1 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: On this episode of News World. The lives of these 2 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: men are essential to understanding the American form of government 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: and our ideals of liberty. The founding fathers all played 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:21,920 Speaker 1: key roles in securing American independence on Great Britain and 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: in the creation of the government of the United States 6 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 1: of America. Now the life of James Monroe, you know. 7 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: Little is known about James Monroe childhood. He was born 8 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: on April twenty eighth, seventeen fifty eight, to Spenser Monroe, 9 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: whose relatives fought alongside Charles the First in the English 10 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,279 Speaker 1: Civil Wars before being captured and exiled to Virginia in 11 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:06,960 Speaker 1: sixteen forty nine. His mother, Elizabeth Jones Monroe, was the 12 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: sister of Judge Joseph Jones, a prominent Virginia politician. At 13 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: the age of eleven, James Monroe attended a school run 14 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: by Reverend Archibald Campbell. He attended school with John Marshall, 15 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: who later became the Chief Justice of the United States. 16 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 1: When James Lenroe is in his mid teens, both of 17 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: his parents passed away. His father died in seventeen seventy four, 18 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: and his mother probably died earlier than that, but there 19 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: was no actual date for her death. After this, James 20 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 1: and his siblings shared an inheritance of land and some slaves. 21 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,559 Speaker 1: James and his two brothers, his sister was already married, 22 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: became wards of their uncle, Joseph Jones. His uncle, Joseph 23 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: Jones encouraged James Monroe to continue his education, which led 24 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: Monroe to under the College of William and Mary and Willisburg, Virginia. However, 25 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: the Revolutionary War interrupted his education. While at the College 26 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: of William Mary, Royal Governor Dunmore had fled the capital 27 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: of Williamsburg, fearing that his family was in danger. After 28 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: he left, James Monroe and a few classmates helped loot 29 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: the arsenal at the Governor's palace, escaping with two hundred 30 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: muskets and three hundred swords, which they then gave to 31 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 1: the Virginia Militia. By the winner of seventeen seventy six, 32 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: Monroe left school and joined the Virginia Infantry. Monroe, at 33 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: this point was eighteen years old and slightly more than 34 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: six foot tall. He became an officer in the Condon 35 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: Army and joined General Washington's army in New York. During 36 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: the war, Monroe fought in the battles of Trenton, Monmouth, Brandywine, 37 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: and Germantown. He was severely wounded at the Battle of 38 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: Trentston as he was shot in the shoulder as he 39 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: led a charge against enemy cannon. After recovering, he became 40 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: a staff officer for General William Alexander Well. There he 41 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: met and briefly worked alongside Alexander Hamilton, Charles Lee, Aaron Burr, 42 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: and the Marquis de Lafayette. By the end of his service, 43 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: Monroe had reached the rank of major. However, because there 44 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: are already so many majors in the army, he had 45 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: little chance to commanding soldiers in the field, and decided 46 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: to resign from the Continent Army in seventeen seventy nine. Now, 47 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: upon the argent of his uncle, Monroe cultivated a friendship 48 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: with Thomas Jefferson, a friendship that would become valuable for 49 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: Monroe's career. Jefferson, of course, was a giant both of 50 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: Virginia politics and of nash politics, co author of the 51 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: Decoration Independence, Ambassador of France, Governor of Virginia, a remarkable person, 52 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: maybe one of the two or three smartest people ever 53 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: to serve in the presidency and a man who had 54 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: enormous nationwide relationships. He actually, with the help of Madison 55 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: and Aaron Burr, invented the Democratic Party, which is today 56 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: the longest surviving political institution in the world. Now, Jefferson 57 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: was a figure who would be remarkably helpful to Monroe. 58 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: He encouraged Monroe to study law, allowed him to use 59 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: his own personal library whenever he wanted to. Laurea wrote 60 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: to Thomas Jefferson in letter on September ninth, seventeen eighty quote, 61 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: your kindness and attention to me in this and a 62 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: variety of other instances has really put me under such 63 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: obligations to you that I fear I shall hardly ever 64 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,919 Speaker 1: have it in my power to repay them. Jefferson's urgent. 