 |
| President James Monroe |
.Revolutionary War Service
In 1776, Monroe dropped out of college after a year and a half and joined the Continental Army's 3rd Virginia Regiment. Being literate was highly valued by the army, so Monroe obtained the rank of lieutenant and worked under Captain William Washington. After undergoing months of training, Monroe joined 700 Virginia infantrymen and traveled to New York and New Jersey to serve in the campaign. Shortly after their arrival, George Washington led the army on a retreat from New York City into New Jersey and then across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Monroe took part in the Battle of Trenton and was promoted to captain by Washington, who praised both Monroe and William Washington for their bravery. Monroe returned to Virginia and established his own company of soldiers after suffering a severed artery in battle. John Trumbull's painting The Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, December 26, 1776, as well as Emanuel Leutze's 1851 Washington Crossing the Delaware, immortalized his contribution to the battle.
 |
| Portrait of Revolutionary War |
Due to lacking the financial resources to entice soldiers to join his company, Monroe opted to inquire with his uncle to be sent back to the front lines. While there, Monroe was appointed to the staff of General William Alexander, Lord Stirling, and it was during this time that he developed a close bond with the Marquis de Lafayette, a French volunteer who encouraged him to see the battle beyond just a localized conflict but one of global importance against religious and political oppression. Monroe bore witness to the Philadelphia campaign and spent the winter of 1777–78 at Valley Forge, sharing a log cabin with Marshall. Following his involvement in the Battle of Monmouth, Monroe, with no financial means, resigned his post in December 1778 and ventured to Philadelphia to join his uncle. After the city of Savannah fell into British hands, the Virginia legislature resolved to establish four regiments, and hoping to receive his own command, Monroe went back to his home state. Despite having letters of commendation from Washington, Stirling, and Alexander Hamilton, Monroe had trouble recruiting men to join, so he followed Jones's suggestion and study law in Williamsburg, becoming a protégé of Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson.
With the British directing more attention to the Southern colonies, the Virginians opted to move their capital to the more fortified city of Richmond, while Jefferson led as its governor with authority over the state militia and Monroe serving as colonel. To coordinate with the Continental Army and various state militias, Monroe set up a messenger network. Despite his efforts, the lack of recruits made it challenging to raise an army, driving Monroe back to his King George County home and away from Richmond during the British raid. Though he was not involved in the Yorktown campaign, where officers were plentiful, Monroe, having served as an officer of the Continental Army and fought on the front lines, remains the last U.S. president who is a Revolutionary War veteran. As recognition, they admitted Monroe to the Society of the Cincinnati.
Monroe resumed his studies in law under Jefferson until 1783, although he was not interested in the theory or practice of law. He chose this path because he believed it offered "the most immediate rewards" and could help him gain wealth, social standing, and political influence. After being admitted to the Virginia bar, Monroe practiced law in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
 |
| Elizabeth Monroe |
Family and Marriage
James Monroe and Elizabeth Kortright were married on February 16, 1786 in New York City. Elizabeth was the daughter of Hannah Aspinwall Kortright and Laurence Kortright, a wealthy trader and former British officer. They had met while Monroe was serving in the Continental Congress. They then moved to Virginia, where they settled in Charlottesville. They bought an estate known as Ash Lawn-Highland and had three children, including Eliza Monroe Hay who married George Hay and Maria Hester Monroe who married her cousin Samuel L. Gouverneur in the White House in 1820.
Plantations and Slavery
In 1783, Monroe sold his small Virginia plantation in order to enter law and politics, but despite owning multiple properties over the course of his lifetime, he could never make his plantations profitable. Despite owning much more land and many more slaves, and even speculating in property, Monroe was rarely on site to oversee the operations, leading to harsh treatment of slaves by overseers in order to force production. Despite their efforts, the plantations barely broke even and Monroe incurred debts because of his lavish and expensive lifestyle. To pay off these debts, he often sold property, including slaves. Monroe's many slaves were also used to support his daughter- and son-in-law, along with his ne'er-do-well brother, Andrew, and his son, James.
