James Monroe

D

Missouri Compromise

In the first years of Monroe's administration, slavery was becoming a national issue. Many Northern states had outlawed it, but in the South it was the mainstay of the established social and economic order. When Monroe took office, the states were equally divided between slave and free states. Although the North had a majority in the House of Representatives, seats in the Senate were evenly divided. Thus, the South at least had a veto power over any bill it considered injurious to its interests.

In 1818 the territory of Missouri sought admission to the Union and Maine followed in 1819. Maine petitioned for entrance as a free state, and Missouri as a slave state. Northerners objected to the admission of Missouri on the grounds that it would set a precedent for the formation of other slave states out of the Louisiana Territory. Southerners would not agree to any restriction on slavery in Missouri. This disagreement prompted one of the bitterest debates in congressional history.

Monroe, himself a Southerner and a slaveholder, feared most the divisive effect of this issue. In a letter to Jefferson, Monroe wrote, “I have never known a question so menacing to the tranquility and even the continuance of our Union as the present one. All other subjects have given way to it. ...”

Despite his sympathies with the South, Monroe took no sides while Congress debated. His great concern was to protect the Union, and he knew that the majority of states would be on the side of the non-slaveholding states. Aware of the deeply felt differences among the states, he nevertheless believed that “a compromise would be found and agreed to, which would be satisfactory to all parties.”

---

---

Finally, on March 3, 1820, the Missouri Compromise was sent to the president. It admitted Maine as a free state and authorized Missouri to draft a constitution, preparatory to being admitted as a slave state. It also stipulated that all other new states carved from the Louisiana Territory north of 36°30′ north latitude (the southern boundary of Missouri) were to be free states. On March 6, Monroe signed the bill into law.

E

Colonization of Slaves

Like many people of his time, Monroe believed the solution to the slavery problem was the colonization of freed slaves outside the boundaries of the United States. He supported and enforced a law of 1819 that provided for the return to Africa of blacks illegally seized and brought to the United States. Privately he supported the work of the American Colonization Society, which had acquired land in Africa, named it Liberia, and resettled freed slaves there. In recognition of Monroe's work, the Liberian capital was named Monrovia, after him, in 1824.

F

Native American Issues

Monroe also tried to formulate a humane solution to the conflicts between whites and Native Americans. He was greatly concerned with the fate of Native Americans in this period of expansion, as the frontier moved westward. He urged “new efforts for the preservation, improvement, and civilization of the native inhabitants.” Despite strong opposition from the frontier territories, in 1825 he adopted the policy of giving the native peoples land in the Great Plains, which they would hold “as long as grass shall grow and rivers run.” The policy, while not a perfect one by any means, at least relieved the pressure for many years.

G

Election of 1820

After the Missouri Compromise, no important legislation was passed in the remaining year of Monroe's first term. His administration had been one of high idealism and integrity, and his personal popularity was at a high point. With the vexing slavery question settled, at least temporarily, Monroe was virtually unopposed for reelection. Even an economic downturn, the Panic of 1819, did not hurt him politically. He carried every state in the Union and received every electoral vote cast except one, which was cast by a New Hampshire elector for John Quincy Adams.

V

Second Term as President

Monroe's second term as president was relatively uneventful. The only major accomplishment, although a great one, was the formulation of the Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine was established as a result of threats of Russian encroachment on the Pacific Coast and of European intervention in the newly independent Latin American nations.

	More from Encarta
	•  7 tips for funding an online degree •  How to succeed in the fashion industry without being a top designer •  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain