WEBVTT

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Welcome back everyone today. We're uh We're really

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diving deep into the life of James Monroe the

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fifth US president. You definitely know the name

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but his story well, it often kind of gets overshadowed

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by Washington Jefferson Madison, you know the

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really big names, but here's something fascinating

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Monroe was Quite literally the last of the founding

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fathers to be president the last one who'd actually

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served as an officer in the Continental Army

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and almost unbelievably, he died on July 4th,

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just like Jefferson and Adams. Quite a coincidence,

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right? It really is remarkable. He's this unique

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figure who sort of bridges these distinct generations.

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You have the raw revolutionary spirit of 76,

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and then you have this expanding, dynamic, young

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nation. Monroe connects those two periods. He

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wasn't... just a leader. He was like a living

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link back to the origins. His presidency really

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does feel like the closing of that founding chapter.

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We've got some great sources for this dive, detailed

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biographies looking at his personal life, but

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also some really sharp historical analyses digging

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into the why behind his big decisions. Right.

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And our mission today is basically to give you

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a shortcut to really understanding Monroe. We

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want to get beyond just the list of things he

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did. We want to look at the pressures he was

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under, the principles that, well, that guided

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him, and the personal connections. Those were

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huge for him. We were trying to peel back the

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layers, get past the textbook stuff, and find

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the human story. Get ready for some, hopefully

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some real aha moments. His legacy is, I think,

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a lot richer and more complex than most people

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realize. Okay, so let's start right at the beginning.

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Colonial Virginia. Where did he come from? He

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was born April 28, 1758, Westmoreland County.

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His father, Andrew Spence Monroe, he was a craftsman

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but also a patriot, involved in stamp act protests.

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And his mother, Elizabeth Jones, she came from

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a slightly wealthier background, daughter of

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a Welsh immigrant who'd done well. So he wasn't

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quite from that top tier planter elite like,

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say, Jefferson, but definitely not impoverished

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either. Right. And his ancestry is pretty interesting,

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too. You've got Swadish roots, clan Monroe, and

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even some French Huguenots mixed in there. He

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got a solid education early on, Campbelltown

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Academy, which was considered pretty good for

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the time. It meant when he got to William and

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Mary in 74, he could jump straight into advanced

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Latin and math. He had a good foundation. But

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then things took a really tough turn when he

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was just a teenager. I mean, imagine being 16,

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something you're the head of the family. Yeah.

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His mother died in 72 after childbirth, and his

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father passed away not long after that. So as

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the oldest son, he had to leave college. He had

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younger brothers to support. That's a huge weight

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to carry, right? Especially when education was

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the path for it. It really was. But that early

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loss, it turned out to be... kind of pivotal

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in a strange way. It brought him much closer

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to his uncle on his mother's side, Joseph Jones.

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Jones was childless, influential member of the

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House of Burgesses. He basically became a surrogate

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father. He helped with debts, but more importantly,

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he opened doors. He introduced young Monroe to,

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well, the Giants, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George

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Washington. These weren't just casual meetings.

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They were the start of mentorships, connections

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that really laid the foundation for his entire

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public life. And you have to remember the atmosphere

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then in Virginia. It was electric. People were

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furious about the British intolerable acts. Governor

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Dunmore in Williamsburg confiscating militia

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weapons that just poured fuel on the fire. When

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Roe and his buddies at William and Mary, they

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weren't just watching. They marched on the governor's

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palace and started doing daily military drills.

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And then June 24, 1775, they actually stormed

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the palace to grab muskets and swords. This was

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direct action, defiance, real revolutionary spirit

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from these students. So when the fighting actually

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started, Monroe didn't hang back. Early 1776,

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his brother, Spence, had died. He left college,

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joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment. Because he

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was literate, which was a big plus, he got a

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commission as a lieutenant. Served under Captain

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William Washington, a relation of George's. His

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unit went north. They were part of that really

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tough retreat across the Delaware River in December

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76, a brutal time for the Army. And this is where

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it gets really dramatic. You know the painting,

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Washington crossing the Delaware, Monroe was

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there, right in the thick of it. He was part

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of that surprise attack at Trenton, December

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26. And during the fighting, he got hit hard,

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severed artery, almost bled out. It was a near

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fatal wound, but it showed incredible courage.

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Washington himself praised him, promoted him

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to captain. I mean, think about it, he's 18 years

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old, a combat veteran, singled out for bravery

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by the commander in chief. That's extraordinary.

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Absolutely formative. And what's really insightful,

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I think, is how that experience, that brush with

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death, the sheer brutality of it all, it didn't

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just make him look brave. It fundamentally shaped

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his understanding of the... war meant, what public

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service demanded. It forged connections, sure,

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and an identity he carried his whole life. He

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was the last president who'd actually fought

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in the revolution. But it also gave him this

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deep pragmatism. He saw the cost firsthand. That

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definitely influenced how he thought about defense,

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diplomacy, force later on. After he recovered,

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took about two months, he tried to recruit his

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own company. That was, you know, the standard

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path for ambitious officers. But he didn't have

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the personal wealth, couldn't raise the funds.

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That was a huge barrier. So instead, he got reassigned

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to General William Alexander's staff. Lord Sterling

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he was known as. pretty prominent general. And

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it was during this time he became good friends

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with Lafayette at the Battle of Brandywine. Then

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came that infamous winter at Valley Forge. He

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actually shared a log hut with John Marshall,

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future Chief Justice. Imagine those conversations.

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He got promoted to major, but the financial strain,

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the sheer destitution eventually forced him to

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resign his commission in December 78. It really

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shows the personal toll the war took, even on

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connected officers. So he goes back to Virginia,

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hoping for another command, but again, trouble

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recruiting. His uncle Joseph Jones gave him some

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advice. Go back to Williamsburg. Study law under

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Governor Thomas Jefferson. And this is where

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that really close lifelong friendship begins.

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Jefferson wasn't just a mentor. He gave Monroe

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access to his amazing library. Epictetus, the

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Stoics, that stuff really shaped Monroe's thinking

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about duty. Later in the war, Jefferson appointed

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a military commissioner. He even became a colonel,

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but still struggled to actually raise an army.

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And much to his intense frustration, he ended

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up missing the siege of Yorktown, the decisive

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battle. Wow. So you have this guy, clearly brave,

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totally committed, but he keeps getting frustrated

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trying to raise troops, misses the big finale

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at Yorktown. It really makes you wonder, doesn't

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it? How did those repeated setbacks that struggle

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with the practicalities of fielding an army,

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how did that shape his views later on, when he

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actually had power? That's a great question.

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And it's clear those experiences left a really

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deep mark. His frustrations definitely fed into

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his later understanding of just how complex military

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organization is and how crucial federal support

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is for defense. While he always, you know, championed

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the ideal of the citizen militia, his own struggles

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probably pushed him towards recognizing the need

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for more centralized planning, better funding,

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when he was secretary of war and president. It

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turned him into a pragmatist who knew that patriotism

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alone, well, it wasn't enough to win wars. It's

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a key thread we see running through his whole

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career. OK, so moving on from the battlefield,

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Monroe pivots pretty quickly into politics, right?

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It seems like a very deliberate move. He studies

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law with Jefferson and he was apparently pretty

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candid about it. It wasn't about a love for legal

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theory. It was for the most immediate rewards

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aren't free. OK, he saw law as the path to. Well,

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wealth, social standing, and definitely political

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influence, which was a very calculated mind,

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I think. Absolutely. He understood the game.

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And his rise was pretty fast. Virginia House

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of Delegates in 82, then again later. But the

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big step early on was the Continental Congress

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from 83 to 86. And he wasn't just warming a seat.

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He was a major voice for Western expansion involved

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in drafting the Northwest Ordinance, which was

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huge. And he fought hard for American navigation

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rights on the Mississippi, super important economically.

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So right away, he's working with Jefferson because

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becoming friends with Madison, but also tackling

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these enormous territorial issues that would

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literally shape the map of the U .S. And while

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all this political activity is ramping up, his

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personal life is taking shape too. He marries

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Elizabeth Courtwright in February 1786. She was

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from New York City, high society. That marriage

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definitely broadened his network beyond Virginia,

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gave him connections in the North and the financial

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center. They had three children, Eliza, James,

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who died young sadly, and Maria. But it's worth

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noting, despite these the Monroe's often struggled

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financially throughout his public career. It's

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a side of public life back then we sometimes

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forget. Salaries often didn't cover the costs.

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Right. Now, here's something that I think genuinely

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surprises people. James Monroe, founding father,

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war veteran. He actually voted against the U

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.S. Constitution. At the Virginia Ratifying Convention

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in 1788, he was a delegate, and he was part of

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that group. the federalists who are for amendments.

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He wanted changes before signing on. And his

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objections, they sound really modern in some

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ways. He was worried about no bill of rights,

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giving the central government too much power

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to tax, the idea of a standing army. He preferred

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federal control over militias instead. And he

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really disliked the Electoral College, thought

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it was corruptible, wanted direct election of

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the president. These were big fundamental concerns.

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Absolutely. And his stance tells us so much about

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the deep divisions at the founding. It wasn't

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all harmony and agreement. His skepticism of

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about a strong central government, a powerful

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executive that came straight from his Republican

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principles, his experience fighting what they

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saw as British tyranny. It was a theme that stayed

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with him, this caution, even when he held high

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federal office himself. It wasn't anti -nation,

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it was anti -centralization of power. In the

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end, Virginia did ratify, but only just. And

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it was after Madison basically promised to push

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for a bill of rights, which thankfully he did.

