Two interesting things happened in the United States on December 2.
On this date in 1823, the United States adopted the Monroe Doctrine. Among other things, the doctrine stated that Europe should not interfere in American affairs.
Then on this date in 1845, America adopted the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. That doctrine basically stated that it is America’s God-given right to expand Westward, even if it means wiping out the people who were already been living there for thousands of years.
It’s sort of amazing that America can simultaneously embrace two such opposing philosophies. It basically boils down to this: “Nobody can mess with us, but we have a divine right to mess with others.”
I wonder whether anybody in our young nation realized, back in 1845, that somewhere down the road this attitude would lead to a whole heap of trouble.