James Monroe

James Monroe - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/James_Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe (/mənˈroʊ/; April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831) was an
James Monroe
American statesman, lawyer, diplomat and Founding Father who served
as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of
the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was the last president of the
Virginia dynasty; his presidency coincided with the Era of Good Feelings.
He is perhaps best known for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, a policy of
opposing European colonialism in the Americas. He also served as the
governor of Virginia, a member of the United States Senate, the U.S.
ambassador to France and Britain, the seventh Secretary of State, and the
eighth Secretary of War.
Born into a planter family in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Monroe

served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
After studying law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, he served
as a delegate in the Continental Congress. As a delegate to the Virginia
Ratifying Convention, Monroe opposed the ratification of the United 5th President of the United States
States Constitution. In 1790, he won election to the Senate, where he In office
became a leader of the Democratic-Republican Party. He left the Senate March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
in 1794 to serve as President George Washington's ambassador to France, Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins
but was recalled by Washington in 1796. Monroe won election as
Preceded by James Madison
Governor of Virginia in 1799 and strongly supported Jefferson's
Succeeded by John Quincy Adams
candidacy in the 1800 presidential election.
8th United States Secretary of War
As President Jefferson's special envoy, Monroe helped negotiate the In office
Louisiana Purchase, through which the United States nearly doubled in September 27, 1814 – March 2, 1815
size. Monroe fell out with his long-time friend, James Madison, after the
President James Madison
latter rejected the Monroe–Pinkney Treaty that Monroe negotiated with
Preceded by John Armstrong Jr.
Britain. He unsuccessfully challenged Madison in the 1808 presidential
election, but in April 1811 he joined Madison's administration as Secretary Succeeded by Alexander Dallas
of State. During the later stages of the War of 1812, Monroe (Acting)
simultaneously served as Madison's Secretary of State and Secretary of 7th United States Secretary of State
War. His war-time leadership established him as Madison's heir In office
apparent, and he easily defeated Federalist Party candidate Rufus King in April 6, 1811 – March 4, 1817
the 1816 presidential election. President James Madison
Monroe's presidency was coterminous with the Era of Good Feelings, as Preceded by Robert Smith
the Federalist Party collapsed as a national political force. As president, Succeeded by John Quincy Adams
Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri as a 12th and 16th Governor of Virginia
slave state and banned slavery from territories north of the parallel
In office
36°30′ north. In foreign affairs, Monroe and Secretary of State John
January 16, 1811 – April 2, 1811
1 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
James Monroe - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Monroe
Quincy Adams favored a policy of conciliation with Britain and a policy of Preceded by George W. Smith
expansionism against the Spanish Empire. In the 1819 Adams–Onís (acting)
Treaty with Spain, the United States secured Florida and established its
Succeeded by George W. Smith
western border with New Spain. In 1823, Monroe announced the United
In office
States' opposition to any European intervention in the recently
December 28, 1799 – December 1,
independent countries of the Americas with the Monroe Doctrine, which
1802
became a landmark in American foreign policy. Monroe was a member of
the American Colonization Society, which supported the colonization of Preceded by James Wood
Africa by freed slaves, and Liberia's capital of Monrovia is named in his Succeeded by John Page
honor. Following his retirement in 1825, Monroe was plagued by financial 4th United States Minister to the
difficulties, and died on July 4, 1831 in New York City. He has been United Kingdom
generally ranked as an above-average president by historians. In office
August 17, 1803 – October 7, 1807
President Thomas Jefferson
Contents Preceded by Rufus King

Succeeded by William Pinkney
Early life
Revolutionary War service 5th United States Minister to France
Marriage and family In office
Plantations and slavery August 15, 1794 – December 9, 1796
Early political career President George Washington
Virginia politics Preceded by Gouverneur Morris
Senator
Ambassador to France
Succeeded by Charles Cotesworth
Confrontations and strife with Alexander Hamilton Pinckney
Governor of Virginia and diplomat United States Senator

from Virginia
Governor of Virginia
Louisiana Purchase and ambassador to Britain In office
1808 election and the Quids November 9, 1790 – May 27, 1794
Secretary of State and Secretary of War Preceded by John Walker
Madison administration
Succeeded by Stevens Thomson
Election of 1816
Mason
Presidency
Delegate to the
Domestic affairs Congress of the Confederation
Democratic-Republican Party dominance from Virginia
Administration and cabinet
In office
Missouri Compromise
November 3, 1783 – November 7,
Internal improvements
Panic of 1819 1786
Foreign affairs Preceded by Constituency
Treaties with Britain and Russia established
Acquisition of Florida
Succeeded by Henry Lee III
Monroe Doctrine
Election of 1820
Personal details
States admitted to the Union Born April 28, 1758
Post-presidency Monroe Hall,
2 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
Religious beliefs Virginia, British

America
Slavery
Legacy Died July 4, 1831
Historical reputation (aged 73)
Memorials New York City, New
See also York, U.S.
Notes Resting place Hollywood

References Cemetery
Bibliography Political party Democratic-
Secondary sources Republican
Primary sources
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Kortright
External links (m. 1786;
died 1830)
Children 3, including Eliza
Early life Education College of William
and Mary
James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, in his parents' house located
in a wooded area of Westmoreland County, Virginia. The marked site is Signature
one mile from the unincorporated community known today as Monroe Military service
Hall, Virginia. The James Monroe Family Home Site was listed on the Branch/service Continental
National Register of Historic Places in 1979. His father Spence Monroe Army
(1727–1774) was a moderately prosperous planter who also practiced Virginia Militia
carpentry. His mother Elizabeth Jones (1730–1772) married Spence
Years of 1775–1777 (Army)
Monroe in 1752 and they had five children: Elizabeth, James, Spence,
service 1777–1780 (Militia)
Andrew, and Joseph Jones.[1][2]
Rank Major (Army)
His paternal great-great- Colonel (Militia)
grandfather Patrick Andrew Battles/wars American
Monroe emigrated to America Revolutionary War
from Scotland in the mid-17th • Battle of
century, and was part of an Trenton (WIA)
ancient Scottish clan known as
Clan Munro. In 1650 he patented a large tract of land in Washington
Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia. Monroe's mother was the daughter
Marker designating the site of
of a wealthy immigrant by the name of James Jones, who immigrated from
James Monroe's birthplace in
Monroe Hall, Virginia Wales and had settled in nearby King George County, Virginia. Jones was
an architect.[1] Also among James Monroe's ancestors were French
Huguenot immigrants, who came to Virginia in 1700.[2]
At age eleven, Monroe was enrolled in the lone school in the county. Monroe attended this school for only eleven weeks
a year, as his labor was needed on the farm. During this time, Monroe formed a lifelong friendship with an older
classmate, John Marshall. Monroe's mother died in 1772, and his father died two years later. Though he inherited
property from both of his parents, the sixteen-year-old Monroe was forced to withdraw from school to support his
younger brothers. His childless maternal uncle, Joseph Jones, became a surrogate father to Monroe and his siblings. A
member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Jones took Monroe to the capital of Williamsburg, Virginia and enrolled
3 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
him in the College of William and Mary. Jones also introduced Monroe to important Virginians such as Thomas
Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Washington. In 1774, opposition to the British government grew in the Thirteen
Colonies in reaction to the "Intolerable Acts," and Virginia sent a delegation to the First Continental Congress. Monroe
became involved in the opposition to Lord Dunmore, the colonial governor of Virginia, and he took part in the
storming of the Governor's Palace.[3]
Revolutionary War service

In early 1776, about a year and a half after his enrollment, Monroe dropped out of college and joined the 3rd Virginia
Regiment in the Continental Army.[4] As the fledgling army valued literacy in its officers, Monroe was commissioned
with the rank of lieutenant, serving under Captain William Washington. After months of training, Monroe and seven
hundred Virginia infantrymen were called north to serve in the New York and New Jersey campaign. Shortly after the
Virginians arrived, George Washington led the army in a retreat from New York City into New Jersey and then across
the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. In December, Monroe took part in a surprise attack on a Hessian encampment.
Though the attack was successful, Monroe suffered a severed artery in the battle and nearly died. In the aftermath of
the battle, George Washington cited Monroe and William Washington for their bravery, and promoted Monroe to the
rank of captain. After his wounds healed, Monroe returned to Virginia to recruit his own company of soldiers.[5]
Monroe's participation in the battle was memorialized in John Trumbull's painting, The Capture of the Hessians at
Trenton, December 26, 1776, as well as Emanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware.[6]
Lacking the wealth to induce soldiers to join his company,

Monroe instead asked his uncle to return him to the front.
Monroe was assigned to the staff of General William
Alexander, Lord Stirling. During this time, Monroe formed a
close friendship with the Marquis de Lafayette, a French
volunteer who encouraged Monroe to view the war as part of
a wider struggle against religious and political tyranny.
Monroe served in the Philadelphia campaign and spent the
winter of 1777–1778 at the encampment of Valley Forge,
sharing a log hut with Marshall. After serving in the Battle of
Monmouth, the destitute Monroe resigned his commission in The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton,
December 1778 and joined his uncle in Philadelphia. After the December 26, 1776, by John Trumbull, showing
British captured Savannah, the Virginia legislature decided to Captain William Washington, with a wounded
hand, on the right and Lt. Monroe, severely
raise four regiments, and Monroe returned to his native state,
wounded and helped by Dr. Riker, left of center
hoping to receive his own command. With letters of
recommendation from Washington, Stirling, and Alexander
Hamilton, Monroe received a commission as a lieutenant colonel and was expected to lead one of the regiments, but
recruitment again proved to be an issue. On the advice of Jones, Monroe returned to Williamsburg to study law,
becoming a protege of Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson.[7]
With the British increasingly focusing their operations in the Southern colonies, the Virginians moved the capital to the
more defensible city of Richmond, and Monroe accompanied Jefferson to the new capital. As Governor of Virginia,
Jefferson held command over the state's militia, and he appointed Monroe to the rank of colonel, and Monroe
established a messenger network to coordinate with the Continental Army and other state militias. Still unable to raise
an army due to a lack of interested recruits, Monroe traveled to his home in King George County, and thus was not
4 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
present for the British raid of Richmond. As both the Continental Army and the Virginia militia had an abundance of
officers, Monroe did not serve during the Yorktown campaign, and, much to his frustration, Monroe did not take part
in the Siege of Yorktown.[8] Although Andrew Jackson served as a courier in a militia unit at age thirteen, Monroe is
regarded as the last U.S. President who was a Revolutionary War veteran, since he served as an officer of the
Continental Army and took part in combat.[9] Monroe resumed studying law under Jefferson and continued until
1783.[10][11] He was not particularly interested in legal theory or practice, but chose to take it up because he thought it
offered "the most immediate rewards" and could ease his path to wealth, social standing, and political influence.[11]
Monroe was admitted to the Virginia bar and practiced in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Marriage and family

