In today’s environment of oversized salaries and oversized egos, there is a tendency to glorify short term achievement, especially in the sports and entertainment industries. We focus on who won the Oscar, or who sunk the winning basket, instead of on who has made a lasting contribution to mankind or the nation in fields of endeavor that truly matter. We throw around the word “hero” loosely, applying it to most any one who has won a gold medal or attracted the media spotlight. In the meantime, we ignore or neglect true American heroes who spend their lives in relative obscurity, but dedicate themselves to promoting and defending the principles the we, as Americans, hold dear. James Monroe was one such hero.
Following in the footsteps of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, it is not difficult to discern why the legacy of James Monroe may sometimes seem overshadowed and get lost in the mists of America’s dim memories of its own history. Most Americans recall that he is famous for crafting what came to be known as the Monroe Doctrine, but how many can describe what it is or what impact it has had on American history? Today, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks that shook the nation on 11 September, perhaps it is time to reevaluate and reassess the legacy of James Monroe and his contributions to the nation.
At age eighteen, James Monroe left college to join General George Washington and the Continental Army. Lieutenant Monroe crossed the Delaware Christmas night 1776 and helped lead the attack against the Hessian garrison in Trenton the following day. He was severely wounded when an enemy musket ball pierced his shoulder, but recovered to rejoin the Army the following year. He endured the brutal winter of 1777 at Valley Forge and distinguished himself for bravery at the Battle of Monmouth. When the war concluded with the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, James Monroe was there.
After the war, James Monroe entered politics, becoming a protégé of his lifelong friend and mentor, fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson. Along the way, he would serve in a variety of important and influential positions, building the experience and establishing the credentials that would one day prepare him to become President. Monroe was a member of the Continental Congress (1783-1786) and then a U.S. Senator (1790-1794). He served as Minister to Great Britain (1803-1807). After running unsuccessfully against James Madison for President in 1808, he served as Madison’s Secretary of State (1811-1817) as well as Secretary of War (1814-1815).
In 1816, James Monroe was the heir apparent to succeed James Madison as President. He was a hero of the Revolution, and still wore the clothes of that era long after they had gone out of fashion. His close ties to both the Father of His Country and the Father of His Party made him the logical choice. Despite regional grousing about the continuation of the “Virginia Dynasty,” he swept to victory easily. Considered by some to be dull, Monroe represented the bedrock values of the Founding Fathers and competent administration. Moreover, he embodied a rekindled spirit of patriotism and self-reliance. The War of 1812, which had begun in near disaster four years earlier, had concluded with Andrew Jackson’s stunning defeat of the British at the Battle of New Orleans. The United States did not win the war, but she was not defeated either, no small feat when one considers the fact that the fledgling republic was facing what was then the most powerful country in the world.
Emerging nationalism was further strengthened by a good will tour Monroe undertook in 1817 to inspect the nation’s defenses. He was received by cheering crowds even in Federalist New England and ushered in an “Era of Good Feelings,” a term which is often used to describe his tenure in office. He skillfully weathered a series of crises, such as the financial panic of 1819, and helped craft the Missouri Compromise, successfully postponing civil war over the issue of slavery for another forty years. In 1820, he was reelected by an overwhelming margin, winning 231 out of 232 electoral votes cast.
In 1823, in his last message to Congress, Monroe presented the public declaration of American policy - the Monroe Doctrine - for which he is best known. It was based on three fundamental principles. First, he called for noncolonization of the Western hemisphere by European nations. Second, he demanded nonintervention by Europe in the affairs of the newly independent Latin American states. Finally, he pledged noninterference by the United States in European affairs. Discerning diplomats recognized that the policy had little teeth without the support of the British crown, which enjoyed a common interest with the United States in keeping other European powers from meddling in the Americas. Nevertheless, it was a powerful statement of American national self-interest, and it would prove remarkably foresighted, eventually becoming the foundation of American policy in the Western hemisphere.
In many ways, the Monroe Doctrine could more accurately be described as the Self-Defense Doctrine. President Monroe was concerned, first and foremost, with the national security of the United States. He understood that our armed forces were inadequate to protect our borders, let alone our interests, and he set about strengthening them. In particular, he understood the need to bolster the U.S. Navy to protect our commerce and to protect our shores. Monroe was a part of the Madison administration when the British burned Washington, and he was personally involved in directing the defense of Baltimore, which turned the tide of the British invasion. Clearly, Monroe had a keen appreciation of the need for an adequate national defense.
The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon reawakened Americans to the need for national security. Unlike Monroe’s time, the United States is no longer a weak country trying to fend off great powers. But like Monroe’s time, we now recognize that our homeland is not invulnerable to attack. The spirit of American patriotism has been rekindled, and Americans have reached out to help one another in amazing and heartfelt ways. But we can not afford to fall back into our old habits of practicing woefully inadequate security procedures and simply resume business as usual. There is a lot of work to be done to ensure that a terrorist attack of this magnitude can never happen on American soil again.
James Monroe was the last of the Revolutionary War generation, the last of the Founding Fathers. He was the leader of the nation, not just the leader of his party and it would be wise to follow his example and remind ourselves of his legacy. He dedicated himself to the principles of freedom, integrity and self-reliance that made this country great. He was a brave and daring man, yet humble and modest. He was not one for self promotion, and his years of service to the nation did not make him a rich man; quite the contrary. James Monroe straddled a generational change - he understood where the nation had come from and where it was going. As we embark on an uncharted course into a new and uncertain millennium, we should draw upon the lessons he taught us and use them as guideposts for the future.
Charles Wetzel, James Monroe, (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1989), pp. 13-23 and Christine Maloney Fitz-Gerald, Encyclopedia of Presidents: James Monroe, (Chicago: Children’s Press, 1987), pp. 21-27.
Eileen Shields-West, The World Almanac of Presidential Campaigns, (New York: Scripps Howard, 1992), p. 30.
Evan Cornog and Richard Whelan, Hats in the Ring, (New York: Random House, 2000), p. 42.
Paul F. Boller, Presidential Campaigns, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985), pp. 29-32.
Mary Beth Norton, et al. A People and a Nation - A History of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1986), pp. 227-234.
Thomas A. Bailey, The American Pageant, (Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1971), p.253.
Lucius Wilmerding, James Monroe: Public Claimant, (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1960).
