On the Rise of James Monroe

James Monroe - few men throughout the history of our nation have better epitomized initiative, civic participation, and virtue, compromise, good and balanced government, and the rule by ones’ own conscience throughout their lives better than the Soldier, Statesman, and Intellectual who would become our Fifth President. For the Accomplishments of James Monroe throughout his life are first-rate in the annals of American history, including but not limited to his pivotal role in the Revolutionary War, pragmatic governance, championing the rule of law and individual liberty, preserving national unity between the states, presiding over the Monroe Doctrine which established American diplomatic supremacy over the New World, and ushering in the Era of Good Feelings - arguably the closest America has ever come to the nonpartisan, nonsectarian Republic of Conscience dreamed up by George Washington. Despite these wide-ranging, applicable accomplishments, the legacy of James Monroe has often been relegated to the position as the Last and least memorable President of the Virginia Dynasty (the successive rule of a prominent clique of Virginia landowners during the Early Republic), during the tails-end of the Landowners Republic of the Post-Colonial Age, before the ideals of Jacksonian Populism, Clay’s American System, and the divides between North and South would consume the young Republic. For this reason, not only are the accomplishments of James Monroe often overlooked, but the personal experiences, early convictions, and the moments that shaped both him and his rise to national prominence are almost entirely forgotten - yet without them, we can easily fail to grasp the complexity and the character of our nations Fifth President.

For James Monroe was born on a brisk April day in 1758, on his Ancestral Family farm surrounded by the Woods of Northern Virginia. As the planting season was beginning, a spirit of industriousness spread like wildfire across the colony - and the Monroe Farm was no exception. James Monroe was the eldest son of the craftsman and farmer Andrew ‘Spence’ Monroe, whose family had been moderately prosperous landowners since James’ great-great-grandfather Patrick Monroe fled the British Isles in 1650 following the initial defeat of the Royalist Charles I in the English Civil War (who the Monroes’ had backed), in order to escape the increasingly volatile rule of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell (famed for banning Christmas). Patrick went on to purchase and manage a modest estate that remained in Monroe-family hands ever since. Despite his storied lineage on his father’s side, Monroe's family was not nearly as prominent as his counterparts Washington, Jefferson, and Madison - and most of his familial prestige (like Jefferson), derived from his maternal side of the family, who were prominent merchants who profited from trade with Brittain. James Monroe’s earliest convictions however seemed to stem from his father’s public opposition to the Stamp Acts and the increasing Tyranny of the British - which served to detriment not only his liberty but his livelihood - with the harsh taxes imposed upon the Colonies’ forcing the Monroe Family Farm to the brink of collapse. Therefore, Monroe’s father routinely attended protests against the Stamp Acts and helped organize local opposition to the British amongst his fellow yeoman farmers - and this participation in the Colonial Cause would instill an early empathy towards Colonial Autonomy in James Monroe, alongside an innate belief in the increasingly widespread Enlightenment Principles, including Consent of the Governed, Inalineable Rights, and opposition to Taxation Without Representation. Despite the threats posed by British Edicts, Monroe’s mother resolved that her son must receive the highest-quality education, and Monroe was sent to a Prestigious Preparatory Academy where he would befriend fellow Landowners and members of the Virginia Elite - including future Supreme Court Justice John Marshall - who would become his close, lifelong friend and ally. While at the Academy, Monroe would become proficient in Latin, the Classics, and Mathematics, earning him a reputation as a prospective member of Virginia’s Landowning, Ruling Class.

Despite his noticeable intelligence and success, Monroe rarely attended school, for his help was needed to work on the Monroe family farm to prevent collapse, and he developed an acute knowledge and appreciation for the agriculture industry as a result. Tragedy struck the young Monroe when at age 14, his mother Elizabeth died in childbirth, with his reportedly grief-stricken father passing shortly thereafter - rendering the now orphaned Monroe the head of his family. With immense responsibility suddenly thrust upon him, Monroe was forced to drop out of school and largely parent his younger siblings while embracing his Maternal Uncle Joseph Jones who routinely offered to help the family pay off debts, and would rapidly develop into a paternal mentor of sorts for the young Monroe. Jones had been a prominent Virginia Merchant and a prominent member of the Virginia Colonial Assembly, renowned for his expertise on matters of trade, and becoming a leading spokesman for Colonial Economic interests in the face of British Tyranny. Jones had been childless, and, seeing the Monroe Family as an opportunity to remedy this void - eagerly took it upon himself to parent and mentor the young James Monroe for politics - regularly taking him to meetings of the Colonial Assembly, teaching him the art of oratory, further instilling enlightenment values, and introducing him to many of the prominent leaders of the Colonial Cause in Virginia; including George Washington, George Mason, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson - all of whom would take a near instant liking in the young Monroe, whose devotion, intellect, and passionate nature rendered him an endearing figure even to those leaders of the Revolution. Jones then took it upon himself to enroll Monroe into the College of William and Mary at the age of 16, where he quickly became renowned for his intellect and rhetorical ability - quickly organizing his fellow students in support of the Colonial Cause following the Boston Tea Party.

