Monroe

Monroe, James (1758-1831), President of the United States of America, was born and educated in Virginia. He served with distinction in the Revolutionary War, adopted the practice of the law, and in 1782 became a member of the Virginia Assembly and of the Executive Council. He was member of Congress from 1783 to 1786. In 1788 he was a member of the convention for settling the Constitution of the United States, and was opposed to the extension of federal power. In 1790 he was elected to the Senate, and from 1794-96 was minister-plenipotentiary to Paris. After being Governor of Virginia in 1799, he went in 1803 as minister-extraordinary to Paris, and was instrumental in bringing about, the acquisition of Louisiana. In 1811 he was Secretary of State and for War, and in 1816 was elected President, being re-elected almost unanimously in 1820. He seems to have owed his great popularity to having, in his first term of office, acquired Florida from Spain, and settled the slave boundary. The Monroe Doctrine (so called from his Presidential message of 1823) was substantially that the United States disapproved of any European interference in aid of Spain against her revolted South American colonies, or to any further foundation of European colonies in America. Popularly it means that the United States is a sort of guardian of the independence of the other states of America. But though perhaps implied in the recent relations of that Power and the South American states, it has never been formally acted on by the United States Government.