On February 16, 1786, Monroe married Elizabeth Kortright (1768–1830) in
New York City.[12] She was the daughter of Hannah Aspinwall Kortright
and Laurence Kortright, a wealthy trader and former British officer.
Monroe met her while serving in the Continental Congress.[13]
After a brief honeymoon on Long Island, New York, the Monroes returned
to New York City to live with her father until Congress adjourned. They
then moved to Virginia, settling in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1789. They
bought an estate in Charlottesville known as Ash Lawn–Highland, settling
on the property in 1799. The Monroes had three children.[14]
Eliza Monroe Hay was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1786, and

was educated in Paris at the school of Madame Campan during the
time her father was the United States Ambassador to France. In 1808
she married George Hay, a prominent Virginia attorney who had
served as prosecutor in the trial of Aaron Burr and later as a U.S.
District Judge. She died in 1840.[15] Elizabeth Kortright
James Spence Monroe was born in 1799 and died sixteen months
later in 1800.[16]
Maria Hester Monroe (1804–1850) married her cousin Samuel L. Gouverneur on March 8, 1820, in the White
House, the first president's child to marry there.[17][18]
Plantations and slavery

Monroe sold his small inherited Virginia plantation in 1783 to enter law
and politics. He later fulfilled his youthful dream of becoming the owner of
a large plantation and wielding great political power, but his plantation was
never profitable. Although he owned much more land and many more
slaves, and speculated in property, he was rarely on-site to oversee the
operations. Overseers treated the slaves harshly to force production, but the
plantations barely broke even. Monroe incurred debts by his lavish and
expensive lifestyle and often sold property (including slaves) to pay them
Oak Hill Mansion
off.[19] Overseers moved or separated slave families from different Monroe
plantations in accordance with production and maintenance needs of each
satellite plantation.[20] One of Monroe's slaves named Daniel often ran away from his plantation in Albermarle County,
to visit other slaves or separated family members.[20] Monroe commonly referred to Daniel as a "scoundrel" and
described the "worthlessness" of Daniel as a runaway slave.[20] The practice of moving and separating slave families
5 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
was common treatment of slaves in the South.[20]
Early political career
Virginia politics
Monroe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1782. After serving on Virginia's Executive Council,[21] he
was elected to the Congress of the Confederation in November 1783 and served in Annapolis until Congress convened
in Trenton, New Jersey in June 1784. He had served a total of three years when he finally retired from that office by the
rule of rotation.[22] By that time, the government was meeting in the temporary capital of New York City. In 1784,
Monroe undertook an extensive trip through Western New York and Pennsylvania to inspect the conditions in the
Northwest. The tour convinced him that the United States had to pressure Britain to abandon its posts in the region
and assert control of the Northwest.[23] While serving in Congress, Monroe became an advocate for western expansion,
and played a key role in the writing and passage of the Northwest Ordinance. The ordinance created the Northwest
Territory, providing for federal administration of the territories West of Pennsylvania and North of the Ohio River.
During this period, Jefferson continued to serve as a mentor to Monroe, and, at Jefferson's prompting, he befriended
another prominent Virginian, James Madison.[24]
Monroe resigned from Congress in 1786 to focus on his legal career, and he became an attorney for the state. In 1787,
Monroe won election to another term in the Virginia House of Delegates. Though he had become outspoken in his
desire to reform the Articles, he was unable to attend the Philadelphia Convention due to his work obligations.[25] In
1788, Monroe became a delegate to the Virginia Ratifying Convention.[26] In Virginia, the struggle over the ratification
of the proposed Constitution involved more than a simple clash between federalists and anti-federalists. Virginians
held a full spectrum of opinions about the merits of the proposed change in national government. Washington and
Madison were leading supporters; Patrick Henry and George Mason were leading opponents. Those who held the
middle ground in the ideological struggle became the central figures. Led by Monroe and Edmund Pendleton, these
"federalists who are for amendments," criticized the absence of a bill of rights and worried about surrendering taxation
powers to the central government.[27] After Madison reversed himself and promised to pass a bill of rights, the Virginia
convention ratified the constitution by a narrow vote, though Monroe himself voted against it. Virginia was the tenth
state to ratify the Constitution, and all thirteen states eventually ratified the document.[28]
Senator
Henry and other anti-federalists hoped to elect a Congress that would amend the Constitution to take away most of the
powers it had been granted ("commit suicide on [its] own authority," as Madison put it). Henry recruited Monroe to
run against Madison for a House seat in the First Congress, and he had the Virginia legislature draw a congressional
district designed to elect Monroe. During the campaign, Madison and Monroe often traveled together, and the election
did not destroy their friendship. Madison prevailed over Monroe, taking 1,308 votes compared to Monroe's 972 votes.
Following his defeat, Monroe returned to his legal duties and developed his farm in Charlottesville. After the death of
Senator William Grayson in 1790, Monroe was elected to serve the remainder of Grayson's term.[29]
During the presidency of George Washington, U.S. politics became increasingly polarized between the supporters of
Secretary of State Jefferson and the Federalists, led by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Monroe stood
firmly with Jefferson in opposing Hamilton's strong central government and strong executive. The Democratic-
Republican Party coalesced around Jefferson and Madison, and Monroe became one of the fledgling party's leaders in
6 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
the Senate. He also helped organize opposition to John Adams in the 1792 election, though Adams defeated George
Clinton to win re-election.[30] As the 1790s progressed, the French Revolutionary Wars came to dominate U.S. foreign
policy, with British and French raids both threatening U.S. trade with Europe. Like most other Jeffersonians, Monroe
supported the French Revolution, but Hamilton's followers tended to sympathize more with Britain. In 1794, hoping to
find a way to avoid war with both countries, Washington appointed Monroe as his minister (ambassador) to France. At
the same time, he appointed the anglophile Federalist John Jay as his minister to Britain.[31]
Ambassador to France
After arriving in France, Monroe addressed the National Convention, receiving a
standing ovation for his speech celebrating republicanism. He experienced several
early diplomatic successes, including the protection of U.S. trade from French
attacks. He also used his influence to win the release of Thomas Paine and Adrienne
de La Fayette, the wife of the Marquis de Lafayette.[32] Months after Monroe arrived
in France, the U.S. and Great Britain concluded the Jay Treaty, outraging both the
French and Monroe—not fully informed about the treaty prior to its publication.
Despite the undesirable effects of the Jay Treaty on Franco-American relations,
Monroe won French support for U.S. navigational rights on the Mississippi River—
the mouth of which was controlled by Spain—and in 1795 the U.S. and Spain signed
The earliest preserved
Pinckney's Treaty. The treaty granted the U.S. limited rights to use the port of New portrait of James Monroe as
Orleans.[33] Minister Plenipotentiary to
France in 1794
Washington decided Monroe was inefficient, disruptive, and failed to safeguard the
national interest. He recalled Monroe in November 1796.[34] Returning to his home
in Charlottesville, he resumed his dual careers as a farmer and lawyer.[35] Jefferson and Madison urged Monroe to run
for Congress, but Monroe chose to focus on state politics instead.[36]
In 1798 Monroe published A View of the Conduct of the Executive, in the Foreign Affairs of the United States:
Connected with the Mission to the French Republic, During the Years 1794, 5, and 6 . It was a long defence of his term
as Minister to France. He followed the advice of his friend Robert Livingston who cautioned him to "repress every
harsh and acrimonious" comment about Washington. However, he did complain that too often the U.S. government
had been too close to Britain, especially regarding the Jay Treaty.[37] Washington made notes on this copy, writing,
"The truth is, Mr. Monroe was cajoled, flattered, and made to believe strange things. In return he did, or was disposed
to do, whatever was pleasing to that nation, reluctantly urging the rights of his own."[38]
Confrontations and strife with Alexander Hamilton

