Abstract
John Quincy Adams, one of the doctrine's authors warned the United States of America (U.S) in 1821 against the temptation to spread freedom beyond national boundaries, especially in Latin America. Owing to him, America "goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all". This declaration seemed to announce a strong will to remain strictly neutral in any conflict on the American continent that did not concern her directly. In 1823, President James Monroe, in his annual address to Congress brought forward a new American anti-colonial stand in America and in Europe, in reaction to foreign issues in the past decade,. Since then, this so-called doctrine has become a milestone in the American foreign policy, to the point that many myths surround it. However, the context in which this declaration was pronounced is crucial to obtain an understanding of its substance. Therefore it seems compulsory to purge the "cult of Monroeism" by analyzing carefully the diplomatic "chess game" that triggered this strong American reaction of a vindictive Europe.
