The Last Founding Father
James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
by Harlow Giles Unger
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Excerpt
"To Be Free . . . We Must Fight"
The world was awash with war when James Monroe was born in the spring of
1758. A dozen nations were spilling the blood of millions across four
continents, and the seas between them, in what was then called the "Great
War for Empire." The war had started inconspicuously in 1756- in the
forgotten western wilderness of Pennsylvania, where George Washington, a
zealous young lieutenant colonel in the Virginia Militia, fired on French
soldiers and ignited what became the planet's first world war.
The seeds of the war, however, were rooted in centuries of overcultivation,
overhunting, and overfishing that had depleted Europe's food supplies and
spread famine across the continent. Conflict became inevitable as nation
after nation sent troops to distant continents to seize virgin lands and
untapped natural resources. The French and British both claimed fertile
valleys along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers in North America,
and when a few French troops and Indians arrived to defend their claims,
Britain's colonial governor in Virginia ordered Washington and his
militiamen to confront them and defend Britain's claims. What began as a
thirty-minute exchange of fire between eighty American troops and fifty
French soldiers quickly exploded into a brutal seven-year struggle around
the globe involving England, France, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and a
kaleidoscope of allies and enemies for control of colonies in North America,
Africa, and Asia, and the sea lanes in between. The bloody slaughter changed
the map of the world, shifting national borders beyond recognition, leveling
thousands of towns and villages, killing or maiming more than a million
soldiers and civilians, and bankrupting a dozen nations, including England
and France.
Within weeks of the first shots, French troops and their Indian allies
streamed across the Ohio River valley into English territory in western New
York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia-burning farms and settlements,
and murdering or kidnapping scores of men, women, and children. Indian
marauders spilled over the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia to within one
hundred miles of the Monroe family farm; throngs of settlers fled before
their advance, staggering into nearby market towns like Fredericksburg with
horrifying tales of atrocities. On one farm, the Indians had scalped a man,
woman, and small boy; on another they had driven stakes through the heads of
living captives before scalping them and throwing their bodies into the
flaming ruins of their farmhouse.
From the book The Last Founding Father by Harlow Unger. Excerpted by
arrangement with Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
Copyright (c) 2009.
The Last Founding Father
Review by Lucas A. Powe, Jr.
James Monroe was the last of the Virginia Dynasty that controlled the presidency for 32 of the Constitution’s first 36 years of existence. Among two-term presidents, he (along with Grover Cleveland) is probably the least known, yet he ran for reelection unopposed (this being the so-called “Era of Good Feelings”), and became the only person besides George Washington to do so. (One elector withheld his vote for Monroe to leave Washington as the only unanimously elected president.) In our era where biographies of the Founders abound, it is fitting that Monroe, who led a very interesting life, now gets his with Harlow Giles Unger’s The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and the Completion of the American Dream.
Unger offers a pair of theses. First, Monroe was a major diplomat under both Washington and Thomas Jefferson (and he was James Madison’s second secretary of state). Second, and more importantly, he was a transformative president who expanded American military might, extended America’s borders and promoted its economic development (although, as with every other two-term president, the second term was nowhere near as successful as the first). And, of course, with the aid of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, he promulgated the Monroe Doctrine, which may be the only thing that most people can associate with Monroe. Yet he was also a congressman, senator and effective three-time governor of Virginia.
Obviously Monroe knew people as the prior mentions of his Virginia predecessors entail. But beyond these greats, during the Revolutionary War he befriended Alexander Hamilton and through him the Marquis de Lafayette. Monroe bunked with future Chief Justice John Marshall when they served with Washington at Valley Forge and they remained lifelong friends. Fluent in French, during his first stint as minister to France, he saved Tom Paine and smuggled Lafayette out of the country (after Monroe’s wife braved the Paris mob to free Lafayette’s wife from prison). Monroe knew what danger was—he had taken a bullet in the chest at Trenton (earning a commendation and promotion from Washington).
Surprisingly, unlike others at Valley Forge, he opposed ratification of the Constitution—in part because he believed future wars unlikely. Marshall shredded Monroe’s claim, and Marshall’s appeal to history was vindicated within a generation. During the War of 1812, Secretary of State Monroe protested leaving the capital undefended, and as it burned Madison made him secretary of war pro tem where he emerged as a hero as well as the person in command of the executive branch.
