The First 100 Days: James Monroe
The presidency of James Monroe began on March 4, 1817, when James Monroe was inaugurated on a Tuesday, in front of the Old Brick Capitol in Washington D.C. The inauguration was held there because of on-going restoration work at the Capitol building following the War of 1812. Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath of office. Monroe was the first president to take the oath of office and deliver an inaugural address outdoors.
Monroe had barely won his party's nomination in the Republican congressional caucus. Many Republicans objected to the succession of Virginia presidents. (Up to that time, three of the first four presidents had come from Virgina, and each of those three had served two full terms. John Adams was the only president to come from another state - Massachusetts - and he had only served one term. But disorganization on the part of his opponents led to his receiving the nomination. The general election was a much easier win for Monroe. His opposition was in a shambles. The Hartford Convention of 1814 (a meeting of Federalists, mostly from New England, who opposed the War of 1812) had discredited the Federalist Party outside their strongholds. To some extent, Republicans had adopted some Federalist issues with nationalist programs like the Second Bank of the United States. The Federalists did not even name a candidate, though Senator Rufus King did run in opposition to Monroe under the Federalist banner. King won only three states: Connecticut, Delaware, and Massachusetts. The total Electoral College vote came in at 183 for Monroe and 34 for King.
Monroe did not gloat in his victory, although he also did not accept advice that he name a Federalist to his cabinet. He did strike a regional balance in the selection of his cabinet, choosing southerner John C. Calhoun, as Secretary of War, and John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts as Secretary of State. Both proved to be strong choices.
Monroe sought to reduce political tensions and wanted to reunite the country after the bad feelings that came out of the New England based opposition to the War of 1812. Later victories in the war in the Battle of New Orleans and at sea had restored a sense of patriotism in other regions of the country, but Monroe realized that in order to remain strong, the nation needed support from all regions of the country. With this goal in mind, Monroe made two long national tours to build national trust. An early visit to Boston in the summer of 1817 had caused one local reporter to declare that Monroe's presidency was ushering in an "Era of Good Feelings." The label stuck and this term continues to be associated with Monroe and his presidency.
Frequent stops on these tours provided the opportunity for innumerable ceremonies of welcome and expressions of good will. Monroe was the last president to have been a veteran of the Revolutionary War and his past service in that cause added to the esteem that he was held in. The Federalist Party continued to fade away during his administration. It maintained some vitality in Delaware and a few other places, but it had lost its influence in national politics. Monroe's decision to exclude Federalists from his cabinet proved wise, at it helped to prevent the party from regaining national credibility.
Near the beginning of Monroe's first term, his administration negotiated two important agreements with Great Britain that resolved border disputes which remained from the War of 1812. The Rush-Bagot Treaty was signed on April 20, 1817. It regulated naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, demilitarizing the border between the U.S. and British North America. A year later, the Treaty of 1818 would be signed on October 20, 1818. It fixed the present Canada–United States border from Minnesota to the Rocky Mountains at the 49th parallel. Britain ceded all of Rupert's Land south of the 49th parallel and east of the Continental Divide, including all of the Red River Colony south of that latitude, while the U.S. ceded the northernmost edge of the Missouri Territory above the 49th parallel. These agreements also established a joint U.S.–British occupation of Oregon Country for the next ten years. Although these accords did not completely settle border disputes and trade arrangements, the Rush-Bagot Treaty and the Treaty of 1818 marked an important turning point in Anglo–American and American–Canadian relations.
Monroe's presidency would go on to confront some important issues, including the Missouri Compromise of 1819 and it would establish the Monroe Doctrine, a lasting pronouncement in the field of international diplomacy. Often overlooked because of some of the giants who came before him, James Monroe proved to be a very able administrator with good political sense as well as great vision for the future of the nation.
Monroe had barely won his party's nomination in the Republican congressional caucus. Many Republicans objected to the succession of Virginia presidents. (Up to that time, three of the first four presidents had come from Virgina, and each of those three had served two full terms. John Adams was the only president to come from another state - Massachusetts - and he had only served one term. But disorganization on the part of his opponents led to his receiving the nomination. The general election was a much easier win for Monroe. His opposition was in a shambles. The Hartford Convention of 1814 (a meeting of Federalists, mostly from New England, who opposed the War of 1812) had discredited the Federalist Party outside their strongholds. To some extent, Republicans had adopted some Federalist issues with nationalist programs like the Second Bank of the United States. The Federalists did not even name a candidate, though Senator Rufus King did run in opposition to Monroe under the Federalist banner. King won only three states: Connecticut, Delaware, and Massachusetts. The total Electoral College vote came in at 183 for Monroe and 34 for King.
Monroe did not gloat in his victory, although he also did not accept advice that he name a Federalist to his cabinet. He did strike a regional balance in the selection of his cabinet, choosing southerner John C. Calhoun, as Secretary of War, and John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts as Secretary of State. Both proved to be strong choices.
Monroe sought to reduce political tensions and wanted to reunite the country after the bad feelings that came out of the New England based opposition to the War of 1812. Later victories in the war in the Battle of New Orleans and at sea had restored a sense of patriotism in other regions of the country, but Monroe realized that in order to remain strong, the nation needed support from all regions of the country. With this goal in mind, Monroe made two long national tours to build national trust. An early visit to Boston in the summer of 1817 had caused one local reporter to declare that Monroe's presidency was ushering in an "Era of Good Feelings." The label stuck and this term continues to be associated with Monroe and his presidency.
Frequent stops on these tours provided the opportunity for innumerable ceremonies of welcome and expressions of good will. Monroe was the last president to have been a veteran of the Revolutionary War and his past service in that cause added to the esteem that he was held in. The Federalist Party continued to fade away during his administration. It maintained some vitality in Delaware and a few other places, but it had lost its influence in national politics. Monroe's decision to exclude Federalists from his cabinet proved wise, at it helped to prevent the party from regaining national credibility.
Near the beginning of Monroe's first term, his administration negotiated two important agreements with Great Britain that resolved border disputes which remained from the War of 1812. The Rush-Bagot Treaty was signed on April 20, 1817. It regulated naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, demilitarizing the border between the U.S. and British North America. A year later, the Treaty of 1818 would be signed on October 20, 1818. It fixed the present Canada–United States border from Minnesota to the Rocky Mountains at the 49th parallel. Britain ceded all of Rupert's Land south of the 49th parallel and east of the Continental Divide, including all of the Red River Colony south of that latitude, while the U.S. ceded the northernmost edge of the Missouri Territory above the 49th parallel. These agreements also established a joint U.S.–British occupation of Oregon Country for the next ten years. Although these accords did not completely settle border disputes and trade arrangements, the Rush-Bagot Treaty and the Treaty of 1818 marked an important turning point in Anglo–American and American–Canadian relations.
Monroe's presidency would go on to confront some important issues, including the Missouri Compromise of 1819 and it would establish the Monroe Doctrine, a lasting pronouncement in the field of international diplomacy. Often overlooked because of some of the giants who came before him, James Monroe proved to be a very able administrator with good political sense as well as great vision for the future of the nation.