James Monroe
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Students and Teachers of US History this is a video of Stanley and Christopher Klos presenting America's Four United Republics Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The December 2015 video was an impromptu capture by a member of the audience of Penn students, professors and guests that numbered about 200.
JAMES MONROE was born
on April 28, 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was one of five children
of Spence Monroe and Elizabeth Jones who were both natives of Virginia. The
Monroe’s lived on a small farm and young James walked several miles each day to
attend the school of Parson Campbell, who taught him the stern moral code that
he followed throughout his life.
When he was 16, Monroe
entered the College of William and Mary. During his first year there, his
father died and the cost of his education and his guardianship was taken over
by his uncle, Judge Joseph Jones, who became his trusted advisor. The year was
1774 and the colonies were moving ever closer to war with Great Britain. Young
Monroe was finding it difficult to concentrate on his studies and in 1775, he
left college to go to war. He became a lieutenant and during the Battle of
Trenton, his captain was wounded and the command was given to him. However, he
too was wounded at that battle and while recovering he was named aide-de-camp
to Major General Lord Stirling. He fought with George Washington at Valley
Forge and in 1779, and now a major, Monroe was commissioned to lead a militia
of Virginia regiment as a lieutenant colonel. However, his unit was never
formed and his military career was at its end. He became an aide to Thomas
Jefferson, who was the Governor of Virginia at this time. He also became
Jefferson’s student in the study of law and with Jefferson’s guidance, he began
to see what course his life would take.
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In 1782, at the age of 24,
Monroe was elected to the Virginia State Legislature. He was the youngest
member of the Executive Council and in 1783, was elected as Virginia's Delegate to the United States in Congress Assembled. In congress, James Monroe was instrumental in formulating and enacting a trilogy of U.S. founding ordinances. These ordinances protected freedoms of worship, private property, and jury trials, resembling the later Bill of Rights. They also established laws to admit new federal territorial settlements as future states "on an equal footing" with existing states, while creating a mechanism for funding public education.
Additionally, the third ordinance of the trilogy abolished slavery and indentured servitude in the first US federally owned territory that was situated to the North and West of the Ohio River, encompassing the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and a substantial portion of Minnesota. It was the 1787 Northwest Ordinance’s Article VI, originally proposed by Thomas Jefferson in 1784, that eventually fostered the creation of the underground railroad and was also utilized by Abraham Lincoln and Congress to finally abolish slavery and indentured servitude nationwide with the 13th Amendment four score years later.
In the realm of governance, Monroe's 1786 draft of the Northwest Ordinance assigned executive, legislative, and judicial powers over the territory to five federal officials, bearing a resemblance to a proto-administrative state. Despite its historical significance, Monroe's Northwest Ordinance’s territorial governance plan continues to be overlooked in discussions concerning the constitutional legitimacy of administrative law.
In conjunction with the 1784-1787 trilogy of Ordinances, James Monroe, serving as a Congressman under the Articles of Confederation, chaired the committee responsible for issuing ship's papers for the inaugural U.S. trade mission to China in 1784. Additionally, as a Revolutionary War hero, Monroe played a crucial role in the unanimous vote by the USCA to arrest and prosecute Captain Henry Carberry for his involvement in inciting the military mutiny against Congress at Independence Hall on June 21, 1783. This insurrection of 400 plus troops prompted President Elias Boudinot’s Congress to relocate the U.S. capital from Philadelphia, first to Princeton, NJ, and subsequently to Annapolis, Maryland.
In 1786, while Congress was meeting at in New York City, Monroe met Elizabeth Kortright, whom he
married on February 16, 1786. The couple had three children: Eliza Kortright
Monroe (1786-1835), James Spence Monroe (1799-1800), and Maria Hester Monroe
(1803-1850).
In October, 1786, Monroe
resigned from Congress and settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia with his new
bride. He was elected to the town council and once again to the Virginia
Legislature. He was a delegate to the Virginia convention to ratify the new
Constitution and was strongly opposed, feeling that it was a threat to fee
navigation of the Mississippi. He voted against the constitution, but once it
was ratified he accepted the new government without any misgivings.
In 1789, the Monroe’s moved
to Albemarle County, Virginia. Their estate, Ash Lawn, was very near
Jefferson’s estate, Monticello. In 1790, he was elected to a recently vacated
seat in the United States Senate and was named to a full six-year term the
following year. In the spring of 1794, Monroe accepted the diplomatic position
of Minister Plenipotentiary to France. His assignment was to help maintain
friendly relations with France despite efforts to remain on peaceful terms with
France’s enemy, Great Britain. Monroe was recalled in September 1796 and felt
he had been betrayed by his opponents who used him to appease France while they
made great concessions to Britain in Jay’s Treaty that the United States had
signed in 1794. He remained bitter about it for the rest of his life.
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| Engravings of James Monroe Birth farm and Oak Hill mansion |
Monroe returned home in June
1797 and after two years of retirement from public office, he was elected
governor of Virginia, a position that he served from 1799 until 1803. His great
friend and mentor, Thomas Jefferson had been elected President in 1800 and in
1803 and in this letter he writes James Madison:
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| James Monroe to James Madison Richmond, 14 January 1802. |
He begins by saying how pleased he is that Madison liked his message to the Virginia state legislature, in which Monroe lauded Jefferson's non-partisan approach to federal appointments.
"It is in the powers of the President & Executives of the States who are republican, to open a course to the people which has heretofore been obscured by a cloud, or if seen, branded as jacobinic. This may be done without even looking at the weak and unworthy characters who have gone before, and who perverted the trust reposed in them to very different purposes. I have little doubt that that cause will be better understood and become more popular daily."
"The President has acquitted himself well. This indeed was a very extng. communication from his place, as the course of proceeding resulting from it must be in the Congress. The former gentry will find themselves in a strange dilemma[,] compelled to admit abuses, by sanctioning reforms which they cannot oppose; guilt becomes afflicting even to the most guilty when it is detected & exposed."Monroe hopes that Jefferson's non-partisanship will not only put a stop to Federalist patronage but cool down the tone of political life generally. In the tumultuous 1790;s, with the French Revolution throwing American politics into tumult, the Federalists painted Jefferson and his supporters as wild disciples of guillotine-style democracy, while to the Jeffersonians, the ruling party were all closet monarchists. Echoes of those passions appear in this letter ("jacobinic," "former gentry").
Upon the end of his term as governor, Monroe was sent back by President Jefferson to France to help Robert R. Livingston complete the
negotiations for the acquisition of New Orleans and West Florida. The French
Emperor, Napoleon I, offered to sell instead the entire Louisiana colony and
although the Americans were not authorized to make such a large purchase, they
began negotiations. In April 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was concluded, more
than doubling the size of the nation.
