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James Monroe Research Paper

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James Monroe was born in the quiet town of Westmoreland County, Virginia on April 28, 1758. His father, Spencer Monroe, was married to Elizabeth Jones in 1752. Spencer Monroe was a circuit judge and a farmer for the town (Kane 40). Monroe was the oldest of five. There were four other children; Andrew, Joseph, and Elizabeth. His third brother had died in his early childhood. He attended grammar school at a small academy for boys. This school had a reputation for serving the best of men, like George Washington and John Marshall (Kane 40), which is unique because he later followed George Washington as president. George Washington was a family friend of the Monroe’s. He admired Washington and was influenced by him at a young age. At age 16 …show more content…

He wanted to buy land in Kentucky and open a law office in Richmond with the money he was saving. His first aspiration was not practicing law, but going to Europe and traveling the different countries. Monroe was unsure of himself and needed advice. He turned to Jefferson, but Jefferson had other plans for Monroe. He wanted Monroe to run for Virginia State Legislature. Monroe accepted and was elected into the House of Delegates in April 1782 (Stefoff 23). After much preparation, Monroe became a member of the Congress of Confederation. This event influenced him greatly. During 1786 Monroe found time to marry the love of his life. Her name was Elizabeth Kortright Monroe. Elizabeth was 17 and James was 27 years old when they were married. They had two daughters and one son (Kane 40). After the marriage and the children, Monroe quickly got back to his political views and doings. He was bored of his law practice and wanted a challenge. James served on the 170 member Virginia Ratifying Convention that decided the fate of the Constitution (Stefoff 35). In the fall of 1788, Monroe ran for Congress, but his friend and foe, James Madison, defeated him. Monroe did not give up, although he was disappointed about the loss, he later ran for U.S. Senate against an old friend John Marshall in 1790 and came home with a victory (Stefoff 37). Monroe was divided by politics. Now there were two political parties, the Federalist

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