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= __**James Monroe**__ =

Born: April 28th, 1758 Died: July 4th, 1831 Political Party: Democratic-Republican Terms in Office: 1817-1820, 1820-1825 (two terms) Vice President(s): Daniel D. Tompkins (both terms) ====**__Thesis:__** From 1817 to 1825 James Monroe was the 5th president of the United States of America. Before he was president, Monroe had many great experiences that helped prepare him to be the leader he was. As a young man of only 24, Monroe was a member of the Virginia assembly. After that he served for three years as a member of Continental Congress. He was known for fighting for the rights of the West. Later Monroe served in the U.S. Senate for a term. Then for a period of 17 years he was either a minister for a foreign country or the governor of Virginia. Only after being the Secretary of State and Secretary of War was Monroe president. I believe that he did a fairly good job during these years and deserves the rating of a B for his presidency. While serving his two terms as president, the topics that Monroe was involved with that earned him an A- include internal affairs and land ownership.====

====__**Goals:**__ During his first presidency Monroe thought it was very important for the country to become more independent. This is noted in his first inaugural address, "Possessing as we do all the raw materials, the fruit of our own soil and industry, we ought not to depend in the degree we have done on supplies from other countries." He probably knew that war was going to happen and knew that the country needed to stop relying on France and England for supplies. "While we are thus dependent the sudden event of war, unsought and unexpected, can not fail to plunge us into the most serious difficulties." Further down the road Monroe wanted all other countries to stay out of the United State's business. He did not want to be involved with any wars with anyone, nor did he want other countries to try and settle on American soil. This is evident in his famous Monroe Doctrine, which was mainly focused on Russia and Spain.====

====__**Relationship with Congress:**__ The Era of Good Feelings is usually associated with Monroe's presidency. That being said, a single party was liked by virtually all people which means that Monroe was probably in agreement with most members of congress because they all had virtually the same opinions. Monroe used one veto to reject a bill which used federal money to construct and maintain the Cumberland Road and a road out west. He believed that without an amendment to the constitution he was not allowed to make those decisions, they were up to the state governments. (Later on in 1825 he changed his mind and signed a bill for extending the Cumberland Road west). President Monroe sometimes signed bills that he did not completely support. For example he was hesitant to sign the Missouri Compromise because he was not sure congress had the power to ban slavery in a territory. But in the end he signed it because vetoing it may have caused the civil war to happen sooner.====

====**__Positive Outcome:__** The event during Monroe's presidency that had the most positive outcome would probably have to be his decisions concerning land. His participation in the Adams-Onís treaty resulted in the United States gaining the land of Florida and Oregon from Spain. Another positive outcome that resulted from Monroe's administration is the Missouri Compromise. A new territory wanted to join the United States but it was in the south. People from the north did not want it to become a state because it would be a slave state. This meant in the senate there would be one more state supporting slavery then not. The Missouri Compromise gave the south a new state that they wanted but it also made Maine a state in the north. This kept it equal in congress which in turn prevented a civil war for a period of time.====

====__**Negative Outcome:**__ One of the biggest mistakes president Monroe made was vetoing the bill for constructing and maintaining roads. It did not have a negative outcome per say but it defiantly hindered the industrial revolution. If there were more roads then supplies and ideas could travel westward at a faster pace. The reason Monroe vetoed the bill was because he did not think that the constitution gave him the right to make decisions about transportation. He thought that only the states had that power, so if there was an amendment to the constitution then he would sign the bill. Towards the end of his presidency though Monroe changed his mind and did sign a bill that would use federal money to improve roadways and build more. If only this was done earlier, the industrial growth of the country could have been greatly increased.====

====__**Influences:**__ The decision Monroe made that has had the greatest influence on the world of today is the Monroe Doctrine. During his presidency, there were fears of Russians invading Alaska and of Spain trying to reclaim their former colonies. Britain was also trying to get America to sign a declaration with them against European intervention in the west. Monroe knew that the US had many previous problems with other nations and did not want anyone to bother them. This encouraged him to include 3 very important parts in his address to congress, which are later known as the Monroe Doctrine. This stated American's neutrality with all European affairs, declared it would not stand for other countries to recolonize their former land, and stated that the Western hemisphere is no longer open to colonization. As a result of this document America was not involved in any foreign war for a while and was not bothered by other countries for land that was disputed in the past. This was very good for the country which had many internal problems arising that needed to be concentrated on.====

====__**Conclusion:**__ Therefore, the country was better off after Monroe's presidency in almost every area. The only major negative includes being hesitant to sign legislature. His successes contain handling many internal affairs as well as determining land ownership. During his presidency roads were not only improved but many more were built. War was also but off by the Missouri Compromise which made people who supported and opposed slavery content. The United States also gained land as a result of the Adams-Onís treaty and was guaranteed authority over their land because of the Monroe Doctrine. As a result of these many positives and few negatives, James Monroe deserves the grade of an A- for his presidency.====

**__Sources:__**
5. "James Monroe 1817-1825." __The White House__. 22 Feb. 2010. []

DeGregorio, William. __The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents__. Fort Lee: Barricade. 2005.

"James Monroe." __American Presidents: An Online Reference Resource__. University of Virginia. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. []

"James Monroe." //American Presidents: Life Portraits//. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. []