Alejandro+A.+-+JMO+-+FA09

2 Terms:** (March 4, 1817 - March 4, 1825)
 * James Monroe**: (April 28, 1758 - July 4, 1831)
 * Republican
 * Vice-President:** //Both Terms:// Daniel D. Tompkins

James Monroe's presidency was tumultuous to say in the least. Between the Panic of 1819, American expansion westward and the addition of the Florida territory, the Missouri Compromise, and the situation revolving around his Monroe Doctrine, he was busy. Regarding his poor reaction to the Panic of 1819 his administration was tarnished, but once considering his neutral thinking Missouri Compromise and the Doctrine, his terms as President earn a B-.

Monroe did not have many goals as he entered office. His first was to build American trust in him and strengthen national pride. He accomplished this by making a tour in 1817 across the U.S. Paying out of his own pocket and without an official escort, he gave speeches across thirteen states and looked over the military defenses. He was well received and the phrase, "Era of Good Feelings" was first used. Second, he wanted to protect Georgia from raiding Native Americans. One of his first acts as president was to address this problem. He sent General Andrew Jackson on a campaign to attack Creek and Seminole Indians. He also ordered Jackson to prevent Spanish Florida from becoming a safe haven for runaway slaves. His first goals were readily achieved.

The relationship between Congress and the President was only lukewarm. The majority in both houses was overwhelmingly Republican but there wasn't much collaboration between the branches. However, he only vetoed one legislative bill, Calhoun's Bonus Bill. It called for federal funding of a national highway but upon the grounds that only states could provide the funding, he declared it unconstitutional. The next piece of legislation was the Treaty of 1818 with Britain. It constituted three parts. First was the allowance of American ships to fish in Newfoundland waters. Second was the establishment of the northern border of Louisiana along the 49th parallel. Lastly was the 10-year agreement between Britain and the U.S. to share the Oregon Territory. It was a much underrated and positive act. The largest uproar legislatively was the subsequent Missouri Compromise. The North and South being stuck in a stalemate, a compromise was negotiated where Missouri would be allowed admission as a slave state but only upon the other sided admission of Maine as a free state. It also dictated future slavery be banned in the rest of the Louisiana territory. The last significant bill passed was the Land Act of 1820. It reduced the public land lots available for purchase from 160 minimum acres to eighty, and decreased the price per acre from $1.65 to $1.25. It was designed to encourage westward expansion.

Monroe's most positive action was the negotiation of the Missouri Compromise. It settled both the North and South and gave them each something they wanted. He negated violence and kept peace. If the Civil War happened at this time the North would have been too weak to corral the south and the U.S. might very well have been two countries. Some argue that the Monroe Doctrine was his most positive action but without the British Navy it would have fallen on deaf ears. In addition, if the Holy Alliance did invade, his bluff would have been quickly called.

Monroe's most negative happening was the Panic of 1819. Western banks were overspeculating and handing out large loans. Once the land speculators could not repay these loans, banks failed and depositors were cleared out. International issues exacerbated the problem. The inflow of underpriced goods from Britain hurt young American factories. Europe was quickly recovering from the Napoleonic Wars and demand for American foodstuffs slowed. Moreover, war and revolution in Latin America halted the supply of precious metals to Europe. Lacking money supply citizens and governments alike began to go into monetary hibernation and American banks were forced to print false banknotes. The Panic as you can see was complex but Monroe was missing force and let the panic develop versus taking it head on. Therefore it is a major blemish on his administration.

Monroe greatly affected future administrations as well as future America. His doctrine set a far reaching policy for the U.S. Although it was quickly ignored at the time, it made a large comeback in the middle of the century and to this date the U.S. has not allowed a foreign force to securely occupy any region close to the Caribbean. The Missouri Compromise was also very important in that it staved off a civil war and allowed the North to strengthen to the point it could defeat the South. Finally, Monroe did much to begin settling the Louisiana Territory and gained Florida.

Overall, the United States were slimly above where they were after Monroe's terms over before. The Panic of 1819 hurt the economy and was felt for several years. It had a major impact. Nonetheless, the Missouri Compromise kept peace and the North and South sated while the Monroe Doctrine set a strong precedent for future presidents. Monroe effectively earns a B- for his administration.

Bibliography:

1. Bello, Jackie. __James Monroe.org.__ 2004. 29 September 2009. [] 2. "James Monroe (1758-1831)". American President An Online Reference Source. Miller Center Public Affairs. []. 3. "James Monroe." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2009. 27 September 2009. []