Louisiana Purchase Treaty, April 30, 1803. The Louisiana Purchase added 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River to the United States. For roughly 4 cents an acre, the United States had purchased a territory whose natural resources amounted to a richness beyond anyone's wildest calculations.
Monroe spent the next two years in fruitless negotiations with Britain and Spain and returned to the United States in late
1807.
Monroe returned to Virginia
politics and once more served in the legislature and was elected Governor for a
second time. In 1811, Monroe became President Madison’s Secretary of State and
when the War of 1812 was declared, he loyally supported Madison. He served as
Secretary of State throughout the war and simultaneously served as Secretary of
War for the latter part.
In August of 1814, word reached Washington that a British invasion force had appeared at the mouth of the Potomac River. Secretary of State Monroe led a reconnaissance of the enemy force at the head of a troop of cavalry and it was soon apparent that the British objective was the nation's capital. After posting what troops and militia he could in a futile effort to halt the enemy advance at Bladensburg, Monroe alone among the cabinet remained behind to aid in the evacuation of Washington. Reunited with his wife shortly after the British entered Washington, Monroe "was near collapse after a week of ceaseless activity during which he had not changed his clothes nor had slept more than a few hours at any one time"
Monroe and President Madison returned to to the devastated city on August 27, and found that the British had systematically destroyed every major public building, including the White House, sparing only the Patent Office. In the midst of the ruins of Washington, clearly reflecting upon the possibility that he may have been killed in an encounter with the British, Monroe prepared the present first draft of his will: "I James Monroe...well knowing the uncertainty of human life, especially at a period, when, by the predatory & desolating system of warfare carried on by the enemy, the best & most active services of every citizen are due to his country...make this my last will and testament."
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| James Monroe Last Will and Testament Sold at Christies.com 2010 |
Reflecting his concern over debts contracted during his recall as Minister to France, Monroe directs that his bounty lands in Kentucky or tracts in Albemarle or Loudon be sold: "I leave it to my beloved wife, to designate that which shall be appropriated to that object." Monroe questions the legitimacy of some of these debts (which were only settled many years later) and expresses the hope that this debt will be lifted when "all feelings of an unfriendly nature towards me in every breast will have subsided."
Monroe leaves his slaves "whom my executor may not think proper to sell" to his wife, who will then convey several individuals to his daughter Maria upon her marriage. Monroe specifies that "should my wife marry again, which I am far from prohibiting, I would then wish that she shod. convey to my daughter...part of the tract of land." In the event of the death of his wife Elizabeth, Monroe stipulates that all property should be equally divided between his daughters Eliza Hay and Maria: "It is my object to provide equally for my children, regarding their respective ages, after providing for their mother." Monroe also provides for his two brothers: "Should my circumstances permit it, without inconvenience to my wife and daughters, I should wish that friendly aid should be given to both...something to Andrew to enable him to procure a small residence...and something to Joseph to enable him to resume his profession with advantage." Monroe leaves his law books, two hundred other volumes of his choice, and personal furniture to his son-in-law, George Hay, but requests that his other books be sold to pay his debt.
On December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was
signed ending the war placing Monroe and his family out of danger. In 1815, Monroe returned to the normal peacetime duties
of Secretary of State.
U.S. 1816 Presidential Election Results
Nominee
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James Monroe
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Rufus King
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Party
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Republican
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Federalist
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Home state
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Virginia
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New York
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Running mate
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Daniel D. Tompkins
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John Eager Howard
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Electoral vote
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183
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34
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States carried
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16
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3
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Popular vote
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76,592
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34,740
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Percentage
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68.2%
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30.9%
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Monroe was the logical
presidential nominee at the end of Madison’s second term, and he won the
election easily. On March 4, 1817 James Monroe took his oath of office. Some of
the notable events of his term were: Congress fixed 13 as the number of stripes
on the flag to honor the original colonies; the boundary between Canada and the
United States was fixed at the 49th parallel.; Spain ceded Florida to the
United States in exchange for the cancellation of $5 million in Spanish debt;
The Missouri Compromise, admitted Missouri as a slave state, but forbade
slavery in any states carved from the Louisiana Territory north of 36 degrees
30 minutes latitude. By the end of his first term, Monroe’s administration had
been one of high idealism and integrity and his personal popularity was at an all-time
high. Monroe was virtually unopposed for reelection. He carried every state and
received every electoral vote cast with the exception of one, cast by a New
Hampshire elector for John Quincy Adams.
U.S. Presidential Election of 1820
Presidential
Candidate
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Party
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Home State
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Popular Vote(a)
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Electoral Vote
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Count
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Percentage
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||||
James Monroe
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Republican
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Virginia
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87,343
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80.61%
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228
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No candidate
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Federalist
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N/A
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17,465
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16.12%
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0
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DeWitt Clinton
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Independent
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New York
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1,893
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1.75%
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0
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Total
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108,359
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100.00%
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231
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With the exception of the President's historic message to Congress of 2 December 1823, Monroe’s second term as president was relatively uneventful. The Monroe Doctrine defined as national policy principles delineated by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, condemning European intervention in the Americas and prohibiting all efforts at colonization. It proclaimed that "The American continents, by the free and independent condition they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers," and that any such intervention would be regarded as "manifestation of an unfriendly disposition towards the United States." Monroe's announcement "represented one of Adams' finest contributions to the emergence of the United States as a world power" "
By including the policy statement in his annual message Monroe gave his declaration a character reminiscent of Washington's well-remembered Farewell Address. He focused attention upon his utterances as a declaration of national policy... (Ammon, James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity, p.492).
During the second term, even on his presidential salary, President Monroe struggled financially writing
By including the policy statement in his annual message Monroe gave his declaration a character reminiscent of Washington's well-remembered Farewell Address. He focused attention upon his utterances as a declaration of national policy... (Ammon, James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity, p.492).
During the second term, even on his presidential salary, President Monroe struggled financially writing
"I am pressed by heavy duties during the Session of Congress, that I really am not able to do justice to my friends or to my own private concerns. I can only state at present that I will write to Mr. Randolph to accept your draft for three hundred dolrs, for the purposes mentioned in our late correspondence, that is, for Mr Bacon, the clover seed, & Mr Price & to draw on me for the amount, if necessary. I hope that my flour & tobco will be hastened down to him as soon as possible as I wish to pay you out if it, & some other claims. You see enough of my affairs, to know how hardly I have been dealt with & what hard fortune I have had on the management of my private affairs, which I will feel through life."