Back in 1792, then-Senator Monroe was investigating charges of corruption and misuse of Federal funds earmarked as
pay for Revolutionary War veterans, when he encountered claims that Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton was
involved.[39] Monroe, Frederick Muhlenberg, and Abraham Venable determined that Hamilton had been making
payments to James Reynolds, a co-conspirator in the financial scheme using government money. The investigating
committee prepared a report for George Washington, but confronted Hamilton before sending it. Hamilton confessed
not to the corruption charge, but instead to an affair with Reynolds' wife, Maria. He claimed Reynolds had found out
and was blackmailing him, and offered letters to prove his story. The investigators immediately dropped the matter,
and Monroe promised Hamilton he would keep the matter private.
7 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
When another suspect in that investigation, Jacob Clingman, told Maria Reynolds about the claim she'd had an affair
with Hamilton, she denied it, claiming the letters had been forged to help cover up the corruption. Clingman went to
Monroe about this. Monroe added that interview to his notes, and sent the entire set to a friend, possibly Thomas
Jefferson, for safekeeping. Unfortunately, the secretary who was involved in managing the notes of the investigation
made copies and gave them to scandal writer James Callender.[40]
Five years later, shortly after Monroe was recalled from France, Callender published accusations against Hamilton
based on those notes. Hamilton and his wife thought this was retaliation on the part of Monroe for the recall, and
confronted by Hamilton via letter. In a subsequent meeting between the two of them, where Hamilton had suggested
each bring a "second," Hamilton accused Monroe of lying, and challenged him to a duel. While such challenges were
usually hot air, in this case Monroe replied "I am ready, get your pistols." Their seconds interceded, and an
arrangement was made to give Hamilton documentation on what had occurred with the investigation.
Hamilton was not satisfied with the subsequent explanations, and at the end of an exchange of letters the two were
threatening duels, again. Monroe chose Aaron Burr as his second. Burr worked as a negotiator between the two parties,
believing they were both being "childish," and eventually helped settle matters.[41]
Governor of Virginia and diplomat
Governor of Virginia
On a party-line vote, the Virginia legislature elected Monroe as Governor of Virginia in 1799. He would serve as
governor until 1802.[42] The constitution of Virginia endowed the governor with very few powers aside from
commanding the militia when the Assembly called it into action. But Monroe used his stature to convince legislators to
enhance state involvement in transportation and education and to increase training for the militia. Monroe also began
to give State of the Commonwealth addresses to the legislature, in which he highlighted areas in which he believed the
legislature should act. Monroe also led an effort to create the state's first penitentiary, and imprisonment replaced
other, often harsher, punishments. In 1800, Monroe called out the state militia to suppress Gabriel's Rebellion, a slave
rebellion originating on a plantation six miles from the capital of Richmond. Gabriel and 27 other enslaved people who
participated were all hanged for treason.[43]
Monroe thought that foreign and Federalist elements had created the Quasi War of 1798–1800, and he strongly
supported Thomas Jefferson's candidacy for president in 1800. Federalists were likewise suspicious of Monroe, some
viewing him at best as a French dupe and at worst a traitor.[44] With the power to appoint election officials in Virginia,
Monroe exercised his influence to help Jefferson win Virginia's presidential electors.[45] He also considered using the
Virginia militia to force the outcome in favor of Jefferson.[46] Jefferson won the 1800 election, and he appointed
Madison as his Secretary of State. As a member of Jefferson's party and the leader of the largest state in the country,
Monroe emerged as one of Jefferson's two most likely successors, alongside Madison.[47]
Louisiana Purchase and ambassador to Britain

Shortly after the end of Monroe's gubernatorial tenure, President Jefferson sent Monroe back to France to assist
Ambassador Robert R. Livingston in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase. In the 1800 Treaty of San Ildefonso, France
had acquired the territory of Louisiana from Spain; at the time, many in the U.S. believed that France had also
acquired West Florida in the same treaty. The American delegation originally sought to acquire West Florida and the
8 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
city of New Orleans, which controlled the trade of the Mississippi River. Determined to acquire New Orleans even if it
meant war with France, Jefferson also authorized Monroe to form an alliance with the British if the French refused to
sell the city.[48]
Meeting with François Barbé-Marbois, the French foreign minister, Monroe and Livingston agreed to purchase the
entire territory of Louisiana for $15 million; the purchase became known as the Louisiana Purchase. In agreeing to the
purchase, Monroe violated his instructions, which had only allowed $9 million for the purchase of New Orleans and
West Florida. The French did not acknowledge that West Florida remained in Spanish possession, and the United
States would claim that France had sold West Florida to the United States for several years to come. Though he had not
ordered the purchase of the entire territory, Jefferson strongly supported Monroe's actions, which ensured that the
United States would continue to expand to the West. Overcoming doubts about whether the Constitution authorized
the purchase of foreign territory, Jefferson won congressional approval for the Louisiana Purchase, and the acquisition
doubled the size of the United States. Monroe would travel to Spain in 1805 to try to win the cession of West Florida,
but, with the support of France, Spain refused to consider relinquishing the territory.[49]
After the resignation of Rufus King, Monroe was appointed as the ambassador to Great Britain in 1803. The greatest
issue of contention between the United States and Britain was that of the impressment of U.S. sailors. Many U.S.
merchant ships employed British seamen who had deserted or dodged conscription, and the British frequently
impressed sailors on U.S. ships in hopes of quelling their manpower issues. Many of the sailors they impressed had
never been British subjects, and Monroe was tasked with persuading the British to stop their practice of impressment.
Monroe found little success in this endeavor, partly due to Jefferson's alienation of the British minister to the United
States, Anthony Merry. Rejecting Jefferson's offer to serve as the first governor of Louisiana Territory, Monroe
continued to serve as ambassador to Britain until 1807.[50]
In 1806 he negotiated the Monroe–Pinkney Treaty with Great Britain. It would have extended the Jay Treaty of 1794
which had expired after ten years. Jefferson had fought the Jay Treaty intensely in 1794–95 because he felt it would
allow the British to subvert American republicanism. The treaty had produced ten years of peace and highly lucrative
trade for American merchants, but Jefferson was still opposed. When Monroe and the British signed the new treaty in
December 1806, Jefferson refused to submit it to the Senate for ratification. Although the treaty called for ten more
years of trade between the United States and the British Empire and gave American merchants guarantees that would
have been good for business, Jefferson was unhappy that it did not end the hated British practice of impressment, and
refused to give up the potential weapon of commercial warfare against Britain. The president made no attempt to
obtain another treaty, and as a result, the two nations drifted from peace toward the War of 1812.[51] Monroe was
severely pained by the administration's repudiation of the treaty, and he fell out with Secretary of State James
Madison.[52]
1808 election and the Quids

On his return to Virginia in 1807, Monroe received a warm reception, and many urged him to run in the 1808
presidential election.[53] After Jefferson refused to submit the Monroe-Pinkney Treaty, Monroe had come to believe
that Jefferson had snubbed the treaty out of the desire to avoid elevating Monroe above Madison in 1808.[54] Out of
deference to Jefferson, Monroe agreed to avoid actively campaigning for the presidency, but he did not rule out
accepting a draft effort.[55] The Democratic-Republican Party was increasingly factionalized, with "Old Republicans" or
"Quids" denouncing the Jefferson administration for abandoning what they considered to be true republican
principles. The Quids tried to enlist Monroe in their cause. The plan was to run Monroe for president in the 1808
election in cooperation with the Federalist Party, which had a strong base in New England. John Randolph of Roanoke
9 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
led the Quid effort to stop Jefferson's choice of Madison. The regular Democratic-Republicans overcame the Quids in
the nominating caucus, kept control of the party in Virginia, and protected Madison's base.[56] Monroe did not publicly
criticize Jefferson or Madison during Madison's campaign against Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, but he
refused to support Madison.[57] Madison defeated Pinckney by a large margin, carrying all but one state outside of New
England. Monroe won 3,400 votes in Virginia, but received little support elsewhere.[55] After the election Monroe
quickly reconciled with Jefferson, but their friendship endured further strains when Jefferson did not promote
Monroe's candidacy to Congress in 1809.[58] Monroe did not speak with Madison until 1810.[52] Returning to private
life, he devoted his attentions to farming at his Charlottesville estate.[59]
Secretary of State and Secretary of War
Madison administration
Monroe returned to the Virginia House of Burgesses and was elected to another term as governor in 1811, but served
only four months. In April 1811, Madison appointed Monroe as Secretary of State in hopes of shoring up the support of
the more radical factions of the Democratic-Republicans.[52] Madison also hoped that Monroe, an experienced
diplomat with whom he had once been close friends, would improve upon the performance of the previous Secretary of
State, Robert Smith. Madison assured Monroe that their differences regarding the Monroe-Pinkney Treaty had been a
misunderstanding, and the two resumed their friendship.[60] On taking office, Monroe hoped to negotiate treaties with
the British and French to end the attacks on American merchant ships. While the French agreed to reduce the attacks
and release seized American ships, the British were less receptive to Monroe's demands.[61] Monroe had long worked
for peace with the British, but he came to favor war with Britain, joining with "war hawks" such as Speaker of the
House Henry Clay. With the support of Monroe and Clay, Madison asked Congress to declare war upon the British, and
Congress complied on June 18, 1812, thus beginning the War of 1812.[62]
The war went very badly, and the Madison administration quickly sought peace, but were rejected by the British.[63]
The U.S. Navy did experience several successes after Monroe convinced Madison to allow the Navy's ships to set sail
rather than remaining in port for the duration of the war.[64] After the resignation of Secretary of War William Eustis,
Madison asked Monroe to serve in dual roles as Secretary of State and Secretary of War, but opposition from the
Senate limited Monroe to serving as acting Secretary of War until Brigadier General John Armstrong won Senate
confirmation.[65] Monroe and Armstrong clashed over war policy, and Armstrong blocked Monroe's hopes of being
appointed to lead an invasion of Canada.[66] As the war dragged on, the British offered to begin negotiations in Ghent,
and the United States sent a delegation led by John Quincy Adams to conduct negotiations. Monroe allowed Adams
leeway in setting terms, so long as he ended the hostilities and preserved American neutrality.[67]
When the British burned the U.S. Capitol and the White House on August 24, 1814, Madison removed Armstrong as
Secretary of War and turned to Monroe for help, appointing him Secretary of War on September 27.[68] Monroe
resigned as Secretary of State on October 1, 1814, but no successor was ever appointed and thus from October 1814 to
February 28, 1815, Monroe effectively held both Cabinet posts.[69] Now in command of the war effort, Monroe ordered
General Andrew Jackson to defend against a likely attack on New Orleans by the British, and he asked the governors of
nearby states to send their militias to reinforce Jackson. He also called on Congress to draft an army of 100,000 men,
increase compensation to soldiers, and establish a new national bank to ensure adequate funding for the war effort.[70]
Months after Monroe took office as Secretary of War, the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. The treaty
resulted in a return to the status quo ante bellum, and many outstanding issues between the United States and Britain
remained. But Americans celebrated the end of the war as a great victory, partly due to the news of the treaty reaching
10 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
the United States shortly after Jackson's victory in the Battle of New Orleans. With the end of the Napoleonic Wars in
1815, the British also ended the practice of impressment. After the war, Congress authorized the creation a national
bank in the form of the Second Bank of the United States.[71]
Election of 1816
Monroe decided to seek the presidency in the 1816 election, and his war-time leadership had established him as
Madison's heir apparent. Monroe had strong support from many in the party, but his candidacy was challenged at the
1816 Democratic-Republican congressional nominating caucus. Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford had the
support of numerous Southern and Western Congressmen, while Governor Daniel D. Tompkins was backed by several
Congressmen from New York. Crawford appealed especially to many Democratic-Republicans who were wary of
Madison and Monroe's support for the establishment of the Second Bank of the United States.[72] Despite his
substantial backing, Crawford decided to defer to Monroe on the belief that he could eventually run as Monroe's
successor, and Monroe won his party's nomination. Tompkins won the party's vice presidential nomination. The
moribund Federalists nominated Rufus King as their presidential nominee, but the party offered little opposition
following the conclusion of a popular war that they had opposed. Monroe received 183 of the 217 electoral votes,
winning every state but Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware.[73]
Presidency
Domestic affairs
Democratic-Republican Party dominance

