LAD #10 The Monroe Doctrine

Summary of the Monroe Doctrine, 1823:

In President Monroe's seventh inaugural address to Congress in 1823, Monroe mentions negotiations with Russia and Britain, and arising from the discussions, Monroe proposes that "the occasion has been judged proper for asserting, as a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents...are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers..."

Monroe claims that the United States is unwilling to take part in any European wars, and that it only will fight in defense of American rights or a menace to public safety. However, America is intricately tied the other nations/colonies of the American continent, and that any attempt to colonize the newly-independant nations of the Americas will be viewed as a threat to the peace and safety of the United States. However, the United States will not interfere with current colonies, it only will protect the freedom of those nations that the U.S. officially recognizes as independent.

The U.S. foreign policy in regards to European nations remains unaffected; refrain from interfering in their internal affairs and to maintain friendly relations with them.

LAD #9 Jefferson's Inaugural Address

Summary of Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address:

1st Paragraph- Jefferson appreciates his election to the Presidency, but is humbled by the enormous undertaking.

2nd Paragraph- Jefferson encourages Americans to unite for the common good under the freedoms granted by the Constitution; he assures them that the majority will prevail but will preserve the rights and  equality of the minorities; and he asserts that they are all a united people under a strong government, free from the trials and errors and bloodshed of the governmental mishaps of the Old World.

3rd Paragraph- Jefferson encourages the Americas to look to the future, reminds Americans of the bountiful blessings of their country, including available land, industry, and beliefs in morality, and especially a good government that protects the rights of the people.

4th Paragraph- Jefferson lists the essential principles of the Constitution:

• Equal justice to men
• Support of State Governments
• Preservation of the Central Government
• The Right of Election
• Absolute Acquiescence in Majority Decisions
• Well-disciplined Militia
• Civil Authority over Military Authority
• Public Economy
• Payment of Debts
• Encouragement of Agriculture and Commerce
• Freedom of Religion, of the Press, and of Person

4th Paragraph- Jefferson understands that he will not be a perfect President, and asks that the public to forgive him for any mistakes he is bound to make, but he will do all the good in his power for the good of his fellow Americans.

5th Paragraph- Jefferson is prepared to work for the country, and invokes "that Infinite Power" to lead his councils to "what is best".

Columbus Blog #8

Is Christopher Columbus a hero or a villain?

Christopher Columbus can neither be defined solely as a hero or as a villain. He is a complex figure, created by the culture and ethics of the early European Renaissance, and there is no denying his seamanship. If one were to classify Columbus as either a hero or a villain, he would be both. However, he was perhaps more a villain because of his cruel treatment of the Natives he encountered in the "New World".

Columbus is arguably the instigator of the first genocide in the Western hemisphere. In fact, when Columbus first landed in the Bahama Islands in 1492, some of the first comments he made reflected what we now perceive with moral repugnance. He comments on the fine build and naivety of the Native Arawak people, and then he adds, "They would make fine servants...With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want." And Columbus did just that- despite the excessive generosity of the Natives, Columbus and his crew took some of them captive to guide the Spaniards to gold.  After sailing to Hispaniola, Columbus took more Native prisoners, killing several when they refused his demands. As Columbus sailed back to Spain with his human cargo, the Natives started to die.
Columbus soon returned with a larger expedition, pursuing slaves and gold. When excessive amounts of slaves started dying en route, he turned to forcing Native children to collect gold for him. When the children did not produce the precious metal, the Spaniards would mutilate them, cutting off their hands and letting them bleed to death. Native resistance became impossible due to Spanish weapons, and soon Natives started committing suicide. Natives who didn't were forced to work to death on encomiendas. By 1515, only about 23 years after Columbus first landed in the New World, only about fifty thousand of an original two-hundred and fifty thousand Natives were alive.

However, it is important to remember that Christopher Columbus was (most likely) not a particularly sadistic man. During this time period, slavery was a common practice, and Columbus can not be considered a villain for following the common beliefs of the day. It would not be abolished in Spain and in most of Europe until the early nineteenth century. Columbus certainly cannot be vilified for pursuing gold and wealth for his country, considering that the Gulf War and even arguably the current war in the Middle East is motivated by oil, the "new gold". It is really Columbus's inhumane treatments of the Natives that incriminates him, but again, Americans would continue to treat Native Americans inhumanely for hundreds of years to come. Furthermore, Columbus was brave enough and enterprising enough to lead an expedition that spearheaded the future of the modern world.

Thus, Columbus was both a hero and a villain, although his incredibly cruel actions towards Natives arguably incited the first modern genocide. Thus, Columbus is considered a villain to a greater extant than he would be considered a hero.