Monroe had no thought of
seeking a third term as the election of 1824 neared. He was 67 years old when
he turned over the presidency to John Quincy Adams. He retired to Oak Hill,
Virginia. He was plagued by financial worries and he was forced to sell his
estate Ash Lawn to meet his debts. Like many debt-plagued Virginia planters, Monroe did indeed suffer from poor financial health throughout his life. Things only got worse after his presidency when he waged a lengthy battle with the Congress for reimbursement of his expenses incurred while serving as a diplomat overseas. He never achieved solvency and was forced in his final years to sell Oak Hill and
live under the roof of his youngest daughter Maria Hester
Gouverneur and her husband. Monroe died there on July 4, 1831, the fifty-fifth
anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
James Monroe Birthplace Commission
James Monroe Birthplace
4460 James Monroe Highway,
Colonial Beach, VA 22443
Hours of Operation: Memorial
Day to Labor Day, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. No Charge for Admission. Donations Kindly Accepted.
G. William Thomas, President
James Monroe Foundation
Tel: 804-231-1827
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| Drawing by David Lewes of the College of William and Mary Center for Archeological Research, November, 2009. |
James Monroe Birthplace Commission
Tel: 727-771-1776
The site and the restoration of
the James Monroe Birthplace, now part of a new master plan, was brought to the
attention of the James Monroe Memorial Foundation's President G. William Thomas
by Stanley L. Klos a member of the Advisory Board. Klos proposed the James Monroe Memorial
Foundation (JMMF) approach Westmoreland County for the stewardship of the
Monroe Family Farm site in 2004.
The Board of Directors quickly
adopted Klos' plan because the JMMF's founders, Laurence Gouverneur Hoes and
his wife, Ingrid Westesson Hoes had always hoped the foundation would to
acquire the farm. Their vision included
the reconstruction of the Monroe Family Home, barn and outbuildings as an
interpretive venue highlighting the modest beginnings of a great U.S.
President.
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| President G. William Thomas signing the 99 year lease on the James Monroe Birthplace with Stanley Y. Klos |
On April 4th, 2005, the County of Westmoreland, VA signed a 99 year lease with the James Monroe Memorial Foundation to reconstruct the Birthplace farmhouse, outbuildings and establish an educational visitor center, and remain the faithful steward of the Birthplace farm. After over a decade of research, archaeological site testing, planning and the construction of the Visitor's Center, the reconstruction of James Monroe's childhood home is underway.
The reconstruction of the James
Monroe Birthplace farmhouse and related buildings will cost in excess of
$500,000. The James Monroe Memorial Foundation is currently raising the money
for restoration of the farmhouse.
Statement of Purpose: In 1976 the
College of William & Mary began the archaeological survey of the James
Monroe Birthplace and uncovered the ruins of the Monroe Family Home. Unlike
George Washington, whose Westmoreland birthplace is a now a National Park, Monroe
did not leave the family farm at three years old. James Monroe spent his entire
youth working the farm until he left for his education at The College of
William & Mary. The archaeological team uncovered a 20' x 58' house
foundation which coincided with the known 1845 etchings of the birth home. The
archaeological study clearly indicated that James Monroe's beginnings were
humble. The family resided in a small four room, rough cut wooden farm house
with few outbuildings on a 500 acre farm filled with wetlands.
James Monroe Scholarship Award
In 2001 Susan Nelson- Warren Byrd
Landscape Architects of Charlottesville were commissioned by the County of
Westmoreland, Virginia to prepare a master plan for a multi-phase development
of James Monroe's Birthplace site. The county's desire was to create a unique,
economical, and attractive park that celebrates the birth and life of our
nation's fifth president under the 2nd U.S. Constitution, James Monroe, while
providing passive recreation for the local residents.
In order to meet these desires,
the county wanted the master plan to provide general design strategies for the
construction of a roadside parking area, installation of interpretive signs,
archaeological interpretation, the development of bicycle and walking trails,
and any other improvements deemed necessary and desirable. An outstanding
Master Plan was developed by Susan Nelson- Warren Byrd Landscape Architects in
October 2001, and much of the text and illustrations shown below are drawn from
that 2001 Master Plan.
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| James Monroe Birthplace 2017 Birthday Ceremonies with Bill Thomas, Stanley and Christopher Klos. |
The site and the restoration of
the birthplace, now part of a new master plan, was brought to the attention of
the James Monroe Memorial Foundation's President G. William Thomas. Laurence
Gouverneur Hoes and his wife, Ingrid Westesson Hoes, established the James
Monroe Memorial Foundation (JMMF) in 1928. Laurence Hoes, the
great-great-grandson of James Monroe, had always hoped for the JMMF to acquire
the farm and reconstruct the Monroe Family Home, barn and outbuildings as an
interpretive venue highlighting the modest beginnings of a great U.S.
President.. On April 4th, 2005, the County of Westmoreland signed a 99 year
lease with the James Monroe Memorial Foundation which will allow the Foundation
to restore the Birthplace farmhouse, establish an educational visitor center,
and remain the faithful steward of the Birthplace farm.
The reconstruction of the James
Monroe Birthplace farmhouse and related buildings will cost in excess of
$500,000. The James Monroe Memorial Foundation is currently raising the money
and expects to break ground on July 5, 2006 (174th Anniversary of Monroe's
death). The House is scheduled to be completed by April 2007. President George
W. Bush will be invited to do the official commemoration on April 28th, 2008 the
250th anniversary of James Monroe's birth.
We invite you to participate in
the Monroe Birthplace mission through your underwriting support.
---- How Can I Help? -----
For over 80 years, the James Monroe Foundation has worked tirelessly to honor the life and legacy of James Monroe. However, for us and for supporters around the country, our work has just begun.
Reconstructing the birthplace of James Monroe, continuing to acquire Monroe artifacts, and enlarging our educational programs will not be easy. Each effort requires investments of scarce resources. That's why the Foundation needs your help.
Your contribution to the James Monroe Foundation of time and resources will go a long way to accomplishing these goals.
You can make a tax-deductible contribution by PayPal, which can accept your credit card or bank draft (if you have a PayPal account).
To use PayPal, click on the Donate button:
Community Context: There are
currently four primary land uses adjacent to the James Monroe Birthplace site.
This means that there is potential for development pressure immediately
surrounding the site. In order to preserve the historic and scenic aspect of
the site, the master plan calls for the establishment of conservation easements
and land use restrictions on adjacent properties. The park will fit into a
network of bicycle routes, canoe routes, birding trails, and historic tours
that are all economically pertinent to the county. The master plan calls for
the protection and preservation of all archaeological resources while
emphasizing community outreach through volunteer research and investigation.
The site offers an excellent opportunity for school groups, Boy and Girl
Scouts, and other interested parties to study and understand ecological
habitats. Proper forest management is intended to provide long-term benefits
for the park by producing yields of timber for profit, educating the public on
sustainable forestry, and attracting wildlife. Managing the proposed meadow can
be tied into forest management while providing an excellent opportunity to help
restore the state's declining Bobwhite Quail population.