Monroe largely ignored old party lines in making federal appointments, which reduced political tensions and
augmented the sense of "oneness" that pervaded the United States. He made two long national tours to build national
trust. At Boston, a newspaper hailed his 1817 visit as the beginning of an "Era of Good Feelings". Frequent stops on his
tours included ceremonies of welcome and expressions of good-will. The Federalist Party continued to fade during his
administration; it maintained its vitality and organizational integrity in Delaware and a few localities, but lacked
influence in national politics. Lacking serious opposition, the Democratic-Republican Party's Congressional caucus
stopped meeting, and for practical purposes the party stopped operating.[74]
Administration and cabinet

Monroe appointed a geographically-balanced cabinet, through which he The Monroe Cabinet
led the executive branch.[75] At Monroe's request, Crawford continued
Office Name Term
to serve as Treasury Secretary. Monroe also chose to retain Benjamin
Crowninshield of Massachusetts as Secretary of the Navy and Richard
President James 1817–1825
Monroe
Rush of Pennsylvania as Attorney General. Recognizing Northern
discontent at the continuation of the Virginia dynasty, Monroe chose Vice Daniel D. 1817–1825
President Tompkins
John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts as Secretary of State, making
Adams the early favorite to eventually succeed Monroe. An experienced Secretary John Quincy 1817–1825
of State Adams
diplomat, Adams had abandoned the Federalist Party in 1807 in support
of Thomas Jefferson's foreign policy, and Monroe hoped that the
11 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
appointment would encourage the defection of more Federalists. After Secretary William H. 1817–1825
General Andrew Jackson declined appointment as Secretary of War, of Crawford
Treasury
Monroe turned to South Carolina Congressman John C. Calhoun,
leaving the Cabinet without a prominent Westerner. In late 1817 Rush Secretary John C. 1817–1825
of War Calhoun
became the ambassador to Britain, and William Wirt succeeded him as
Attorney General.[76] With the exception of Crowninshield, the rest of Attorney Richard Rush 1817
General
Monroe's initial cabinet appointees remained in place for the remainder
of his presidency.[77]
William 1817–1825
Wirt
Secretary Benjamin 1817–1818
Missouri Compromise of the Crowninshield
In February 1819, a bill to enable the people of the Missouri Territory to Navy Smith 1819–1823
draft a constitution and form a government preliminary to admission Thompson
into the Union came before the House of Representatives. During these Samuel 1823–1825
L.
proceedings, Congressman James Tallmadge, Jr. of New York "tossed a
Southard
bombshell into the Era of Good Feelings"[78] by offering the Tallmadge
Amendment, which prohibited the further introduction of slaves into Missouri and required that all future children of
slave parents therein should be free at the age of twenty-five years. After three days of rancorous and sometimes bitter
debate, the bill, with Tallmadge's amendments, passed. The measure then went to the Senate, where both amendments
were rejected.[79] A House–Senate conference committee was unable to resolve the disagreements on the bill, and so
the entire measure failed.[80] The ensuing debates pitted the northern "restrictionists" (antislavery legislators who
wished to bar slavery from the Louisiana territories) against southern "anti-restrictionists" (proslavery legislators who
rejected any interference by Congress inhibiting slavery expansion).[81]
During the following session, the House passed a similar bill with an amendment, introduced on January 26, 1820, by
John W. Taylor of New York, allowing Missouri into the union as a slave state. The question had been complicated by
the admission in December of Alabama, a slave state, making the number of slave and free states equal. In addition,
there was a bill in passage through the House (January 3, 1820) to admit Maine as a free state.[82] The Senate decided
to connect the two measures. It passed a bill for the admission of Maine with an amendment enabling the people of
Missouri to form a state constitution. Before the bill was returned to the House, a second amendment was adopted on
the motion of Jesse B. Thomas of Illinois, excluding slavery from the Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30′
north (the southern boundary of Missouri), except within the limits of the proposed state of Missouri. The House then
approved the bill as amended by the Senate.[83] The legislation passed, which became known as the Missouri
Compromise, won the support of Monroe and both houses of Congress, and compromise temporarily settled the issue
of slavery in the territories.[84]
Internal improvements
As the United States continued to grow, many Americans advocated a system of internal improvements to help the
country develop. Federal assistance for such projects evolved slowly and haphazardly—the product of contentious
congressional factions and an executive branch generally concerned with avoiding unconstitutional federal intrusions
into state affairs.[85] Monroe believed that the young nation needed an improved infrastructure, including a
transportation network to grow and thrive economically, but did not think that the Constitution authorized Congress to
build, maintain, and operate a national transportation system.[86] Monroe repeatedly urged Congress to pass an
amendment allowing Congress the power to finance internal improvements, but Congress never acted on his proposal,
in part because many congressmen believed that the Constitution did in fact authorize the federal financing of internal
12 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
improvements.[87] In 1822, Congress passed a bill authorizing the

collection of tolls on the Cumberland Road, with the tolls being used to
finance repairs on the road. Adhering to stated position regarding internal
improvements, Monroe vetoed the bill.[87] In an elaborate essay, Monroe
set forth his constitutional views on the subject. Congress might
appropriate money, he admitted, but it might not undertake the actual
construction of national works nor assume jurisdiction over them.[88]
In 1824, the Supreme Court ruled in Gibbons v. Ogden that the

Constitution's Commerce Clause gave the federal government the
authority to regulate interstate commerce. Shortly thereafter, Congress
passed two important laws that, together, marked the beginning of the
federal government's continuous involvement in civil works. The General
Survey Act authorized the president to have surveys made of routes for
roads and canals "of national importance, in a commercial or military BEP engraved portrait of Monroe as
President
point of view, or necessary for the transportation of public mail." The
president assigned responsibility for the surveys to the Army Corps of
Engineers. The second act, passed a month later, appropriated $75,000 to improve navigation on the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers by removing sandbars, snags, and other obstacles. Subsequently, the act was amended to include
other rivers such as the Missouri. This work, too, was given to the Corps of Engineers—the only formally trained body
of engineers in the new republic and, as part of the nation's small army, available to serve the wishes of Congress and
the executive branch.[85]
Panic of 1819
Two years into his presidency, Monroe faced an economic crisis known as the Panic of 1819, the first major depression
to hit the country since the ratification of the Constitution in 1788.[89] The panic stemmed from declining imports and
exports, and sagging agricultural prices[86] as global markets readjusted to peacetime production and commerce in the
aftermath of the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars.[90][91] The severity of the economic downturn in the U.S. was
compounded by excessive speculation in public lands,[92][93] fueled by the unrestrained issue of paper money from
banks and business concerns.[94][95] Monroe lacked the power to intervene directly in the economy, as banks were
largely regulated by the states, and he could do little to stem the economic crisis.[96]
Before the onset of the Panic of 1819, some business leaders had called on Congress to increase tariff rates to address
the negative balance of trade and help struggling industries.[97] As the panic spread, Monroe declined to call a special
session of Congress to address the economy. When Congress finally reconvened in December 1819, Monroe requested
an increase in the tariff but declined to recommend specific rates.[98] Congress would not raise tariff rates until the
passage of the Tariff of 1824.[99] The panic resulted in high unemployment and an increase in bankruptcies and
foreclosures,[86][100] and provoked popular resentment against banking and business enterprises.[101][102]
Foreign affairs
According to historian William E. Weeks, "Monroe evolved a comprehensive strategy aimed at expanding the Union
externally while solidifying it internally". He expanded trade and pacified relations with Great Britain while expanding
the United States at the expense of the Spanish Empire, from which he obtained Florida and the recognition of a
border across the continent. Faced with the breakdown of the expansionist consensus over the question of slavery, the
13 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
president tried to provide both North and South with guarantees that future expansion would not tip the balance of
power between slave and free states, a system that, Weeks remarks, did indeed allow the continuation of American
expansion for the best of four decades.[103]
Treaties with Britain and Russia