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And despite being on the losing side of that

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ratification vote, Monroe's political career

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kept moving forward. He gets elected to the U

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.S. Senate in 1790, filling a vacancy. Interestingly,

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he'd actually run against Madison for a House

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seat in 89 and lost. In the Senate, he pushed

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for transparency, wanted sessions open to the

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public. That took a few years to happen, but

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he was advocating early. He quickly became a

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leader of the new Democratic Republican Party,

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aligning with Jefferson against Hamilton's Federalist

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vision. He voted against Hamilton's national

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bank, sought his federal overreach. One of only

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five Southern senators to do so. And this is

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where things get really intense personally. Monroe

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gets involved in investigating Alexander Hamilton's

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finances in 92. Those investigations, which Monroe

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helped lead, uncovered the whole Hamilton -Reynolds

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affair. America's first big political sex scandal.

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Hamilton never forgave Monroe for his role in

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that public humiliation. It almost came to a

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duel between them. It just shows how raw and

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personal politics were back then. And on foreign

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policy, Monroe was consistently pro -French,

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anti -British, opposed Hamilton's appointment

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as ambassador to the UK, supported the French

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Republic, even wrote essays supporting the French

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Revolution. OK, so given those very strong pro

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-French feelings. Maybe it's not a huge surprise

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that Washington appoints him minister to France

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in 1794, though it sounds like a really tricky

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assignment, right? The French Revolution is raging.

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The U .S. is trying to stay neutral between France

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and Britain. Washington sends Monroe to France

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and the pro -British John Jay to Britain at the

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same time. Talk about walking a tightrope. Exactly.

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His instructions were clear. maintain good relations,

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uphold neutrality. But his personal sympathies

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were so strongly with France. He got a really

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warm welcome in Paris, addressed the national

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convention, got a standing ovation for this speech

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about republicanism. He had some early wins,

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protected U .S. trade, got some Americas released,

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including Lafayette's wife Adrienne. He even

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sheltered Thomas Paine for a while, though they

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apparently had a falling out later. But then

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the Jay Treaty. Bam! Can you imagine? He's there,

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feeling kinship with the French Republic, and

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suddenly finds out his own country has secretly

00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.840
signed this treaty with Britain, France's mortal

00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:39.019
enemy. And he wasn't fully in the loop. He was

00:11:39.019 --> 00:11:42.820
furious. Absolutely. outraged, and it completely

00:11:42.820 --> 00:11:45.600
torpedoed Franco -American relations. It wasn't

00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:47.860
just a diplomatic blunder from his perspective.

00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:50.700
It felt like a betrayal, and it really exposed

00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:53.360
the deep divisions within Washington's own administration

00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:55.639
about foreign policy. Yeah, and that led directly

00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.340
to his recall, didn't it? It did. What's really

00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:00.679
instructive here is how Monroe, despite his orders

00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:03.279
about neutrality, let his strong pro -French

00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.200
feelings kind of, well, color his diplomacy.

00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:09.200
This led to accusations back home inefficiency,

00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:12.019
not protecting U .S. interests. Washington recalled

00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:15.220
him in November 1796, and adding insult to injury,

00:12:15.340 --> 00:12:17.299
the actual dismissal letter was deliberately

00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:19.600
held back, apparently to influence the presidential

00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.100
election happening then. It really highlights

00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:24.580
that tightrope walk of diplomacy, balancing personal

00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:26.600
beliefs with national interest, especially during

00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:29.379
a major war. Monroe didn't go quietly, though.

00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:31.580
He published this defense, a view of the conduct

00:12:31.580 --> 00:12:34.059
of the executive, in 97, basically attacking

00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:36.440
Washington's administration over the Jay Treaty.

00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:39.220
Washington famously scribbled angry notes all

00:12:39.220 --> 00:12:41.029
over over his copy, accusing Monroe of being

00:12:41.029 --> 00:12:43.549
naive, easily flattered by the French. It was

00:12:43.549 --> 00:12:45.669
a very bitter end to that first diplomatic mission.

00:12:45.909 --> 00:12:48.169
Wow. So after that whole difficult experience

00:12:48.169 --> 00:12:50.429
abroad, he comes back and jumps right back into

00:12:50.429 --> 00:12:54.090
Virginia politics. Governor from 1799 to 1802.

00:12:54.330 --> 00:12:56.730
And he seems pretty active, pushing for state

00:12:56.730 --> 00:12:59.309
support for transportation, education, better

00:12:59.309 --> 00:13:01.330
militia training. He started the whole state

00:13:01.330 --> 00:13:03.850
of the Commonwealth Address tradition, and he

00:13:03.850 --> 00:13:06.049
established the state's first penitentiary. That

00:13:06.049 --> 00:13:08.629
was a significant reform, moving away from some

00:13:08.629 --> 00:13:10.789
of the harsher colonial punishments. He was definitely

00:13:10.789 --> 00:13:14.350
an active governor, but his term also saw a major

00:13:14.350 --> 00:13:17.870
crisis. Gabriel's Rebellion in 1800. This was

00:13:17.870 --> 00:13:20.970
a large planned slave uprising near Richmond.

00:13:21.529 --> 00:13:23.909
Monroe acted swiftly, called out the militia,

00:13:24.149 --> 00:13:27.350
suppressed it decisively. Gabriel and 27 others

00:13:27.350 --> 00:13:29.549
were executed. Yeah, that's a really somber part

00:13:29.549 --> 00:13:31.690
of his story. His response was firm. But you

00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:33.190
mentioned there was some nuance working with

00:13:33.190 --> 00:13:35.669
the legislature on maybe banishing suspects.

00:13:35.950 --> 00:13:37.450
There was some discussion about alternatives

00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:40.049
to execution, like transportation or banishment.

00:13:40.289 --> 00:13:42.990
Yes, it shows the complexity the balancing act

00:13:42.990 --> 00:13:46.549
leaders faced regarding slavery. And that event,

00:13:46.929 --> 00:13:49.149
that direct confrontation with the slave rebellion,

00:13:49.649 --> 00:13:52.149
plus hearing from Jefferson, who urged some mercy.

00:13:52.649 --> 00:13:55.029
It must have deeply affected Monroe's own thinking

00:13:55.029 --> 00:13:57.669
on slavery, which, as we know, was complicated

00:13:57.669 --> 00:13:59.830
and often conflicted. We'll definitely circle

00:13:59.830 --> 00:14:02.269
back to that. It's also worth remembering, during

00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:04.970
this time, Monroe was a huge supporter of Jefferson

00:14:04.970 --> 00:14:08.450
in that really contentious 1800 election. Used

00:14:08.450 --> 00:14:11.350
his influence in Virginia, even reportedly considered

00:14:11.350 --> 00:14:13.549
using the state militia to help Jefferson win

00:14:13.549 --> 00:14:15.870
shows how high the stakes were. OK, so after

00:14:15.870 --> 00:14:18.049
his governorship, Jefferson calls him back to

00:14:18.049 --> 00:14:19.830
the national stage pretty quickly for something

00:14:19.830 --> 00:14:23.710
huge, the Louisiana Purchase. That's right. 1803,

00:14:24.009 --> 00:14:26.409
Jefferson sends him to France as a special envoy.

00:14:27.289 --> 00:14:29.309
Robert Livingston was already there as ambassador.

00:14:29.669 --> 00:14:32.570
Their mission was critical by New Orleans and,

00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:36.049
as possible, West Florida from France. Napoleon

00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:38.350
had secretly gotten Louisiana back from Spain

00:14:38.350 --> 00:14:41.549
just a few years earlier. Jefferson was absolutely

00:14:41.549 --> 00:14:43.789
determined to secure control of the Mississippi

00:14:43.789 --> 00:14:47.419
outlet. He even told Monroe, if the French refuse,

00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:49.980
you're authorized to talk to the British about

00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:52.139
an alliance. That's how important it was. Wow.

00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:54.500
Alliance with Britain if France wouldn't sell

00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:57.559
New Orleans. That shows the stakes. Huge stakes.

00:14:58.080 --> 00:15:00.419
But what happened next was even more remarkable.

00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:03.139
Monroe and Livingston, they just went way beyond

00:15:03.139 --> 00:15:05.320
their instructions. Jefferson had authorized

00:15:05.320 --> 00:15:08.909
maybe $9 million tops. just for New Orleans and

00:15:08.909 --> 00:15:11.190
West Florida. Instead, they struck a deal for

00:15:11.190 --> 00:15:14.230
the entire Louisiana territory. $15 million.

00:15:14.409 --> 00:15:16.110
They basically doubled the size of the United

00:15:16.110 --> 00:15:18.590
States in one go. Just like that. Talk about

00:15:18.590 --> 00:15:20.490
audacity. They must have known they were exceeding

00:15:20.490 --> 00:15:22.470
their authority, right? Oh, absolutely. It was

00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:25.549
a massive gamble, a breathtaking example of seizing

00:15:25.549 --> 00:15:28.169
a strategic moment, even if it meant risking

00:15:28.169 --> 00:15:31.389
serious trouble back home. But what an opportunity.