Role of the landscape
architect/entrant vs. the role of other participants, including owner/client
and collaborators: The landscape architect was the primary consultant with
responsibility for all aspects of the master plan preparation and was
influenced by a series of meetings and presentations where input was gathered
from Westmoreland County's residents and public officials. The master planning
process included comprehensive documentation and analysis of the site and its
geographic and historical relationship to its context. Through investigating maps
and narrative on James Monroe, his family, and Westmoreland County, the site's
cultural and natural history was chronicled. Evaluation of opportunities and
constraints were performed in conjunction with potential program and site
issues. Composed within the body of a descriptive narrative, the produced
document includes pertinent mappings, proposed plans and vignettes.
Special Factors: The site of
James Monroe's birth affords a distinct opportunity for interpreting the
overlapping conditions of both cultural and natural histories. This master
planning process will serve as a catalyst for defining how the site is used in
the future as part of the public domain. While the life of James Monroe will
serve literally as the structural and symbolic spine of the site, the place
will also be defined by the continuous transformation and evolution of the
forest and meadows, the fluctuation s of light and weather, the cycles of
seasons, and by the way people engage it: daily, seasonally, and across
generations.
Significance: The site can be a
model of how to build and maintain development respectful to its ecosystem. Low
impact recreational activities proposed are in keeping with the ecological
conservation efforts and program of the park. Reclaimed and recycled building
materials are proposed for pavilions, boardwalks, signs, and edging. The James
Monroe Memorial Foundation may seek to utilize 18th Century wood and material
to reconstruct the Farm house, kitchen and Barn. Eventually the farmhouse and
the visitor center will contain artifacts related to James Monroe or his era.
The emphasis of storm water
management on site could play an important role in educating developers in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed on the importance of water and habitat conservation.
Creating demonstration plots for sustainable forestry provides a useful
education tool while making the site visible to science -based researchers.
Protecting and preserving all resources associated with James Monroe's birth is
beneficial for the enjoyment and education of the public. These long-term plans
would be an important tool for tying in the local community with state and
nation wide education programs.
Westmoreland County Statement:
The James Monroe Birthplace Park Master Plan provides a vision that creates a
long-term strategy for the future development of a historical public park. The
plan allocates space to meet all programmatic goals, circulation and parking,
preservation of historic and natural areas, and interprets the life of James
Monroe while giving the visitor the best possible experience. The landscape
architect exceeded our objective by reaching out to the local community through
incorporating a wide range of educational and research initiatives. The plan is
a firm guide for the County to pursue a renewal of the site.
To sign our petition to the
Westmoreland County Planning Commission and other local and state officials to
keep the Monroe Birthplace pristine, please click here.
1876 Appleton's
Biography on James Monroe.
MONROE, James, fifth
president of the United States, died in Westmoreland county, Virginia, 28
April, 1758" died in New York city, 4 July, 1831. Although the attempts to
trace his pedigree have not been successful, it appears certain that the Monroe
family came to Virginia as early as 1650, and that they were of Scottish
origin. James Monroe's father was Spence Monroe, and his mother was Eliza,
sister of Judge Joseph Jones, twice a delegate from Virginia to the Continental
congress. The boyhood of the future president was passed in his native county,
a neighborhood famous for early manifestations of patriotic fervor. His
earliest recollections must have been associated with public remonstrance
against the stamp-act (in 1766), and with the reception (in 1769)of a portrait
of Lord Chatham, which was sent to the gentlemen of Westmoreland, from London,
by one of their correspondents, Edmund Jennings, of Lincoln's Inn.
To the college of William
and Mary, then rich and prosperous, James Monroe was sent but soon after his
student life began it was interrupted by the Revolutionary war. Three members
of the faculty and twenty-five or thirty students, Monroe among them, entered
the military service. He joined the army in 1776 at the headquarters of Washington in
New York, as a lieutenant in the 31 Virginia regiment under Colonel Hugh
Mercer. He was with the troops at Harlem, at White Plains, and at Trenton,
where, in leading the advance guard, he was wounded in the shoulder.
During 1777-'8 he served as
a volunteer aide, with the rank of major, on the staff of the Earl of Stifling,
and took part in the battles of the Brandywine, Germantown,
and Monmouth.
After these services he was commended by Washington for a commission in the
state troops of Virginia, but without success, he formed the acquaintance
of Governor
Jefferson, and was sent by him as a military commissioner to collect
information in regard to the condition and prospects of the southern army. He
thus attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel but his services in the field were
completely interrupted, to his disappointment trod chagrin. His uncle, Judge
Jones, at all times a trusted and intimate counselor, then wrote to
him; " You do well to cultivate the friendship of Mr. Jefferson . . .
and while you continue to deserve his esteem, he will not withdraw his
countenance."
The future proved the
sagacity of this advice, for Monroe's intimacy with Jefferson, which was then
established, continued through life, and was the key to his early advancement,
and perhaps his ultimate success. The civil life of Monroe began on his
election in 1782 to a seat in the assembly of Virginia, and his appointment as
a member of the executive counsel. He was next a delegate to the 4th, 5th, and
6th congresses of the confederation, where, notwithstanding his youth, he was
active and influential. Bancroft says of him that when Jefferson embarked for
France, Monroe remained "not the ablest but the most conspicuous
representative of Virginia on the floor of congress, lie sought the friendship
of nearly every leading statesman of his commonwealth, and every one seemed
glad to call him a friend."
On 1 March, 1784, the
Virginia delegates presented to congress a deed that ceded to the United States
Virginia's claim to the northwest
territory, and soon afterward Jefferson presented his memorable plan for
the temporary government of all the western possessions of the United States
from the southern boundary (lat. 31. N.) to the Lake of the Woods. From that
time until its settlement by the ordinance of 13 July, 1787, this question was
of paramount importance. Twice within a few months Monroe crossed the
Alleghenies for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the actual condition of
the country. One of the fruits of his western observations was a memoir,
written in 1786, to prove the rights of the people of the west to the free
navigation of the Mississippi.
Toward the close of 1784
Monroe was selected as one of nine judges to decide the boundary dispute
between Massachusetts and New York. He resigned this place in May, 1786, in
consequence of an acrimonious controversy in which he became involved. Both the
states that were at difference with each other were at variance with Monroe in
respect to the right to navigate the Mississippi, and lie thought himself thus
debarred from being acceptable as an umpire to either of the contending
parties, to whom he owed his appointment.
In the congress of 1785
Monroe was interested in the regulation of commerce by the confederation, and
he certainly desired to secure that result: but he was also jealous of the
rights of the southern states, and afraid that their interests would be
overbalanced by those of the north. His policy was therefore timid and
dilatory. A report upon the subject by the committee, of which he was chairman,
was presented to congress, 28 March, 1785, and led to a long discussion, but
nothing came of it. The weakness of the confederacy grew more and more obvious,
and the country was drifting toward a stronger government. But the measures
proposed by Monroe were not entirely abortive. Says John
Q. Adams: "They led first to the partial convention of delegates
from five states at Annapolis in September, 1786, and then to the general
convention at Philadelphia in 1787, which prepared and proposed the
constitution of the United States. Whoever contributed to that event is justly
entitled to the gratitude of the present age as a public benefactor, and among
them the name of Monroe should be conspicuously enrolled."
