The Transition President

James Monroe is the transition president between the founding fathers and the second generation of American political leaders. He was born April 28, 1758, in Virginia, and attended the College of William and Mary. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Monroe enlisted in the Third Virginia Regiment, but soon became an officer under George Washington in the Continental Army. He participated in the attack on the Hessians at Trenton in December, 1776, where he was badly wounded during a heroic charge on the Hessian positions. He eventually rose to the rank of colonel and is the last veteran of the American Revolution to serve as president of the United States. His military experience served him well both as Secretary of War under James Madison during the war of 1812 and later in his own position as commander in chief.

James Monroe attended the Virginia ratifying convention for the United States Constitution in 1788 and voted with the antifederalists against ratification. Nevertheless, he was elected a senator from Virginia in 1790 and becamea key member of the Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, with whom he had close relationships for the rest of his life. He had two diplomatic appointments, the first under President Washington, and the second under President Jefferson, when he was instrumental in negotiating with France for the Louisiana purchase. He also negotiated a treaty with Great Britain in 1806 to resolve conflicts over maritime commerce, but the treaty was rejected by President Jefferson.

Monroe was elected governor of Virginia in 1811, but shortly thereafter he was appointed Secretary of State by President James Madison. Because of his military experience he also served as acting Secretary of War during the War of 1812. Elected President in 1816, he oversaw the expansion of the United States and the resolution of boundary issues between the United States and Spain and between the United States and Great Britain. In 1820 he signed the Missouri Compromise, and in December, 1823, working with Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, he delivered one of the foundation documents of American foreign policy to Congress in his annual message; that position became known as the Monroe Doctrine.

James Monroe died July 4, 1831, in New York City.

Resources

• James Monroe Museum
• James Monroe Papers Project, Mary Washington
• University of Virginia Miller Center
• James Monroe First Inaugural Address
• State of the Union Addresses of James Monroe
• Monroe Doctrine

Be sure to use Monroe's writings as part of the basis for your essay.