Step into the 1820s, when America started thinking big — really big. This episode unpacks the Monroe Doctrine, that bold declaration telling European powers to stay out of the Western Hemisphere. But behind the patriotic flair lay a growing ambition for expansion and influence. We'll explore how this policy became both a shield and a sword: defending independence in the Americas while paving the way for U.S. dominance abroad. It's part idealism, part imperial preview — and it changed how America saw itself on the world stage.