00:15:32.250 --> 00:15:35.860
So looking at the big picture. Louisiana Purchase

00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:38.559
wasn't just land. It was, I mean, it defined

00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:40.879
westward expansion for generations, completely

00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:43.600
changed the country's future. And Monroe, even

00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:46.179
though he technically disobeyed orders, played

00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:49.340
this absolutely crucial role. Crucial, yes. And

00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:53.000
Jefferson, despite his own initial constitutional

00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:54.740
worries about whether the federal government

00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:57.320
even could buy that much land, he saw the immense

00:15:57.320 --> 00:15:59.840
value. He backed Monroe and Livingston fully,

00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:02.580
got Congress to approve it quickly. Monroe's

00:16:02.580 --> 00:16:04.919
follow -up mission to Spain in 1805 to try and

00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:06.840
get West Florida, though that didn't go so well.

00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:09.000
The Spanish were annoyed, the American ambassador

00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:11.000
there was apparently quite aggressive, and they

00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:13.620
made no progress. So that peace remained unresolved

00:16:13.620 --> 00:16:16.240
for a while. OK, so after the Louisiana Triumph,

00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:18.580
his next big posting is Minister to Great Britain,

00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.220
1803 to 1807. And the big issue there was impressment,

00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:25.879
right? Exactly. That was the constant major point

00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:28.820
of friction. The British Navy desperately needed

00:16:28.820 --> 00:16:31.179
sailors for the Napoleonic War, so they'd stop

00:16:31.179 --> 00:16:33.279
American ships and just take sailors off them.

00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:35.960
Now sure, some were probably British deserters

00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:38.000
hiding on U .S. ships, but they also grabbed

00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:41.080
plenty of legitimate American citizens. It caused

00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:43.559
absolute outrage in the states. And Monroe didn't

00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:45.850
have much luck stopping it. Very little success,

00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:48.570
unfortunately. Part of the problem was that Jefferson

00:16:48.570 --> 00:16:50.970
had kind of alienated the British minister in

00:16:50.970 --> 00:16:53.230
Washington, Anthony Merry. So the diplomatic

00:16:53.230 --> 00:16:55.289
climate wasn't great to begin with. It was just

00:16:55.289 --> 00:16:58.889
this period of ongoing tension, unresolved grievances,

00:16:59.210 --> 00:17:01.710
over -impressment that really poisoned relations

00:17:01.710 --> 00:17:04.109
and pushed things closer to conflict later on.

00:17:04.430 --> 00:17:06.730
Which leads us to the Monroe -Pinkney Treaty

00:17:06.730 --> 00:17:10.359
in 1806. What was that about? Right. Monroe,

00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:12.700
working with William Pinkney, managed to negotiate

00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:15.019
this treaty with Britain. It was basically an

00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:17.980
attempt to renew the old Jay Treaty, keep trade

00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:20.579
flowing for another 10 years, try to stabilize

00:17:20.579 --> 00:17:22.940
things. But Jefferson made the really controversial

00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:25.619
call not to even send it to the Senate for ratification.

00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:28.359
Why not? After all that work. Because it didn't

00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:31.019
explicitly end impressment. That was Jefferson's

00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:33.680
absolute red line. Plus, he'd always disliked

00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:36.380
the original Jay Treaty anyway. By this point,

00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:38.759
Jefferson was really leaning towards using economic

00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:41.160
pressure, commercial warfare, against Britain.

00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:44.180
A treaty that just continued trade without solving

00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:46.640
impressment didn't fit that strategy at all.

00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:50.240
So rejecting the treaty, what were the long -term

00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:52.619
consequences of that decision? Well, it's a big

00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:55.500
what -if, isn't it? Many historians argue that

00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:57.759
rejecting a treaty that offered peace, offered

00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:00.420
economic stability, mostly because of impressment.

00:18:00.589 --> 00:18:02.789
Well, it pretty much guaranteed the drift towards

00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:05.890
the War of 1812. It closed off a potential path

00:18:05.890 --> 00:18:08.450
to de -escalation, a really significant missed

00:18:08.450 --> 00:18:10.410
opportunity, you could argue. And how did Monroe

00:18:10.410 --> 00:18:13.509
take this? He negotiated it, after all. He was

00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:16.750
reportedly severely pained, felt his hard work

00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:20.170
was completely repudiated, and it caused a major

00:18:20.170 --> 00:18:23.170
rift, a real falling out, with James Madison,

00:18:23.490 --> 00:18:25.789
who was Secretary of State and had backed Jefferson's

00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:28.299
decision. That friendship took a big hit. The

00:18:28.299 --> 00:18:30.799
political fallout spilled right into the 1808

00:18:30.799 --> 00:18:33.339
election. People urged Monroe to run against

00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:36.220
Madison. Monroe apparently felt Jefferson had

00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:38.700
snubbed the treaty, partly to help Madison succeed

00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:41.720
him. He did run against Madison, showed he still

00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:43.940
had support in Virginia, but lost pretty badly

00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:46.880
overall. Only got about 3 ,400 votes in Virginia.

00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:49.420
A clear defeat. Man, that's a rough patch. You

00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:52.740
go from the high of the Louisiana Purchase to

00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:55.799
getting your treaty shot down, losing a presidential

00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.539
bid to your former friend. shows how brutal politics

00:18:58.539 --> 00:19:00.960
could be. Absolutely. So he withdrew for a bit,

00:19:01.099 --> 00:19:03.019
went back to his farm in Charlottesville, focused

00:19:03.019 --> 00:19:05.240
on agriculture, tried growing wheat instead of

00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:07.579
tobacco. Thankfully for the country's sake, he

00:19:07.579 --> 00:19:09.279
did eventually patch things up with Jefferson

00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.039
and importantly with Madison by around 1810,

00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:14.440
which was crucial because his return to service

00:19:14.440 --> 00:19:17.079
was just around the corner, right as war clouds

00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:20.019
were gathering again. Right. So after a very

00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:22.880
brief second stint as governor of Virginia in

00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:25.920
1811, like only four months, Madison calls him

00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:28.500
back. Yep. Madison appoints him Secretary of

00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:31.579
State in April 1811. Madison needed to shore

00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:33.559
up support, especially with the more radical

00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:36.039
wing of his party. And the previous secretary,

00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:39.160
Robert Smith, hadn't been great. Madison apparently

00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:41.519
told Monroe their past disagreements were just

00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:44.299
a misunderstanding. So the friendship was back

00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:46.259
on track and they started working together again.

00:19:46.579 --> 00:19:49.079
And the Senate confirmed him unanimously. 30

00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:51.859
-0. That says a lot about his standing. It really

00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:54.740
does. Shows broad respect, perceived competence.

00:19:55.069 --> 00:19:57.490
He was seen as a steady hand, which was needed.

00:19:57.950 --> 00:20:00.250
As Secretary of State, his first job was, again,

00:20:00.529 --> 00:20:02.569
trying to deal with Britain and France attacking

00:20:02.569 --> 00:20:05.390
American ships. He hoped he could negotiate treaties

00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:08.329
to stop the attacks, stop impressment. The French,

00:20:08.470 --> 00:20:09.990
who were a bit more receptive, agreed to ease

00:20:09.990 --> 00:20:12.509
up. The British, though, especially on impressment,

00:20:12.630 --> 00:20:14.470
they weren't budging. So diplomacy wasn't working

00:20:14.470 --> 00:20:16.359
with Britain. Pretty much. And this is where

00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:18.660
you see Monroe's thinking evolve again. He'd

00:20:18.660 --> 00:20:21.119
always worked for peace, for diplomatic solutions.

00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:24.220
But now, facing British refusal to compromise,

00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:27.519
he started to favor war. He joined the Warhawks

00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:30.579
in Congress, people like Henry Clay. He came

00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:33.079
to believe diplomacy had failed and war was the

00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:35.380
only option left to defend American rights and

00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:37.880
honor. So he supported Madison when he asked

00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:41.180
Congress to declare war in June 1812. And the

00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:44.910
War of 1812. It didn't start well for the U .S.,

00:20:44.910 --> 00:20:48.309
did it? No, it went badly at first. The administration

00:20:48.309 --> 00:20:50.650
tried to sue for peace pretty quickly, but the

00:20:50.650 --> 00:20:53.269
British weren't interested then. Monroe, as Secretary

00:20:53.269 --> 00:20:55.509
of State, did manage to persuade Madison to let

00:20:55.509 --> 00:20:57.650
the Navy ships actually go out and fight rather

00:20:57.650 --> 00:21:00.349
than stay in port. That led to a few important

00:21:00.349 --> 00:21:02.740
morale boosting victories at sea. But the Army

00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:04.759
leadership was struggling. The Secretary of War

00:21:04.759 --> 00:21:07.500
William Eustace resigned. Madison asked Monroe

00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:10.000
to step in, do both jobs, state and war. The

00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.779
Senate balked at that initially, so he could

00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:13.819
only be acting Secretary of War for a while.

00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:16.039
And he clashed quite a bit with the man who eventually

00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:18.740
got the job officially, John Armstrong Jr., over

00:21:18.740 --> 00:21:21.259
how to run the war. And then came that really

00:21:21.259 --> 00:21:24.319
dramatic moment in 1814 with the British threatening

00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:27.619
Washington, D .C. Monroe really stepped up there,

00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:30.599
didn't he? He absolutely did. As British ships

00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:33.240
started probing the Chesapeake Bay, Monroe was

00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:35.519
sounding the alarm bells loud and clear. He was

00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:37.500
urging defensive preparations for the capital,

00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:40.599
wanted better military intelligence. But Armstrong,

00:21:40.740 --> 00:21:43.640
the Secretary of War, basically dismissed his

00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:46.240
concerns, thought he was being alarmist. Unbelievable.

