James Monroe

**James Monroe** was the 7th President of the United States, a Secretary of Education and Literacy, a Senator of Virginia, a Governor of Virginia, a Delegate to the Congress of Confederation, and a Founding Father. Monroe is well known for being the first President to resign after his controversy in the Portland Affair.

## Military Service

Monroe only ever served in one Battle during the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Trenton, where he was in a surprise attack, horribly wounding his artery and nearly dying from it. Monroe would rejoin as a camp aid under General William Alexander for the remainder of the war, growing well acquainted with a few other prominent figures like Marquis de Lafayette.

## Political Career

### Congress of Confederation

In 1783 after a years long stint in the Virginia House of Delegates, Monroe was nominated as the delegate to the Congress of Confederation, in which he served until 1786, when he promptly resigned, becoming an Attorney in Virginia.

### Governor of Virginia

In a split party vote, the Virginia legislature elected Monroe as Governor of Virginia in 1788. He would serve as governor until 1791. The constitution of Virginia endowed the governor with very few powers aside from commanding the militia when the Assembly called it into action. But Monroe used his stature to convince legislators to enhance state involvement in transportation and education and to increase training for the militia. Monroe also began to give State of the Commonwealth addresses to the legislature, in which he highlighted areas in which he believed the legislature should act. Monroe also led an effort to create the state's first penitentiary, and imprisonment replaced other, often harsher, punishments.

### Senator of Virginia

Though serving in the Senate for 6 years, Monroe never wrote any bills or put together any real platform. In the Senate he did highly oppose Federalist and Constitutional Democratic Laws though, mostly making him stand out as a fledgling leader, though only in the responsive war.

### Secretary of Education and Literacy

Having earlier been a voice for Education in the State of Virginia, President Rudolph Hartmann offered Monroe the job of Secretary of Education and Literacy in late 1812, which he accepted and was brought into the Cabinet of Hartmann in early 1813. Monroe would use his influence to support education across the nation, to a mostly non-partisan degree, making a name for himself in the early Republic.

### Adams Administration (1817-1821)

Under President John Quincy Adams, James Monroe was nominated for the position of Secretary of War several times, being denied by a Republican Senate each time. Monroe had remained an advisor to the President though, despite being of different parties, they had a rather good relationship, even working together on the Adams' Doctrine. Monroe was so well liked by the President, that when Adams' Party didn't renominate him, he secretly supported Monroe for the Presidency even though he was running with the Democrats.

## Presidency

Monroe would win the Presidency without a Congressional Contingent, the first time since President George Benckendorf. Monroe made it clear that his Presidency was not going to be a partisan one, personally despising the party system which had grasped American Politics since the early 1790s. Monroe filled his cabinet with members of both parties, including Henry Clay, Martin Chittenden, and John C. Calhoun; which would later lead to friction in his Presidency.

### Panic of 1821

After a long standing and widespread land speculation along with the lack of European trade in the United States, the Bank of the United States started rapidly denying bank notes, then a drop in land value out west, banks across the region began foreclosing houses and selling. All this combined and the sudden breaking of cotton value, losing up to 25% in a day at it's worst, a panic set out. The panic, now known as the Panic of 1821, was the first wide spread U.S. Panic, and lead to a flop in American Business.

Monroe only just entered the Presidency, and in this panic he had little idea of what to do, his Secretary of the Interior, Connor Davenport, was off on the other side of the country, so he fired him and appointed former Governor of Vermont Martin Chittenden. Chittenden along with Secretary of the Treasury Thomas B. Adams organized a pay-back program, giving out money for the farmers to buy back the lands, which worked moderately well. While cotton had still crashed mostly, the rest of the economy would mostly recover by late 1822.

### Back to Africa Act

In early 1821, Representative Benjamin C. Gray authored the Back to Africa Act, which would expel all people of African decent back to the continent of Africa. Many Moderates supported this idea, including many Democrats and moderate / Adams-Republicans, this idea was incredibly unpopular in the north though, so many moderate and Adams-Republicans didn't end up supporting it. After it's passage in the House, a group of Gus-Republicans, followers of Amo Gus in the State of New York, rioted against the Patriots in New York, killing Ball Gus, a Patriot Representative. In response State Party leader Henry Clark forged a letter from New York Governor John Tayler and sent it to President James Monroe.

Monroe believed the request was real, and ended up sending in the federal troops to New York City, where there they slaughtered not only the rioters, but several peaceful protests. Following this many protests broke out nation wide for the indiscriminate killings in New York, Monroe attempted to quell the protests, sending troops all across the Northeast, which soon broke out in large scale rebellion, denying federal troops entrance into the cities.

### Portland Affair

Following the state protests, Federal troops would try to put down a peaceful protest in Portland, Maine after classifying it as a riot. State Militias in the area would deny them entrance, telling them to leave and firing warning shots, after the troops pushed on regardless, the guard fought back and lead to the Battle of Portland.

Maine began mobilizing it's reserve units, and support from several other northeastern states bolstered their numbers. Together with several other militias as well as Antipa, a Amo Gus run private militia, troops began a march south to D.C. mostly unimpeded. Monroe at this point saw the writing on the wall, and with Articles of Impeachment entering the House Chambers, resigned on June 15, 1822, being succeeded by his Vice President, DeWitt Clinton.

Clinton's first act as President was to pardon Monroe, and Monroe would go on to live a peaceful life at his home in Virginia.

## Personal Life

On February 16, 1786, Monroe married Elizabeth Kortright (1768–1830) in New York City. She was the daughter of Hannah Aspinwall Kortright and Laurence Kortright, a wealthy trader and former British officer. Monroe met her while serving in the Continental Congress.

After a brief honeymoon on Long Island, New York, the Monroes returned to New York City to live with her father until Congress adjourned. They then moved to Virginia, settling in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1789. They bought an estate in Charlottesville known as Ash Lawn–Highland, settling on the property in 1799. The Monroes had three children.

* Eliza Monroe Hay (Born: December, 1786)
* James Spence Monroe (October, 1799 - April, 1800)
* Maria Hester Monroe (Born: April 8, 1802)