James Monroe was born in April 1758. He was one of the United State’s Founding Father and he also became the fifth president of the U.S, a position he served from 1817 to 1825.
He was the last president of the Virginia dynasty, a name that was coined as four of the five presidents of the United States were originally from Virginia.
Continue reading and discover all these amazing facts about James Monroe
James Monroe Facts
1. James Monroe came from an important family
James Monroe was born into a planter family in a place called Westmoreland County, in Virginia. His family was prosperous and he was able to attend the William and Mary College, for a brief period of time.
And even though Monroe was the eldest of several children, he wasn’t able to inherit his father’s estate when he died, so instead, he decided to go to college.
Right in the middle of his studies, he alongside some of his fellow classmates decided to join the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, back in 1775.
2. James Monroe had a close relationship with Thomas Jefferson
Once the war was over, James Monroe decided to study law under the tutelage of Thomas Jefferson. As soon as they met, they realized they had many things in common, so their relationship blossomed, an interesting fact about James Monroe.
His period of studies with Jefferson lasted from 1780 to 1783, and they were able to discuss many things that would later serve Monroe to form his own political thoughts.
3. James Monroe political career started off quickly
James Monroe’s political career officially started in 1782 which is when he was elected to the Virginia Assembly.
A year had passed by and he became a Member of the Congresses of the Confederation, a role he performed until 1786.
In 1790, Monroe decided to join the Senate and he won the election, so he became the leader of the Democratic-Republican Party.
And even though he only served for four years in the Senate, in 1794 Monroe was appointed by the then President George Washington to become the U.S government’s Ambassador to France, a role he served for two years, until 1796.
Monroe then won another election and he became the Governor of Virginia in 1799, and he became one of the strongest supporters of Jefferson’s candidacy for the Presidential election in 1800.
4. James Monroe also served his country abroad
James Monroe was an accomplished and intelligent man, and this can be seen as he was appointed to serve his country on several international posts.
After he became an Ambassador to France, he returned to the United States and was elected Governor of Virginia from 1799 to 1802.
An interesting fact about James Monroe is that he was also involved in the negotiations of the Louisiana Purchase, alongside the then President James Madison.
Shortly after, Monroe was appointed as the new Ambassador to Great Britain, a position he held from 1803 to 1807, and he received a lot of compliments for his commitment on this role.
5. James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States of America
Monroe held this position from 1817 to 1825, making him the last President from the Founding Fathers’ group, and the last President of the Virginia Dynasty.
6. One of the most famous things Monroe is known for is The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine became a synonym to James Monroe’s Presidency.
The Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, so many of Spain’s colonies in Latin America started to declare their independence from the Spanish crown.
Of course, this wasn’t too appealing to the European monarchy, however, the American government decided these actions were great and, above all, were in tune with their own spirit of Republicanism, something they represented and wanted to export to other nations as well.
Nobody knew about this, but behind closed doors, the then President Monroe and his Secretary of State Adams decided to tell the newly independent countries that the United State’s government would support their bid for independence and all of their efforts In exchange, they would open up trade relations, an interesting James Monroe fact.
Some European countries saw this as a threat and they decided to form an alliance with Spain. However, the United Kingdom of Great Britain intervened and stopped any efforts made by other European countries to halt the independence movement.
The United State’s government couldn’t believe this, but they fought hard to support the Latin American countries in their quest for independence.
In 1823, Monroe officially made the announcement to the U.S Congress, and he spoke about the Monroe Doctrine for the first time.
What this meant was that all of the Americas would be free from future European colonization from then on, and, if by any chance another country decided to interfere with the independent countries of the Americas, this would be seen as a hostile act toward the United States of America.
And it is a doctrine that is still being studied as it really caught everybody’s attention at the time.
7. Monroe’s later years were difficult for him and his family
Monroe’s realized when he was younger that he wasn’t good at farming, like his father and grandfather had been. So he sold off most of his land and decided to join national politics in order to pursue a stable political career.
In 1825, Monroe finally retired and he moved back to Virginia. But he couldn’t keep quiet, so he went on to help rewrite the Virginian Constitution in 1829, an interesting James Monroe fact.
His wife died a year later, in 1830, something that affected Monroe immensely. The ex-President decided to move to New York City with his daughter, and he died in July, 1831, when he was only 71 years old.
Conclusion
It can be said that James Monroe was destined to become the President of the United States.
Even though he received a great deal of criticism, he also saw how his country was able to emerge and overcome problems.
He is also remembered as the person behind the purchase of Florida from Spain.
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