According to the principle
of rotation then in force, Monroe's congressional service expired in 1786, at
the end of a three years' term. He then intended to make his home in
Fredericksburg, and to practice law, though he said he should be happy to keep
clear of the bar if possible. But it was not long before he was again called
into public life. He was chosen at once a delegate to the assembly, and soon
afterward became a member of the Virginia convention to consider the
ratification of the proposed constitution of the United States, which assembled
at Richmond in 1788. In this convention the friends of the new constitution
were led by James
Madison, John
Marshall, and Edmund
Randolph.
Who was the first U.S. President?
Patrick
Henry was their chief opponent, and James Monroe was by his side, in
company with William Grayson and George
Mason. In one of his speeches, Monroe made an elaborate historical
argument, based on the experience of Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and New
England, against too firm consolidation, and he predicted conflict between the
state and national authorities, and the possibility that a president once elected
might be elected for life. In another speech he endeavored to show that the
rights of the western territory would be less secure under the new constitution
than they were under the confederation. He finally assented to the ratification
on condition that certain amendments should be adopted. As late as 1816 he
recurred to the fears of a monarchy, which he had entertained in 1788, and
endeavored to show that they were not unreasonable.
Under the new constitution
the first choice of Virginia for senators fell upon Richard
Henry Lee and William Grayson. Tim latter died soon afterward, and
Monroe was selected by the legislature to fill the vacant place. He took his seat
in the senate, 6 December, 1790, and held the office until May, 1794, when he
was sent as envoy to France. Among the Anti-Federalists he took a prominent
stand, and was one of the most determined opponents of the administration of
Washington. To Hamilton he was especially hostile. The appointment ofGouverneur
Morris to be minister to France, and of John
Jay to be minister to England, seemed to him most objectionable.
Indeed, he met all the Federalist attempts to organize a strong and efficient
government with incredulity or with adverse criticism. It was therefore a great
surprise to him, as well as to the public, that, while still a senator, he was
designated the successor of Morris as minister to France.
For this difficult place he
was not the first choice of the president, nor the second: but he was known to
be favorably disposed toward the French government, and it was thought that he
might lead to the establishment of friendly relations with that power, and,
besides, there is no room to doubt that Washington desired, as , John Quincy
Adams has said, to hold the balance between the parties at home by appointing
Jay, the Federalist, to the English mission, and Monroe, the Republican, to the
French mission. It was the intent of the United States to avoid a collision
with any foreign power, but neutrality was in danger of being considered an
offence by either France or England at any moment.
Monroe arrived in Paris just
after the fall of Ropespierre, and in the excitement of the day he did not at
once receive recognition from the committee of public safety. He therefore sent
a letter to the president of the convention, and arrangements were made for his
official reception, 15 August, 1794. At that time he addressed the convention
in terms of great cordiality, but his enthusiasm led him beyond his discretion,
he transcended the authority that had been given to him, and when his report
reached the government at home Randolph sent him a dispatch, " in the
frankness of friendship," criticizing severely the course that the
plenipotentiary had pursued. A little latex the secretary took a more conciliatory
tone and Monroe bellowed he never would have spoken so severely if all the
dispatches from Paris had reached the United States in due order.
The residence of Monroe in
France was a period of anxious responsibility, during which he did not succeed
in recovering the confidence of the authorities at home. When Pickering
succeeded Randolph in the department of state. Monroe was informed that he was
superseded by the appointment of Charles C. Pinckney. The letter of recall was
dated 22 August. 1796. On his return he published a pamphlet of 500 pages,
entitled "A View of the conduct of the
Executive" (Philadelphia, 1797) in which he printed his instructions,
correspondence with the French and United States governments, speeches, and
letters received from American residents in Paris. This publication made a
great stir. Washington, who had then retired from public life. appears to have
remained quiet under the provocation, but he wrote upon his copy of
the "View" animadversions that have since been published.
Party feeling, already
excited, became fiercer when Monroe's book appeared, and personalities that
have now lost their force were freely uttered on both sides. Under these
circumstances Monroe became the hero of the Anti-Federalists, and was at once
elected governor of Virginia. He held the office from 1799 till 1802. The most
noteworthy occurrence during his administration was the suppression of a
servile insurrection by which the city of Richmond was threatened. Monroe's
star continued in the ascendant. After Thomas Jefferson's election to the
presidency in 1801, an opportunity occurred for returning Mr. Monroe to the
French mission, from which he had been recalled a few years previously. There
were many reasons for believing that the United States could secure possession
of the territory beyond the Mississippi belonging to France. The American
minister in Paris, Robert R Livingston, had already opened the negotiations,
and Monroe was sent as an additional plenipotentiary to second, with his enthusiasm
and energy, the effort that had been begun. By their joint efforts it came to
pass that in the spring of 1803
a treaty was signed by which France gave up to the United States for a
pecuniary consideration the vast region then known as Louisiana. Livingston
remarked to the plenipotentiaries after the treaty was signed; " We
have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our lives."
The story of the
negotiations that terminated in this sale is full of romance. Bonaparte,
Talleyrand, and Marbois were the representatives of France. Jefferson.
Livingston, and Monroe guided the interests of the United States. The French
were in need of money and the Americans could afford to pay well for the
control of the entrance to the Mississippi. England stood ready to seize the
coveted prize. The moment was opportune; the negotiators on both sides were
eager for the transfer. It did not take long to agree upon the consideration of
80,000,000 francs as the purchase-money, and the assent of Bonaparte was
secured. "I have given to England," he said,
exultingly, "a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her
pride."
It is evident that the
history of the United States has been largely influenced by this transaction,
which virtually extended the national domain from the mouth of the Mississippi
river to the mouth of the Columbia. Monroe went from Paris to London, where he
was accredited to the court of St. James, and subsequently went to Spain in
order to negotiate for the cession of Florida to the United States. But he was
not successful in this and returned to London, where, with the aid of William
Pinckney, who was sent to re-enforce his efforts, he concluded a treaty with
Great Britain after long negotiations frequently interrupted. This treaty
failed to meet the expectations of the United States in two important
particulars--it made no provisions against the impressments of seamen, and it
secured no indemnity for loss that Americans had incurred in the seizure of
their goods and vessels. Jefferson was so dissatisfied that he would not send
the treaty to the senate.
Monroe returned home in 1807
and at once drew up an elaborate defense of his political conduct. Matters were
evidently drifting toward war between Great Britain and the United States.
