James Monroe was born in 1758 in Virginia. He was tutored by his mother for the first ten years of his life, but then went on to the Campbell town Academy. He later attended the College of William and Mary, but dropped out to join the Continental Army in 1775. James Monroe ran for president and won, lasting only one term, from 1817 to 1825. When he died in the year 1831, he was known as the last founding father of the United States.
James Monroe was born in the year 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He and his family lived in the area since his great-grandfather settled on the land in 1650. Unlike other boys, James didn’t go to a public school. He was tutored by his mother at home up until he was 10 years old, they attended the Campbell town Academy until he was 16. While at the Academy, James Monroe studies alongside John Marshall, the future Chief Justice of the United States.
In 1774, James enrolled in the College of William and Mary, and joined in the rising excitement of the possibility of rebellion against Britain. In the excitement, James Monroe dropped out of college to join the Continental Army in the year 1775. He never returned to school after that.
James Monroe was wounded in the famous Battle of Trenton, but recovered enough to continue to serve in the army. He later gained the rank of lieutenant colonel, and stayed with his troops until the end of the war in 1783. During the last three years of the war, Monroe began studying law under the teachings of Thomas Jefferson. He continued practicing law in Fredericksburg, Virginia. His political career in the United States started with his election to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Monroe served as an anti-federalist delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He recognized that the Constitution would grand much more power to the central government and did not approve of the idea. He was soon elected to the Senate in the year 1790. He then served as the Secretary of State and Secretary of War under James Madison during the War of 1812.
In 1816, Monroe won over 80% of the electoral votes and became the 5th president of the United States. He became a very popular president following his election, and he was able to purchase the state of Florida for Spain. As president, Mr. Monroe had to deal with the economic Panic of 1819 that didn’t end until around 1821. This was one of the first economic downturns that the government had to deal with. Monroe also signed the Missouri Compromise. He later instated the Monroe Doctrine in the year 1823 to govern American foreign policy.
President James Monroe was a great leader. He fought many wars for our country, as well as signing contracts to prevent wars. He died on July 4, 1831, and he is still know very well today.
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