Monroe lived a full and rich life, and his 40 years of public service at the beginning of the Republic more than justify Harlow Unger’s efforts. The Last Founding Father belongs on the shelves with biographies of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Hamilton and Marshall.
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press Inc ( September 28, 2009 )
Item #: 94-3101
ISBN: 9780306818080
Product Dimensions: 6.0 x 9.0 x 1.0 inches
Product Weight: 21.0 ounces
Excellent Read
May 25, 2010
This portriat of our least know founding father was very readable and entertaining. It was also filled with facts that I, even thought a retired history teacher, either forgot or found to be lightly brushed over in my studies.
Monroe's personal life was inspirational and his impact on American politics was given a more balance portrayal than anything I have previously read about him. He truely did transcend party politics partly because of special circumstances of his time but largely because of his insistance that it not be an issue during his administration.
Because he did not seek notoriety and burned many of his personal letters before his death, much of the good he did for our country has been minimized by historians.
He seems to be one of our most "principled" founding fathers and deserves more attention by historians and the public.
Reviewer: Granny10
Good Book About a Great President
February 03, 2010
After reading that god-awful mess of a book by Kegan on the Civil War, I have become very sensitive to errors. When you look at the dust jacket it gives (1751-1831) as Monroe's life and then you get to the chronology page which states that he was born in 1758. On p. 314 December 2, 1783 is given as the date of his seventh address to Congress instead of 1823. The book gives the reader a good overview of Monroe the man but skimps on Monroe the President. I could have done with fewer descriptions of furniture, dresses and drapes and more descriptions of how he made policy in his various jobs. The book is a good read, however, and I feel that I learned a lot. The descriptions of his relationships with the other Founding Fathers are spot on and the story of his relationship with his very talented and resourceful wife are strong points in the book. Monroe is generally an under appreciated president. This book goes some distance in correcting that oversight. This book would be a good starting place for the general reader to learn about James Monroe.
Reviewer: John A
The Forgotten, and Underrated Man
January 19, 2010
It was a easy read that I didn't want to put down. After reading it I wondered why except for his Doctrine he is pretty much ignored. Besides fighting in the Revolutionary War, He performed heroically in the War of 1812. I didn't know that he acted as President in everything but name only at the end of Madison's term. He deserves a lot more credit then he has gotten
Reviewer: Jim K
I wish it was deeper and more even-handed
January 04, 2010
I was trying to avoid reading Harry Ammon's huge volume on Monroe though it was regarded as the best. Unfortunately, after reading this book of 350 pages, I still feel the desire to pick up Ammon's doubly long version to learn more about Monroe's presidency and read a more even-handed portrayal. This book was well written (a faulty date reference notwithstanding), but I just felt as if the author was propping up Monroe a bit too high, especially when almost none of the other books I have read about this era regard Monroe as anything more than an average intellect. The author also seemed to want to excuse all of Monroe's errors or shortcomings.
Other reviewers have taken issue with the title of a founding father. I somewhat agree. Read David McCullough's John Adams and you will be baffled at the number of committee's and the sheer amount of work that Adams did in founding the structure of our government. Hamilton and Madison, too. Monroe was a brave war hero and instrumental in the expansion of our country, no doubt, but I would not call him a founder. To be honest, I have always considered him as the last of the original leaders, but after having read about them all, he almost belongs with Presidents Jackson and Polk despite his obvious dovetailings with Washington.
If I could, I'd have rated it 3.5 stars.
Reviewer: Scott K
The Rise of James Monroe
November 23, 2009
I think a more fitting title would be “The Rise of James Monroe.” The majority of the book details the Monroe’s pre-presidential years with barely two chapters left to discuss an 8 year presidency. There were minor factual errors that proved to be irritating, (e.g. the author stated more than once that Monroe was the last president to serve during the War of Independence…Andrew Jackson carried a scar on his forehead that would beg to differ). I do not think the case for Founding Father status was made, much like Aaron Burr, Monroe was there but not essential to the process. This is an easy read, well written and worthy of attention but not the most scholarly tome on the subject.
Reviewer: Raymond S
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