James
Monroe
James Monroe (1758-1831) succeeded his lifelong friends
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to become the fifth
president of the United States (1817-1825). He was the
last of the so-called Virginia dynasty of American
presidents. In 1803 Monroe was named to be part of a
mission sent to France to help negotiate the Louisiana
Purchase. In more than 40 years of public service, Monroe
was considered a man of good intelligence, sound judgment,
and demonstrated the highest integrity.
James Monroe, in his seventh
annual presidential address (December 2, 1823) made a
statement as a declaration of policy now referred to
as the Monroe Doctrine. Although It was not supported by
congressional legislation or affirmed in international
law, it eventually became one of the foundations of U.S.
policy in Latin America.
Read his first inaugural address. |
