Posted on 09/07/2010 6:09:32 PM PDT by dajeeps
Product Description
In this lively and compelling biography Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (1751–1831) went on to become America’s first full-time politician, dedicating his life to securing America’s national and international durability.
Decorated by George Washington for his exploits as a soldier, Monroe became a congressman, a senator, U.S. minister to France and Britain, governor of Virginia, secretary of state, secretary of war, and finally America’s fifth president. The country embraced Monroe’s dreams of empire and elected him to two terms, the second time unanimously. Mentored by each of America’s first four presidents, Monroe was unquestionably the best prepared president in our history.
Like David McCullough’s John Adams and Jon Meacham’s recent book on Andrew Jackson, this new biography of Monroe is both a solid read and stellar scholarship—history in the grand tradition.
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Lt. James Monroe was but 19 years old when he was sent by Gen. Washington (along with Washington's cousin, William) to charge a Hessian artillery group at the battle of Trenton. William sustained serious wounds to his hands and Monroe took a ball in the shoulder and would have bled to death had it not been for a physician who clamped the severed artery.
When President Monroe proclaimed his doctrine, he already had backed it up with brave action.
I used to live about 3 miles from Oak Hill, Monroe’s fine plantation home in northern Virginia. It was designed by the architect of the White House, and is as nice a house, I think as Jefferson’s Monticello—though not quite as fancy. It is still a private residence, and is occasionally on the spring-time historic homes’ tour of Loudoun County.
Monroe’s doctrine of keeping European powers out of the Western Hemisphere as much as possible, making the USA the dominant power in the Americas, probably saved us from involvement in a world war or two...
This book is just packed with information, amazing things, that I did not know previously. It’s information that ties everything else I knew together very nicely. For me, I guess Monroe was my missing link.
It answers questions about what happened to Alexander Hamilton and Jefferson, why they resigned from Washington’s admistration. I had my hunches, but this book spells it all out.
I never knew that Hamilton was involved in a sex scandal or that there were allegations of misappropriation of funds against him. Many historians are so willing to paint him in the best possible light, they gloss right over what killed his political career. When I read about it, a light came on about why the Federalists might have crashed and burned, and it made them seem so life-like.
The book also goes into a bit of detail of all the trouble Thomas Paine got into regarding “The Rights of Man”. I’ve just started on the chapter that covers the French Revolution, and the Moroes helping the LaFayettes escape the Jacobians.
This book has me on the edge of my seat and I’m loving reading it.
Make sure to pay close attention to the period in Monroe’s governorship during the disputed Presidential election of 1800. During the period that Jefferson and Burr were tied, with more votes than Adams, Hamilton was maneuvering to give Adams votes to Jefferson. To overawe Congress, Monroe mobilized the state militia, and stationed that army adjoining the Virginia part of DC. We came a short distance from a military coup. The main cause of the end of the Federalists was their disloyalty in the War of 1812.
The book does not offer any information about Monroe mobilizing the state militia in response to the presidential election of 1800, rather it talks about him doing so in response to slave revolts while the election was going on. It states plainly that Monroe had not been involved in the election at all.
Do you have any references regarding what Monroe actually did during that time period? I’m fascinated to learn more.
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