- Born:
- April 28, 1758, Westmoreland county, Virginia [U.S.]
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic-Republican Party
- Awards And Honors:
- Hall of Fame (1930)
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Elizabeth Monroe
- On the Web:
- official Site of James Monroe's Highland (Oct. 17, 2026)
James Monroe
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Who was James Monroe?
James Monroe served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. His presidency is known as the Era of Good Feelings, a period of relative national unity and calm following the Napoleonic Wars. A significant contribution of his administration was the Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy statement warning European nations against further colonization or intervention in the Western Hemisphere. Monroe's earlier career included service in the American Revolution and roles as minister to France and Secretary of State.
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When was James Monroe President of the United States?
James Monroe served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. His presidency is often referred to as the Era of Good Feelings, a period characterized by a sense of national unity and a decline in partisan conflict. During his time in office, Monroe issued the significant Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers against further colonization or intervention in the Western Hemisphere.
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What is the Monroe Doctrine?
The Monroe Doctrine, articulated by U.S. President James Monroe in 1823, established key principles for American foreign policy. It declared that the Western Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere were distinct spheres, and the U.S. would not interfere in European affairs or existing European colonies. In return, it stipulated that the Western Hemisphere was closed to further European colonization, and any attempt to colonize would be viewed as an act of aggression against the United States. While initially lacking the military power to enforce it, the doctrine became a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, later influencing expansionist actions.
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What were James Monroeās major accomplishments as president?
James Monroe's presidency (1817-1825) is often referred to as the Era of Good Feelings, characterized by a sense of national unity and pride following the War of 1812. His most significant foreign policy achievement was the proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, which warned European powers against further colonization or intervention in the Western Hemisphere. Domestically, his administration saw the acquisition of Florida from Spain through the Transcontinental Treaty and the peaceful resolution of the first major conflict over slavery with the Missouri Compromise in 1820.
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How did James Monroe help shape foreign policy during his presidency?
During his presidency, James Monroe significantly shaped U.S. foreign policy primarily through the Monroe Doctrine. Announced in 1823, this doctrine declared that the Western Hemisphere was closed to further European colonization and that any attempt by European powers to interfere with independent nations in the Americas would be viewed as an act of aggression against the United States. In return, the U.S. pledged not to interfere in European affairs or existing colonies. While initially lacking the military might to enforce it, the Monroe Doctrine became a cornerstone of American foreign policy, influencing future U.S. expansionist and interventionist actions.
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How did James Monroe's presidency affect the future of the United States?
James Monroe's presidency significantly shaped the future of the United States, primarily through the Monroe Doctrine. This foreign policy, proclaimed in 1823, warned European powers against further colonization in the Americas and, in return, pledged U.S. non-interference in European affairs. While initially overlooked, the doctrine became a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, laying the groundwork for future expansionist actions.
Monroe's administration also coincided with the Era of Good Feelings (1815-1825), a period characterized by national unity and a sense of isolationism following the Napoleonic Wars. During this time, the U.S. acquired Florida and navigated the complex issue of slavery's expansion through the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This compromise temporarily eased sectional tensions but ultimately foreshadowed future conflicts over slavery.
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James Monroe (born April 28, 1758, Westmoreland county, Virginia [U.S.]ādied July 4, 1831, New York, New York, U.S.) was the fifth president of the United States (1817ā25), who issued an important contribution to U.S. foreign policy in the Monroe Doctrine, a warning to European nations against intervening in the Western Hemisphere. The period of his administration has been called the Era of Good Feelings.
Early life and career
Monroeās father, Spence Monroe, was of Scottish descent, and his mother, Elizabeth Jones Monroe, of Welsh descent. The family were owners of a modest 600 acres (240 hectares) in Virginia. At age 16 Monroe entered the College of William and Mary but in 1776 left to fight in the American Revolution. As a lieutenant he crossed the Delaware with General George Washington for what became the Battle of Trenton. Suffering a near fatal wound in the shoulder, Monroe was carried from the field. Upon recovering, he was promoted to captain for heroism, and he took part in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown. Advanced to major, he became aide-de-camp to General William Alexander (Lord Stirling) and with him shared the suffering of the troops at Valley Forge in the cruel winter of 1777ā78. Monroe was a scout for Washington at the Battle of Monmouth and served as Lord Stirlingās adjutant general.
In 1780, having resigned his commission in the army, he began the study of law under Thomas Jefferson, then governor of Virginia, and between the two men there developed an intimacy and a sympathy that had a powerful influence upon Monroeās later career. Jefferson also fostered a friendship between Monroe and James Madison.
Monroe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1782 and was chosen a member of the governorās council. From 1783 to 1786 he served in the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the new nation. During his term he vigorously insisted on the right of the United States to navigate the Mississippi River, then controlled by the Spanish, and attempted, in 1785, to secure for the weak Congress the power to regulate commerce, thereby removing one of the great defects in the existing central government. In 1786 Monroe, 27 years old, and Elizabeth Kortright of New York, 17 years old, were married. They had two daughters, Eliza Kortright and Maria Hester, and a son who died in infancy. Eliza often was at her fatherās side as official hostess when he was president, substituting for her ailing mother. Mariaās marriage to a cousin, Samuel L. Gouverneur, in 1820 was the first wedding performed in the Presidentās House, as the White House was then called.
Retiring from Congress in 1786, Monroe began practicing law at Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was chosen a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1787 and in 1788 a member of the state convention at which Virginia ratified the new federal Constitution. In 1790 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he vigorously opposed President George Washingtonās administration. Nevertheless, in 1794 Washington nominated him as minister to France.
At a glance: the Monroe presidency
Minister to France
It was the hope of the administration that Monroeās well-known French sympathies would secure for him a favorable reception and that his appointment would also conciliate Franceās friends in the United States. His warm welcome in France and his enthusiasm for the French Revolution, which he regarded as a natural successor to the American Revolution, displeased the Federalists (the party of Alexander Hamilton, which encouraged close ties not to France but to England) at home. Monroe did nothing, moreover, to reconcile the French to the Jay Treaty, which regulated commerce and navigation between the United States and Great Britain during the French Revolutionary wars.
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Without real justification, the French regarded the treaty as a violation of the French-American treaty of commerce and amity of 1778 and as a possible cause for war. Monroe led the French government to believe that the Jay Treaty would never be ratified by the United States, that the administration of George Washington would be overthrown as a result of the obnoxious treaty, and that better things might be expected after the election in 1796 of a new president, perhaps Thomas Jefferson. Washington, though he did not know of this intrigue, sensed that Monroe was unable to represent his government properly and, late in 1796, recalled him.
Monroe returned to America in the spring of 1797 and in the following December published a defense of his course in a pamphlet of 500 pages entitled A View of the Conduct of the Executive, in the Foreign Affairs of the United States. Washington seems never to have forgiven Monroe for this stratagem, though Monroeās opinion of Washington and Jay underwent a change in his later years. In 1799 Monroe was chosen governor of Virginia and was twice reelected, serving until 1802.