JAMES MONROE

Westmoreland County, Virginia
April 28, 1758–July 4, 1831
The Birth of NIMBY-ism

James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War and served as the U.S. ambassador to France and Great Britain, a U.S. senator, secretary of state and war, and fifth U.S. president. He developed the Monroe Doctrine and helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. There were very few events of significance in which he did not participate in the United States’ first fifty years. Monroe was one of the country’s early political stars and his legacy is still felt today.

It’s Who You Know

James Monroe entered the College of William & Mary at age sixteen, but left shortly thereafter to fight in the Revolutionary War with the Third Virginia Regiment. Actually, his fight against the British began before he left the campus, as he participated in rebellious activities around Williamsburg that surpassed the normal student pranks. James Monroe and a few classmates raided the arsenal at the British governor’s palace in Williamsburg. They captured 200 muskets and 300 swords, which they turned over to the Virginia militia. Not many of the Founding Fathers carried out “pranks” of that magnitude.

The young lieutenant managed to be where the fighting took place early in the war. He fought at Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. He was one of five American casualties at the Battle of Trenton in December 1776. A musket ball struck Monroe in the left shoulder and severed an artery. A New Jersey physician named Dr. John Riker clamped the artery quickly enough to stop the bleeding—and save the future president’s life.

Eventually, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel owing to General Washington’s influence, but he left the army in 1780 to pursue his law studies.

Monroe had an uncanny knack for befriending illustrious political figures. In addition to drawing George Washington’s attention during the Revolutionary War, he studied law under Thomas Jefferson’s tutelage. Their relationship evolved into a lifetime friendship, which helped Monroe ascend the political ladder.

Those connections benefited him as his career progressed and he fulfilled his desire to build a stronger United States.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“NEVER DID A GOVERNMENT COMMENCE UNDER AUSPICES SO FAVORABLE, NOR EVER WAS SUCCESS SO COMPLETE. IF WE LOOK TO THE HISTORY OF OTHER NATIONS, ANCIENT OR MODERN, WE FIND NO EXAMPLE OF A GROWTH SO RAPID, SO GIGANTIC, OF A PEOPLE SO PROSPEROUS AND HAPPY.”

—JAMES MONROE

A Meteoric Rise

Monroe got into politics soon after he finished law school. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1782 and was appointed to Governor’s Council. Monroe also served in the Congress of the Confederation from 1783–86.

Monroe made a name for himself in Congress by insisting on the United States’ right to navigate the Mississippi River and attempting to enforce Congress’s power to regulate commerce. He did not have much success in either endeavor, so he resigned and set up his own law practice in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His retirement from politics did not last long, as his fellow Virginians demanded his services, in and out of the state.

FEDERAL FACTS

The Confederation Congress (a.k.a. the United States in Congress Assembled) was one of the names for the U.S. Congress that convened from March 1, 1781, to March 4, 1789.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“OUR COUNTRY MAY BE LIKENED TO A NEW HOUSE. WE LACK MANY THINGS, BUT WE POSSESS THE MOST PRECIOUS OF ALL—LIBERTY!”

—JAMES MONROE

Monroe was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1787. A year later he became a member of the Virginia convention that ratified the federal constitution. Then, he was appointed in 1790 to fill the Senate vacancy caused by the death of William Grayson. To add to his accomplishments, he received a nomination from President Washington on May 27, 1794, as ambassador to France. It may be that Washington simply wanted to get Monroe out of the country—during his term as senator, Monroe consistently opposed Washington’s government.

President Monroe

Monroe returned to Virginia to serve as governor from 1799–1802. President Jefferson enlisted his aid in 1803 to help negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. Subsequently, Jefferson nominated him to the post of ambassador to England.

Monroe’s tenure in England was a trying time for the young United States. The two countries were arguing over the British navy’s policy of impressing (i.e., forcing to serve) American seamen to act as crewmen on its ships. Monroe tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a treaty to stop the practice.

Jefferson recalled Monroe in 1807. It was one of the few failures in Monroe’s political career.

Revolutionary Revelations

James Monroe was the only person to serve as both secretary of war and secretary of state at the same time. He held both positions during the War of 1812.

Finally, in 1816, he was elected to the first of his two terms as U.S. president.

Several major events took place on Monroe’s watch. Among the most significant were the 1817–18 war with the Seminole Indians, the acquisition of Florida from Spain, and the Missouri Compromise.

The Missouri Compromise addressed the constitutional conflict over the existence of slavery in the United States. According to the terms, after 1820, states above the southern Missouri border would be slavefree. Those below could be slave states. In reality, the compromise just highlighted the sectional divisions in the country that future generations were left to resolve.

The Monroe Doctrine

The best known legacy of Monroe’s presidency is the Monroe Doctrine. It is still invoked today—even though the man it’s named after has been dead for almost 200 years.

The Monroe Doctrine announced on December 2, 1823, was clear and concise. It warned European powers planning on interfering in the United States’ sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere to think twice before acting, lest they bear the full brunt of its political and military power—not that the United States possessed much of either at the time. Monroe’s “doctrine,” as it came to be known years later, was a radical departure for a government that had attained its own independence only forty-seven years earlier. It marked the first time that the United States flexed its muscles regarding the Western Hemisphere, and signaled that the former British colonies had “grown up.” In effect, he was acknowledging that the political system in the Western Hemisphere was more like the United States’ than Europe’s. The imposition of the doctrine capped Monroe’s significant political career—and was a major milestone for the Founding Fathers.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“THE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT IS THAT WHICH IS MOST LIKELY TO PREVENT THE GREATEST SUM OF EVIL.”

—JAMES MONROE

While Monroe was visiting his daughter Maria in New York City in 1831, he died—on Independence Day.

Revolutionary Revelations

James Monroe had been as generous with his money as he was with his time on behalf of the United States. He was reduced in the 1820s to asking the government for reimbursement for his expenses. In 1826, Congress approved a payment to him of $30,000. Magnanimously, it authorized another token amount after his death to purchase his papers from his heirs.

James Monroe may have left this earth financially dependent, but his service to the nation was priceless.