65 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: Monroe purchased property near Monticello in February of seventeen eighty nine. 66 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: The two houses were so close that they could see 67 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: each other from their front porches. I should mention, by 68 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: the way, that when you're told that Jefferson allowed Monroe 69 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: to borrow books and to read from his library, it's 70 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: worth remembering Jefferson probably had the largest library in the 71 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: United States in fact, Jefferson would only sell the library 72 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: and it became the base for the Library of Congress. 73 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: So he was really opening up to Monroe a huge 74 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: world of knowledge and a real opportunity. And because books 75 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: back then were very expensive, the fact that he trusted 76 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,559 Speaker 1: enough to loan him books set a great deal about 77 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: their relationship. Because Jefferson helped him. Monroe continued to study, 78 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 1: and in seventeen eighty two, after studying law under Jefferson. 79 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: Back then, you didn't go to some fancy law school. 80 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: You found a practicing lawyer. You worked for them. And 81 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: so he studied law under Jefferson, and in seventeen eighty 82 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: two he passed the bar exam. He was elected to 83 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: the Virginia Assembly in seventeen eighty two and served in 84 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: the Council of State, advising the governor. In seventeen eighty three, 85 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: he was elected of the Continental Congress. While there he 86 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: cultivated a friendship with James Madison, whom Jefferson introduced him. 87 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: To remember, these three Virginians lived very close to each other, 88 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: and together they do an enormous amount to shape the 89 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: United States as we know it today. Monroe strongly opposed 90 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: John Jay's negotiations with Don Diego de Qui and the 91 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: Ja Guardiqui Treaty of seventeen eighty six. Because it would 92 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 1: have granted Spain control over the Mississippi River for twenty 93 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: five years, Monroe and James Madison's strong opposition to three 94 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: D helped defeat it while helping secure his popularity in 95 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: the West, which lasted throughout his political career. People in 96 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: the West did not want the Spanish to have controlled 97 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: the Mississippi because they were going to ship goods down 98 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: that river and it was central to their economic future. 99 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: In seventeen eighty seven, will in New York, Monroe met 100 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: his wife, Elizabeth Cortwright, whose father lost his wealth during 101 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: the Revolutionary War. She was sixteen, Monroe was twenty six. 102 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: They married a year later, on February sixteenth, seventeen eighty six. 103 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: In seventeen eighty eight, Monroe was elected to the Virginia 104 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: Convention to ratify the Constitution, but Monroe voted against ratifying 105 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: the US Constitution. Instead, he wanted a constitution that allowed 106 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: for the direct election of senators and the president and 107 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: a strong Bill of rights. On October fifteenth, seventeen eighty eight, 108 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: Monroe wrote his observations on Jefferson's draft of a Constitution 109 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: for Virginia, the two year terms for the Senate are 110 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: too short, Monroe would write, Senate, the term of two 111 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: years is too short. Six years are not more than sufficient. 112 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: A Senate is to withstand the occasional impetuosities of the 113 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: more numerous branch. The members ought therefore to derive a 114 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: firmness from the tenure of their place. This cannot be 115 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: done by a body undergoing a frequent change of its members. 116 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: A Senate for six years will not be dangerous to liberty. 117 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: In his observations on Jefferson's draft of a Constitution for Virginia, 118 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: Monroe argued for an election by the people at large. Quote. 119 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,199 Speaker 1: An election by the legislature is liable to insuperable objections. 120 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: It not only attends to faction, intrigue, and corruption, but 121 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:51,040 Speaker 1: leaves the executive under the influence of an improper obligation 122 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: to that department. An election by the people at large, 123 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: as in this in several other states, or by electors 124 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: as in the appointment of the Senate in Maryland, or 125 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: indeed by the people through any other channel than their 126 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: legislative representatives seems to be far preferable. After the new 127 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: constitution was ratified, Monroe unsuccessfully challenged James Madison for a 128 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,719 Speaker 1: seed in the US House of Representatives, losing by three 129 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: hundred votes. And I must say, given the extraordinary role 130 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:26,679 Speaker 1: that Madison played in the first couple of Congresses, it's 131 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: a little hard to imagine how different things would have 132 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: been had Monroe successfully defeated him, and the race, which 133 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:54,480 Speaker 1: affraud was only three hundred vote March. Despite losing the 134 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,599 Speaker 1: House election in seventeen ninety, the Virginia State Legislature