James Monroe served as Secretary of State during the administration of President James Madison for both of Madison's terms. When Madison led the nation into the ill-fated War of 1812, the war went very badly for the Americans at first. When the British burned the U.S. Capitol and the White House on August 24, 1814, Madison removed John Armstrong as ( Read more... )

On July 11, 1767 (257 years ago today) John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States, was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts. He was the second child and oldest son of John and Abigail Adams.


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After serving two terms as President, the second running unopposed, James Monroe followed the tradition set by George Washington and opted not to seek a third term, something permissible at the time (but frowned upon.) When his presidency ended on March 4, 1825, Monroe retired to his residence at Monroe Hill, on what is now part of the grounds of ( Read more... )

James Madison left office in March of 1817, following the inauguration of his successor James Monroe. Madison was 65 years old at the time and he retired to his Virginia home called Montpelier, not far from Thomas Jefferson's home of Monticello. As with both Washington and Jefferson, Madison left the presidency a poorer man than when he came in. ( Read more... )

After his presidency ended, Thomas Jefferson continued to be an influential statesman. He kept up a correspondence with many of the country's leaders (including his two successors, James Madison and James Monroe, each of whom had been protégées of Jefferson. Some historians suggest that the Monroe Doctrine bears a strong resemblance to advice that ( Read more... )

Three of the first five Presidents of the United States died on the 4th of July. The last in this set was James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, who died at the home of his daughter Maria in New York City on July 4, 1831 (193 years ago today.) Monroe is one of my favorite Presidents, because he was so accomplished, and yet so ( Read more... )

After the Federalist Party declined in strength in influence following the War of 1812, the Democratic-Republicans remained as the sole major party. The so-called "Era of Good Feelings" that marked the beginning of the President of James Monroe did not last long. After 1815, the Democratic-Republicans became increasingly polarized. The two ( Read more... )

During his first term, James Madison and his supporters had largely stuck to Thomas Jefferson's domestic agenda of low taxes and a reduction of the national debt. Congress allowed the national bank's charter to expire during Madison's first term. But after being confronted with the challenges of the War of 1812, many Democratic-Republicans ( Read more... )

The polar opposites to the Federalists were the Democratic-Republicans. In the first presidential election following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788, George Washington won the votes of every member of the Electoral College. His unanimous victory was partly because no formal political parties had formed at the national ( Read more... )

While this might seem like a time of the worst political polarization ever, historians are aware that polarization in politics is nothing new. It is as old as politics itself unfortunately, and it was present from the time of the very first presidential administration, that of George Washington. Washington himself strongly disliked the notion of ( Read more... )