🦅James Monroe

5th President · 1817–1825 · Democratic-Republican

James Monroe was the last of the "Virginia Dynasty" of Revolutionary-era presidents, and the last to have fought in the Revolutionary War. His two terms are remembered as the Era of Good Feelings — a period of one-party rule and apparent political unity — during which Florida was acquired, the Missouri Compromise was passed, and the Monroe Doctrine was declared.

Revolutionary Soldier and Diplomat

Monroe left the College of William and Mary to serve in the Continental Army, fighting at Trenton (where he was seriously wounded), Brandywine, and Monmouth. He later trained in law under Jefferson and served in the Continental Congress, the Senate, as governor of Virginia, and as minister to France — where he negotiated much of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Era of Good Feelings

Monroe won the 1816 election easily and ran essentially unopposed in 1820 (receiving all but one electoral vote). With the Federalist Party effectively dead, his presidency became known as the Era of Good Feelings. The label was partially misleading — the Missouri Compromise controversy and the Panic of 1819 both showed serious fractures — but it captured the ambitious, nationalist mood.

The Monroe Doctrine

In his December 1823 annual message to Congress, Monroe announced what became known as the Monroe Doctrine: the Western Hemisphere was closed to further European colonization, and the United States would stay out of European affairs in return. The doctrine (largely drafted by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams) became a cornerstone of American foreign policy for a century and a half.

Florida and the Missouri Compromise

The Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819 transferred Florida from Spain to the United States and fixed the western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, and drew a line across the remaining Louisiana Purchase territory — free above, slave below.

Monroe Trivia

• Monroe was the third president (after Adams and Jefferson) to die on July 4 — the third such coincidence in five years.
• Liberia's capital city Monrovia is named for him, the only national capital (other than Washington) named after a U.S. president.
• He won the 1820 election with all but one electoral vote; that elector voted for John Quincy Adams reportedly so that only Washington would have ever received a unanimous vote.
• Monroe is often considered the last of the Founding Fathers to serve as president.

🎩 Related Presidents

Continue exploring the chronology:

→ See all presidents in order