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=James Monroe=

April 28, 1758- July 4, 1831 Political Party: Democratic-Republican Terms: Two terms, March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1825 Vice President: Daniel D. Tompkins, two terms

James Monroe became President during the Era of Good Feelings, and as a result was well liked by the people in this happy time. He went through his two terms making some good decisions, and a few not so good ones. With all of this taken into account, the conclusion is reached that President James Monroe should receive a rating of a B.

As he entered office in 1817, Monroe was a strong nationalist, and made it one of his goals to keep this feeling of nationalism going after it had started at the conclusion of the War of 1812. One way he made sure that this was being accomplished was taking national tours around the country that also helped to show the Americans just what he was like and to look at the defense fortifications all over. Since he started out his presidency during the Era of Good Feelings, Monroe also made it a goal to continue to stay in this era, although, this he did not accomplish very well. Not long into his first term, the Panic of 1819 occurred, obviously not continuing the good feeling. Already well into his presidency when the Panic of 1819 had started, Monroe realized that there wasn't much that he could do about the Panic, but wanted to help in what little ways that he could. He completed that well, and the Panic ended before his second term had finished. Excluding the Panic of 1819, which couldn't really have been avoided, Monroe did a rather well job of accomplishing the goals that he set for himself in office.

While he was President, Monroe had a good relationship with Congress, doing nothing to make them hate him, but nothing to make them love him either. Over his two terms, President Monroe did well in dealing with Congress, already having been a Senator himself. The Congress during Monroe's administration had the large majority of Democratic- Republicans, the party of Monroe, as opposed to Federalists. In both houses of Congress, the number of Democratic-Republicans was higher than Federalists by a large amount. Congress was focused on internal improvements during this time period, and one bill that they proposed was about improving Cumberland Road, which was appropriately titled the Cumberland Road Bill. President Monroe vetoed this bill, exercising the executive power against Congress because he thought that it was unconstitutional and that this was what a state legislature should be dealing with. He also sparked the debate about slavery taking about two years in Congress to come to the conclusion on the Missouri Compromise which settled the very long discussion. Overall though, he did a good job in keeping a nice relationship with Congress.

The thing that President Monroe is most known for and the best thing that he accomplished in office were the same thing: the Monroe Doctrine. This message to Congress stated that no more European colonization was to take place in America, and that America would stay neutral in any future European wars. John Quincy Adams should also be awarded with some of the credit for this decision also, as he was the one who actually wrote the speech. This doctrine greatly helped America by keeping their land away from other European countries who wanted to colonize it, and it also kept America from even thinking about getting involved in any more European wars. Perhaps the worst decision that Monroe made in office though was the solution of the Missouri Compromise. This compromise was the resolution to the problem going on with Missouri, that they wanted to be admitted as a slave owning state, but Congress did not agree with this. In the end, after two years of arguing they came up with the Missouri Compromise. Although this may have been a good solution at the time, it did not prove to be so later in time. If this decision would have been made differently, perhaps the Civil war might not have happened. If President Monroe would have come up with a good permanent solution to the slavery issue, things later on in history might not have happened the way that they actually did, and there would have been a better solution to this very bad effect.

The Monroe Doctrine is what James Monroe was best remembered for, and it left its mark on history to come. It stayed in place long after Monroe finished his second term. This doctrine basically told the rest of the world that America was done dealing with issues in the Old World and had completely moved on to the New World. As earlier stated, the Monroe Doctrine was a big step forward for America, and some credit of the Monroe Doctrine should definitely be given to John Quincy Adams since he was the one who drafted the speech. Essentially, this would have to be considered a contribution to history made by both James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. Although it was eventually broken by President Roosevelt, this speech given by President Monroe proved to be an important part of history not only when it was written but also for other Presidents that came afterward as an example of how to deal with European powers.

Considering all of these factors, President Monroe did a good job while in office. Taking into account the good job he did getting the country through the Panic of 1819 and the effective use of the Monroe Doctrine, this point is clearly stated. Leaving his mark on the Country in more positive ways than negative, the conclusion is reached that President Monroe should receive a rating of a B for his terms as President.

Bibliography: "American President: James Monroe: Domestic Affairs." __Miller Center of Public Affairs__. 30 Sep. 2009 .

"Biography of James Monroe." __Welcome to the White House__. 30 Sep. 2009 .

"Monroe Doctrine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." __Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia__. 30 Sep. 2009 .

"USA-Presidents.Info - James Monroe." __USA-Presidents.Info - Biographies and information on every American president.. 30 Sep. 2009 .__