(5) Tree Line

The Monroe Doctrine might be a little tricky to get if you don't know the context and basic idea. (But hey: that's exactly why we're around.)

Also, Monroe was not scared of long sentences, so he can be a wee bit difficult to follow. There are also a lot of references to particular events or circumstances that the contemporary audience would have understood (since they were, you know, living it), but which aren't as familiar to us now.

He also throws in some words that you don't see much now, like "comport" and "felicity" just to give it that old-timey feel.

All that being said, the Big Ideas in the Monroe Doc aren't hard to understand. The author strings a lot of phrases together, but individually they're fairly straightforward. The really key points are laid out nicely…and pretty eloquently. Bravo, Monroe.