James Monroe was the fifth president of the United States. He was in office from (1817-1825) and he had many former-president friends like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. James Monroe was very intelligent and he always standby his word. James Monroe was known as the “Era of Good feeling.” They called him that because there were never political battles. He was one of the last Virginia president’s.

James Monroe was one of the five children, his farther Spence Monroe, he was a carpenter, and his mom was named Elizabeth Jones Monroe. They lived in a small farm West Moreland Country, Virginia. James would have to walk a few miles through the forest just to go to school at Parson Campbell. James went to college at William and Mary, college wasn’t a breeze because they were American colonies moving closer to the Great Britain War.When he was still in college his farther Spence died.

He had to leave college early because he had to go to war, he started as a lieutenant in the Third Virginia Regiment of the Continental war. He got shot in the chest area after he recovered from his wound he was named General Lord Stirling.

He finally settled in Prince Edward County, Virginia. He was elected to the state legislature in 1782 he was 24 years old. James served in congress for 3 years. James went to become a minister in France and Britain. Then he return to politics, he arrived in Washington , D.C. that’s when Jefferson signed the Embargo Act.

The election was in 1816 he was a logical presidential nominee for the Democratic Republication. He made a statement “ Our land and naval forces,” he said “should be moderate, but adequate to do the necessary purpose,” of protection against invasions and “ maintaining the neutrality of the United States with dignity in the wars of other powers.” At first Monroe faced two major crisis, one foreign and domestic. Slavery became a big issues for Monroe. The states were divide with slaves and free state.

Monroe found a solution to cure the slavery problem and that was to colonization the freed slaves outside the boundaries of the United States. Another problem was the Native Americans issues. He was reelected in 1820 as a second term president. There was a second threat from Europe that alarmed Monroe more than the Treaty of Russia. It was called Holy Alliance which was Russia, Austria, Prussia, and France which had intervene Spain.

There was another election in 1824 but Monroe did not want to be a third term president. When he retired he was 67 years old and turned over his presidency to Adams. After his wife died he sold his oakville home and lived with his daughter. He died on July 4, 1831.