I slid into the backseat and closed the car door. As the engine purred to life, I stared back over the knoll that separated me from Ash Lawn-Highland, former home of President James Monroe. My active imagination saw him wandering through his beloved home before being forced to sell it.
He rubbed knarled fingers over his eyes. Sighing, his gray gaze passed over the blue back bedroom at Highland one last time. He’d given everything to his country. Now, the money was gone and with it his lovely cottage. He wandered into the hall and turned left to amble under the arched hall formed by the joined flues he had designed. Resting a hand on the doorframe at the hall’s end, he stared out past the gardens towards Monticello. It had started with Jefferson, he thought. Then, he had begun his diplomatic work, putting blood sweat and tears into his country. He had made it his life’s work to take the dangling threads of a nation and help weave them into a tapestry called America. I don’t understand why some books say Monroe was a do-nothing president (Skidmore, 37). A farmer, lawyer, writer and soldier, he traveled the world on diplomatic missions for much of his younger life. Then, he committed himself to the presidency, dealing with Britain, France, Spain and Russia all while trying to boost America into a world-power. Monroe was multi-talented man of the world.
He turned away from the view and wandered back to the bedroom. He gazed at the fields where, in 1799, he attempted planting tobacco crops to pay back debts earned in service to his country. Out of desperate need, he returned to law, an occupation he despised (Ammon,164). At the time, the Federalists were attacking Monroe’s conduct in France, alleging that he hadn’t been dutiful to the Franco-American alliance as Minister, that he had given in to British demands in the Jay Treaty concerning shipping rights. In A View, as he called it, he compiled all non-confidential papers from his actions in France in order to defend himself and published them as a 407 page book (Ammon,165-166).
He turned away from the window and caught his reflection in the mirror standing over the dresser. It was a piece of one Elizabeth had rescued from the burnt White House. Monroe led a reconnaissance mission to the Patuxent River, spying 5,000 British infantry en route to Washington. (Ammon, 331-333). It mirrored his soldiering days in the War for Independence (Smith, 86).
The wooden desk in his study called him when he wanted to think. As he sat down, he looked up at an ornate, French clock and was powerfully reminded of his diplomatic days. Assigned in 1794 (The American Revolution) to post-revolutionary France, a delightfully democratic place, he tracked the fascinating political reconstruction and economic developments of the new regime (Ammon,132). The Jay Treaty ruffled French feathers and he smoothed them by convincing them that though the definitions of neutral rights in Atlantic waters differed from those in the Treaty of 1778, the new treaty wasn’t hostile to France and that America was still an ally. Later, he made a pro-French speech to the French assembly, and, since this violated Washington’s neutral stance, he was recalled (Kunhardt). In 1803, Jefferson wrote Monroe a note imploring him to return to France with his knowledge of French politicians to help the American Minister, Livingston, settle the purchase of Louisiana and all affordable lands to its east (“James Monroe”). After battling Livingston’s glory-hogging needs (Ammon, 215), Monroe and the Minister jointly disregarded their orders (Ammon, 211) and negotiated with Talleyrand and Napoleon, who said it was all of Louisiana or nothing at all. Monroe and Livingston pounced on the opportunity for expansion, overspent their budget and, later, Monroe progressed to Spain to negotiate the Floridas (“James Monroe”). This was the first stepping stone laid by him to obtain Florida for America, a goal completed in his presidency.
There was nothing to do at his cleaned-out desk, so he wandered into the drawing room, looked at the table that always held the tea service. Tea made him think of Britain. He’d been minister there from 1803 to 1807. He learned about British pride and stubbornness when negotiating for trade rights in the Atlantic. In 1804, he returned to Spain to settle the Louisiana boundaries. Spain was noncommittal (“James Monroe”).
Monroe traveled throughout Europe and acquired cultural sophistication. The Monroes picked up French style after his stay as Minister. They had lightly gilt furniture and a rococo drawing room at the Folie, their French residence (Ammon, 133). Later, when Mrs. Monroe became first lady, she used the French rule that strangers should visit locals first (Ammon, 138), not the typical American way. Monroe learned French so well that he dismissed his interpreter in French political discussions.
He settled onto a striped, stiff-backed couch and pondered the blank walls. French tapestries of a hunt used to hang there. As Secretary of State, Monroe obtained the release of several French-captured, American ships with forceful speeches announcing that the States would no longer be trampled on by European powers. If the ships weren’t returned, there would be a break in the Franco-American connection (Ammon, 297). He also removed overeager American troops from Florida, which prevented troubles with Spain (Ammon, 308). In the actual War of 1812, Monroe was Secretary of War as well as Secretary of State (The American Revolution). He believed the war, though a stalemate, was a success for American nationalism and pride (Ammon, 344).
He meandered into his drawing room again, and his eyes lit on the cabinet holding the eagle-crested china from his presidency. The inauguration on March 4, 1817, was an outdoor affair attended by 8,000 people (Ammon, 367). As president, Monroe strengthened the sense of nationalism by minimizing party influence (Ammon, 380). He boosted America into a world power by taking a hard line with European powers. The first one he fought was Spain, who could no longer control her American colonies (Ammon, 409). General Andrew Jackson invaded Florida to stop a revolution planned by two British subjects, who he executed. Thankfully, Britain didn’t retaliate and the invasion was an opportunity for Spain to gracefully bow out of the Americas (“James Monroe”). After settling the Southern Louisiana border at the 42nd parallel with the Spanish (“James Monroe”), Monroe moved on to the British. He settled trade disputes, secured fishing rights in the Oregon territory and secured joint custody to the Oregon territory, resolving a long-standing bone of contention between the two nations. He, also, settled the Northern Louisiana boundary at the 49th parallel (“James Monroe”). Then, Monroe moved on to the explosive, divisive issue of Missouri. As a slave state, acceptance to the Union would have tipped the balance towards slavery in the Senate which angered Northern abolitionists. Then, Representative James Tallmadge, Jr. proposed an amendment to forbid slavery there (Ammon, 449) which angered the Southern slave holders. Monroe worked behind the scenes to admit Maine as a free state and thereby set a precedence of compromise for the introduction of future states. The final Missouri Compromise signed in 1820, followed suit by evenly dividing the territory along 36’30” and prohibiting slavery north of that line (“The American Revolution”).
He traced the flag under the eagle on the plate, proud of the statement he had made on behalf of the nation. Monroe warned all European nations to stay away from the Western Hemisphere and all former colonies or risk the consequences. The idea had come from a British proposal made by Foreign Minister Canning to unite with America to prevent an aggressive France from helping Spain rebuild her lost American empire (Ammon, 447). Canning retracted the offer, but Monroe, still anxious over the Russian proposal to restrict all foreign traffic north of the 51st parallel (Smith, 90), retained the idea. The combined fears of Spain and Russia prompted Monroe to make a statement defining the American system, namely that North America was a world power and the all European attempts to colonize the Americas would be considered offensive. Though there was no real power in America to enforce this statement, it became the foremost statement of American power, independence and nationalism (Ammon, 492).
As I drove away from Highland, I thought of Monroe’s fate. He fought in the army, battled debt and health problems, negotiated treaty after treaty in numerous countries. Thousands of dollars spent on and for the nation, but not reimbursed, forced him to sell Highland, his dream cottage. I saw him wandering through a space overflowing with memories having no other choice than to leave them. He received little thanks for the gains he made for the United States, for uniting and strengthening it, for elevating it to world-power status. He received little for being James Monroe: extraordinary diplomat and talented president who made an extraordinary journey to become a man of the world.
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