00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:49.180
So what did Monroe do? He took matters into his

00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:52.440
own hands. He literally formed his own small

00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:55.180
cavalry troop and rode down himself to scout

00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:58.000
the British movements in the bay. Can you imagine

00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.420
a Secretary of State doing that today? No way.

00:22:00.539 --> 00:22:03.000
That's incredible initiative, especially when

00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.380
the guy fickily in charge was ignoring the threat.

00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:07.900
It really highlights his commitment, his willingness

00:22:07.900 --> 00:22:10.299
to act decisively, even outside his official

00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:12.960
lane when he saw a threat. That experience must

00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:15.180
have profoundly shaped his views on executive

00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:17.640
responsibility and military readiness later on.

00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:20.579
And tragically, his warnings were right. The

00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:23.279
British did invade. They did. A large force landed.

00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:26.099
Monroe scouted them again, sent an urgent message

00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:28.619
to Madison on August 21st warning of the imminent

00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:31.329
attack. That warning gave Madison and Dolly just

00:22:31.329 --> 00:22:33.750
enough time to flee the Capitol. And then, August

00:22:33.750 --> 00:22:36.849
24th, the British marched in and burned the Capitol

00:22:36.849 --> 00:22:39.829
building and the White House. A devastating blow

00:22:39.829 --> 00:22:42.490
to national morale. Just awful. And that finally

00:22:42.490 --> 00:22:45.329
got Armstrong fired. Yes. After that disaster,

00:22:45.650 --> 00:22:47.289
Madison removed Armstrong and formally appointed

00:22:47.289 --> 00:22:50.210
Monroe as Secretary of War on September 27th.

00:22:50.329 --> 00:22:52.210
Monroe resigned as Secretary of State on October

00:22:52.210 --> 00:22:55.049
1st. But crucially, Madison didn't appoint a

00:22:55.049 --> 00:22:56.970
successor right away. So for several critical

00:22:56.970 --> 00:23:00.450
months, from October 1814 to late February 1815,

00:23:00.890 --> 00:23:02.769
Monroe was effectively running both the State

00:23:02.769 --> 00:23:05.470
Department and the War Department during wartime.

00:23:05.910 --> 00:23:08.230
Incredible responsibility. And he seems to have

00:23:08.230 --> 00:23:11.119
grabbed the reins pretty firmly. He did. He immediately

00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:13.420
ordered Andrew Jackson down to defend New Orleans,

00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:15.819
anticipating a British attack there, which turned

00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:18.920
out to be spot on. He went to Congress, asked

00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.240
for bold measures, draft 100 ,000 men, increased

00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:25.140
pay for soldiers, and crucially established the

00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:27.200
Second Bank of the United States to fund the

00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:29.920
war effort properly. His leadership really seemed

00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:32.380
to energize the war effort in those final months.

00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:35.339
Then the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the

00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:37.579
war. basically returning things to how they were

00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:40.339
before. News of the treaty arrived just after

00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:43.519
Jackson's huge victory at New Orleans. Even though

00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:45.359
the battle technically happened after the peace

00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:47.940
treaty, that victory was a massive boost for

00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:50.539
American confidence. And with Napoleon defeated

00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:52.920
in Europe, the British stopped impressment anyway.

00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:56.400
Congress also approved the second bank. So Monroe

00:23:56.400 --> 00:23:58.460
comes out of this war looking pretty good. Very

00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:00.900
strong. He'd proven himself as a capable wartime

00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:03.619
leader under extreme pressure, resigned as Secretary

00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:06.480
of War in March 1815, went back to being Secretary

00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:08.779
of State. But yeah, he was clearly positioned

00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:12.319
as a leading presidential contender. OK, so his

00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:15.200
wartime leadership definitely set him up as Madison's

00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:17.799
successor. Heading into the 1816 election, it

00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:19.460
seemed like his nomination was pretty likely.

00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:22.119
It was. The Federalist Party was basically falling

00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:24.240
apart by then, especially after their opposition

00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:26.529
to the War of 1820. which made them look almost

00:24:26.529 --> 00:24:29.470
disloyal to many. So the real contest was within

00:24:29.470 --> 00:24:31.549
the Democratic Republican Party's Congressional

00:24:31.549 --> 00:24:34.609
Caucus, which chose the nominee back then. He

00:24:34.609 --> 00:24:36.690
faced some challenge from William H. Crawford

00:24:36.690 --> 00:24:39.589
of Georgia and Daniel D. Tompkins of New York,

00:24:40.029 --> 00:24:42.240
but Crawford eventually stepped aside. Monroe

00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:44.539
got the presidential nomination, Tompkins for

00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:46.539
VP. And the election itself was a landslide.

00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:49.400
Well, completely. He crushed the Federalist candidate,

00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:54.039
Rufus King, got 183 electoral votes out of 217,

00:24:54.140 --> 00:24:56.339
won every state except Massachusetts, Connecticut,

00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:59.240
and Delaware. Imagine that today, being elected

00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:02.880
with virtually no real opposition. So, his inauguration

00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:06.019
in 1817 kicks off this period we call the era

00:25:06.019 --> 00:25:08.380
of good feelings. What did that actually mean?

00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:11.259
Was it really all good feelings? Well, good feelings

00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:13.680
might be stretching it a bit. It wasn't that

00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.579
political disagreements vanished entirely, but

00:25:16.579 --> 00:25:19.799
the term reflected a real national mood, a desire

00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.599
for unity after the war. The collapse of the

00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:24.559
Federalists meant less partisan fighting, at

00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:27.640
least on the surface. And Monroe himself really

00:25:27.640 --> 00:25:31.099
leaned into this idea of national unity. He consciously

00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:33.859
tried to downplay old party loyalties in his

00:25:33.859 --> 00:25:36.480
appointments. He went on these two long national

00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:38.460
tours, traveling all over the country, which

00:25:38.460 --> 00:25:41.440
was unusual then, trying to build goodwill and

00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:43.940
foster a sense of shared American identity. And

00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:46.079
symbolically, he really was this bridge figure.

00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:48.640
The last president, who was also a founding father,

00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:50.880
served in the revolution, delegate to the Continental

00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:53.220
Congress, also the last of that so -called Virginia

00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:55.619
dynasty. His presidency definitely felt like

00:25:55.619 --> 00:25:58.119
a transition. And his cabinet choices reflected

00:25:58.119 --> 00:26:00.980
that unity goal. Very much so. He deliberately

00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:03.400
built a cabinet that was geographically balanced,

00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:06.059
bringing in people from different regions. He

00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:09.519
kept Crawford from Georgia at Treasury. But crucially,

00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.599
he appointed John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts

00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:16.440
as Secretary of State. This was a big deal. Adams

00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:18.839
wasn't a Virginian, and Secretary of State was

00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:20.779
seen as the stepping stone to the presidency.

00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:23.619
It immediately made Adams the likely successor,

00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:26.619
which helped ease northern concerns about Virginia's

00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:29.400
dominance. He also brought in John C. Calhoun

00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:32.119
from South Carolina as Secretary of War. So you

00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:34.119
had key figures from the South, New England,

00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:37.759
Georgia, a truly national team. One historian,

00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:40.359
William Earl Weeks, described Monroe's overall

00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:43.380
strategy perfectly, I think. Expanding the union

00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:46.119
externally while solidifying it internally. That

00:26:46.119 --> 00:26:48.779
really captures his approach. Managing expansion,

00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:51.079
dealing with slavery somehow, keeping the country

00:26:51.079 --> 00:26:53.779
together. Expand outwards, strengthen inwards.

00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:56.220
It sounds good, but how did that actually work?

00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:57.880
Especially with slavery becoming more and more

00:26:57.880 --> 00:26:59.859
divisive. How did he manage to hold things together

00:26:59.859 --> 00:27:02.920
during this supposed era of good feelings? It

00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:05.480
was an incredible balancing act. Part of it was

00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:08.759
his persona. He projected this image of calm,

00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:11.200
steady leadership above the fray. The national

00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:13.880
tours helped that. Part of it was shrewd politics,

00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:16.480
like the cabinet appointments. And part of it

00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:18.839
was, frankly, kicking the can down the road on

00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:22.160
the toughest issues, like slavery, finding compromises

00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:24.799
that delayed the inevitable confrontation. He

00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:27.059
was very skilled at building consensus, or at

00:27:27.059 --> 00:27:29.039
least the appearance of it, even if the foundations

00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:31.759
were sometimes shaky. That ability to navigate

00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:34.000
those deep divisions was probably his greatest

00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:36.670
domestic achievement, keeping the union intact

00:27:36.670 --> 00:27:40.089
during a potentially explosive period. OK, let's

00:27:40.089 --> 00:27:42.089
talk foreign policy during his presidency. It

00:27:42.089 --> 00:27:43.730
seems like a really successful area for him.