appointed 135 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: him to the U. S Senate, where he served until 136 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: May seventeen ninety four. Monroe opposed birshly all of Secretary 137 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:11,359 Speaker 1: of Treasury Alexander Hamilton's measures. He joined Madison and Jefferson 138 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: in the mid seventeen eighties to oppose the federal's views 139 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: of Vice President John Adams and Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton. 140 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 1: In seventeen ninety four, President Washington's se Monroe of Paris 141 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 1: as the US Minister to France, an appointment the lasted 142 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: two years until he was recalled by the new Secretary 143 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: of State, Timothy Pickerin At this time, France was unstable, 144 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:40,000 Speaker 1: the French Revolution had occurred, and of course things were 145 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: just falling apart. Monroe's mission was to uphold Washington's policy 146 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: of strict neutrality towards Britain and France, while making sure 147 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: France understood they did not favor Britain. However, when the 148 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 1: US signed the Jay Treaty with Great Britain, France asked 149 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: him to tell exactly what was in the record. Jay 150 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: refused to send Monroe a copy of the treaty. Because 151 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: of this, France was convinced that the US was favoring 152 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:12,439 Speaker 1: Britain over them. The Federalists blamed Monroe for the deteriorating 153 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: relations with France and recalled him after two years. The 154 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: only successful part of his tenure in Paris was getting 155 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: Thomas Paine released from prison for speaking against the execution 156 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 1: of King Louis the sixteenth Pain, of course, had been 157 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: the extraordinarily important and famous pamphleteer who wrote Common Sense 158 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: in the Crisis and had a huge impact in America 159 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: and what were the widest selling pamphlets of their time. 160 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: He was a radical and ended up in Paris. The 161 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: nature of the French Revolution at that point was very bloody. 162 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: It was dangerous for Pain to suggest that executing the 163 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: king was wrong, and so Monroe probably saved his life 164 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: by getting him released. Monroe did come back from France. 165 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: He wrote a nearly five hundred page pamphlet entitled A 166 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: View of the Conduct of the Executive in the Foreign 167 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: Affairs the United States, defending his actions and criticizing the 168 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:20,320 Speaker 1: administration's handling of French American relations. The Washington was publicly silent. 169 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: He did read Monroe's pamphlet and annotated his own copy, 170 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: refuting Monroe's claims page by page. In other words, Washington 171 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: think Monroe's criticism was correct. Washington thought that, in fact, 172 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: his governor had done what it had to do to 173 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: maintain a balance between Britain and France and avoid getting 174 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 1: United States drawn into who would become first the Revolutionary 175 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: and then the Napoleonic Wars. So there was a profound difference, 176 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 1: and Monroe's not an automatic supporter of Washington. After getting 177 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: recalled from France, Monroe returned to Virginia to practice law, 178 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: and on December nineteenth, seventeen seventy nine, he was elected 179 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:06,239 Speaker 1: governor of Virginia for one term. During his term, in office, 180 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: an enslaved man named Gabriel, who Thomas Henry Prosser owned, 181 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: organized a wide spread slave uprising that would have been 182 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: the biggest American history. They planned to hold Governor Monroe 183 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: hostage while they negotiated their freedom, but their plan was 184 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: thwarted by a sudden severe rainstorm and the disclosure of 185 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: the plot by several slaves. Monroe called the local militia 186 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: and the rebellion was stopped. While governor, Virginia established two 187 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: key state institutions, the Virginia Penitentiary and the Virginia Manufactury 188 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:45,559 Speaker 1: of Arms, a state owned armory producing muskets, rifles, swords, 189 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: and cannon. From eighteen two to eighteen twenty one, the 190 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,479 Speaker 1: Virginia Manufacturer of Arms produced about fifty eight thousand muskets, 191 00:13:54,960 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: two thousand rifles, ten thousand swords, four thousand pistols, helped 192 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: to build up the American military. Monroe was elected to 193 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: two more one year terms as governor. Remember, for a 194 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 1: guy who thought he had to have stability in office, 195 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: he's serving as governor for one year and has to 196 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: get re elected again and again on a one year basis, 197 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 1: which may explain part of why he believed in a 198 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: longer tenure. In eighteen oh three, President Jefferson sent Monroe 199 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: back to France to assist Robert Livingston in negotiations to 200 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: purchase