Monroe pursued warmer relations with Britain in the aftermath of the War of 1812.[104] In 1817 the United States and
Britain signed the Rush–Bagot Treaty, which regulated naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain and
demilitarized the border between the U.S. and British North America.[105] The Treaty of 1818, also with Great Britain,
was concluded October 20, 1818, and fixed the present Canada–United States border from Minnesota to the Rocky
Mountains at the 49th parallel. The accords also established a joint U.S.–British occupation of Oregon Country for the
next ten years.[106] Though they did not solve every outstanding issue between the U.S. and Britain, the treaties
allowed for greater trade between the United States and the British Empire and helped avoid an expensive naval arms
race in the Great Lakes.[104] Late in Monroe's second term, the U.S. concluded the Russo-American Treaty of 1824 with
the Russian Empire, setting the southern limit of Russian sovereignty on the Pacific coast of North America at the
54°40′ parallel (the present southern tip of the Alaska Panhandle).[107]
Acquisition of Florida
Spain had long rejected repeated American efforts to purchase Florida. But by 1818, Spain was facing a troubling
colonial situation in which the cession of Florida made sense. Spain had been exhausted by the Peninsular War in
Europe and needed to rebuild its credibility and presence in its colonies. Revolutionaries in Central America and South
America were beginning to demand independence. Spain was unwilling to invest further in Florida, encroached on by
American settlers, and it worried about the border between New Spain and the United States. With only a minor
military presence in Florida, Spain was not able to restrain the Seminole warriors who routinely crossed the border and
raided American villages and farms, as well as protected southern slave refugees from slave owners and traders of the
southern United States.[108]
In response to these Seminole attacks, Monroe ordered a military

expedition to cross into Spanish Florida and attack the Seminoles. The
expedition, led by Andrew Jackson, defeated numerous Seminoles but also
seized the Spanish territorial capital of Pensacola. With the capture of
Pensacola, Jackson established de facto American control of the entire
territory. While Monroe supported Jackson's actions, many in Congress
harshly criticized what they saw as an undeclared war. With the support of
Secretary of State Adams, Monroe defended Jackson against domestic and
international criticism, and the United States began negotiations with
Spain.[109] Map showing the results of the
Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819
Spain faced revolt in all her American colonies and could neither govern
nor defend Florida. On February 22, 1819, Spain and the United States
signed the Adams–Onís Treaty, which ceded the Floridas in return for the assumption by the United States of claims of
American citizens against Spain to an amount not exceeding $5,000,000. The treaty also contained a definition of the
boundary between Spanish and American possessions on the North American continent. Beginning at the mouth of the
Sabine River the line ran along that river to the 32nd parallel, then due north to the Red River, which it followed to the
100th meridian, due north to the Arkansas River, and along that river to its source, then north to the 42nd parallel,
14 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
which it followed to the Pacific Ocean. As the United States renounced all claims to the west and south of this boundary
(Texas), so Spain surrendered any title she had to the Northwest (Oregon Country).[110]
Monroe Doctrine
Monroe was deeply sympathetic to the Latin American revolutionary movements against Spain. He was determined
that the United States should never repeat the policies of the Washington administration during the French
Revolution, when the nation had failed to demonstrate its sympathy for the aspirations of peoples seeking to establish
republican governments. He did not envisage military involvement but only the provision of moral support, as he
believed that a direct American intervention would provoke other European powers into assisting Spain.[111] Monroe
initially refused to recognize the Latin American governments due to ongoing negotiations with Spain over Florida.[112]
In March 1822, Monroe officially recognized the countries of Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico, all of
which had won independence from Spain.[106] Secretary of State Adams, under Monroe's supervision, wrote the
instructions for the ministers to these new countries. They declared that the policy of the United States was to uphold
republican institutions and to seek treaties of commerce on a most-favored-nation basis. The United States would
support inter-American congresses dedicated to the development of economic and political institutions fundamentally
differing from those prevailing in Europe. Monroe took pride as the United States was the first nation to extend
recognition and to set an example to the rest of the world for its support of the "cause of liberty and humanity".[113]
For their part, the British also had a strong interest in ensuring the demise of Spanish colonialism, with all the trade
restrictions mercantilism imposed. In October 1823, Richard Rush, the American minister in London, advised that
Foreign Secretary George Canning was proposing that the U.S. and Britain issue a joint declaration to deter any other
power from intervening in Central and South America. Adams vigorously opposed cooperation with Great Britain,
contending that a statement of bilateral nature could limit United States expansion in the future. He also argued that
the British were not committed to recognizing the Latin American republics and must have had imperial motivations
themselves.[114]
Two months later, the bilateral statement proposed by the British became a unilateral declaration by the United States.
While Monroe thought that Spain was unlikely to re-establish its colonial empire on its own, he feared that France or
the Holy Alliance might seek to establish control over the former Spanish possessions.[115] On December 2, 1823, in his
annual message to Congress, Monroe articulated what became known as the Monroe Doctrine. He first reiterated the
traditional U.S. policy of neutrality with regard to European wars and conflicts. He then declared that the United States
would not accept the recolonization of any country by its former European master, though he also avowed non-
interference with existing European colonies in the Americas.[116] Finally, he stated that European countries should no
longer consider the Western Hemisphere open to new colonization, a jab aimed primarily at Russia, which was
attempting to expand its colony on the northern Pacific Coast.[106][113]
Election of 1820
The collapse of the Federalists left Monroe with no organized opposition at the end of his first term, and he ran for
reelection unopposed,[117] the only president other than Washington to do so. A single elector from New Hampshire,
William Plumer, cast a vote for John Quincy Adams, preventing a unanimous vote in the Electoral College.[117] He did
so because he thought Monroe was incompetent. Later in the century, the story arose that he had cast his dissenting
vote so that only George Washington would have the honor of unanimous election. Plumer never mentioned
Washington in his speech explaining his vote to the other New Hampshire electors.[118]
15 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
States admitted to the Union

Five new states were admitted to the Union while Monroe was in office:
Mississippi – December 10, 1817[119]

Illinois – December 3, 1818[120]
Alabama – December 14, 1819[121]
Maine – March 15, 1820[122][a]
Missouri – August 10, 1821[124]
Post-presidency
When his presidency ended on March 4, 1825, James Monroe resided at
Monroe Hill, what is now included in the grounds of the University of
Virginia. He served on the university's Board of Visitors under Jefferson
and under the second rector James Madison, both former presidents,
almost until his death. He and his wife lived at Oak Hill in Aldie, Virginia,
until Elizabeth's death on September 23, 1830. In August 1825, the
Monroes had received the Marquis de Lafayette and President John Quincy
Adams as guests there.[125]
Monroe incurred many unliquidated debts during his years of public life. Monroe once owned a farm at the
location of the University of Virginia
He sold off his Highland Plantation. It is now owned by his alma mater, the
in Charlottesville
College of William and Mary, which has opened it to the public as a historic
site. Throughout his life, he was financially insolvent, and this was
exacerbated by his wife's poor health.[126]
Monroe was elected as a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830. He was one of four delegates
elected from the senatorial district made up of his home district of Loudoun and Fairfax County.[127] In October 1829,
he was elected by the Convention to serve as the presiding officer, until his failing health required him to withdraw on
December 8, after which Philip Pendleton Barbour of Orange County was elected presiding officer.
Upon Elizabeth's death in 1830, Monroe moved to New York City to live with his daughter Maria Hester Monroe
Gouverneur, who had married Samuel L. Gouverneur. Monroe's health began to slowly fail by the end of the 1820s.[128]
On July 4, 1831, Monroe died from heart failure and tuberculosis, thus becoming the third president to have died on
Independence Day. His death came 55 years after the United States Declaration of Independence was proclaimed and
five years after the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. His last words were, "I regret that I should leave this
world without again beholding him." He referred to James Madison, who in fact was one of his best friends.[129]
Monroe was originally buried in New York at the Gouverneur family's vault in the New York City Marble Cemetery. 27
years later, in 1858, his body was re-interred at the President's Circle in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.
The James Monroe Tomb is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
Religious beliefs
"When it comes to Monroe's thoughts on religion," historian Bliss Isely notes, "less is known than that of any other
President." No letters survive in which he discussed his religious beliefs. Nor did his friends, family or associates
comment on his beliefs. Letters that do survive, such as ones written after the death of his son, contain no discussion of
16 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
religion.[130]
Monroe was raised in a family that belonged to the Church of England when it was
the state church in Virginia before the Revolution. As an adult, he attended
Episcopal churches. Some historians see "deistic tendencies" in his few references to
an impersonal God.[131] Unlike Jefferson, Monroe was rarely attacked as an atheist
or infidel. In 1832 James Renwick Willson, a Reformed Presbyterian minister in
Albany, New York, criticized Monroe for having "lived and died like a second-rate
Athenian philosopher."[132]
Slavery
Monroe owned dozens of slaves. He took several slaves with him to Washington to
serve at the White House from 1817 to 1825. This was typical of other slaveholders,
Monroe's grave at
as Congress did not provide for domestic staff of the presidents at that time.[133]
Hollywood Cemetery.
As president of Virginia's constitutional convention in the fall of 1829, Monroe
reiterated his belief that slavery was a blight which, even as a British colony,
Virginia had attempted to eradicate. "What was the origin of our slave population?" he rhetorically asked. "The evil
commenced when we were in our Colonial state, but acts were passed by our Colonial Legislature, prohibiting the
importation, of more slaves, into the Colony. These were rejected by the Crown." To the dismay of states' rights
proponents, he was willing to accept the federal government's financial assistance to emancipate and transport freed
slaves to other countries. At the convention, Monroe made his final public statement on slavery, proposing that
Virginia emancipate and deport its bondsmen with "the aid of the Union."[134]
Monroe was part of the American Colonization Society, which supported the establishment of colonies outside of the
United States for free African-Americans. The society helped send several thousand freed slaves to the new colony of
Liberia in Africa from 1820 to 1840. Slave owners like Monroe and Andrew Jackson wanted to prevent free blacks from
encouraging slaves in the South to rebel. With about $100,000 in federal grant money, the organization also bought
land for the freedmen in what is today Liberia.[135] The capital of Liberia was named Monrovia after President
Monroe.[136]
When Monroe was Governor of Virginia in 1800, hundreds of slaves from Virginia planned to kidnap him, take
Richmond, and negotiate for their freedom. Due to a storm on August 30, they were unable to attack. What became
known as Gabriel's slave conspiracy became public knowledge.[137] In response, Governor Monroe called out the
militia; the slave patrols soon captured some slaves accused of involvement. Sidbury says some trials had a few
measures to prevent abuses, such as an appointed attorney, but they were "hardly 'fair'". Slave codes prevented slaves
from being treated like whites, and they were given quick trials without a jury.[138] Monroe influenced the Executive
Council to pardon and sell some slaves instead of hanging them.[139] Historians say the Virginia courts executed
between 26 and 35 slaves. None of the executed slaves had killed any whites because the uprising had been foiled
before it began.[140]
Legacy
Historical reputation
17 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
Polls of historians and political scientists tend to rank Monroe as an above

