James Monroe (1758–1831) was the fifth President of the United States, serving from 1817 to 1825. A leading figure of the Democratic-Republican Party, he is best known for the Monroe Doctrine and guiding a period of national unity and westward expansion.
Monroe left a lasting mark on U.S. foreign policy: his 1823 Monroe Doctrine warned European powers against new colonial ventures in the Americas and asserted a growing American sphere of influence. He also secured Florida through the Adams–Onís Treaty and settled boundary issues with Britain, reinforcing U.S. territorial claims.
Domestically, Monroe presided over the Era of Good Feelings, a time of relative political harmony after the Federalist decline, but his administration also faced rising sectional tensions over slavery highlighted by the Missouri Compromise. His presidency advanced national infrastructure and westward settlement while leaving complex challenges over union and slavery for future leaders.
Proclaimed the Monroe Doctrine (1823) asserting opposition to European colonization; Negotiated the Adams–Onís Treaty (1819) securing Florida for the United States; Presided over the Missouri Compromise (1820) managing sectional tensions over slavery; Guided the Era of Good Feelings, marked by one-party dominance and nationalistic sentiment; Concluded the Convention of 1818 with Britain, establishing the 49th parallel and joint Oregon occupation; Appointed John Quincy Adams as Secretary of State, shaping U.S. foreign policy
Key highlights and dated events associated with this presidency.
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A joint session of the U.S. Congress met to open and count the electoral votes from the 1820 presidential election, formally confirming James Monroe's re‑election.
State electors met and cast ballots for the 1820 presidential election, reelecting James Monroe for a second term with an almost unanimous tally.
On November 1, 1820, the legally authorized period for states to choose presidential electors opened, beginning the national election that would result in James Monroe's near-unanimous re-election.
Commodore Stephen Decatur was fatally wounded in a duel with Commodore James Barron in Bladensburg, Maryland, dying of his wounds the same day.
By act of Congress coordinated with the Missouri Compromise, Maine was admitted to the Union on March 15, 1820, separating from Massachusetts as a free state.
President James Monroe approved the Missouri Compromise, the congressional package that allowed Missouri to pursue statehood while admitting Maine as a free state and barring slavery north of latitude 36°30′ in the Louisiana Purchase territory.
On December 14, 1819, Alabama was admitted to the United States as the 22nd state.
On March 6, 1819 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in McCulloch v. Maryland that Congress had implied powers under the Constitution and that a state could not tax a federal institution.
U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and Spanish minister Luis de Onís signed the Adams–Onís Treaty, in which Spain ceded Florida to the United States and the two nations agreed on a western boundary.
The U.S. Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled that the New Hampshire legislature could not alter Dartmouth College’s charter, protecting corporate charters as contracts under the Constitution.
On December 3, 1818, Congress admitted Illinois to the Union and President James Monroe completed the admission process, making Illinois the 21st state.
The United States and Great Britain signed the Anglo‑American Convention (Convention of 1818), establishing the 49th parallel from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains and agreeing to joint occupation of the Oregon Country for ten years, along with fishing and navigation arrangements.