Happy Birthday James Monroe
On April 28, 1758 (256 years ago today) James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, was born in his parents' house located in a wooded area of Westmoreland County, Virginia. The site is marked and is one mile from the unincorporated community known today as Monroe Hall, Virginia. Monroe, who served two terms as President, from 1817 to 1825, was the last president who is considered to be a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty.
Monroe's father died he when James was 16 years old, and he had the responsibility of being the head of the family thrust on him at an early age. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was wounded in the Battle of Trenton with a musket ball to his shoulder. He studied law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, and served as a delegate ito the Continental Congress. As an anti-federalist delegate to the Virginia convention that considered ratification of the United States Constitution, Monroe opposed ratification, claiming it gave too much power to the central government. He opposed James Madison in that battle, but the two men are a prime example of how political differences of opinion do not need to ruin a friendship. Monroe took an active part in the new government, and in 1790 he was elected to the Senate of the first United States Congress. He later served as the Governor of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France, when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, Monroe held the critical roles of Secretary of State and Secretary of War under President James Madison.
Facing little opposition from the fractured Federalist Party, Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over 80 percent of the electoral vote. As president, he bought Florida from Spain and sought to ease partisan tensions, by embarking on a tour of the country, in which he was well received. With the ratification of the Treaty of 1818, under the successful diplomacy of his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the United States extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific, gaining harbor and fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest. The United States and Britain jointly occupied the Oregon Country. Nationalism surged, partisan fury subsided and the "Era of Good Feelings" enveloped the nation until the Panic of 1819 struck and dispute over the admission of Missouri embroiled the country in 1820. Nonetheless, Monroe won near-unanimous reelection.
Monroe supported the founding of colonies in Africa for free African Americans that would eventually form the nation of Liberia. Its capital, Monrovia, is named after him. In 1823, he announced the United States' opposition to any European intervention in the recently independent countries of the Americas with the Monroe Doctrine, which became a landmark in American foreign policy.
Following his retirement in 1825, Monroe was plagued by financial difficulties. He died in New York City on July 4, 1831, becoming the third president to die on the fourth of July. In my view, James Monroe ranks high on the list of underrated presidents, possibly at the top of that list.
Monroe's father died he when James was 16 years old, and he had the responsibility of being the head of the family thrust on him at an early age. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was wounded in the Battle of Trenton with a musket ball to his shoulder. He studied law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, and served as a delegate ito the Continental Congress. As an anti-federalist delegate to the Virginia convention that considered ratification of the United States Constitution, Monroe opposed ratification, claiming it gave too much power to the central government. He opposed James Madison in that battle, but the two men are a prime example of how political differences of opinion do not need to ruin a friendship. Monroe took an active part in the new government, and in 1790 he was elected to the Senate of the first United States Congress. He later served as the Governor of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France, when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, Monroe held the critical roles of Secretary of State and Secretary of War under President James Madison.
Facing little opposition from the fractured Federalist Party, Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over 80 percent of the electoral vote. As president, he bought Florida from Spain and sought to ease partisan tensions, by embarking on a tour of the country, in which he was well received. With the ratification of the Treaty of 1818, under the successful diplomacy of his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the United States extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific, gaining harbor and fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest. The United States and Britain jointly occupied the Oregon Country. Nationalism surged, partisan fury subsided and the "Era of Good Feelings" enveloped the nation until the Panic of 1819 struck and dispute over the admission of Missouri embroiled the country in 1820. Nonetheless, Monroe won near-unanimous reelection.
Monroe supported the founding of colonies in Africa for free African Americans that would eventually form the nation of Liberia. Its capital, Monrovia, is named after him. In 1823, he announced the United States' opposition to any European intervention in the recently independent countries of the Americas with the Monroe Doctrine, which became a landmark in American foreign policy.
Following his retirement in 1825, Monroe was plagued by financial difficulties. He died in New York City on July 4, 1831, becoming the third president to die on the fourth of July. In my view, James Monroe ranks high on the list of underrated presidents, possibly at the top of that list.