average president.[141][142] Monroe presided over a period in which the
United States began to turn away from European affairs and towards
domestic issues. His presidency saw the United States settle many of its
longstanding boundary issues through an accommodation with Britain and
the acquisition of Florida. Monroe also helped resolve sectional tensions
through his support of the Missouri Compromise and by seeking support
from all regions of the country.[143] Political scientist Fred Greenstein
argues that Monroe was a more effective executive than some of his better-
known predecessors, including Madison and John Adams.[144]
Memorials
The capital of Liberia is named Monrovia after Monroe; it is the only
national capital other than Washington, D.C. named after a U.S. President.
Statue of Monroe at Highland
Monroe is the namesake of seventeen Monroe counties.[145] Monroe,
Maine, Monroe, Michigan, Monroe, Georgia, Monroe, Connecticut, Monroe
Township, New Jersey, and Fort Monroe are all named for him. Monroe has been depicted on U.S. currency and
stamps, including a 1954 United States Postal Service 5¢ Liberty Issue postage stamp.
Monroe was the last U.S. President to wear a powdered wig tied in a queue, a tricorne hat and knee-breeches according
to the style of the late 18th century.[146][147] That earned him the nickname "The Last Cocked Hat".[148] He is also the
last president to have never been photographed.[149]
See also
List of Presidents of the United States
List of Presidents of the United States, sortable by previous experience
List of United States political appointments that crossed party lines
History of Virginia on stamps
Notes
a. Maine is one of 3 states that were set off from already existing states (Kentucky and West Virginia are the others).
The Massachusetts General Court passed enabling legislation on June 19, 1819, separating the "District of Maine"
from the rest of the State (an action approved by the voters in Maine on July 19, 1819, by 17,001 to 7,132); then,
on February 25, 1820, passed a follow-up measure officially accepting the fact of Maine's imminent statehood.[123]
References
1. Unger 2009, pp. 9–10
2. Ammon 1971, p. 577.
3. Unger 2009, pp. 12–19
4. Ammon 1971, pp. 3–8.
5. Unger 2009, pp. 20–27
18 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
6. "Homes Of Virginia – Jame's Monroe's Law Office" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101230101813/http://www.olda

ndsold.com/articles11/virginia-homes-13.shtml). Oldandsold.com. Archived from the original (http://www.oldandsol
d.com/articles11/virginia-homes-13.shtml) on December 30, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
7. Unger 2009, pp. 27–36
8. Unger 2009, pp. 37–40
9. Hart, Gary (October 5, 2005). James Monroe: The American Presidents Series: The 5th President, 1817–1825–
Google Knihy (https://books.google.com/?id=-m3T2LaMtnAC&pg=PT105&dq=James+Monroe++last++presiden
t++veteran++Revolutionary+War#v=onepage&q=James%20Monroe%20%20last%20%20president%20%20vetera
n%20%20Revolutionary%20War&f=false). ISBN 9781466823051. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
10. Holmes, David R. (2006). The Faiths of the Founding Fathers. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. p. 104.
11. Pessen, Edward (1984). The Log Cabin Myth: The Social Backgrounds of the Presidents (https://archive.org/detail
s/logcabinmythsoci0000pess). Yale University Press. p. 79. ISBN 0-300-03166-1.
12. "First Lady Biography: Elizabeth Monroe" (http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=5).
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20120509090316/http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?bio
graphy=5) from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
13. Unger 2009, pp. 61–63
14. Unger 2009, pp. 63–64, 84
15. "Births, Marriages, and Deaths". The Observer. London: 1. February 3, 1840.
16. Schnieder, Dorothy; Schnieder, Carl J. (2010). First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary. Facts on File. p. 40.
ISBN 9781438127507.
17. "How many wedding ceremonies have been held at the White House?" (https://www.whitehousehistory.org/questio
ns/how-many-weddings-have-been-held-at-the-white-house). While House History web site. The White House
Historical Association. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20161130114616/https://www.whitehousehistory.org/
questions/how-many-weddings-have-been-held-at-the-white-house) from the original on November 30, 2016.
Retrieved March 13, 2011.
18. Doug Wead (2008). "Murder at the Wedding Maria Hester Monroe" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110505041703/
http://www.whitehouseweddings.com/murder.htm). Archived from the original (http://www.whitehouseweddings.co
m/murder.htm) on May 5, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011. Excerpt from All The President's Children: Triumph and
Tragedy in the Lives of America's First Families. Simon and Schuster. 2004. ISBN 978-0-7434-4633-4.
19. Gawalt, Gerard W. (1993). "James Monroe, Presidential Planter". Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 101
(2): 251–272.
20. Stevenson, Brenda E. (1996). Life in Black and White : Family and Community in the Slave South (https://archive.
org/details/lifeinblackwhite0082stev). Oxford University Press. pp. 159–160 (https://archive.org/details/lifeinblackw
hite0082stev/page/159).
21. Hart 2005, pp. 12–13.
22. Morgan, George (1921). The Life of James Monroe (https://archive.org/details/lifejamesmonroe01morggoog).
Small, Maynard, and Co. p. 94.
23. Ammon 1971, pp. 45–47
24. Hart 2005, pp. 13–16.
25. Unger 2009, pp. 74–75
26. Hart 2005, pp. 16–17.
27. Kukla, Jon (1988). "A Spectrum of Sentiments: Virginia's Federalists, Antifederalists, and 'Federalists Who Are for
Amendments". Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 96 (3): 276–296.
28. Unger 2009, pp. 81–82
29. Unger 2009, pp. 82–86
30. Cunningham, pp. 3–5
19 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
31. Unger 2009, pp. 94–104

32. Unger 2009, pp. 111–115
33. Hart 2005, pp. 29–34.
34. Herbert E. Klingelhofer, "George Washington Discharges Monroe for Incompetence." Manuscripts (1965) 17#1 pp
26–34.
35. Unger 2009, pp. 136–137
37. Harry Ammon, James Monroe (1971) pp. 165–67.
38. Daniel C. Gilman, James Monroe (1883) p 70.
39. That Time When Alexander Hamilton Almost Dueled James Monroe — smithsonian.com (https://www.smithsonian
mag.com/history/time-when-alexander-hamilton-almost-dueled-james-monroe-180957045/)
40. The Near-Duel Between James Monroe and Alexander Hamilton — The Papers of James Monroe (https://academ
ics.umw.edu/jamesmonroepapers/2015/09/03/the-near-duel-between-james-monroe-and-alexander-hamilton/)
41. When Hamilton Quarreled With Monroe (https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/24/opinion/l-when-hamilton-quarreled-
with-monroe-100887.html)
42. Cunningham, p. 7
43. Unger 2009, pp. 138–141
44. Scherr, Arthur (2002). "James Monroe on the Presidency and 'Foreign Influence;: from the Virginia Ratifying
Convention (1788) to Jefferson's Election 1801". Mid-America. 84 (1–3): 145–206.
46. Ammon 1971, p. 193.
47. Unger 2009, pp. 144–146
48. Unger 2009, pp. 152–154, 158
49. Unger 2009, pp. 163–169, 181
50. Unger 2009, pp. 170–176, 193
51. Axelrod, Alan (2008). Profiles in Folly: History's Worst Decisions and Why They Went Wrong (https://archive.org/d
etails/profilesinfollyh00axel). Sterling Publishing. p. 154 (https://archive.org/details/profilesinfollyh00axel/page/154)
.
52. Leibiger, Stuart (July 31, 2012). A Companion to James Madison and James Monroe (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=eSftIw3YSTQC&pg=PA517). John Wiley & Sons. pp. 489–491. ISBN 9781118281437. Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20160704142341/https://books.google.com/books?id=eSftIw3YSTQC&pg=PA517) from the
original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
53. Unger 2009, pp. 195–197
54. Unger 2009, pp. 191–192
55. Unger 2009, pp. 200–201
56. David A. Carson, "Quiddism and the Reluctant Candidacy of James Monroe in the Election of 1808," Mid-America
1988 70(2): 79–89
58. Ammon 1971, p. 280–281
59. Unger 2009, pp. 200–202
60. Unger 2009, pp. 210–211
61. Unger 2009, pp. 215–218
62. Unger 2009, pp. 220–222
63. Unger 2009, p. 228
20 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
64. Unger 2009, pp. 227–228