Monroe’s first direct foray into the Revolutionary cause, however, would come in the midst of the First Continental Congress and rising tensions directly preceding the Revolutionary War. For the Colonial Governor of Virginia, the Scottish-born Earl of Dunmore (at this time, colonial governors were almost always appointed cronies of the King, hailing from Old World Nobility) - dissolved the Virginia Assembly on the order of the King following increasing dissent towards the Intolerable Acts, and would shortly thereafter confiscate all of the weaponry belonging to the Virginia Militia. As the governments all across the Colonies were quickly separating along the lines of Patriot Assemblies and Militias, and Loyalist Aristocrats, Cronies, and Administrators - Monroe quickly grew outraged at the Loyalist Consolidation of Power, and as a response began to organize opposition amongst the students and local intellectuals who feared British repression. The young Monroe, not even 17, would lead students and militiamen to march on the governors’ Mansion and demand a return of the arms in an ultimately unsuccessful standoff with the Earl of Dunmore, with the external support of Patrick Henry - and in subsequent months, Monroe would organize Daily Military Drills within the Student Body to prepare for what was quickly becoming the Revolutionary War. In June of 1775, with the Revolutionary War now in full swing, Monroe led an angry mob of his fellow students and militiamen to storm the governors’ Mansion and take the weapons by force - in order to arm the Virginia Regiments of the Continental Army. For this act of bravery, Monroe was highly commended not only by Colonial Legislators and leading spokesmen for the revolution such as Thomas Jefferson - but also by military figures in the new Revolutionary Army. Monroe, unlike many of his colleagues who preferred to champion the revolution intellectually, and through administration in state government and the Continental Congress - felt that his sense of duty would most directly serve the revolution through service in the Continental Army, directly aiding his fellow man and serving alongside the ‘common man’, while also in his mind having a more tangible impact on the success of the Revolution then any other branch. Therefore, Monroe dropped out of College and enlisted in the Continental Army, at the age of 17 - and due to both his prior organizational background, his literacy, and his connections to now Commander-in-Chief George Washington - Monroe was made Lieutenant to William Washington (George’s Cousin), and would serve with distinction in the war. Monroe’s finest hour, however, was during the New Jersey Campaign of Late 1776 - in which Monroe was forced to take charge of William’s regiment - and would alongside George Washington lead the Crossing of the Delaware River and the subsequent Christmas Day attack on the British at Trenton, turning the tide of the conflict in New Jersey and New York.

It was here, at the Crossing of the Deleware, which Monroe described as his finest hour, where he would be immortalized into history, yet was mortally wounded in the attack, and following a painful recovery, Monroe was promoted to Captain by Washington. During the attack, Monroe developed a close friendship with Alexander Hamilton, the fellow soldier and personal protege of George Washington - yet this friendship would unfortunately deteriorate over time, with the two becoming fierce rivals in the coming decades. Monroe would go on to serve in the battles of Brandywine, Monmouth, and Valley Forge - forging close friendships with many future Founding Fathers, and the French Volunteer Marquis de Lafayette - who found go on to be a leading figure in the French Revolution, and a routinely inebriated guest at the White House during Monroe’s Presidency. As the Revolution began to take an increasing toll on the Colonial Economy, Monroe sold off much of his families’ estate to pay for War expenditures, and at the age of 19 was commissioned to be a Lieutenant Coloniel by the Virginia Assembly. Despite his time seemingly being taken up entirely by fighting in the Revolutionary War, in this time Monroe was routinely called off the battlefield by Thomas Jefferson, who - highly enamored by the young man’s accomplishments - took Monroe under his wing as his personal protege. During this time, Monroe would go back and forth between the gruesome Virginia Battlefield, and studying Law and Philosophy under Jefferson in the serene Monticello Library. During this time, Monroe - forever changed by the war - adopted a profound respect for Stoic Philosophy, becoming specifically infatuated with the works of Seneca and Epictetus, and a unique ideological balance between the ideals of the revolution, and practical, stern governance of ones’ self and ones’ society. In this time, Jefferson would also introduce Monroe to James Madison - inciting a lifelong friendship and an intellectual bond surrounding the principles of the Enlightenment and Classical Republican virtues - while educating Monroe on the art of statecraft and governing the state of Virginia. Monroe, increasingly eager to return to the battlefield, was promoted to Coloniel by Jefferson in 1780, a position he passionately embraced, and, for the rest of his life, especially during his presidency - Monroe preferred to be addressed as ‘The Coloniel’, rather than ‘Mr. President’, as a sign of humility and devotion to civil service. Ironically, as Coloniel Monroe would not see much battle, due to the extensive French and American reinforcements that had by this time arrived in Virginia, instead relegating Monroe to the more prestigious, yet in his eyes less fulfilling role of administration, being easily elected in 1782 to the Virginia Assembly as a towering War Hero, and later - as a Virginia Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation alongside Jefferson in 1783 (yet like Jefferson, would rarely act in this role due to the ineffective, weak nature of the Articles of Confederation, allowing for him to engage intellectually in forums at Monticello).

