immediately connected" . These were not new ideas, for example having as little to do with Europe as possible is very evident in Washington's Farewell Speech . .
The traditional interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine argues that it became necessary to state these principles as a result Russian desires on the North West American coast and the threat of the re-colonisation of South America. The Russians had attempted to expand the territorial zone from 550 to 510 North latitude on the America North West coast and ban all non-Russian ships from coming with 100 Italian miles of their territorial zone. King Ferdinand of Spain had recently been restored to the Spanish throne after liberal unrest, by his European monarchic neighbours (a point which Monroe specifies as being a sign of how unsettled Europe still was ). The United States feared King Ferdinand or other European monarchies may also attempt to recover his former South American colonies like Columbia, Mexico and Chile who had gradually absolved themselves of allegiance to Spain and declared their international independence. Moreover after the violence of the Napoleonic wars and French Revolution the US saw sought to defend itself from European entanglement. In this sense the Monroe Doctrine appears to be a defensive policy; the defence of Americas territory and US principles.
However foreign policy is rarely that simply, as Dextor Perkins points out US commerce appears to be more important. In the negotiations with Russia; John Quincy Adams was willing to compromise on territory but he was not willing to compromise on the right to trade, a clear indication of his priorities. Furthermore as William Appleman Williams .
points out, in defending South America from Europe the US was leaving it free for their own interests, i.e. commercial expansion, US exports to Latin America, had already risen from $6.7 million in 1816 to $ 8 million in 1821 despite the economic slump of 1819 and turmoil of the South American revolutions.