00:27:43.809 --> 00:27:45.849
He managed to settle some longstanding issues,

00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:48.470
didn't he? Absolutely. Big achievements, first

00:27:48.470 --> 00:27:51.109
off, with Britain. Remember all the tension leading

00:27:51.109 --> 00:27:54.329
up to 1812? Well, after the war, things calmed

00:27:54.329 --> 00:27:57.970
down considerably. In 1817, they signed the Rush

00:27:57.970 --> 00:28:01.319
Bagot Treaty. This basically demilitarized the

00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:04.140
Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, a huge step in

00:28:04.140 --> 00:28:06.900
normalizing the border with British Canada, then

00:28:06.900 --> 00:28:10.460
the Treaty of 1818, also with Britain. This formally

00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:12.559
set the border at the 49th parallel, all the

00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:14.440
way from Minnesota out to the Rocky Mountains,

00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:17.680
and it agreed on joint U .S.-British occupation

00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:21.170
of the Oregon Country for 10 years. So after

00:28:21.170 --> 00:28:24.069
literally decades of conflict and your conflict,

00:28:24.589 --> 00:28:26.369
these treaties brought real stability to that

00:28:26.369 --> 00:28:28.029
northern border. That's huge. We kind of take

00:28:28.029 --> 00:28:29.990
that peaceful border for granted now. Exactly.

00:28:30.089 --> 00:28:31.910
Laid the groundwork for a peaceful relationship

00:28:31.910 --> 00:28:34.130
moving forward. And it wasn't just Britain. There

00:28:34.130 --> 00:28:36.289
were issues brewing with Russia up in the Pacific

00:28:36.289 --> 00:28:38.450
Northwest. Russia was expanding its claims down

00:28:38.450 --> 00:28:41.130
the coast. The Russo -American Treaty of 1824

00:28:41.130 --> 00:28:43.529
settled that, setting the southern limit of Russian

00:28:43.529 --> 00:28:46.869
claims at the 54 degree 40 Ori parallel resolved

00:28:46.869 --> 00:28:49.450
another potential flash point. OK. And then there's

00:28:49.450 --> 00:28:51.130
the acquisition of Florida. How did that come

00:28:51.130 --> 00:28:53.210
about? Spain wasn't just giving it away, were

00:28:53.210 --> 00:28:55.730
they? Not exactly giving it away, but Spain was

00:28:55.730 --> 00:28:57.849
definitely in a weak position. They were exhausted

00:28:57.849 --> 00:29:00.809
from the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Their American

00:29:00.809 --> 00:29:03.930
colonies were revolting all over the place. Florida

00:29:03.930 --> 00:29:06.650
was becoming more trouble than it was worth for

00:29:06.650 --> 00:29:09.869
them. You had American settlers pushing in, runaway

00:29:09.869 --> 00:29:12.630
slaves finding refuge there, Seminole Indians

00:29:12.630 --> 00:29:14.990
raiding across the border into Georgia. Spain

00:29:14.990 --> 00:29:17.240
couldn't really control it. So the U .S. saw

00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:19.920
an opportunity. Pretty much. There were ongoing

00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:22.319
Seminole raids and they were known to be harboring

00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:25.920
escaped slaves. Monroe ordered a military expedition

00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:29.259
into Spanish Florida under Andrew Jackson, now

00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:32.259
Jackson being Jackson. He went way beyond his

00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:34.460
official orders. He chased the Seminoles, burned

00:29:34.460 --> 00:29:36.779
their towns, and then he seized Pensacola, the

00:29:36.779 --> 00:29:39.180
Spanish capital there, basically took de facto

00:29:39.180 --> 00:29:41.039
control of Florida. That sounds controversial.

00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:43.079
Didn't that cause problems? Duh. An American

00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:46.759
general invading Spanish territory. Oh, big time.

00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:49.400
Congress was highly critical, debated whether

00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:51.559
Jackson had started an undeclared war. It was

00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:53.819
a real diplomatic headache. But here's where

00:29:53.819 --> 00:29:55.940
Monroe and his secretary of state, John Quincy

00:29:55.940 --> 00:29:59.380
Adams, were very shrewd. Monroe publicly backed

00:29:59.380 --> 00:30:02.660
Jackson, defended his actions as necessary. But

00:30:02.660 --> 00:30:05.319
Adams, behind the scenes, carefully spun the

00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:07.500
situation. He basically told Spain, look, you

00:30:07.500 --> 00:30:09.220
can't control Florida. It's causing problems

00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:11.839
for us. Jackson's actions were defensive. He

00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:13.640
removed the parts of Jackson's justification

00:30:13.640 --> 00:30:16.339
that were most aggressive. This diplomatic maneuvering

00:30:16.339 --> 00:30:18.420
put Spain in a position where ceding Florida

00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:21.259
seemed like the best option. Clever. So Jackson's

00:30:21.259 --> 00:30:23.819
aggression created the opening and Adams skillfully

00:30:23.819 --> 00:30:27.079
exploited it. Exactly. It led directly to the

00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:30.759
Adams Onus Treaty of 1819. Spain formally ceded

00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:33.700
Florida to the U .S. In return, the U .S. agreed

00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:37.019
to assume about $5 million in claims that American

00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:39.660
citizens had against Spain. And crucially, the

00:30:39.660 --> 00:30:41.559
treaty also drew a clear boundary line between

00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:43.599
U .S. territory and Spanish possessions running

00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:46.000
all the way from the Sabine River, border of

00:30:46.000 --> 00:30:48.259
Louisiana and Texas, out to the Pacific Ocean.

00:30:48.839 --> 00:30:50.759
The U .S. gave up claims to Texas for the time

00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:52.880
being, but Spain gave up its claims to the Oregon

00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:55.619
country, a massive of territorial gain and clarification

00:30:55.619 --> 00:30:58.200
of boundaries. Wow. So Florida secured, borders

00:30:58.200 --> 00:31:00.240
defined, that's huge. And this is all happening

00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:02.019
while Latin America is fighting for independence

00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:04.119
from Spain, right? How did Moreau handle that?

00:31:04.299 --> 00:31:06.259
That's another key part of his foreign policy

00:31:06.259 --> 00:31:08.660
legacy. He was personally very sympathetic to

00:31:08.660 --> 00:31:10.519
the independence movements in South America.

00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:12.960
He saw them as fellow republics throwing off

00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:16.259
European monarchy. But initially, while the delicate

00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:18.539
Florida negotiations with Spain were ongoing,

00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:21.539
he maintained official neutrality, didn't want

00:31:21.539 --> 00:31:24.339
to jeopardize getting Florida. However, as soon

00:31:24.339 --> 00:31:27.059
as the Adams -Onnes Treaty was ratified in 1821,

00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:30.359
the U .S. moved decisively. They became the first

00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:32.720
nation in the world to officially recognize the

00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:36.279
new independent republics, Argentina, Peru, Colombia,

00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:39.519
Chile, Mexico. Monroe took great pride in this.

00:31:39.700 --> 00:31:41.940
He felt the U .S. was setting an example, supporting

00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:44.440
liberty in the hemisphere. It marked a real shift

00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:46.700
towards seeing the Americas as a distinct sphere.

00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:49.420
OK, so this leads us directly into the most famous

00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:51.420
part of his foreign policy, the Monroe Doctrine.

00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:53.400
Where did that come from? Was it entirely his

00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:57.309
idea? Not entirely his alone. It evolved. John

00:31:57.309 --> 00:31:59.569
Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State, had actually

00:31:59.569 --> 00:32:02.609
floated the core idea earlier, back in 1821.

00:32:03.390 --> 00:32:05.470
The idea that the American continent should be

00:32:05.470 --> 00:32:08.309
considered closed to future colonization by European

00:32:08.309 --> 00:32:11.009
powers. This thinking was shaped by the Adams

00:32:11.009 --> 00:32:13.670
-Onus Treaty defining borders and the ongoing

00:32:13.670 --> 00:32:16.009
disputes about Oregon, especially with Russia.

00:32:16.619 --> 00:32:19.240
The immediate treasure though was the fear that

00:32:19.240 --> 00:32:21.299
European powers, particularly France and the

00:32:21.299 --> 00:32:23.440
conservative holy alliance of Russia, Prussia

00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:25.980
and Austria, might try to intervene in Latin

00:32:25.980 --> 00:32:28.400
America to help Spain restore its colonies. That

00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:31.460
was a real concern. So how did the U .S. respond

00:32:31.460 --> 00:32:33.680
to that threat? Well, interestingly, the British

00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:36.400
actually proposed a joint Anglo -American declaration.

00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:38.640
The British Foreign Secretary, George Canning,

00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:41.000
suggested they issue a statement together warning

00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:43.039
against European intervention in the Americas.

00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:45.900
Monroe himself was initially inclined to accept

00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:48.079
the British offer. It seemed like a safe way

00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:49.980
to achieve the goal with British naval power

00:32:49.980 --> 00:32:53.279
backing it up. But Adams disagreed. Adams argued

00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:55.440
very forcefully against it. He basically said,

00:32:55.779 --> 00:32:58.079
why should we come in as a cock boat in the wake

00:32:58.079 --> 00:33:00.779
of the British man of war? He argued that a joint

00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:03.980
declaration would limit future US options, maybe

00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:06.759
prevent future US expansion, like into Cuba,

00:33:07.019 --> 00:33:09.500
which some Americans coveted. And he suspected

00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:12.039
Britain had its own imperial interests, not just

00:33:12.039 --> 00:33:14.700
a love for Latin American independence. He urged

00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:17.539
Monroe to make a purely American statement. And

00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:20.400
Monroe listened to Adams? He did. Persuaded by

00:33:20.400 --> 00:33:23.160
Adams' logic and genuinely concerned about potential

00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:26.039
European recolonization efforts, Monroe decided

00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:29.029
to act unilaterally. In his annual message to

00:33:29.029 --> 00:33:32.029
Congress on December 2, 1823, he laid out the

00:33:32.029 --> 00:33:34.230
principles that became known as the Monroe Doctrine.