Again the disappointed and discredited diplomatist received a token of popular
approbation. He was for the third time elected to the assembly, and in 1811 was
chosen for the second time governor of Virginia. He remained in this office but
a short time, for he was soon called by Madison to the office of secretary of
state. He held the portfolio during the next six years, from 1811 to 1817. In
1814-'15 he also acted as secretary of war. While he was a member of the
cabinet of Madison, hostilities were begun between the United States and
England. The public buildings in Washington were burned, and it was only by the
most strenuous measures that the progress of the British was interrupted.
Monroe gained much
popularity by the measures that he took for the protection of the capital and
for the enthusiasm with which he prosecuted the war measures of the government
Monroe had now held almost every important station except that of president to
which a politician could aspire. He had served in the legislature of Virginia,
in the Continental congress, and in the senate of the United States. He had
been a member of the convention that considered the ratification of the
constitution, twice he had served as governor, twice he had been sent abroad as
a minister, and he had been accredited to three great powers. He had held two
places in the cabinet of Madison. With the traditions of those days, which
regarded experience in political affairs a qualification for an exalted
station, it was most natural that Monroe should become a candidate for the
presidency. Eight years previously his fitness for the office had been often
discussed.
Now, in 1816, at the age of
fifty-nine years, almost exactly the age at which Jefferson and Madison
attained the same position, he was elected president of the United States,
receiving 183 votes in the electoral college against 34 that were given
for RufusKing,
the candidate of the Federalists. He continued in this office until 1825. His
second election in 1821 was made with almost complete unanimity, but one
electoral vote being given against him. Daniel D. Tompkins was vice-president
during both presidential terms. John Quincy Adams, John
C. Calhoun, William H. Crawford, and William Wirt, were members of the
cabinet during his entire administration. The principal subjects that engaged
the attention of the president were the defenses of the Atlantic seaboard, the
promotion of internal improvements, the conduct of the Seminole war, the
acquisition of Florida, the Missouri compromise, and the resistance to foreign
interference in American affairs, formulated in a declaration that is called
the "Monroe
doctrine."
Two social events marked the
beginning and the end of his administration: first, his ceremonious visit to
the principal cities of the north and south; and second, the national reception
of the Marquis
de Lafayette who came to this country as the nation's guest The
purchase of the Floridas was brought to a successful issue, 22 February, 1819
by a treaty with Spain, concluded at Washington, and thus the control of the
entire Atlantic and Gulf seaboard, from the St. Croix to the Sabine, was
secured to the United States. Monroe's influence in the controversies that
preceded the Missouri
compromise does not appear to have been very strong. He showed none of
the boldness which Jefferson would have exhibited under similar circumstances.
He took more interest in guiding the national policy with respect to internal
improvements and the defense of the seaboard. He vetoed the Cumberland road
bill, 4 May, 1822, on the ground that congress had no right to execute a system
of internal improvement ; but he held that if such powers could be secured by
constitutional amendment good results would follow. Even then he held that the
general government should undertake only works of national significance, and
should leave all minor improvements to the separate states.
There is no measure with
which the name of Monroe is connected so important as his enunciation
of "the Monroe doctrine." The words of this famous
utterance constitute two paragraphs in the president's message of 2 December,
1823. In the first of these paragraphs he declares that the governments of
Russia and Great Britain have been informed that the American continents
henceforth are not to be considered subjects for future colonization by any
European powers. In the second paragraph he says that the United States would
consider any attempt on the part of the European powers to extend their system
to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety. He goes
further, and says that if the governments established in North and South
America who have declared their independence of European control should be
interfered with by any European power, this interference would be regarded as
the manifestation of unfriendly disposition to the United States. These
utterances were addressed especially to Spain and Portugal. They undoubtedly
expressed the dominant sentiments of the people of the United States at the
time they were uttered, and, moreover, they embodied a doctrine which had been
vaguely held in the days of Washington, and from that time to the
administration of Monroe had been more and more clearly avowed.
It has received the approval
of successive administrations and of the foremost publicists and statesmen. The
peace and prosperity of America have been greatly promoted by the declaration,
almost universally assented to, that European states are not to gain new
dominion in America. For convenience of reference the two passages of the
rues-sage are here quoted: "At the proposal of the Russian imperial
government, made through the minister of the emperor residing here, full power
and instructions have been transmitted to the minister of the United States at
St. Petersburg, to arrange, by amicable negotiation, the respective rights and
interests of the two nations on the northwest coast of this continent. A
similar proposal had been made by his imperial majesty to the government of
Great Britain, which has likewise been acceded to. The government of the United
States has been desirous, by this friendly proceeding, of manifesting the great
value which they have invariably attached to the friendship of the emperor, and
their solicitude to cultivate the best understanding with his government. In
the discussions to which this interest has given rise, and in the arrangements
by which they may terminate, the occasion has been judged proper for asserting,
as a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are
involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition
which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as
subjects for future colonization by any European power .... We owe it,
therefore, to candor, and to the amicable relations existing between the United
States and those powers, to declare that we should consider any attempt on
their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as
dangerous to our peace and safety. With the existing colonies or dependencies
of any European power we have not interfered, and shall not interfere. But with
h the governments who have
declared their independence and maintained it, and whose independence
we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we
could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or
controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power, in any
other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the
United States."
At the close of Monroe's
second term as president he retired to private life, and during the seven years
that remained to him resided part of the time at Oak Hill, Loudon County,
Virginia, and part of the time in the city of New York. The illustration above
represents both the old and the new Oak Hill mansions. He accepted the office
of regent in the University of Virginia in 1826 with Jefferson and Madison. He
was asked to serve on the electoral ticket of Virginia in 1828, but declined on
the ground that an ex-president should not be a party-leader. He consented to
act as a local magistrate, however, and to become a member of the Virginia
constitutional convention. The administration of Monroe has often been
designated as the "era of good feeling."
Schouler, the historian, has
found this heading on an article that appeared in the Boston Centinel of 12
July, 1817. it is, on the whole, a suitable phrase to indicate the state of
political affairs that succeeded to the troublesome period of organization and
preceded the fearful strains of threatened disruption and of civil war. One
idea is consistently represented by Monroe from the beginning to the end of his
public life--the idea that America is for Americans, that the territory of the
United States is to be protected and enlarged, and that foreign intervention
will never be permitted. In his early youth Monroe enlisted for the defense of
American independence. He was one of the first to perceive the importance of
free navigation upon the Mississippi: he negotiated with France and Spain for
the acquisition of Louisiana and Florida; he gave a vigorous impulse to the
second war with Great Britain in de-fence of our maritime rights when the
rights of a neutral power were endangered; and he enunciated a dictum against
foreign interference which has now the force of international law. Judged by
the high stations he was called upon to fill, his career was brilliant; but the
writings he has left in state papers and correspondence are inferior to those
of Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and others of his contemporaries. He is rather
to be honored as an upright and patriotic citizen who served his party with
fidelity and never condescended to low and unworthy measures. He deserved well
of the country, which he served faithfully during his career. After his
retirement from the office of president he urged upon the government the
judgment of unsettled claims which he presented for outlays made during his
prolonged political services abroad and for which he had never received
adequate remuneration.