65. Unger 2009, pp. 231–232
66. Cunningham, p. 12
67. Unger 2009, pp. 237–238
68. Hart 2005, pp. 52–53.
69. Hart 2005, pp. 53–54.
70. Unger 2009, pp. 247–250
71. Unger 2009, pp. 252–255
73. Unger 2009, pp. 258–260
74. Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur Meier, ed. (1973). History of U.S. political parties (Vol. 1). Chelsea House Publishers.
pp. 24–25, 267.
75. Cunningham, pp. 28–29.
76. Cunningham 1996, pp. 21–23.
78. Howe 2007, p. 147.
79. Dangerfield 1965, p. 111.
80. Wilentz 2004, p. 380.
81. Wilentz 2004, pp. 380, 386.
82. Dixon, 1899 pp. 58–59
83. Greeley, Horace. (1856). A History of the Struggle for Slavery (https://books.google.com/?id=i3o_CwF21l4C&pg=P
A28&dq=%22in+all+that+territory+ceded+by+france+to+the+united+states%22#v=onepage&q=%22in%20all%20t
hat%20territory%20ceded%20by%20france%20to%20the%20united%20states%22&f=false). Dix, Edwards & Co.
p. 28. ISBN 9781429016377.
84. Unger 2009, pp. 305–306
85. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: A Brief History Improving Transportation" (http://www.usace.army.mil/About/H
istory/Brief-History-of-the-Corps/Improving-Transportation/). United States Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved
February 26, 2017.
86. "James Monroe: Domestic Affairs" (https://millercenter.org/president/monroe/domestic-affairs). Miller Center of
Public Affairs, University of Virginia. October 4, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
88. Johnson, pp. 309–310.
89. Cunningham, p. 81.
90. Ammon, p. 462.
91. Wilentz, 2008, pp. 208, 215.
92. Rothbard, Murray (1962). The Panic of 1819: Reactions and Policies (http://mises.org/rothbard/panic1819.pdf)
(PDF). New York: Columbia University Press. p. 12.
93. Dangerfield, 1965, pp. 82, 84, 86.
94. Wilentz, 2008, p. 206.
95. Dangerfield, 1965, p. 87.
96. Unger 2009, pp. 296–297
21 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
99. Cunningham, p. 167.

100. Dangerfield, 1965, pp. 82, 84, 85.
101. Dangerfield, 1965, pp. 89–90.
102. Hammond, Bray (1957). Banks and Politics in America, from the Revolution to the Civil War (https://archive.org/de
tails/bankspoliticsina0000hamm). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
103. Weeks, William Earl (February 2013). "4" (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/new-cambridge-history-of-ameri
can-foreign-relations/CFF5DEF8E3BC2DE906E4134C0A71384A). The New Cambridge History of American
Foreign Relations. Volume 1: Dimensions of the Early American Empire, 1754–1865. Cambridge University Press.
pp. 88–120. ISBN 9781139030397.
104. "Milestones: 1801–1829: Rush-Bagot Pact, 1817 and Convention of 1818" (https://history.state.gov/milestones/18
01-1829/rush-bagot). Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs United States Department of State. Retrieved
February 25, 2017.
105. Uphaus-Conner, Adele (April 20, 2012). "Today in History: Rush-Bagot Treaty Signed" (http://jamesmonroemuseu
m.umw.edu/2012/04/20/today-in-history-rush-bagot-treaty-signed/). James Monroe Museum, Univ. of Mary
Washington. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170226131211/http://jamesmonroemuseum.umw.edu/2012/
04/20/today-in-history-rush-bagot-treaty-signed/) from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25,
2017.
106. "James Monroe: Foreign Affairs" (http://millercenter.org/president/biography/monroe-foreign-affairs). Miller Center
of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. October 4, 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170226131420/h
ttp://millercenter.org/president/biography/monroe-foreign-affairs) from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved
February 25, 2017.
107. McDougall, Allan K.; Philips, Lisa (2016) [1st pub. 2012]. "Chapter 10: The State, Hegemony and the Historical
British-US Border" (https://books.google.com/?id=yu4kFC_vNokC&pg=PA186&lpg=PA186&dq=Russo-American+
Treaty+of+1824#v=onepage&q=Russo-American%20Treaty%20of%201824&f=false). In Wilson, Thomas M.;
Donnan, Hastings (eds.). A Companion to Border Studies. Wiley Blackwell Companions to Anthropology Series.
Wiley. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-1191-1167-2. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
108. Weeks 1992, p. 118.
109. Unger 2009, pp. 288–294
110. Johnson 1915, pp. 262–264.
111. Ammon, pp. 476–492.
113. Ammon 1971, pp. 476–492.
114. "Milestones: 1801–1829: Monroe Doctrine, 1823" (https://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/monroe). Office
of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs United States Department of State. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web
/20170131010117/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/monroe) from the original on January 31, 2017.
Retrieved February 25, 2017.
115. Unger 2009, pp. 312–313
116. "James Monroe - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com" (http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-monroe).
HISTORY.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170719151806/http://www.history.com/topics/us-presiden
ts/james-monroe) from the original on July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
117. "America President: James Monroe: Campaigns and Elections" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100114030924/htt
p://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/monroe/essays/biography/3). Miller Center of Public Affairs.
Archived from the original (http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/monroe/essays/biography/3) on
January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
118. "Presidential Elections" (http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/presidential-elections). A+E Networks.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170321151243/http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/presidential-el
ections) from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
22 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
119. "Welcome from the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission" (http://ms200.org/). Mississippi Bicentennial
Celebration Commission. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170217064047/http://ms200.org/) from the
original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
120. "Today in History: December 3" (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec03.html). loc.gov. Library of Congress.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160611091603/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec03.html) from the
original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
121. "Alabama History Timeline: 1800–1860" (http://www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html). alabama.gov.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160618035649/http://www.archives.alabama.gov/timeline/al1801.html)
from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
122. "Today in History: March 15" (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar15.html). loc.gov. Library of Congress.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160827194658/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar15.html) from the
original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
123. "Official Name and Status History of the several States and U.S. Territories" (http://www.thegreenpapers.com/slg/s
tatehood.phtml). TheGreenPapers.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20090814204615/http://www.thegr
eenpapers.com/slg/statehood.phtml) from the original on August 14, 2009.
124. "Today in History: August 10" (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug10.html). loc.gov. Library of Congress.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160726221800/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/aug10.html) from
the original on July 26, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
125. Auguste Levasseur. Alan R. Hoffman (ed.). Lafayette in America. p. 549.
126. "Highland–James Monroe" (http://www.ashlawnhighland.org). Ashlawnhighland.org. Archived (https://web.archive.
org/web/20160414170725/http://ashlawnhighland.org/) from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
127. Pulliam 1901, p. 68, 80
128. Meacham, Jon (2009). American Lion, Andrew Jackson in the White House. Random House. p. 181.
129. "The Last Words of 38 Presidents" (http://mentalfloss.com/article/51449/last-words-and-final-moments-38-preside
nts). mentalfloss.com. July 4, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
130. Bliss, Isely (2006). The Presidents: Men of Faith. pp. 99–107.
131. Holmes, David L. (Autumn 2003). "The Religion of James Monroe" (http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2003/autumn/
holmes-religion-james-monroe/). Virginia Quarterly Review. 79 (4): 589–606. Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20111016181529/http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2003/autumn/holmes-religion-james-monroe/) from the
original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
132. "Prince Messiah's Claims to Dominion Over All Governments" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100705081149/htt
p://www.covenanter.org/JRWillson/princemessiah.htm). Covenanter.org. Archived from the original (http://www.cov
enanter.org/JRWillson/princemessiah.htm) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
133. Kranish, Michael. "At Capitol, slavery's story turns full circle" (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/
28/at_capitol_slaverys_story_turns_full_circle/?page=2) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20121102061510/h
ttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/28/at_capitol_slaverys_story_turns_full_circle/?page=2)
November 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Boston Globe, Boston, December 28, 2008.
134. Ammon, 1990, pp 563–66
135. Powell & Steinberg. "The nonprofit sector: a research handbook" (https://books.google.com/books?id=ligvL-cLFIE
C&pg=PA40) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160704191942/https://books.google.com/books?id=ligvL-cL
FIEC&pg=PA40) July 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Yale, 2006, p. 40.
136. Ammon, 1990, pp 522–23
137. Rodriguez, Junius. "Slavery in the United States: A Social, Political, and Historical Encyclopedia" (https://books.go
ogle.com/books?id=4X44KbDBl9gC&pg=PR21) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160704122256/https://bo
oks.google.com/books?id=4X44KbDBl9gC&pg=PR21) July 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Santa Barbara,
2007, p. 428.
23 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
138. Sidbury, James. Ploughshares into Swords: Race, Rebellion, and Identity in Gabriel's Virginia, 1730–1810 (https://
books.google.com/books?id=0WrqU3Va-BMC&pg=PA127) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2016070411384
7/https://books.google.com/books?id=0WrqU3Va-BMC&pg=PA127) July 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine,
Cambridge, 1997, pp. 127–28.
139. Morris, Thomas. "Southern Slavery and the Law, 1619–1860" (https://books.google.com/books?id=VmPWCKh0hZ
AC&pg=PA272) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160704165155/https://books.google.com/books?id=VmP
WCKh0hZAC&pg=PA272) July 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, 1996, p. 272.
140. Aptheker, Herbert (1993). American Negro Slave Revolts (https://books.google.com/books?id=PkCwK3Uv71IC)
(6th ed.). New York: International Publishers. pp. 219–25. ISBN 978-0-7178-0605-8. Archived (https://web.archive.
org/web/20160704161518/https://books.google.com/books?id=PkCwK3Uv71IC) from the original on July 4, 2016.
141. Rottinghaus, Brandon; Vaughn, Justin S. (February 19, 2018). "How Does Trump Stack Up Against the Best —
and Worst — Presidents?" (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-aga
inst-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html/). New York Times. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
142. "Presidential Historians Survey 2017" (https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overall). C-Span.
Retrieved May 14, 2018.
143. Preston, Daniel. "JAMES MONROE: IMPACT AND LEGACY" (https://millercenter.org/president/monroe/impact-an
d-legacy). Miller Center. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
144. Greenstein 2009.
145. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA212). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 212. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0160623195338/https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA212) from the original on June 23,
2016.
146. Digital History; Steven Mintz. "Digital History" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100723065559/http://www.digitalhist
ory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=567). Digitalhistory.uh.edu. Archived from the original (http://www.d
igitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=567) on July 23, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
147. Whitcomb, John; Whitcomb, Claire (May 3, 2002). Real life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's
most famous residence (https://books.google.com/?id=p1unoHtahSsC&pg=PA37) (1st Routledge pbk. ed.).
London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415939515. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
148. "President James Monroe, The Last Cocked Hat, 5th President of the United States of America" (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20131017091041/http://listoy.com/Presidents/James-Monroe.htm). listoy.com. Archived from the
original (http://listoy.com/Presidents/James-Monroe.htm) on October 17, 2013.
149. "Presidents of the United States (POTUS)" (https://web.archive.org/web/20111206092431/http://www.ipl.org/div/po
tus/jqadams.html). Ipl.org. Archived from the original (http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/jqadams.html) on December 6,
2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
Bibliography
Secondary sources
Ammon, Harry (1971). James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity (https://archive.org/details/jamesmonroequ
est00ammo). McGraw-Hill. 706 pp. standard scholarly biography
Ammon, Harry. "James Monroe" in Henry F. Graff ed., The Presidents: A Reference History (3rd ed. 2002) online
(http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Washington-Johnson/Monroe-James.html)
Cresson, William P. James Monroe (1946). 577 pp. good scholarly biography
Cunningham, Noble E., Jr. The Presidency of James Monroe. 1996. 246 pp. standard scholarly survey
24 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
Dangerfield, George (1965). The Awakening of American Nationalism: 1815–1828 (https://archive.org/details/awa