00:33:34.269 --> 00:33:36.170
What were the key points? There were basically

00:33:36.170 --> 00:33:38.950
three main tenets. First, the U .S. would stick

00:33:38.950 --> 00:33:41.490
to its traditional policy of neutrality in purely

00:33:41.490 --> 00:33:44.730
European wars. Second, the U .S. would not accept

00:33:44.730 --> 00:33:47.049
the recolonization of any independent nation

00:33:47.049 --> 00:33:49.490
in the Americas by its former European ruler,

00:33:49.930 --> 00:33:51.890
though it wouldn't interfere with existing colonies.

00:33:52.589 --> 00:33:55.630
And third, and most famously, the Western Hemisphere

00:33:55.630 --> 00:33:59.190
was henceforth closed to new European colonization.

00:33:59.529 --> 00:34:01.829
This was aimed partly at Russia's ambitions on

00:34:01.829 --> 00:34:04.230
the Pacific coast. So this was a really bold

00:34:04.230 --> 00:34:06.710
statement, wasn't it? The U .S. basically declaring

00:34:06.710 --> 00:34:09.380
the entire Western Hemisphere off limits to further

00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:12.780
European meddling. Incredibly bold for a relatively

00:34:12.780 --> 00:34:15.380
young nation. It was a unilateral declaration

00:34:15.380 --> 00:34:18.500
principle, rejecting British partnership, asserting

00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:20.519
American leadership in the hemisphere. And its

00:34:20.519 --> 00:34:23.019
impact. How significant was the Monroe Doctrine

00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:25.829
long term? Immense. It became a cornerstone of

00:34:25.829 --> 00:34:28.769
U .S. foreign policy for over a century. It defined

00:34:28.769 --> 00:34:31.550
America's sphere of influence, signaled a decisive

00:34:31.550 --> 00:34:33.530
turn away from European entanglements towards

00:34:33.530 --> 00:34:36.269
a focus on the Americas. It fundamentally shaped

00:34:36.269 --> 00:34:38.710
how the U .S. saw its role in the world. A truly

00:34:38.710 --> 00:34:41.010
defining moment. Okay, so foreign policy looks

00:34:41.010 --> 00:34:44.590
like a big success story. But domestically, that

00:34:44.590 --> 00:34:47.750
era of good feelings label starts to look pretty

00:34:47.750 --> 00:34:49.530
shaky when you dig into things like slavery,

00:34:49.710 --> 00:34:52.260
right? Absolutely. The facade of unity cracked

00:34:52.260 --> 00:34:54.860
badly over slavery. The country was expanding

00:34:54.860 --> 00:34:58.400
rapidly. Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama all became

00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:02.539
states between 1817 and 1819. This rapid westward

00:35:02.539 --> 00:35:05.079
growth highlighted the growing economic differences

00:35:05.079 --> 00:35:07.559
between north and south and shifted the balance

00:35:07.559 --> 00:35:10.059
of power in Congress, which terrified the southern

00:35:10.059 --> 00:35:13.039
slave states. And then Missouri applied for statehood

00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:16.199
in 1819. That really blew things up. It ignited

00:35:16.199 --> 00:35:19.320
a firestorm. A New York congressman, James Tallmadge

00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:21.960
Jr. proposed an amendment to Missouri's statehood

00:35:21.960 --> 00:35:24.679
bill. The Tallmadge amendment had two parts.

00:35:25.199 --> 00:35:27.219
prohibit any more slaves from being brought into

00:35:27.219 --> 00:35:29.519
Missouri, and free the children born to slaves

00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:32.699
already there once they reached age 25. It passed

00:35:32.699 --> 00:35:34.679
the House, where the North had more population

00:35:34.679 --> 00:35:37.019
and thus more votes, but it was soundly rejected

00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:39.659
by the Senate, where the South had equal representation.

00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:42.000
So we instantly polarized everyone. Completely.

00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:44.820
You had the Northern restrictionists who wanted

00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:48.280
to stop slavery spread versus the Southern anti

00:35:48.280 --> 00:35:51.099
-restrictionists who insisted Congress had no

00:35:51.099 --> 00:35:52.840
right to interfere with slavery in the territories

00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:55.400
or new states. The debate was incredibly bitter.

00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:58.519
It really exposed that deep, dangerous fault

00:35:58.519 --> 00:36:00.599
line running through the nation. And the solution

00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:03.780
was the Missouri Compromise of 1820. What did

00:36:03.780 --> 00:36:06.800
that entail? It was a classic political compromise

00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:10.519
brokered largely by Henry Clay. Three main parts.

00:36:10.840 --> 00:36:13.059
First, Maine, which had been part of Massachusetts,

00:36:13.139 --> 00:36:15.599
was admitted as a free state. Second, Missouri

00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:18.039
was admitted as a slave state, maintaining the

00:36:18.039 --> 00:36:19.920
balance between free and slave states in the

00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:22.719
Senate. Third, and perhaps most significantly

00:36:22.719 --> 00:36:25.599
for the future, slavery was prohibited in the

00:36:25.599 --> 00:36:27.420
rest of the Louisiana Purchase Territory, north

00:36:27.420 --> 00:36:30.539
of the 36 degree 38 is first parallel. That line

00:36:30.539 --> 00:36:32.579
was Missouri's southern border. So it settled

00:36:32.579 --> 00:36:34.539
the immediate crisis, but it didn't really solve

00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:36.679
the underlying problem, did it? Not at all. It

00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:40.019
was a temporary fix, a band -aid. Monroe himself

00:36:40.019 --> 00:36:42.920
signed it, apparently reluctantly. He saw it

00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:45.360
as the least bad option to preserve the Union

00:36:45.360 --> 00:36:47.539
and protect slaveholders' interests for the time

00:36:47.539 --> 00:36:50.579
being. But the whole crisis showed that even

00:36:50.579 --> 00:36:53.440
with the Federalist Party gone, the most dangerous

00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:55.800
divisions weren't between parties, but between

00:36:55.800 --> 00:36:59.599
sections, rooted fundamentally in slavery. The

00:36:59.599 --> 00:37:01.920
compromise just kicked the can down the road,

00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:04.619
allowing expansion to continue for a few more

00:37:04.619 --> 00:37:07.300
decades, but the fundamental conflict remained.

00:37:07.739 --> 00:37:10.360
Okay, what about other domestic issues? Infrastructure,

00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:13.570
the economy. Monroe definitely saw the need for

00:37:13.570 --> 00:37:16.690
better infrastructure, roads, canals. He believed

00:37:16.690 --> 00:37:19.150
a good transportation network was vital for economic

00:37:19.150 --> 00:37:22.130
growth, national unity, even defense. But he

00:37:22.130 --> 00:37:24.349
had serious constitutional doubts about the federal

00:37:24.349 --> 00:37:26.170
government's role in actually building and running

00:37:26.170 --> 00:37:28.570
these things. Strict constructionist views again.

00:37:28.869 --> 00:37:31.289
Exactly. He didn't think the Constitution gave

00:37:31.289 --> 00:37:33.690
Congress the power to create a national transportation

00:37:33.690 --> 00:37:37.070
system. He kept urging Congress to pass a constitutional

00:37:37.070 --> 00:37:40.230
amendment to grant that power explicitly. Congress

00:37:40.230 --> 00:37:44.269
never did. So, in 1822, he stuck to his principles

00:37:44.269 --> 00:37:47.269
and vetoed a bill for collecting tolls to repair

00:37:47.269 --> 00:37:49.849
the Cumberland Road, a major federal project.

00:37:50.429 --> 00:37:52.710
He argued the repairs were okay, but federal

00:37:52.710 --> 00:37:55.809
operation via tolls was unconstitutional. That

00:37:55.809 --> 00:37:57.789
seems like a fine distinction, but it shows his

00:37:57.789 --> 00:38:00.170
commitment to that strict interpretation. It

00:38:00.170 --> 00:38:02.969
does. It sparked a lot of debate about the federal

00:38:02.969 --> 00:38:05.190
role in internal improvements, a debate that

00:38:05.190 --> 00:38:07.750
continued for years. However, things did start

00:38:07.750 --> 00:38:10.130
to shift later in his presidency. The Supreme

00:38:10.130 --> 00:38:13.409
Court ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden in 1824 gave

00:38:13.409 --> 00:38:15.289
the federal government much broader authority

00:38:15.289 --> 00:38:18.210
over interstate commerce. After that, Congress

00:38:18.210 --> 00:38:20.489
felt more empowered. They passed the General

00:38:20.489 --> 00:38:22.809
Survey Act, authorizing planning for national

00:38:22.809 --> 00:38:25.369
roads and canals, and started appropriating money

00:38:25.369 --> 00:38:27.289
for things like river navigation improvements,

00:38:27.730 --> 00:38:30.630
often using the Army Corps of Engineers. So federal

00:38:30.630 --> 00:38:33.369
involvement began to grow, despite Monroe's earlier