New Orleans. Although Monroe believed that his arrival in 201 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: France was what convinced Napoleon to offer the entire Louisiana 202 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: territory to the United States, Livingston had already opened the 203 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 1: negotiations and Monroe just helped close the deal. Remember what 204 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: a giant deal this was. They decided that they would 205 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: sell all of the land that the Spanish claimed west 206 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: of the Mississippi, dramatically expanding the size of the United States, 207 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: making us a country going all the way from the 208 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 1: Atlantic to the Pacific. And basically Jefferson cut the deal, 209 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 1: agreed to do it without any approval from Congress. By 210 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: his executive aggressiveness, who really reshaped the whole future of America. 211 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: Monroe went on to serve as the US Minister to 212 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 1: Britain from eighteen oh three to eighteen oh seven, with 213 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: a brief time especially envoy to Spain in eighteen o five. 214 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: While in Spain, Monroe tried to negotiate a treaty seeding 215 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: Spanish territory along the Gulf coast to the United States. Soon, 216 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: Monroe realized that Spain had no intention of signing the treaty, 217 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 1: and he went back to Britain. During his time in Britain, 218 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: Monroe attempted to negotiate and ended the British practice of 219 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 1: seizing US sailors and forcing them to serve in the 220 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: Royal Navy. Monroe signed a treaty to Britain in eighteen 221 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: oh six, but this treaty did not include a bandon 222 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: seizing US sailors. President Jefferson did not submit the treaty 223 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: to US Senate because the lack of this man, knowing 224 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: the Senate would disapprove of a treaty without it. Monroe, however, 225 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: thought this was a first step towards better relations with Britain, 226 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,600 Speaker 1: and he was upset that Jefferson, who after all, had 227 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: been his mentor, did not submit the treaty. Although this 228 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: caused a riff between the two friends, it only existed 229 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: for a short time. Monroe soon realized that the president 230 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: hedited domestic politics the feeling of the public into account 231 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: when considering foreign policies. In January eighteen eleven, Monroe served 232 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: a brief stint as the governor of Virginia. However, by 233 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 1: April President James Madison named him the Secretary of State. Remember, 234 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: all three of these Virginias looked close to each other. 235 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: They all call out of the same culture, share the 236 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: same general background. And here's Madison, who had beat Monroe 237 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: by only three hundred votes, now appointing him the Secretary 238 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: of State. As Secretary of State, Monroe focused mainly on 239 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: relations with Britain and France. At the time, the two 240 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: countries were a war which affected the United States commercial trade. 241 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,240 Speaker 1: The United States, being a neutral country, wanted France and 242 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,920 Speaker 1: Britain to respect their commercial interest. However, both countries refused 243 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: to do so. In fighting this war, both Britain and 244 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,120 Speaker 1: France were trying to use international commerce as a weapon, 245 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: and so we were constantly seeing tension between the United 246 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,959 Speaker 1: States and Britain and between the United States and France. 247 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: The Madison administration primarily focused on Britain because of its 248 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: continued practice of seizing US sailors and forcing them to 249 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,680 Speaker 1: serve in the British Navy. The US declared war in 250 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: Britain in June eighteen twelve. The war was not popular 251 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,679 Speaker 1: with US citizens who found it disrupted their access to 252 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: European markets. The war was a disaster of the United States. 253 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: The army was unprepared and unequipped, resulting in defeat. Madison, 254 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:54,200 Speaker 1: Secretary of War, resigned. Munroe temporarily took over the office 255 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:58,360 Speaker 1: from December eighteen twelve to February eighteen thirteen. He did 256 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 1: it again from August eighteen fourteen to March eighteen fifteen. 257 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: Monroe excelled in this role because of his past military 258 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: experience and his organizational skills. He helped to reorganize the 259 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 1: army in eighteen fourteen. When British troops arrived at the 260 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,639 Speaker 1: mouth of the Potomac River in August, Monroe led a 261 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: scouting party to report in their activities. He quickly sent 262 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: word to Madison that they were marching towards Washington. While 263 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: most of the government fled, Monroe stayed in Washington, d C. 264 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: To help with the evacuation. After the British attack on 265 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:37,360 Speaker 1: Washington and the burnet of government buildings, including the US Capitol, 266 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 1: Monroe returned and was placed in charge of defending the Capitol. 