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**James Monroe**  Born: April 28, 1758 in Westmoreland County Virginia  Died: July 4, 1831 in New York, New York

 Political Party: Democratic-Republican  Term of Office: March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825  Vice President: Daniel Tompkins (1817-1825) James Monroe entered his terms of presidency during the Era of Good Feelings. Belonging to the only party in the United States, the Democratic-Republicans, Monroe enjoyed an easy election process and popular support. With too much momentum on his hands, Monroe needed to lead with a balanced perspective. For the most part, Monroe was a fair leader. Therefore, James Monroe's administration deserves a grade of a “B”. His successes come from the Monroe Doctrine and the Missouri Compromise. On the other hand, Monroe's decrease in grade comes from his indecisiveness in internal growth policies and his handling of the Panic of 1819.

Riding the wave of Good Feelings, James Monroe proclaimed his goals as president to enhance the infrastructure, boost the economy, and maintain peace. This is very optimistic, as the proud Americans were patching the damages of the War of 1812 and looking to themselves as a newly independent economy. For his first goal, Monroe was indecisive. He was openly favorable to the improvement of infrastructure by building roads, canals, and etc. However, Monroe is finicky with the rights given by the Constitution whereas Congress thought federal involvement in transportation systems was an implied power. In 1822, Monroe vetoes a bill that would extend and maintain the highly-used Cumberland Road. In 1825, he would, at the last moments of his presidency, reverse this and pass the bill. When considering his actions for the economy, Monroe was also indecisive. The Panic of 1819 was, granted, not his fault, but he could have been more solid in acting to relieve some of the depression. Monroe believed the depression was a natural phase of a growing economy and that it would bounce back, so he was lax during its duration. Finally, Monroe tried his best to maintain peace. The Missouri Compromise was a fair resolution between North and South, but sectionalism grew nonetheless, and there probably wasn't a thing that Monroe could have done to stop it. Therefore, Monroe did, to a small extent, achieve his goals.

By the time of James Monroe's terms, the Era of Good Feelings had already set in its Federalist-less conditions. During 1821 through 1823, the Republicans had the Federalists beat by holding 44 seats in the Senate to their lowly fours seats (an 11:1 ratio!). Monroe thus had the legislative power fighting for his cause. However, Monroe and Congress often fought. Party lines had deteriorated, but sectional divisions were prominent; the Northerners had the House of Representatives under its control, but the Senate was still evenly divided between North and South. For instance, the Missouri Compromise caused a split in Congress, but it was passed anyway. Monroe had actually thought of vetoing the bill because he thought that the Constitution did not grant the power to ban slavery. Because of his unsureness, Monroe would have always had opposition in Congress. Another example would be the Cumberland Road Bill. Monroe vetoed the bill in 1822 because he thought it was the state's duty to fund the construction of roads, not the federal government's. Later on, Monroe changed his mind and approved funding for the continuation of the roads. Congress was probably very frustrated with James Monroe by then.

James Monroe's legacy carries on through the Monroe Doctrine. In his speech (John Quincy Adams is actually the author of the Doctrine) to Congress, Monroe warned the European powers that their involvement in the western hemisphere should be kept to a minimum; the time for colonization was over, and the monarchies should stay in Europe. This doctrine served to protect (though Britain did most of the protecting) the Americans from the encroaching Russians, and the liberty-hungry South Americans from their Spanish masters. Even though the Doctrine had no power to enforce its own proclamation, it was a bold move for the “more perfect” American democracies. It also boosted the nationalist movement.

Contrastingly, Monroe's most negative actions are in the time of the Panic of 1819. Inflation had weakened the economy, and the major drop in cotton's value left the Southerners defenseless. Monroe had his own, more fanciful interpretation of the economic depression, which results in a weak response to the suffering of the people. Thus, his worst action is not acting. Monroe was cumbersome in giving the people relief, and his first few attempts barely helped at all. Monroe's inactivity resulted in a higher unemployment rate, bankruptcy, and the cruel imprisonment of debtors.

The Monroe Doctrine was praised and then quickly forgotten, but it eventually becomes a staple principle for the essence of the future of American foreign policy. Its first edition warned European powers that their form of government and colonization was not appropriate for the Americas anymore. The Monroe Doctrine was virtually __just__ the babbling of a //weak// American country, but future presidents, such as Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, will call upon the Monroe Doctrine and enhance it to answer to America's needs in their own times. In the future, the Doctrine will be used to help out “little sister” South America and try to prevent the spread of communism!

Overall, James Monroe was an average president. He was the leader of the United States in a time when balance was needed and so the nation was better off at the end of his term. The Monroe Doctrine will prove to be a valuable asset in the future and Monroe's decision in the Missouri Compromise kept the nation together, even when it was resisting. Monroe's downgrade comes from his laxness in dealing with the panic of 1819 and his inconclusive measures toward internal growth. As can be seen, the grade of an average “B” is fitting for the average Monroe.

__Bibliography__ "American President: James Monroe." // Miller Center of Public Affairs //. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. < [] >. DeGregorio, William A.. // The complete book of U.S. presidents //. New York: Dembner Books, 1984. Print. Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Andrew Bailey. // The American pageant: a history of the Republic //. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Print. "U.S. Senate: Party Division." // U.S. Senate //. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <[]>