00:38:33.369 --> 00:38:35.730
reservations. And the economy wasn't all smooth

00:38:35.730 --> 00:38:38.409
sailing either, right? The Panic of 1819? No,

00:38:38.409 --> 00:38:41.599
definitely not. That panic was the first major

00:38:41.599 --> 00:38:43.940
economic depression the country faced under the

00:38:43.940 --> 00:38:46.719
Constitution. It really shook things up. It had

00:38:46.719 --> 00:38:49.380
complex causes, global markets readjusting after

00:38:49.380 --> 00:38:51.699
the Napoleonic Wars ended, leading to falling

00:38:51.699 --> 00:38:54.079
demand for American exports, falling agricultural

00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:56.800
prices. But it was made much worse by domestic

00:38:56.800 --> 00:38:59.780
factors, rampant speculation in Western lands,

00:39:00.199 --> 00:39:02.400
and way too much paper money being issued by

00:39:02.400 --> 00:39:04.880
poorly regulated state banks. Yeah. A classic

00:39:04.880 --> 00:39:07.039
boom and bust cycle. And could Monroe do much

00:39:07.039 --> 00:39:09.030
about it? Very little, actually. The federal

00:39:09.030 --> 00:39:11.329
government just didn't have the tools or the

00:39:11.329 --> 00:39:13.989
accepted authority to intervene directly in the

00:39:13.989 --> 00:39:16.829
economy back then. Banks were mostly state chartered

00:39:16.829 --> 00:39:19.389
and state regulated. So the crisis led to widespread

00:39:19.389 --> 00:39:22.530
unemployment, bankruptcies, foreclosures, lots

00:39:22.530 --> 00:39:25.269
of popular anger directed at banks and speculators.

00:39:25.730 --> 00:39:27.250
Monroe's administration ended up cutting the

00:39:27.250 --> 00:39:29.469
federal budget pretty drastically in response,

00:39:29.730 --> 00:39:32.070
including defense spending. He asked Congress

00:39:32.070 --> 00:39:34.409
for higher tariffs to protect American industries

00:39:34.409 --> 00:39:37.300
in 1819, but they didn't actually pass a significant

00:39:37.300 --> 00:39:40.579
tariff increase until 1824. So yeah, the panic

00:39:40.579 --> 00:39:42.539
really exposed the economy's vulnerabilities

00:39:42.539 --> 00:39:44.639
and the limits of federal power at the time.

00:39:45.179 --> 00:39:47.820
And finally, Native American policy during this

00:39:47.820 --> 00:39:50.219
era. How did Monroe approach that? It's a difficult

00:39:50.219 --> 00:39:53.179
and frankly tragic part of the story intertwined

00:39:53.179 --> 00:39:55.760
with westward expansion. He put his Secretary

00:39:55.760 --> 00:39:58.440
of War Calhoun in charge of managing relations

00:39:58.440 --> 00:40:01.719
with tribes in the west. Monroe himself advocated

00:40:01.719 --> 00:40:04.409
a policy that on the surface, sounded somewhat

00:40:04.409 --> 00:40:06.889
progressive for the time. He talked about dividing

00:40:06.889 --> 00:40:09.449
up territories, assigning specific lands to different

00:40:09.449 --> 00:40:11.750
tribes, even setting up civil governments and

00:40:11.750 --> 00:40:14.510
schools within those lands. But he also, quite

00:40:14.510 --> 00:40:18.289
explicitly, in an 1824 speech to Congress, advocated

00:40:18.289 --> 00:40:20.230
for the resettlement of Native Americans living

00:40:20.230 --> 00:40:22.409
east of the Mississippi to lands west of the

00:40:22.409 --> 00:40:25.230
frontier. So removal, basically, even if it was

00:40:25.230 --> 00:40:27.869
framed differently? Essentially, yes. He shared

00:40:27.869 --> 00:40:29.989
the view, common among leaders like Jackson and

00:40:29.989 --> 00:40:32.510
Calhoun, that sovereign Indian nations within

00:40:32.510 --> 00:40:35.150
U .S. borders were obstacles to national development

00:40:35.150 --> 00:40:37.690
and expansion. He genuinely seemed to believe

00:40:37.690 --> 00:40:39.750
he was acting in their best interest, presenting

00:40:39.750 --> 00:40:42.289
the benefits of American culture to save them

00:40:42.289 --> 00:40:44.349
from what he saw as an inevitable extinction

00:40:44.349 --> 00:40:46.750
if they stayed put. Paternalistic, certainly.

00:40:47.150 --> 00:40:49.570
But the practical effect of this policy, this

00:40:49.570 --> 00:40:52.190
push for resettlement, was to pave the way for

00:40:52.190 --> 00:40:54.510
the forced removals and assimilation policies

00:40:54.510 --> 00:40:56.630
that came later under Jackson and subsequent

00:40:56.630 --> 00:40:59.250
presidents. It's a stark reminder that even during

00:40:59.250 --> 00:41:02.030
the era of good feelings, the drive for expansion

00:41:02.030 --> 00:41:04.510
often came at a terrible human cost for Native

00:41:04.510 --> 00:41:07.150
Americans. So after two terms, Monroe leaves

00:41:07.150 --> 00:41:10.949
the presidency in 1825. What was his retirement

00:41:10.949 --> 00:41:13.789
like? Did he enjoy a peaceful elder statesman

00:41:13.789 --> 00:41:16.780
role? Well, he certainly tried to pursue intellectual

00:41:16.780 --> 00:41:20.119
interests. He retired to his estates. Monroe

00:41:20.119 --> 00:41:23.800
Hill, near UVA, and Oak Hill. He read extensively,

00:41:23.980 --> 00:41:26.639
apparently had a library of over 3 ,000 books,

00:41:26.719 --> 00:41:29.199
many picked up during his time in Europe. He

00:41:29.199 --> 00:41:31.239
even started writing a couple of books, one on

00:41:31.239 --> 00:41:33.420
political theory, the people, the sovereigns,

00:41:33.420 --> 00:41:35.780
and then an autobiography. Neither was finished,

00:41:35.820 --> 00:41:37.699
unfortunately. But you mentioned earlier he had

00:41:37.699 --> 00:41:39.780
money problems. Did those continue into retirement?

00:41:39.940 --> 00:41:42.260
Oh, severely. It's actually quite shocking. Here's

00:41:42.260 --> 00:41:44.940
a man who served in top posts for decades. Senator,

00:41:45.219 --> 00:41:47.699
governor, diplomat, cabinet secretary, president,

00:41:48.000 --> 00:41:50.769
and he was plagued by financial worries his whole

00:41:50.769 --> 00:41:52.869
life right up to the end. How could that happen?

00:41:53.309 --> 00:41:55.969
Government salaries back then were modest, especially

00:41:55.969 --> 00:41:59.429
for diplomats abroad. He'd taken out large personal

00:41:59.429 --> 00:42:01.650
loans while minister to France just to cover

00:42:01.650 --> 00:42:05.329
expenses. He spent years trying, unsuccessfully,

00:42:05.590 --> 00:42:07.869
to get Congress to reimburse him for expenses

00:42:07.869 --> 00:42:10.789
dating back to the 1790s. He eventually had to

00:42:10.789 --> 00:42:12.590
sell his highland plantation just to pay off

00:42:12.590 --> 00:42:15.730
debts. His wife's poor health also added significant

00:42:15.730 --> 00:42:18.449
expenses. It's a really stark contrast to how

00:42:18.449 --> 00:42:20.550
former presidents live today. It underscores

00:42:20.550 --> 00:42:22.949
the personal sacrifices involved in public service

00:42:22.949 --> 00:42:25.769
then. Incredible. But he didn't completely withdraw

00:42:25.769 --> 00:42:28.699
from public life, did he? No, not at all. He

00:42:28.699 --> 00:42:30.519
remained very involved with the University of

00:42:30.519 --> 00:42:32.780
Virginia, serving on its Board of Visitors alongside

00:42:32.780 --> 00:42:35.860
Jefferson and Madison. He even argued for including

00:42:35.860 --> 00:42:38.239
military drill in the curriculum, though Madison

00:42:38.239 --> 00:42:40.840
apparently overruled him on that. And even though

00:42:40.840 --> 00:42:43.059
he was getting older and had been injured in

00:42:43.059 --> 00:42:45.460
a horse riding accident, he was elected as a

00:42:45.460 --> 00:42:47.699
delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention

00:42:47.699 --> 00:42:51.619
in 1829 -1830. They even elected him presiding

00:42:51.619 --> 00:42:54.659
officer, which shows the immense respect he still

00:42:54.659 --> 00:42:57.170
commanded. But his health was failing, and he

00:42:57.170 --> 00:43:00.409
had to withdraw before it concluded. Still, that

00:43:00.409 --> 00:43:02.550
commitment to public service almost literally

00:43:02.550 --> 00:43:04.869
to the end is quite remarkable. Let's circle

00:43:04.869 --> 00:43:06.909
back to his views on slavery, especially in these

00:43:06.909 --> 00:43:09.849
later years. You said it was complex. How did

00:43:09.849 --> 00:43:12.510
he reconcile owning slaves with his stated dislike

00:43:12.510 --> 00:43:15.010
for the institution? It's the great contradiction,

00:43:15.130 --> 00:43:17.869
isn't it? He owned dozens of slaves throughout

00:43:17.869 --> 00:43:20.429
his life. His plantations weren't profitable,

00:43:20.429 --> 00:43:22.650
and he sometimes had to sell enslaved people

00:43:22.650 --> 00:43:25.789
to cover his debts, which is just awful to contemplate.

