James Monroe
A Republican Champion

Readers who are James Monroe enthusiasts (and really, who isn't?) have limited choices - those looking for a well-written, modern read can go for Tim McGrath's James Monroe: A Life, those who prefer the classics can opt for Harry Ammon's James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity, and those who w......more

This is a study of Monroe's dedication to the cause of Republicanism more than a detailed biography. It shows how his views matured over the decades from overzealous support of the French Revolution to a more cautious approach to Latin America in the 1820s. I recommend it.......more

James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War as well as was the last of the Founding Fathers to become President. He brokered the Louisiana Purchase, nearly doubling the size of the U.S. and signed the Missouri Compromise, allowing Missouri to enter as a slave state, but banned slavery in the north.......more

The Founding Step-Brother. A lackluster hagiography. Poston's 2021 exceedingly brief biography of James Monroe suffers from a desire to shoehorn Monroe into the Founder's generation when he really wasn't coupled with an attempt to justify EVERY decision Monroe made as being one in support of "Republi......more

The forgotten Founding Father, the 5th US President, often overlooked by his Virginia powerhouse predecessors Jefferson (wrote the Declaration) and Madison (wrote the Constitution/Bill of Rights), Monroe’s fame (though lost because he burned most of his letters) as a statesman was the belief in push......more