During the advance of old
age his time was largely occupied in correspondence, and he undertook to write
a philosophical history of the origin of free governments, which was published
long after his decease. While attending congress, Monroe married, in 1786, a
daughter of Lawrence Kortright, of New York. One of his two daughters, Eliza.,
married George Hay, of Virginia, and the other, Maria, married Samuel L.
Gouverneur of New York. A large number of manuscripts, including drafts of
state papers, letters addressed to Monroe, and letters from him, have been
preserved. Most of these have been purchased by congress and are preserved in
the archives of the state department ; others are still held by his
descendants. Schouler, in his "History of the United
States," has made use of this material to advantage, particularly in
his account of the administrations of Madison and Monroe, which he has treated
in detail. Bancroft, in his "History of the
Constitution," draws largely upon the Monroe papers, many of which he
prints for the first time. The eulogy of John Quincy Adams his (Boston diary
1831) afford and the best contemporary view of Monroe's characteristics as a
statesman.
Jefferson, Madison, Webster,
Calhoun, and Benton have left their appreciative estimates of his character The
remains of James Monroe were buried in Marble cemetery, Second street, between
First and Second avenues, New York, but in 1858 were taken to Richmond,
Virginia, and there re-interred on the 28th of April, in Hollywood. (See
illustration above.) See Samuel P. Waldo's "Tour of James Monroe through
the Northern and Eastern States, with a Sketch of his Life" (Hartford,
1819); " Life of James Monroe, with a Notice of his Administration,"
by John Quincy Adams (Buffalo, 1850) : "Concise History of the .Monroe
Doctrine," by George F. Tucker (Boston, 1885): and Daniel C. Gilman's life
of Monroe, in the "American Statesmen " series (Boston, 1883). In the
volume last named is an appendix by J. F. Jameson, which gives a list of
writings pertaining to Monroe's career and to the Monroe doctrine. Monroe's
portrait by Stuart is in the possession of Thomas J. Coolidge, and that by
Vanderlyn is in the city-hall, New York, both of which have been engraved.--
His wife, Elizabeth
Kortright, born in New York city in 1768; died in Loudon county, Virginia,
in 1830, was the daughter of Lawrence Kortright, a captain in the British army.
She married James Monroe in 1786, accompanied him in his missions abroad in
1794 and 1803, and while he was United States minister to France she effected
the release of Madame de Lafayette, who was confined in the prison of LaForce,
hourly expecting to be executed. On the accession of her husband to the
presidency, Mrs. Monroe became the mistress of the White House; but she mingled
little in society on account of her delicate health. She is described by a
contemporary writer as "an elegant and accomplished woman, with a
dignity of manner that peculiarly fitted her for the station." The
above vignette is copied from the only portrait that was ever made of Mrs.
Monroe, which was executed in Paris in 1796
His nephew, James Monroe,
soldier, in Albemarle county, Virginia, 10 September, 1799; died in Orange, New
Jersey, 7 September, 1870, was a son of the president's elder brother, Andrew.
He was graduated at the United States military academy in 1815, assigned to the
artillery corps, and served in the war with Algiers, in which he was wounded
while directing part of the quarter-deck guns of
the "Guerridre" in an action with
the"Mashouda" off Cape de Gata, Spain. He was aide to General Winfield
Scott in 1817-'22, became 1st lieutenant of the 4th artillery on the
reorganization of the army in 1821, and served on garrison and commissary duty
till 1832, when he was again appointed Gem Scott's aide on the Black Hawk
expedition, but did not reach the seat of war, owing to illness. He resigned
his commission on 30 September, 1832, and entered politics, becoming an
alderman of New York city in 1833, and president of the board in 1834. In 1836
he declined the appointment of aide to Governor William L. Marcy. He was in
congress in 1839-'41, and was chosen again in 1846, but his seat was contested,
and congress ordered a new election, at which he refused to be a candidate.
During the Mexican war he was active in urging the retention in command of
General Scott. In 1850-'2 he was in the New York legislature, and in 1852 was
an earnest supporter of his old chief for the presidency. After the death of
his wife in that year he retired from politics, and spent much of his time at
the Union club, of which he was one of the earliest members. Just before the
civil war he visited Richmond, and, by public speeches and private effort,
tried to prevent the secession of Virginia, and in the struggle that followed he
remained a firm supporter of the National government. He much resembled his
uncle in personal appearance.
The Congressional Evolution of the United States of America
Continental Congress of the United Colonies Presidents
Sept. 5, 1774 to July 1, 1776
September 5, 1774
|
October 22, 1774
| |
October 22, 1774
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October 26, 1774
| |
May 20, 1775
|
May 24, 1775
| |
May 25, 1775
|
July 1, 1776
|
Commander-in-Chief United Colonies & States of America
George Washington: June 15, 1775 - December 23, 1783
Continental Congress of the United States Presidents
July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
July 2, 1776
|
October 29, 1777
| |
November 1, 1777
|
December 9, 1778
| |
December 10, 1778
|
September 28, 1779
| |
September 29, 1779
|
February 28, 1781
|
Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled
March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789
March 1, 1781 to March 3, 1789
March 1, 1781
|
July 6, 1781
| |
July 10, 1781
|
Declined Office
| |
July 10, 1781
|
November 4, 1781
| |
November 5, 1781
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November 3, 1782
| |
November 4, 1782
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November 2, 1783
| |
November 3, 1783
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June 3, 1784
| |
November 30, 1784
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November 22, 1785
| |
November 23, 1785
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June 5, 1786
| |
June 6, 1786
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February 1, 1787
| |
February 2, 1787
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January 21, 1788
| |
January 22, 1788
|
January 21, 1789
|
Presidents of the United States of America
D-Democratic Party, F-Federalist Party, I-Independent, R-Republican Party, R* Republican Party of Jefferson & W-Whig Party
(1789-1797)
|
(1933-1945)
| |
(1865-1869)
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(1797-1801)
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(1945-1953)
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(1869-1877)
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(1801-1809)
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(1953-1961)
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(1877-1881)
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(1809-1817)
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(1961-1963)
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(1881 - 1881)
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(1817-1825)
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(1963-1969)
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(1881-1885)
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(1825-1829)
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(1969-1974)
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(1885-1889)
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(1829-1837)
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(1973-1974)
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(1889-1893)
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(1837-1841)
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(1977-1981)
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(1893-1897)
