The best book so far. I finished the book and couldn’t stop thinking about how under-appreciated James Monroe is. He was indeed a great President and contributor to our history, but the book probably significantly helped me to come away with that belief. Was it objective? Nope. Did it bother me that it wasn’t? No, actually it didn’t at all…Unger made a hero out of Monroe, but there was enough there for it to be perfectly plausible that he was great in nearly every way, that I just enjoyed it. The writing was solid, flowed well and resulted in a very fast entertaining read, especially for a biography. I could go on, but I’d just be rephrasing the above words of praise for the book. [Note: If you have something against James Monroe then the book may infuriate you, but who has anything against James Monroe? He rang in the “Era of Good Feelings!”] OK, so, yeah, I also learned a ton reading the book…here are a few of those things:
- He was shot in the shoulder during the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately for him he was shot 141 years too soon (1776) to receive a Purple Heart, the coolest award that no one in their right mind ever wants to receive.
- Grew up friends with John Marshall, who basically created the judicial branch of our government, and remained friends with him throughout their lives even though they differed from time to time on policies etc.
- Held 2 cabinet positions at the same time – Secretary of War and Secretary of State
- Ran unopposed for the Presidency, twice! (Well, basically…the first election he did have an opponent, but I think Mondale/Ferraro were closer to winning than his opposition)
- He was one Electoral College vote away from being reelected unanimously for his second term. It is said that the lone vote was cast for John Quincy Adams just so that George Washington would remain the only President elected by unanimous decision.
- All of South America owes him for the Monroe Doctrine…and so do U.S. West coasters.
- Monrovia, Liberia is named after him.
- The first wedding in the White House united two cousins in marriage. (Maria Hester Monroe and her cousin Samuel Gouvereur)
- George Washington gave him a letter of recommendation that Monroe hoped would help him become a Captain in the Continental Army, it didn’t, but James ended up using it to advance his political career.
- James Monroe actually made the Louisiana Purchase deal – Jefferson gets credit as the President who ultimately authorized it, Madison gets credit as the Secretary of State who also authorized it and may have proposed it, but Monroe actually made the deal while overseas as our Minister to France, so he did the actual negotiation, which earns him the most credit for the fantastic bargain, if not any commissions.
- After being elected President Monroe went on a tour of the country that would be exhausting even today in a Honda Odyssey with every possible amenity and 38 cup holders, in an effort to unify the people. It worked as he was beloved by nearly everyone. (Are you questioning the objectivity of the writer yet? Count me convinced, he’s my new Favorite Founding father, after THE Founding Father {George Washington}, of course.)
- James Monroe Died on July 4, 1831. Are you kidding me?! 3 of the first 5?!! And GW died on Case’s birthday! Madison (June 28, 1836) couldn’t hold out 6 more days? Or 5 months and 16 days? Man…I am not impressed Mr. Madison.
OK, sorry for length of this one, but to me it is fitting since it was my favorite book thus far (plus these will get longer if I ever get caught up to the book I’ve just finished…still half a year or so behind, so be prepared). John Quincy Adams coming soon…
5 comments:
I like how it was called the Department of War—not at all a euphemism for describing the sordid business.
All of South America owes him for the Monroe Doctrine
I laughed at this. I thought: “Yeah, and they continue to pay for it, too!”
CMB, and your comment made me laugh, thank you!
Craig's point is a good one. If I remember correctly South and Central America consider the Monroe Doctrine the Yankees imperialistic effort to rule the Western hemisphere and keep down the latino man.
Dictators still rise to power on a platform of ridding themselves of the influence of the "Imperial US". I am curious to read the author's take on this. I didn't realize how important and underappreciated Monroe is.
Ominous: Putting on the U.S.A. superiority hat, I like to think of those south of us as our middle school children who simply won't learn how smart their parents are for a while longer...this explains various dictators success using the "Fight for your right to Party" platform, while also letting the smug parental figures maintain their superiority complex.
Bobby— I for one love a multitude of hats to make sense of things. I don my Hat of Self-Criticism +1, and in addition to the warmth and style with which it endows me, it leads me to think about how so many Latin Americans' share of the world's resources is one to two orders of magnitude less than the average American's share. This is a hard point to get around, though [switches to Hat of Finger Pointing +3], blaming Spain goes a long way.
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