Monroe, even during his presidency, firmly believed that slavery was morally wrong and advocated for private manumission. However, he opposed any efforts to promote emancipation as he believed it would lead to further difficulties. Monroe saw slavery as a permanent fixture of southern society and thought that we could only remove it through divine intervention. Like many other slaveholders from the Upper South, he believed that the government's main responsibility was to maintain "domestic tranquility" for everyone. He also believed that the government should empower plantation owners like himself. He was concerned about public safety in the United States during a time of violent revolution on two fronts. First, there was the potential threat of class warfare, similar to the French Revolution, which resulted in the summary purging of those from the propertied classes through mob violence and preemptive trials. Second, there was a possibility of racial warfare similar to the Haitian Revolution, where individuals of all races were indiscriminately slaughtered as events unfolded. To read about President Monroe in slavery
Presidency from 1817 to 1825.
During his presidency from 1817 to 1825, Monroe aimed to reduce political tensions and encourage national unity through his federal appointments. He embarked on two national tours to build trust and foster good-will. The public well received his efforts, with one newspaper hailing his 1817 visit to Boston as the beginning of an "Era of Good Feelings." The Federalist Party continued to fade during his administration, losing influence in national politics. The Democratic-Republican Party, lacking serious opposition, ceased operations and its Congressional caucus stopped meeting. Overall, efforts to unite the country and reduce political divisions marked Monroe's presidency
Slavery
During his presidency, Monroe was a slave owner and brought many of his slaves with him to Washington to serve at the White House from 1817 to 1825, which was a common practice among other slaveholding presidents.
However, as the president of Virginia's constitutional convention in 1829, Monroe acknowledged that slavery was a destructive force that Virginia had attempted to eliminate even during its colonial period. He called for the aid of the federal government in emancipating and deporting slaves to other countries, a proposal that challenged the stance of states' rights advocates. This stance marked Monroe's final public statement on slavery.
In 1800, during Monroe's tenure as Governor of Virginia, a group of hundreds of slaves from Virginia planned to abduct him, seize Richmond, and negotiate for their freedom. The Gabriel slave conspiracy was uncovered, and Monroe called upon the militia; the slave patrols quickly apprehended some slaves who were accused of involvement. According to Sidbury, while some trials had several measures to prevent abuses, such as an appointed attorney, they were hardly 'fair.' Additionally, slave codes ensured that slaves were not treated like whites, and they were subject to quick trials without a jury. Monroe influenced the Executive Council to pardon and sell some slaves instead of hanging them. Many historians argue that between 26 and 35 slaves were put to death by the Virginia courts, but none of these executed slaves had killed any whites since the insurrection had been foiled before it began. A total of 50 slaves charged with participation in the planned rebellion were spared due to pardons, acquittals, and commutations. One reason for this was the impact of a letter Monroe received from Thomas Jefferson, urging mercy, in which he said, "The other states & the world at large will for ever condemn us if we indulge a principle of revenge, or go one step beyond absolute necessity. They cannot lose sight of the rights of the two parties, & the object of the unsuccessful one." Only seven of the executions carried out against the rebels occurred after Monroe received Jefferson's letter.
James Monroe was an active member of the American Colonization Society, a group dedicated to establishing colonies outside of the United States for free African Americans. From 1820 to 1840, this society aided in sending thousands of freed slaves to the new colony of Liberia in Africa. Slave owners like Monroe and Andrew Jackson feared that free blacks would incite slave revolts in the South, which is why this society was formed. Interestingly enough, Liberia's capital, Monrovia, was actually named after President Monroe himself.
Before his presidency, James Monroe had a few accomplishments!
Senator of Virginia
Minister to France
Purchase and Minister to Great Britain
Hey, would like to buy me a cup of coffee?
No comments:
Post a Comment