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(1841-1841)
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(1981-1989)
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(1897-1901)
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(1841-1845)
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(1989-1993)
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(1901-1909)
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(1845-1849)
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(1993-2001)
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(1909-1913)
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(1849-1850)
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(2001-2009)
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(1913-1921)
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(1850-1853)
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(2009-2017)
| |
(1921-1923)
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(1853-1857)
|
(20017-Present)
| |
(1923-1929)
|
*Confederate States of America
| |
(1857-1861)
| ||
(1929-1933)
| ||
(1861-1865)
|
United Colonies Continental Congress
|
President
|
18th Century Term
|
Age
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison Randolph (1745-1783)
|
09/05/74 – 10/22/74
|
29
| |
Mary Williams Middleton (1741- 1761) Deceased
|
Henry Middleton
|
10/22–26/74
|
n/a
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison Randolph (1745–1783)
|
05/20/ 75 - 05/24/75
|
30
| |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830)
|
05/25/75 – 07/01/76
|
28
| |
United States Continental Congress
|
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830)
|
07/02/76 – 10/29/77
|
29
| |
Eleanor Ball Laurens (1731- 1770) Deceased
|
Henry Laurens
|
11/01/77 – 12/09/78
|
n/a
|
Sarah Livingston Jay (1756-1802)
|
12/ 10/78 – 09/28/78
|
21
| |
Martha Huntington (1738/39–1794)
|
09/29/79 – 02/28/81
|
41
| |
United States in Congress Assembled
|
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
Martha Huntington (1738/39–1794)
|
03/01/81 – 07/06/81
|
42
| |
Sarah Armitage McKean (1756-1820)
|
07/10/81 – 11/04/81
|
25
| |
Jane Contee Hanson (1726-1812)
|
11/05/81 - 11/03/82
|
55
| |
Hannah Stockton Boudinot (1736-1808)
|
11/03/82 - 11/02/83
|
46
| |
Sarah Morris Mifflin (1747-1790)
|
11/03/83 - 11/02/84
|
36
| |
Anne Gaskins Pinkard Lee (1738-1796)
|
11/20/84 - 11/19/85
|
46
| |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott (1747-1830)
|
11/23/85 – 06/06/86
|
38
| |
Rebecca Call Gorham (1744-1812)
|
06/06/86 - 02/01/87
|
42
| |
Phoebe Bayard St. Clair (1743-1818)
|
02/02/87 - 01/21/88
|
43
| |
Christina Stuart Griffin (1751-1807)
|
01/22/88 - 01/29/89
|
36
|
Constitution of 1787
First Ladies |
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797
|
57
| ||
March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
|
52
| ||
Martha Wayles Jefferson Deceased
|
September 6, 1782 (Aged 33)
|
n/a
| |
March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
|
40
| ||
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
|
48
| ||
March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829
|
50
| ||
December 22, 1828 (aged 61)
|
n/a
| ||
February 5, 1819 (aged 35)
|
n/a
| ||
March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
|
65
| ||
April 4, 1841 – September 10, 1842
|
50
| ||
June 26, 1844 – March 4, 1845
|
23
| ||
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849
|
41
| ||
March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
|
60
| ||
July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853
|
52
| ||
March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857
|
46
| ||
n/a
|
n/a
| ||
March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
|
42
| ||
February 22, 1862 – May 10, 1865
| |||
April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
|
54
| ||
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
|
43
| ||
March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881
|
45
| ||
March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881
|
48
| ||
January 12, 1880 (Aged 43)
|
n/a
| ||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889
|
21
| ||
March 4, 1889 – October 25, 1892
|
56
| ||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889
|
28
| ||
March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901
|
49
| ||
September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909
|
40
| ||
March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913
|
47
| ||
March 4, 1913 – August 6, 1914
|
52
| ||
December 18, 1915 – March 4, 1921
|
43
| ||
March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923
|
60
| ||
August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929
|
44
| ||
March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
|
54
| ||
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
|
48
| ||
April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953
|
60
| ||
January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961
|
56
| ||
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963
|
31
| ||
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
|
50
| ||
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
|
56
| ||
August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977
|
56
| ||
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
|
49
| ||
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
|
59
| ||
January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
|
63
| ||
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
|
45
| ||
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
|
54
| ||
January 20, 2009 to date
|
45
|
Capitals of the United Colonies and States of America
Philadelphia
|
Sept. 5, 1774 to Oct. 24, 1774
| |
Philadelphia
|
May 10, 1775 to Dec. 12, 1776
| |
Baltimore
|
Dec. 20, 1776 to Feb. 27, 1777
| |
Philadelphia
|
March 4, 1777 to Sept. 18, 1777
| |
Lancaster
|
September 27, 1777
| |
York
|
Sept. 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778
| |
Philadelphia
|
July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783
| |
Princeton
|
June 30, 1783 to Nov. 4, 1783
| |
Annapolis
|
Nov. 26, 1783 to Aug. 19, 1784
| |
Trenton
|
Nov. 1, 1784 to Dec. 24, 1784
| |
New York City
|
Jan. 11, 1785 to Nov. 13, 1788
| |
New York City
|
October 6, 1788 to March 3,1789
| |
New York City
|
March 3,1789 to August 12, 1790
| |
Philadelphia
|
Dec. 6,1790 to May 14, 1800
| |
Washington DC
|
November 17,1800 to Present
|
Book a primary source exhibit and a professional speaker for your next event by contacting Historic.us today. Our Clients include many Fortune 500 companies, associations, non-profits, colleges, universities, national conventions, PR and advertising agencies. As a leading national exhibitor of primary sources, many of our clients have benefited from our historic displays that are designed to entertain and educate your target audience. Contact us to learn how you can join our "roster" of satisfied clientele today!
Hosted by The New Orleans Jazz Museum and The Louisiana Historical Center
Hosted by The New Orleans Jazz Museum and The Louisiana Historical Center
Historic.us
A Non-profit Corporation
A Non-profit Corporation
Primary Source Exhibits
727-771-1776 | Exhibit Inquiries
202-239-1774 | Office
202-239-0037 | FAX
Dr. Naomi and Stanley Yavneh Klos, Principals
Naomi@Historic.us
Stan@Historic.us
Primary Source exhibits are available for display in your community. The costs range from $1,000 to $35,000 depending on length of time on loan and the rarity of artifacts chosen.
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| U.S. Dollar Presidential Coin Mr. Klos vs Secretary Paulson - Click Here |
The United Colonies of North America Continental Congress Presidents (1774-1776)
The United States of America Continental Congress Presidents (1776-1781)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled Presidents (1781-1789)
The United States of America Presidents and Commanders-in-Chiefs (1789-Present)
The United States of America Continental Congress Presidents (1776-1781)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled Presidents (1781-1789)
The United States of America Presidents and Commanders-in-Chiefs (1789-Present)