James Monroe would continue to be mentored by Jefferson, who would continuously mold Monroe’s views around the duties of government, the inalienable rights of man, civil liberties, the duties of a responsible government, and opposition to the Articles of Confederation, while both developing an acute appreciation for the Frontier Spirit and Westwards Expansion - as what he believed to be an opportunity for a better life for millions. With the backing of Jefferson, Monroe quickly emerged as a leading voice in the discussion surrounding the Articles of Confederation and proposed alternatives in Virginia - and despite being unable to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, was selected as a delegate to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, where prominent supporters and opponents of the Constitution would debate whether or not the document was to be ratified - and just like in the Continental Congress, it was the arbiters of Compromise who rapidly acquired prominence. At the convention, the Supporters of the Constitution were naturally led by James Madison - who was the primary author of the document, while opponents were led by revolutionary icon Patrick Henry, who opposed the document out of fear that it would lead to tyranny. Monroe, however, was a member of the plurality with mixed opinions on the document - and was initially opposed to the document on the grounds that it’s flexible nature may lead to Tyranny and an erosion of States’ power, and Local Government as the arm of the people with the greatest direct ability to function (which, following British rule, was naturally embedded into the American psyche as a rational concern for the time), alongside Monroe’s primary concern that the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights to secure Civil Liberties that, in his eyes, had been the driving force in the Revolution. Hence, Monroe would rapidly become a leading voice for conditional ratification of the Constitution, which he still believed to be superior to the Articles of Confederation, while only agreeing to support it following the ratification of a Bill of Rights securing Civil Liberties and the inalienable rights of man. As a leading voice for the Bill of Rights as a condition for Conditional Adoption, Monroe rose to national prominence for his nuanced and widely held position that ultimately proved pivotal in securing the Bill of Rights in the American Constitution - and further enshrining Enlightenment-inspired Liberty as a cornerstone of our national character.

The Constitution would ultimately go on to be ratified - with Monroe’s demands playing a pivotal role in Virginia’s conditional ratification - and shortly after the passing of the Bill of Rights, Monroe withdrew his opposition to the Document, yet he would remain a steadfast opponent of what he believed to be the increasingly risky Centralization and Economic Bank Policy of Hamilton (like many, following British tyranny), Diplomatic alliances with Britain, attempts to silence the direct will of the populace, and much of the thrust of the Washington Administration (which was largely defined by Hamilton’s policy). Following ratification, Monroe stood and mounted an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the new House of Representatives - running in a district that was deliberately crafted by his Cousin in the State Assembly to get Monroe elected, and to use his influence to ensure that Republican principles and State Power would not be abridged by the new Congress. Despite the inherently biased nature of the district, Monroe would end up narrowly losing to his close friend and supporter of the constitution (primarily, I assume, on account of the fact that it was his personal brainchild), James Madison - following a good-spirited campaign in which the two men routinely spoke with one another - yet in the campaign had further solidified himself as a leading figure in the movement of skeptics surrounding the new Government, who would champion greater safeguards, the popular mandate, and the ideals that would later amalgamate into Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party, with Monroe being an ardent defender thereof. Following his electoral defeat, Monroe continued to speak as a radical proponent of these ideals, an