Which document stated that European colonization in the Americas should stop and that the US would protect the independence of American states?

• A. Monroe Doctrine
• B. Open Door Policy
• C. Doctrine of Discovery
• D. Truman Doctrine

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how the United States articulated its stance toward European powers in the Western Hemisphere and the protection of newly independent American states.

The correct choice is the Monroe Doctrine. In 1823, President James Monroe declared that European colonization in the Americas should stop and that the United States would protect the independence of the American states. The doctrine established that the Western Hemisphere was off-limits to new European colonization and that any European attempt to extend its influence there would be seen as a threat to U.S. security. In return, the United States pledged to stay out of European conflicts and to respect existing European colonies in the Americas, at least in principle. This policy shaped American foreign relations for much of the 19th and 20th centuries, often used to justify U.S. influence in the hemisphere.

Other options don’t fit: the Open Door Policy concerns China and equal access to trade; the Doctrine of Discovery is a much earlier legal justification for European claims to lands in the Americas; the Truman Doctrine addresses Cold War aid to countries resisting communism in Europe.