James monroe when was he president

In foreign policy, he put the nation on an independent course, no longer tied to the mast of European policy. Although the nation would have to wait until Andrew Jackson to see a significant increase in presidential power over domestic affairs, Monroe's aggressive and successful conduct of foreign policy undoubtedly strengthened the presidency itself. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A.

Garfield Chester A. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Help inform the discussion Support the Miller Center. University of Virginia Miller Center. Monroe proved to not be as successful a farmer as his father and, in time, sold his property to practice law and enter politics. After the Federal Convention, Monroe initially joined the anti-Federalists in opposing ratification of the new constitution because it lacked a bill of rights.

However, he and several key figures withheld their reservations and vowed to push for changes after the new government was established. Virginia narrowly ratified the Constitution, paving the way for a new government. In , Monroe ran for a House seat but was defeated by James Madison. Within a year of his election, Monroe rose to become his party's leader in the Senate. After serving as U. With Jefferson now occupying the Presidential Mansion, Monroe was tapped to aid negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, before he took over as minister to Great Britain until Following another brief stint as Virginia governor, Monroe was appointed President Madison's secretary of state in April Monroe assumed the additional responsibilities of secretary of war during the latter stages of the War of , making him the only person in U.

Following the custom set by President Washington of only serving two terms, Madison decided not to run for a third term in , paving the way for Monroe to be the Democratic-Republican candidate. With little opposition from the now-fading Federalist Party, Monroe became the fifth president of the United States. He began his presidency with a tour of the northern states, during which time a Boston newspaper described Monroe's reception as an "Era of Good Feelings.

The declaration was more than media hype. The United States could claim a victory in the War of because of the favorable peace treaty. The nation's economy was booming and the only opposing political party, the Federalists, was on life support. During the first year of Monroe's administration, he continued his outreach to other parts of the country with successful tours in and He also made some smart choices to fill his cabinet, appointing a Southerner, John C.

Calhoun, as secretary of war, and a Northerner, John Quincy Adams , as secretary of state. The good feelings were beginning to dwindle by when the nation's first economic depression took root. Monroe faced another potentially messy situation with the dispute over Missouri's admission to the Union as a slave state, though this was resolved with the addition of Maine as a free state under the Missouri Compromise of Monroe conducted numerous diplomatic missions addressing the most critical international threats facing his generation.

Monroe returned to France in on a successful mission to assist Robert Livingston with the Louisiana Purchase negotiations. Monroe also served as Minister to Britain from until , a period complicated by disputes over U. In Monroe traveled to Spain, intending to win recognition of the U. The United States claimed the territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase, but Monroe could not gain the consent of the Spanish Government. The proposed Monroe-Pinkney Treaty, however, failed to address impressments, and President Jefferson therefore declined to forward the treaty to the Senate.

While serving as Secretary of State in , Monroe became convinced that a declaration of war against Great Britain was the best option to change offensive British policies. Along with Madison, Monroe encouraged Congress to issue a war declaration, which came on June 17,