James
Monroe

Political scientists and historians generally rate Monroe as an above-average president. Monroe oversaw a time when American attention began to shift away from European matters and toward concerns at home. During his administration, the United States reached agreements with Britain on a number of long-standing border disputes, and it also acquired Florida. Through his backing of the Missouri Compromise and his efforts to win the support of all parts of the country, Monroe also contributed to easing intersectoral tensions. According to political scientist Fred Greenstein, James Madison and John Adams were among Monroe’s more well-known forerunners but were less successful as presidents.

James Monroe enrolled in the College of William & Mary when he was 16 but left in 1776 to fight in the American Revolution. He advanced to the rank of major while serving under the leadership of General George Washington. With Washington’s forces, Monroe crossed the Delaware River before being seriously wounded during the valiant British cannon capture at the Battle of Trenton in New Jersey. He had to endure a harsh winter in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where many perished from sickness or the brutal cold.

When Spain returned Louisiana to France under the terms of the Treaty of San Ildefonso in October 1800, there was concern in the United States. The resulting removal of the United States “right of deposit” in New Orleans — the ability to store commodities there for eventual reshipment — by the Spanish district administrator further heightened this sentiment and sparked a lot of talk about war. James Monroe was appointed as envoy extraordinaire and minister plenipotentiary to France by President Jefferson in an effort to help Robert R. Livingston acquire the territory at the entry of the Mississippi, including New Orleans. At the same time, he was given permission to work with Charles Pinckney, the minister in Madrid, to obtain the transfer of East and West Florida from Spain. Monroe received a second commission as the regular minister to Great Britain. After Livingston had already arrived in Paris and discussions were well underway, the two ministers decided to deviate from their original plan to acquire Louisiana after learning that Napoleon was willing to sell the entire province. They agreed to a treaty and two conventions on May 2, 1803, through which France surrendered Louisiana to the United States. James Monroe’s political career was unaffected by the fact that both he and Livingston signed the pact, although he does not deserve much credit for its diplomatic success.

In July 1803, Monroe left Paris and started working in London. In the fall of 1804, he traveled to Madrid to help Pinckney with plans to establish the borders of Louisiana. They also planned to commandeer the Floridas from Spain. The negotiations resulted in a treaty signed on December 31, 1806; however, it did not contain any provisions against impressments and did not offer any recompense for the seizure of commodities and vessels. A British reservation preserving the right to take action in retaliation against impending French maritime decrees was included in the document. Monroe and Pinckney ignored their orders by ignoring these issues, and Jefferson was so dissatisfied with the deal that he sent it back to England for modification. In December 1807, Monroe returned to the country.

There was considerable question throughout Monroe’s administration. Whether Missouri should enter the Union as a state that tolerated slavery was the subject of the biggest argument throughout his presidency. Politicians debated along geographical lines; the North opposed slavery, while the South supported it. The nation could have been split apart by the dispute. If Missouri were to legalize slavery, a larger number of states would allow slavery vs. the states that outlawed it. The free states would win a majority if Missouri became free. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 ultimately recognized Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. Lawmakers believed the nation’s equilibrium had been preserved since each side in the argument won one state. A temporary ban on slavery was also agreed upon for the regions to the north and west of Missouri’s boundary. The “Missouri Crisis” marked the start of a series of conflicts between the states that would ultimately result in the Civil War.

In his seventh annual speech to Congress on December 2, 1823, President James Monroe outlined the Monroe Doctrine. Monroe claimed that the Western Hemisphere was the United States’ area of interest and that the European nations had a duty to respect it.

The Monroe Doctrine is a concept of American foreign policy that opposes colonization of the Western Hemisphere by European countries. It asserts that any foreign meddling in American politics may be seen as hostile to the United States. The theory underpinned American foreign policy for the majority of the 19th and early 20th centuries. President James Monroe first introduced the idea on December 2, 1823, in his seventh annual State of the Union Address to Congress, even though it wouldn’t be named in his honor until 1850. At that time, almost all of the Spanish colonies in the Americas had achieved independence or were about to do so. Monroe argued that the Old and New Worlds needed to retain distinct spheres of influence and that any further attempts by European nations to interfere would be considered a threat to American national security. In return, the U.S. would recognize any existing colonies in Europe and refrain from interfering in their internal affairs.