keningofameri00dang). Harper and Rowe. ISBN 0881338230.
Greenstein, Fred I. (June 2009). "The Political Professionalism of James Monroe". Presidential Studies Quarterly.
39 (2): 275–282. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5705.2009.03675.x (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1741-5705.2009.03675.x).
JSTOR 41427360 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41427360).
Hart, Gary (2005). James Monroe. Henry Holy and Co. ISBN 978-0805069600. superficial, short, popular
biography
Haworth, Peter Daniel. "James Madison and James Monroe Historiography: A Tale of Two Divergent Bodies of
Scholarship." in A Companion to James Madison and James Monroe (2013): 521-539.
Howe, Daniel Walker (2007). What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848 (https://archiv
e.org/details/whathathgodwroug00howe). Oxford Univ. Press. Pulitzer Prize; a sweeping interpretation of the era
Holmes, David L. The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, May 2006, online version (http://www.vqronline.org/articles/
2003/autumn/holmes-religion-james-monroe/)
Johnson, Allen (1915). Union and Democracy (https://archive.org/details/unionanddemocra00johngoog). Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Leibiger, Stuart, ed. A Companion to James Madison and James Monroe (2012) excerpt (https://www.amazon.co
m/Companion-James-Madison-Monroe/dp/0470655224/); emphasis on historiography
May, Ernest R. The Making of the Monroe Doctrine (1975), argues it was issued to influence the outcome of the
presidential election of 1824.
Perkins, Dexter. The Monroe Doctrine, 1823–1826 (1927), the standard monograph about the origins of the
doctrine.
(in Italian) Nico Perrone, Progetto di un impero. 1823. L'annuncio dell'egemonia americana infiamma la borsa
(Project of an Empire. 1823. The Announcement of American Hegemony Inflames the Stock Exchange), Naples,
La Città del Sole, 2013 ISBN 978-88-8292-310-5
Powell, Walter & Steinberg, Richard. The nonprofit sector: a research handbook, Yale, 2006, p. 40.
Pulliam, David Loyd (1901). The Constitutional Conventions of Virginia from the foundation of the Commonwealth
to the present time. John T. West, Richmond. ISBN 978-1-2879-2059-5.
Renehan Edward J., Jr. The Monroe Doctrine: The Cornerstone of American Foreign Policy (2007)
Scherr, Arthur. "James Monroe and John Adams: An Unlikely 'Friendship'". The Historian 67#3 (2005) pp 405+.
online edition (https://www.questia.com/read/5019026982)
Scherr, Arthur. "James Monroe on the Presidency and 'Foreign Influence: from the Virginia Ratifying Convention
(1788) to Jefferson's Election (1801)." Mid-America 2002 84(1–3): 145–206. ISSN 0026-2927 (https://www.worldc
at.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0026-2927).
Scherr, Arthur. "Governor James Monroe and the Southampton Slave Resistance of 1799." Historian 1999 61(3):
557–578. ISSN 0018-2370 (https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0018-2370) Fulltext online in
SwetsWise and Ebsco.
Unger, Harlow G. (2009). The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (https://web.
archive.org/web/20160306132439/http://dacapopress.com/book/paperback/the-last-founding-father/97803068191
86). Da Capo Press. Archived from the original (http://dacapopress.com/book/paperback/the-last-founding-father/9
780306819186) on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2015. a new biography.
Weeks, William Earl (1992). John Quincy Adams and American Global Empire (https://books.google.com/books/a
bout/John_Quincy_Adams_and_American_global_em.html?id=LKV4AAAAMAAJ). Lexington, KY: University of
Kentucky Press. ISBN 9780813117799.
Wilentz, Sean (Fall 2004). "Jeffersonian Democracy and the Origins of Political Antislavery in the United States:
The Missouri Crisis Revisited". The Journal of the Historical Society. IV (3).
Wood, Gordon S. Empire of Liberty: A history of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (2009)
25 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM
Primary sources
Preston, Daniel, ed. The Papers of James Monroe: Selected Correspondence and Papers (6 vol, 2006 to 2017),
the major scholarly edition; in progress, with coverage to 1814.
Writings of James Monroe, edited by Stanislaus Murray Hamilton, ed., 7 vols. (1898–1903) online edition at
Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=g-IoEnhfOYEC)
External links
White House biography (https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/jamesmonroe)
United States Congress. "James Monroe (id: m000858)" (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=

m000858). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
James Monroe: A Resource Guide (https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/presidents/monroe/) at the Library of
Congress
American President: James Monroe (1758–1831) (http://millercenter.org/president/monroe) at the Miller Center of
Public Affairs, University of Virginia
James Monroe Papers (http://umwhistory.org/projects/jmp/) at the University of Mary Washington
A Guide to the Papers of James Monroe 1778–1831 (http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=uva-sc/viu0347
6.xml;query=James_Monroe;brand=default#bioghist_1.1) at the University of Virginia Library
Monroe Doctrine; December 2, 1823 (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/monroe.asp) at the Avalon Project
Elections for candidate Monroe, James (http://elections.lib.tufts.edu/aas_portal/candidate-browse.xq?candidate-i
d=MJ1407) from "A New Nation Votes" at Tufts University
Ash Lawn-Highland (http://www.ashlawnhighland.org/), home of President James Monroe
The James Monroe Memorial Foundation (http://www.monroefoundation.org/)
The James Monroe Birthplace (https://web.archive.org/web/20120305043625/http://www.monroefoundation.or

g/monroe-birthplace.html)
James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library (http://jamesmonroemuseum.umw.edu/)
"Life Portrait of James Monroe" (http://www.c-span.org/video/?122387-1/life-portrait-james-monroe), from
C-SPAN's American Presidents: Life Portraits, April 12, 1999
Works by James Monroe (https://www.gutenberg.org/author/Monroe,+James+(1758–1831)) at Project Gutenberg
Works by or about James Monroe (https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28subject%3A%22Monroe%2C%
20James%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22James%20Monroe%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Monroe%2C%20Ja
mes%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22James%20Monroe%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Monroe%2C%20J%2
E%22%20OR%20title%3A%22James%20Monroe%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Monroe%2C%20James%2
2%20OR%20description%3A%22James%20Monroe%22%29%20OR%20%28%221758-1831%22%20AND%20
Monroe%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29) at Internet Archive
Works by James Monroe (https://librivox.org/author/2235) at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
James Monroe Personal Manuscripts (http://www.shapell.org/Collection/Presidents/Monroe-James)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Monroe&oldid=928894186"
This page was last edited on 2 December 2019, at 09:48 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
26 of 26 12/2/2019, 5:22 PM

James Monroe

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

James Monroe

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

James Monroe - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

Born into a planter family in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Monroe

Contents Preceded by Rufus King

Governor of Virginia and diplomat United States Senator

Religious beliefs Virginia, British

Notes Resting place Hollywood

Revolutionary War service

Lacking the wealth to induce soldiers to join his company,

Marriage and family

Eliza Monroe Hay was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1786, and

Plantations and slavery

was common treatment of slaves in the South.[20]

Early political career

Confrontations and strife with Alexander Hamilton

Governor of Virginia and diplomat

Louisiana Purchase and ambassador to Britain

1808 election and the Quids

Secretary of State and Secretary of War

Democratic-Republican Party dominance

Administration and cabinet

improvements.[87] In 1822, Congress passed a bill authorizing the

In 1824, the Supreme Court ruled in Gibbons v. Ogden that the

Treaties with Britain and Russia

In response to these Seminole attacks, Monroe ordered a military

States admitted to the Union

Mississippi – December 10, 1817[119]

Polls of historians and political scientists tend to rank Monroe as an above

6. "Homes Of Virginia – Jame's Monroe's Law Office" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101230101813/http://www.olda

31. Unger 2009, pp. 94–104

64. Unger 2009, pp. 227–228

99. Cunningham, p. 167.

Dangerfield, George (1965). The Awakening of American Nationalism: 1815–1828 (https://archive.org/details/awa

United States Congress. "James Monroe (id: m000858)" (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=

The James Monroe Birthplace (https://web.archive.org/web/20120305043625/http://www.monroefoundation.or

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Monroe&oldid=928894186"

This page was last edited on 2 December 2019, at 09:48 (UTC).

You might also like