick, we're talking about the Monroe Doctrine.
0:54.9	Let's start with what it is.
0:57.2	James Monroe, our fifth president.
1:00.1	Was this something that he wrote?
1:01.8	Was it an executive order?
1:03.5	All right.
1:03.7	Well, I got to set the scene firsthand.
1:05.6	All right.
1:08.3	It's the 1820s.
1:10.6	We got the War of 1812 in a review. We've got a national purpose. I'm okay. You're okay. It is the moment in history known as the era of good feelings.
1:21.8	In other words, the period when the Federalist Party collapses, the Democratic Republicans run the show, and seemingly, nobody is disagreeing about anything.
1:29.7	Anything at all? And as to your question, Hannah, what is it? This is something written, sort of, by James Monroe, but it is not an executive order.
	...

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