Monroe and the Permanency of Politics
James Monroe presided over the Era of Good Feelings, which only seemed like an era of political unity. As soon as Monroe took office, three members of his Cabinet -- Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Secretary of the Treasury William Crawford, and Secretary of War John Calhoun -- began jockeying to succeed him. To their dismay, Gen. Andrew Jackson proved more popular than all of them.
Jackson had won the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, and the nation was grateful for his service. In 1817, Monroe assigned Jackson to repel incursions into Georgia by the Seminoles, who had found refuge in Florida, then held by Spain. Monroe instructed Jackson to “terminate the conflict,” and Jackson interpreted that to mean he should seize Florida. After doing so, he stoked further outrage by executing two British subjects he believed had aided the Seminoles. Calhoun suggested Monroe censure Jackson’s actions, while Adams defended him. The secretary of state later negotiated a treaty that ceded the territory to the U.S.
Meanwhile, Calhoun and Crawford battled for supremacy in the Cabinet. Popular in Congress, Crawford rallied his supporters to cut the budget for Calhoun’s department. Yes, the Republican Party technically feared large, standing armies, but Crawford’s campaign also meant to diminish Calhoun’s prestige. Once Congress had cut his budget, Calhoun would be merely the administrator of a trivial office. In the election of 1824, however, both learned that popularity in Congress doesn’t necessarily translate into popularity among the people. Crawford won the Republican caucus’s presidential nomination, but lost the election to Adams.
Monroe’s most significant policy, of course, was the Monroe Doctrine, which he enunciated in his message to Congress in December 1823. Using language provided largely by Adams, Monroe declared that the U.S. would oppose any further European colonization of the Western hemisphere. The key passage reads:
We owe it, therefore, to candor and to the amicable relations existing between the United States and those powers to declare that we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety. With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered and shall not interfere. But with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintained it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.
Harlow Giles Unger’s biography, The Last Founding Father, is probably the best recent take on Monroe. It’s shorter than Henry Ammon’s James Monroe at least. Unger focuses on Monroe’s wish to develop the U.S. into a great nation through internal improvements and an assertive foreign policy. But there’s another lesson from his presidency.
Politics never ceases. Although everyone expected Monroe to serve two terms and retire, the Federalist Party had disintegrated after 1816, and Monroe did his best to remain neutral, the intrigue and backbiting continued. That’s not to say a president should encourage such behavior, but he would be naive to think he could prevent it.
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Re: Monroe and the Permanency of Politics
"Politics never ceases." Indeed.
Or as Warren Harding is supposed to have said--when will you get to that much-maligned chief exec, btw, Brian?--as Warren Harding is supposed to have said, "My enemies I can live with, but save me--O, save me--from my friends."
Thanks again for this series, Brian.
Mar '11
Re: Monroe and the Permanency of Politics
This is a lesson too many Republicans need to learn. Too many of the old guard--John McCain--think the highest calling is to befriend their opponents and hash out compromises, all very well and good for a Sunday school lesson, but their opponents far too well understand that "Politics never ceases."
Hence, we get the continuous drift to the left and a divided party: the grass roots Tea Party and the "establishment Republicans."
Isn't this what this election is about as much as defeating Obama as defining the character of the Republican party? Are we the party of the managerial, go along to get along, or are we going to be the true reform party?
The seeds of this battle were sown in the days of Monroe and have yet to be settled.
Apr '11
Re: Monroe and the Permanency of Politics
Peter Robinson: "Politics never ceases." Indeed.
Or as Warren Harding is supposed to have said--when will you get to that much-maligned chief exec, btw, Brian?--as Warren Harding is supposed to have said, "My enemies I can live with, but save me--O, save me--from my friends."
Thanks again for this series, Brian. · Dec 4 at 11:15pm
While I, too, love reading about Harding, I direct your attention to the fact that the series started with our first President, then moved on to the second, followed by the third, fourth, and fifth Presidents, and now discusses the sixth (albeit with a surprisingly light focus on the sixth rather than seventh and eighth and their VP). It's my guess that we won't hear about the 29th until roughly the 29th installment (barring some references in the 28th and maybe a very brief reference in the 27th).
Comforting me in my sadness at a lack of imminent Harding goodness is the thought that sojourn will be sustained by 22 excellent posts, unless Harrison is skipped, or Cleveland given a single entry (Cleveland was wonderful, and should be read about more, but maybe not twice Washington wonderful).