00:43:25.849 --> 00:43:28.670
Yet by all accounts, he genuinely disliked slavery

00:43:28.670 --> 00:43:31.329
personally. He supported the idea of private

00:43:31.329 --> 00:43:34.349
manumission, freeing slaves individually. He

00:43:34.349 --> 00:43:36.550
read and apparently respected abolitionist writers

00:43:36.550 --> 00:43:39.030
like William Wilberforce. He publicly called

00:43:39.030 --> 00:43:41.570
slavery a blight. But he never freed his own

00:43:41.570 --> 00:43:43.949
slaves during his lifetime, did he? And he defended

00:43:43.949 --> 00:43:46.639
the institution's permanent in the South. That's

00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:49.239
the agonizing conflict. He seemed to believe

00:43:49.239 --> 00:43:51.960
that immediate large -scale emancipation would

00:43:51.960 --> 00:43:54.920
cause chaos race war like in Haiti, class war

00:43:54.920 --> 00:43:57.599
like in France. He feared it would destroy the

00:43:57.599 --> 00:44:00.099
social order of the South. So while he might

00:44:00.099 --> 00:44:02.579
have wished it away, he saw it as too entrenched,

00:44:03.059 --> 00:44:06.670
too dangerous to dismantle quickly. At that 1829

00:44:06.670 --> 00:44:09.670
Virginia Convention, he repeated his view that

00:44:09.670 --> 00:44:11.570
Virginia had tried to end the slave trade as

00:44:11.570 --> 00:44:14.909
a colony, but was overruled by Britain. And he

00:44:14.909 --> 00:44:17.269
proposed a plan there for gradual emancipation

00:44:17.269 --> 00:44:19.610
funded by the federal government, but crucially,

00:44:19.969 --> 00:44:22.170
coupled with deporting the freed slaves to colonies

00:44:22.170 --> 00:44:24.989
outside the U .S. like Liberia. So his solution

00:44:24.989 --> 00:44:28.289
was emancipation plus removal? Exactly. He couldn't

00:44:28.289 --> 00:44:30.590
envision or perhaps couldn't accept a biracial

00:44:30.590 --> 00:44:33.309
society with free African Americans living alongside

00:44:33.309 --> 00:44:35.969
whites. It reflects the deep -seated racism of

00:44:35.969 --> 00:44:38.429
the era, even among those who found slavery morally

00:44:38.429 --> 00:44:40.769
troubling. He was very active in the American

00:44:40.769 --> 00:44:43.269
Colonization Society, which promoted establishing

00:44:43.269 --> 00:44:46.389
colonies in Africa for free blacks. Liberia's

00:44:46.389 --> 00:44:48.429
capital, Monrovia, is named after him for that

00:44:48.429 --> 00:44:50.670
reason. It was seen by many white leaders then

00:44:50.670 --> 00:44:53.590
as the only viable solution. It's a really difficult

00:44:53.590 --> 00:44:56.190
legacy to grapple with. A man caught between

00:44:56.239 --> 00:44:59.500
revolutionary ideals, and the entrenched reality

00:44:59.500 --> 00:45:02.679
of slavery. Absolutely. He embodies that profound

00:45:02.679 --> 00:45:05.099
dilemma faced by many in the founding generation.

00:45:05.320 --> 00:45:07.639
His final years were marked by more personal

00:45:07.639 --> 00:45:10.159
loss, weren't they? Very sad ending. His son

00:45:10.159 --> 00:45:12.380
-in -law died, and then his wife, Elizabeth,

00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:15.639
passed away just two days later in 1830. A double

00:45:15.639 --> 00:45:18.300
blow. After that, he moved to New York City to

00:45:18.300 --> 00:45:20.340
live with his daughter, Maria. And it was there

00:45:20.340 --> 00:45:24.710
that he died, on July 4th, 1831, age 73. Heart

00:45:24.710 --> 00:45:27.110
failure and tuberculosis were cited. The third

00:45:27.110 --> 00:45:29.789
president to die on Independence Day. Just incredible.

00:45:30.010 --> 00:45:32.150
Truly remarkable coincidence. He was initially

00:45:32.150 --> 00:45:34.050
buried in New York, but later his remains were

00:45:34.050 --> 00:45:36.210
moved back to Richmond, Virginia, to Hollywood

00:45:36.210 --> 00:45:39.050
Cemetery, where his tomb is now a landmark. So

00:45:39.050 --> 00:45:41.570
how do historians generally view his presidency

00:45:41.570 --> 00:45:44.489
now? What's the consensus on his legacy? Generally,

00:45:44.809 --> 00:45:47.250
he's ranked as an above average president, not

00:45:47.250 --> 00:45:49.510
usually in the top tier with Washington or Lincoln,

00:45:50.010 --> 00:45:52.789
but consistently seen as effective and significant.

00:45:53.079 --> 00:45:55.539
He presided over that key moment when the U .S.

00:45:55.800 --> 00:45:58.059
really turned from focusing on European conflicts

00:45:58.059 --> 00:46:00.420
towards its own hemisphere and internal development.

00:46:01.239 --> 00:46:03.219
He settled major boundary disputes, acquired

00:46:03.219 --> 00:46:06.300
Florida, navigated the Missouri crisis, asserted

00:46:06.300 --> 00:46:08.380
American influence with the Monroe Doctrine.

00:46:09.170 --> 00:46:11.929
Some historians, like Fred Greenstein, argue

00:46:11.929 --> 00:46:14.210
he was actually a more effective executive, a

00:46:14.210 --> 00:46:16.489
better manager, than perhaps even Madison or

00:46:16.489 --> 00:46:18.710
John Adams, despite their greater intellectual

00:46:18.710 --> 00:46:21.550
reputations. He was a pragmatist, a unifier,

00:46:21.690 --> 00:46:24.130
a bridge figure. The last cocked hat, they called

00:46:24.130 --> 00:46:25.909
him, because he's the last president to wear

00:46:25.909 --> 00:46:27.949
the old -style knee britches and powdered wig.

00:46:28.429 --> 00:46:30.550
But his legacy is clearly much more than just

00:46:30.550 --> 00:46:33.750
fashion. Definitely. He left a huge mark on the

00:46:33.750 --> 00:46:35.849
nation's geography and its place in the world.

00:46:36.059 --> 00:46:38.480
His contributions from the battlefield at Trenton

00:46:38.480 --> 00:46:40.760
to the diplomacy behind the Monroe Doctrine were

00:46:40.760 --> 00:46:44.000
substantial, which does make you wonder, considering

00:46:44.000 --> 00:46:46.940
everything he accomplished, navigating expansion,

00:46:47.320 --> 00:46:50.719
foreign threats, internal crises, does above

00:46:50.719 --> 00:46:53.199
average really capture the full impact of his

00:46:53.199 --> 00:46:56.159
presidency. He solidified so much for the young

00:46:56.159 --> 00:46:58.719
nation. Yeah, that's a good point. From that

00:46:58.719 --> 00:47:01.349
young soldier bleeding at Trenton. to the architect

00:47:01.349 --> 00:47:03.889
of the Monroe Doctrine, James Monroe's journey

00:47:03.889 --> 00:47:06.530
really does mirror the evolution of the American

00:47:06.530 --> 00:47:08.650
experiment itself, doesn't it? He guided the

00:47:08.650 --> 00:47:10.909
nation through some really choppy waters, internationally

00:47:10.909 --> 00:47:13.090
and domestically, leaving a pretty significant

00:47:13.090 --> 00:47:15.590
mark, a pragmatist, definitely. He really was

00:47:15.590 --> 00:47:17.570
that bridge figure, you know, steeped in the

00:47:17.570 --> 00:47:19.329
ideals of the revolution, but having to deal

00:47:19.329 --> 00:47:21.670
with the messy realities of a growing, changing

00:47:21.670 --> 00:47:24.590
and deeply divided nation. His knack for pulling

00:47:24.590 --> 00:47:26.849
together different strands, managing complex

00:47:26.849 --> 00:47:29.489
issues, allowed him to craft policies that shaped

00:47:29.489 --> 00:47:32.380
the U .S. for decades, defining its role on the

00:47:32.380 --> 00:47:34.679
continent while wrestling with those fundamental

00:47:34.679 --> 00:47:37.179
contradictions at its core. So as we wrap up

00:47:37.179 --> 00:47:40.019
this deep dive into James Monroe, thinking about

00:47:40.019 --> 00:47:42.260
his presidency, that balancing act he performed

00:47:42.260 --> 00:47:45.099
between pushing for national unity while also

00:47:45.099 --> 00:47:47.460
driving expansion, dealing with those deep internal

00:47:47.460 --> 00:47:49.579
splits, kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it,

00:47:49.780 --> 00:47:52.559
how much of that struggle those compromises still

00:47:52.559 --> 00:47:55.320
echoes in the challenges we face today. And maybe,

00:47:55.480 --> 00:47:57.699
just maybe, are there lessons we can pull from

00:47:57.699 --> 00:48:00.599
that era of good feelings? An era of both ambition

00:48:00.599 --> 00:48:03.320
and deep contradiction for our own very polarized

00:48:03.320 --> 00:48:04.460
times? Something to think about.