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The text examines the concept of "doctrine," defining it as a coherent set of firm ideas, teachings, and principles that, by taking a categorical position in society, establish a lifestyle for a large number of people. It traces the term's origin to the Latin doctr?na (science) and its evolution into a hermeneutic and argumentative discipline within the legal field. The essay then focuses on the application of doctrine to foreign policy, using the Monroe Doctrine as a case study. Pronounced in 1823, it established the principle of "America for the Americans," opposing any future European colonization on the continent and any intervention in independent nations. While initially perceived as protective, the text argues its real purpose was to safeguard the interests and security of the United States, not the freedom of the new southern nations. The Monroe Doctrine provided the ideological foundation for subsequent U.S. expansionism, justified by the philosophy of "Manifest Destiny." This belief in a divine mission to spread democracy and civilization was used to legitimize the annexation of territories like Texas and California, and later, extra-continental expansion. This process of acquiring territories like Alaska, Hawaii, and the Philippines through purchase, war, and annexation consolidated the United States as an imperial power by the end of the 19th century, transforming the initial doctrine into a tool for hemispheric hegemony.
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