267 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 1: Because of this, Monroe became popular, especially with eighteen twelve 268 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:51,000 Speaker 1: War veterans. He was well positioned to win the Democratic 269 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 1: Republican nomination for president in the eighteen sixteen election. Democratic 270 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: Republican was the name of the party which Jefferson founded, 271 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: but he gave you flavor. They were totally dominant by 272 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:07,400 Speaker 1: eighteen sixteen. The Federalists basically had gone into extinction, being 273 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:12,479 Speaker 1: unable to compete with the Jeffersonian Party. Monroe received eighty 274 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: six percent of the votes when he defeated Rufus King 275 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: in the eighteen sixteen election. Scholars regard Monroe's cabinet choice 276 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: as strong and a major reason for the success of 277 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 1: its administration. Monroe appointed Southerner John C. Calhoun as Secretary 278 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: of War and New England or John Quincy Adams as 279 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: Secretary of State. He was a broad group of talented 280 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: people working to run the country. In eighteen nineteen, the 281 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: people of the Missouri Territory were denied admission to the 282 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: Union as a slave state. An amended bill that allowed 283 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: for the gradual elimination of slavery led to two years 284 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: of debate in Congress. The Missouri Compromise resolved this by 285 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 1: allowing Missouri to be a slave state. Maine of free 286 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: state and banning slavery north and west of Missouri. In 287 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:08,359 Speaker 1: the eighteen twenty election, Monroe ran on a post getting 288 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 1: eighty one percent of the vote. One New Hampshire elector 289 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:16,040 Speaker 1: kept Monroe for winning unanimously in the electoral college. Otherwise 290 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: all of them voted for Monroe. Now, most of us 291 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 1: know about Monroe because of what was called the Monroe Doctor. 292 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 1: The Monroe doctrine was articulated by President James Monroe in 293 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: his seventh Annual Address to Congress on December second, eighteen 294 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: twenty three. Monroe warned European nations that the United States 295 00:20:56,160 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: would not tolerate further colonization in the New World. Then 296 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: me quote briefly from it and the discussions to which 297 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 1: this interest has given rise, and in the arrangements by 298 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,400 Speaker 1: which they may terminate the occasion has been judged proper 299 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: for asserting has a principle in which the rights and 300 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: interested in the States are involved, that the American continents, 301 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: by the free and independent condition which they have assumed 302 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 1: and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects 303 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: of future colonization by any European powers. Close quote. Now, 304 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: this was occurring because across all of Latin America. The 305 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 1: local communities had risen against the European colonies, mostly Spanish, 306 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 1: and as a result, you know, a wide number of 307 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: relatively small, relatively weak countries, and a real danger that France, Britain, Spain, 308 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: maybe even Russia would try to come in and would 309 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: in effect try to recolonize. And so by stating this position, 310 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: Monroe was establishing a principle which was helped frankly because 311 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:10,159 Speaker 1: the British agreed with that principle, and their navy at 312 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: the time was the strongest in the world. The Manrou 313 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: doctrine actually was not invoked for some forty two years. 314 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: We asserted it was true, but we did not actually 315 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 1: apply it to a case, and toil eighteen sixty five, 316 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: when the US government supported the Mexican president Pinitovrez, which 317 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:34,679 Speaker 1: enabled the successful revolt against the French Emperor Maximilian. Almost 318 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: forty years later, it was invoked in nineteen oh four, 319 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 1: when European creditors of Latin American countries threatened armed intervention 320 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: to collect debt. President Eddy Roosevelt used the Monroe doctrine 321 00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:50,280 Speaker 1: to proclaim the right of the US to exercise an 322 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:54,880 Speaker 1: international police power and sent US Marines to Santo Domingo 323 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:59,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh four, Nicaragua in nineteen eleven, and Haiti 324 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifteen to keep Europeans out. In nineteen sixty two, 325 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 1: the Monroe doctrine was invoked symbolically when the Civic Union 326 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:13,919 Speaker 1: began to build missile launching sites in Cuba. So literally 327 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: you're talking about one hundred and forty years later, the 328 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: Monroe doctrine still was seen as a useful diplomatic tool. Now, 329 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 1: there were a lot of things going on in the 330 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: United States. There were five states admitted to the Union 331 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: while Monroe was in office, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, and Missouri. 