James Monroe:
James Monroe (1758-1831) succeeded his lifelong friends Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison to become the fifth president of the
United States (1817-1825). He was the last of the so-called
Virginia dynasty of American presidents. In 1803 Monroe was
named to be part of a mission sent to France to help negotiate
the Louisiana Purchase. In more than 40 years of public service,
Monroe was considered a man of good intelligence, sound
judgment, and demonstrated the highest integrity. James Monroe,
in his seventh annual presidential address (December 2, 1823)
made a statement as a declaration of policy now referred to as
the Monroe Doctrine. Although It was not supported by
congressional legislation or affirmed in international law, it
eventually became one of the foundations of U.S. policy in Latin
America. |
