Monroe Doctrine (1823) – Readers Theater Script for Middle-School U.S. History

Transform foreign-policy lectures into living history. In December 1823, President James Monroe stunned Congress by declaring the Western Hemisphere closed to further European colonization. Our 10-scene, 15-character Readers Theater script drops students directly into:

• Monroe’s original address (primary-source excerpts)
• John Quincy Adams’ behind-the-scenes diplomacy
• British & French diplomats scrambling to react
• Everyday Americans celebrating a bold new nationalism

What’s Inside the Packet (Editable DOC + PDF + Slides)

• Script – ≈ 2,300 words, 11 pages, 10 scenes, 15 speaking roles (great for flexible casting)
• Teacher Guide – scene summaries, primary-source context, discussion prompts, answer keys
• Student Worksheet – 25 Google Slides™ (vocabulary, short-answer, analysis, extension)
• Self-Grading Quiz – 20 multiple-choice questions in Google Forms™

Skills & Standards Covered

Students practice close reading, citation of evidence, and oral-fluency performance while mastering:

• CCSS CCRA.R.1, R.2 • CCRA.W.2 • CCRA.SL.1 • CCRA.L.4
• CCSS RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6, RH.6-8.7

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Get this resource in the complete Westward Expansion (1801-1861) 10 Script Bundle

Scene-by-Scene Snapshot

1. Washington Tavern, 1823 – Monroe & Adams frame the doctrine (“henceforth not to be considered …”).
2. London Drawing Room – Canning & Talleyrand scoff, Britain hedges bets.
3. Capitol Hill – Monroe delivers the address, sparking U.S. pride.
4. New York Wharf – Merchants cheer protection of Latin-American trade.
5. State Department – Adams defends unilateral action against critics.
6. Paris Salon – Continental diplomats dismiss the speech.
7. Philadelphia Pressroom – Newspapers spread nationalist fervor.
8. Executive Mansion – Monroe reiterates warning: Europe must stay out.
9. Independence Day Rally – Citizens debate future enforcement.
10. Cabinet Chamber, 1824 – Monroe & Adams reflect on long-term impact.

Try a Free Script First

Unsure if Readers Theater fits your class? Download our FREE Missouri Compromise script and test drive the format before you commit!

Want More Social Studies Activities?

Perfect for sub plans, sick days, supplemental activities, review stations, Friday fun days or even build an entire emergency curriculum with these 4 bundles below:

BUNDLE #1 Colonial America and the Early Republic (1587 – 1811)

1. The Lost Colony of Roanoke (1587)
2. King Philip’s War (1675–1676) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
3. The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)
4. Proclamation of 1763 (1763)
5. The Northwest Ordinance (1787)
6. The Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
7. The Barbary Wars (1801–1805)
8. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806)
9. Tecumseh’s Resistance (1809–1811)
10. The Embargo Act of 1807 (1807)

Bundle #2 Westward Expansion (1801 – 1865)

1. The Missouri Compromise (1820) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
2. The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
3. The Second Great Awakening (1820s–1830s)
4. Oregon Trail Migration (1840s)
5. The Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
6. Bleeding Kansas (1854–1856)
7. John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)
8. The Pony Express (1860–1861)
9. The Battle of Antietam (1862)
10. The 13th Amendment (1865)

Bundle #3 Revolutionary War (1773 – 1804)

1. The Boston Tea Party (1773–1774) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
2. United We Stand: The First Continental Congress (1774)
3. Liberty or Death: Patrick Henry's Speech (1775)
4. Midnight Ride and Paul Revere (1775)
5. Green Mountain Boys and Bunker Hill (1775)
6. The Second Continental Congress (1775)
7. Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence (1776)
8. Crossing the Delaware and Trenton Victory (1776)
9. Valley Forge and The American Crisis (1777–1778)
10. Foreign Allies: Lafayette and France (1777–1778)
11. Sybil Ludington and Molly Pitcher (1777)
12. Hamilton and His Duel (1780s–1804)
13. Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris (1781–1783)
14. Washington Steps Down: The Man Who Would Be King (1783)
15. Slavery and the Revolution (1770s–1780s)

• NOTE 1: These 15 scripts do not include Google Docs or Slides but the docx file can easily be uploaded to Google Docs and distributed digitally if desired.
• NOTE 2: These 15 scripts also include a G3-5 reading level of each script for diverse language ability classrooms.

Bundle #4 Reconstruction (1865 – 1877)

1. The Assassination of Lincoln (1865) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]
2. Presidential vs. Radical Reconstruction (1865–1867)
3. The Freedmen’s Bureau (1865–1872)
4. The 14th and 15th Amendments (1868–1870)
5. Black Political Participation (1867–1877)
6. The Ku Klux Klan and Resistance (1866–1871)
7. The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868)
8. The Compromise of 1877 (1877)

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U.S. History Mega Bundle of 43 Readers Theater Scripts for Grades 6 to 8