AsJohn Quincy Adams was Secretary of State under President James Monroe, he wrote The Monroe Doctrine. During the Monroe presidency, the theory drove American foreign strategy, and it has been employed by numerous presidents for the next three centuries. The strategy stated to the globe that the United States will oppose creating additional territories in the Americas and it would figure out ways to safeguard the country's interests throughout the region. The doctrine also stated that it would not meddle with existing territories and with the elections and economics of European countries.

The Monroe Doctrine was written by John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State under James Monroe, the 5th U. S. President, to declare that the United States would have an international affair independent of European control and to preserve the United States' objectives in its bordering territories. Monroe was concerned by Spain's effort to reconquer portions of South America that had just proclaimed freedom at the era the ideology was drafted and formed. Britain was equally opposed to Spain's colonial endeavors in South America and wished to see Spain expelled from the continent entirely.

To that aim, British Foreign Secretary George Canning urged that the United Kingdom and the United States work together to develop a uniform strategy opposing Spanish interference in Latin America. Monroe as well as other members of the cabinet was originally enthusiastic about the concept, believing that this would benefit the United States by providing a strong supporter. On both sides, Adams was resistant to the concept, convincing Monroe and subsequently numerous members of the cabinet that this had severe flaws and would place the US on a weak footing in the future. The Monroe Doctrine was formed as a result of this direct question, which perfectly demonstrated the silliness of an arrangement.