Timeline and Biography of James Monroe

"The earth was given to mankind to support the greatest number of which it is capable, and no tribe or people have a right to withhold from the wants of others more than is necessary for their own support and comfort." - James Monroe.

James Monroe was a former President of the United States, who served two successive terms from March 4, 1817 to March 4, 1825. One of his most notable achievements was the 'Monroe doctrine', a United States policy which was meant to curb European interference in the American continent.

Timeline and Biography of James Monroe

James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County in Virginia. He was one of five children born to Spence Monroe and Elizabeth Jones Monroe. After studying at the Campbelltown Academy till the age of 16 years, James went on to join the College of William and Mary in Virginia. During this era, the youth in the United States were charged with patriotism, and Monroe was no exception. In June 1775, he joined a group of men in raiding the Governor's Palace. The arms seized from this raid were used to arm the Williamsburg militia. In 1776, he left college, and joined the Continental Army, representing them in the Battle of Trenton. Post war, he was tutored in law from 1780 to 1783 under the able guidance of Thomas Jefferson.

After serving in the Continental Congress from 1783 to 1786, Monroe joined anti-federalists in the Virginia Convention and was eventually elected as a United States Senator in 1790. He married Elizabeth Kortright on February 16, 1986 in New York City. On completion of his term in Senate, he was appointed as the Minister to France in 1794. Although, he had a sympathetic inclination towards the French Revolution, Monroe made sure that President George Washington's strict policy of neutrality towards Germany and France was well respected.

James Monroe served as the Governor of Virginia from 1799 to 1802. A slave rebellion led by Gabriel Prosser, a blacksmith from Virginia, was suppressed by him during his tenure, and Gabriel was hanged along with 26 other rebels. Monroe also assisted Robert Livingston to negotiate the acquisition of the French territory of Louisiana, in 1803. Monroe was elected as the Governor of Virginia for another term in 1811, but he resigned within few months. From 1811 to 1814, he served as the Secretary of State, and in 1814, was appointed the Secretary of War. Monroe successfully held both posts from October 1, 1814 to February 28, 1815. His tenure as the Secretary of State continued till the end of President James Madison's term.

James Monroe succeeded James Madison to become the 5th President of the United States from March 4, 1817 to March 4, 1825. He held two successive terms as president, first in 1817 and second in 1820. His term, popularly known as the "Era of good feelings", witnessed some important events in American history, like acquisition of Florida in 1819, the Missouri Compromise in 1820, breaking ties with French, and the Treaty of Washington City in 1825. But his presidential terms will be best remembered for Monroe Doctrine , which was introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that any efforts henceforth by the European nations, to colonize any of the American states or to interfere with them would be treated as an act of aggression requiring intervention by the United States. This policy was named 'Monroe Doctrine' later in 1851, 20 years after James Monroe's death.

After his wife's death in 1830, Monroe spent the last years of his life staying with his daughter Maria Hester Monroe Gouverneur in New York City. He passed away on July 4, 1831, due to heart failure and tuberculosis. He was the third President of the United States to die on 4th of July. Originally, cremated at New York City Marble Cemetery, he was entombed in the President's Circle at the Hollywood Cemetery in Virginia, in 1858.