332 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,879 Speaker 1: So the country continued to grow, and if you'll notice 333 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: in a number of these cases, it was starting to 334 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: grow in the direction of the land which we had 335 00:23:44,040 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 1: purchased in the Louisiana purchase, which Monroe had been involved in. Now, 336 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: Monroe personally incurred many debts while in public office. At 337 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: the time, there wasn't a way to reimburse expenses made 338 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: while in office. You just had to basically paid for 339 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: her own personal pocket. Near the end of his presidency, 340 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:08,200 Speaker 1: Monroe presented a build a Congress for fifty three thousand dollars, 341 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: which today would be worth well over a million dollars. 342 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: He wanted a reimbursement for travel and other expenses and 343 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: courage well in public office. Congress, however, reluctantly decided to 344 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: give him half of what he requested. He then used 345 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: that to pay off his debts, but that wasn't enough, 346 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: and he eventually had to sell his plantation. For the 347 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,880 Speaker 1: rest of his life, Monroe tried to get the rest 348 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: of what he thought he was owed, but he never did. 349 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: Congress simply wasn't going to give him any more money. 350 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: On March fourth, eighteen twenty four, James Monroe, after selling 351 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: his plantation to pay off debts, resided at Monroe Hill 352 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,919 Speaker 1: on the University of Virginia campus. He served on the 353 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: university's Board of Visitors under Jefferson and James Madison until 354 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: he died in eighteen thirty one. Monroe was elected as 355 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,640 Speaker 1: a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of eighteen twenty nine. 356 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,720 Speaker 1: Eighteen thirty he was elected as one of four delegates 357 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 1: from the district in his home district of Louden in 358 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: Fairfax County. In eighteen twenty nine, he was elected by 359 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 1: the convention to serve as the presiding Officer until his 360 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:20,800 Speaker 1: failing health required him to withdraw on December eighth. His wife, 361 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:25,000 Speaker 1: Elizabeth died in eighteen thirty and Monroe moved to sixty 362 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,399 Speaker 1: three Price Street at Lafayette Place in New York City 363 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 1: to live with his daughter. On July fourth, eighteen thirty one, 364 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: he died at the age of seventy three from heart 365 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: failure and tuberculosis, making him the third president to have 366 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: died in Independence Day. He died fifty five years after 367 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:50,160 Speaker 1: the United States Decoration independensuls claimed and five years after 368 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:54,159 Speaker 1: the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He was 369 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,719 Speaker 1: an unusual figure who had a wide range of political experiences, 370 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 1: served in government of many levels, and while he was 371 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:08,159 Speaker 1: not certainly decisive and powerful in the sense of the 372 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: more famous founding father Washington Jefferson Franklin Madison, he nonetheless 373 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 1: is sort of the second group, and his career spans 374 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: such a long period of time that he had a 375 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:24,680 Speaker 1: continuous impact on the history the United States, both as 376 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:28,520 Speaker 1: a foreign diplomat, as a legislator at the state level, 377 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: as a legislator at the congressional level and as an 378 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 1: official inside the government up to and including the presidency. 379 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: He's a remarkable figure. You can visit his home tips 380 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: outside of Charlottesville. I think he's well worth people paying 381 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: more attention to than they do because he represented the 382 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 1: sort of solid, consistent, hard work, intelligence and support which 383 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 1: surrounded the famous founding fathers with hard working people who 384 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,920 Speaker 1: actually implemented and made this system work. And in that sense, 385 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: I would argue that Monroe is a significant figure in 386 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:14,679 Speaker 1: that era and a person well worth study. Newtworld is 387 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 1: produced by Gingershwreet sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer is 388 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: Guarnsey Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for 389 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,879 Speaker 1: the show was created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to 390 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:31,440 Speaker 1: the team at Ginger Street sixty. If you're enjoying Newtsworld, 391 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 1: I hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate 392 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 1: us with five stars and give us a review so 393 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,919 Speaker 1: others can learn what it's all about. Join me on 394 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,280 Speaker 1: substack at Gingriish three sixty dot net. I'm Newt Gingrich. 395 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 1: This is Newtsworld.