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= = == = = =**James Monroe**= Birth: April 28, 1750 Death: July 4, 1831 Terms of Office: 1817-1825 (two terms) Vice President: Daniel Tompkins (both terms) Political Party: Democratic-Republican

Monroe's presidency was known as the "Era of Good Feelings". Although this term was not considered "good", he still deserves a B+ during his presidency. This is due to the fact that he established a good cabinet, the Missouri Compromise, and the creation of five new states added to the Union. Internationally, he improved the relations with Great Britain and the infamous Monroe Doctrine was created on his behalf.

James Monroe had many goals as President. For example he wanted to secure Florida without war to Spain. He achieved this goal by sending Andrew Jackson to Florida to attack the Indians in which Jackson captured two forts. This proved that Florida was weak under Spanish rule, and Monroe used this to pressure Spain into selling Florida to the United States. In addition, he wanted to improve relations with Great Britain which involved border disputes from the War of 1812. Monroe accomplished this goal by establishing The Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 which put limits on what each country could have in the Great Lakes, as far as Military goes. Also, the Convention of. This document improved relations with Britain because it caused both countries to negotiate with each other.

Monroe's relationship with congress was great to say the least. He created his own cabinet which included people from all over the country. The only veto denied by Monroe was the creation of the Cumberland Road. He considered this unconstitutional and believed that should be created based on the states. However, he later deemed the bill constitutonal because it was slowing down industrialization. Monroe had similar opinions with most members of Congress, so overall this resulted in a great relationship.

The creation of the Monroe Doctrine had the most positive outcome. It stated that the United States should be free from future European colonization, and that the U.S. intended to stay neutral in European Wars. Furthermore, it ensued that America would consider any new colonies or interference with independent countries in America as hostile acts to the U.S. However, Monroe's action with the most negative outcome was the first Seminole War. He sent Andrew Jackson to attack Seminole Indians who were raiding American settlements which punished the Spanish for aiding them. Europeans stayed behind Spain to keep control of the land. Therefore, this action caused confrontations with other nations.

One decision that influenced future presidential administrations was the creation of the Missouri Compromise. This deemed Missouri a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also made slavery illegal north of the 36/30' latitude, except in Northern Missouri. This left the North feeling that they had lost more in the compromise. This later caused the Civil War, the Dred Scott case, and finally the abolition of slavery.

James Monroe deserves a B+ for his terms as President. Although the "Era of Good Feelings" brought about times of panic and unemployment, his positive actions outweighed the negative. The Monroe Doctrine, Missouri Compromise, and the improved relations with Great Britain were all huge stepping stones to improving America and moving the country forward. For these reasons, Monroe deserves a B+.


 * Works Cited:**

http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-james-monroe.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Monroe#Presidency_1817.E2.80.931825:_The_Era_of_Good_Feelings http://www.jamesmonroe.org/2004place1.html http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/monroe/essays/biography/print