Washington: Gales & Seaton, 1824. 8vo (225 x 140 mm). (Some browning or spotting, a few leaves dampstained, marginal tear at lower corner p. 566 resulting in minor loss of text.) Modern calf. book-plate of Coast Artillery School; New York State Library institutional stamp.

First printing of the Monroe Doctrine in book form.

Fearing that European powers would try to reclaim territories recently declared independent, President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams set to drafting a declaration that in no uncertain terms would declare the Western Hemisphere off-limits to Europe. The resulting document, delivered to Congress on December 2, stated that any interference on the part of European powers within the Western Hemisphere would be seen as a hostile act against the United States itself, a stance which continues to influence American military policy to this day. Prior to the printing of this edition the Monroe Doctrine had only appeared in broadsides and newspapers.