The Monroe Document vs. The United States' Current Foreign Policies

In history class, we've been learning about the Monroe Doctrine, which was a document that stated America’s foreign affairs.  I read an article about a US affair that is going on today to compare the reactions of the United States. The article I read was about protests that are going on against “Plan Mexico”, which is a billion dollar cooperation agreement between the US and Mexico.  People also protested the 43 Mexican students who went missing in September.  According to the article, people are opposed to Plan Mexico because “releasing these funds would send the message that the United States condones the grave human rights violations committed in Mexico, including torture, rape, killings, and enforced disappearances”.  The US looked into withholding funds in 2010, but continued to fund the fight the Drug War.  If this was occurring in 1823, the United States’ involvement would be very different.  The first idea of the Monroe Doctrine states that if other countries leave the United States alone, then the US will leave other countries alone.  Since Mexico is not interfering with the United States, we wouldn’t be involved with the Drug Wars.  The second point of the Monroe Doctrine is non-colonization in the Western Hemisphere, and Mexico isn’t setting up colonies in the United States, so the United States wouldn’t send money or invade Mexico.  The third and final rule of the Monroe Doctrine is non-intervention on the US’ part.  The US would not give any money because that could be intervention. The United States’ reaction to the Drug War is very different from the US’ reaction to foreign wars in 1823.      

Moreno, Carolina. "43 Cities Stage Symbolic Protest Demanding U.S. Stop Funding Mexican Drug War." Huffington Post. 3 Dec. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/03/ustired2-protests_n_6264530.html>

Race and it's Affect on the Past and the Present

The Revolution I studied was the Gran Colombia revolution.  The revolution was led by Simon Bolivar, and made the Republica de Colombia a free republic.  Over the course of nearly twenty years, Bolivar got political control of Caracas, lost power, and ultimately took Venezuela and Ecuador from Spanish control.  This revolution was not so much about a rift between races as it was about cultures coming together.  Bolivar convinced his fellow South Americans to get rid of a common enemy; the Spanish.  Spain controlled most of South America, but when the South Americans came together and realized that they could work as one to get rid of the enemy, they fought for and won their freedom.

A recent article by NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reveal issues with race that occur in the world today.  With the holidays approaching and celebrations occurring, Beardsley focuses on a particular Dutch tradition that has been quite a controversial topic these past few years. The article is about Dutch Christmas parades that include Santa Claus and his helper, Swarte Piete, also known as Black Pete.  People dress up in blackface and march through the streets, an act that is viewed as extremely racist in the United States.  Some debate that this act is blatantly racist, while others say Pete is a beloved holiday tradition that is in no way racist. I think that this article shows that race continues to affect national identity, because although Black Pete is a holiday tradition, his character is very racist. I think that there are better ways to celebrate the holidays, and while there are some who may not view it as racist or offensive there are ways to fix race issues and change certain problems.

Beardsley, Eleanor. "Santa's Black-Faced Helpers Are Under Fire In The Netherlands." NPR.org. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/12/01/367704573/santas-black-faced-helpers-are-under-fire-in-the-netherlands>.