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=James Monroe  =

 =  = Terms: 1 Terms of office: March 4, 1817 - March 4, 1825 ** **Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins** James Monroe's presidency is known as "The Era of Good Feelings," for many reasons. James Monroe deserves an A as a president because he had a good relationship with the people and came up with many important changes such as the Monroe Doctrine. He went on tours of the United States to involve people, and consulted with his cabinet before making decisions. He also encouraged the dissolution of political parties for the time being.
 * Political Party: Democrat-Republican

Monroe's main goals were to have a good relationship with the people and continue to break away from European colonization. Monroe had a very good relationship with the people; he went on tours of different states and got support wherever he went. He also made unusually strong choices for his cabinet, including John C. Calhoun and John Quincy Adams. Regarding European colonization, Monroe spoke to Congress and declared that America should not have any more European colonization or interference. He also noted that the United States was to stay neutral in wars involving Europe and the European powers. They were also to view interference with countries in North and South America as hostile acts.

His relationship with Congress was one of respect. The Republican Party was the majority in both houses, as the political parties were beginning to disappear. Monroe had to deal with the stat of Missouri, and the question of whether it should be a slave state or not. Monroe, along with his cabinet, understood the large divide over the issue. His goal was to unite Congress, and if that was not possible, to issue a compromise. However, he didn't get as involved as some people thought he should because he didn't want to meddle with congressional decisions. Eventually, the bill was passed in 1820. The final decision was that Missouri would be admitted as a slave state. However, the South would have to agree with outlawing slavery about the 36-30' line.

One thing Monroe accomplished was the Monroe Doctrine. Many of Spain's Latin American colonies were trying to break free, which reminded the Americans of their own struggles. However, there were rumors that these colonies would try to reclaim the land they lost long ago. When news of this spread, Britain and the United States knew action had to be taken. Monroe decided that the United States would resist European invasion in the Western Hemisphere. He also said that European countries should not colonize in the Western Hemisphere anymore, because it was not an option. His ideas were continued through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The negative thing in Monroe's presidency was not entirely his fault. The Panic of 1819 was a major depression in which there were high unemployment rates and an increase in bankruptcies. Monroe's opinion on the matter was that he could do little at the time, and that the country would work itself out later, which it did. He did support a policy which relaxed payment terms on mortgages for lands bought from the federal government, however, people think he should have handled the situation better and made more of attempt to help the nation through that troubled time. Monroe played a great role in the separation of the political parties from Democrat-Republican and Federalist to Democrat and Whig. He believed the country didn't need those political parties to prosper. Because there were no specific political parties, Monroe could not rely on a group to always agree with him. This forced him to be very compromising when he created his bills. Monroe helped the nation transition while the Federalist party was fading.

The United States was lucky to have Monroe, and were better off at the end of his presidency. He was popular with the people and elected a good, strong cabinet. He encouraged the decline of the first political party, yet he always consulted with Congress and his cabinet. His most remembered accomplishment was the Monroe Doctrine, which benefited the future of the Western Hemisphere. Monroe deserves an A because his achievements all bettered the country.

**Bibliography:** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Monroe http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesmonroe/ http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/monroe/essays/biography/4 http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/monroe/essays/biography/5 The American Pageant- Appendix and Chapter 12