05.) James Monroe 1817-1825

07/01/20 • 55 min

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James Monroe has been called the Forrest Gump of Founding Fathers - he just keeps showing up everywhere! But that doesn't mean he isn't sharp. Monroe dropped out of college to fight in the revolution, and his life rarely slowed down after that. He'll dine with emperor's, oversee wars, and destroy his political opponents In a globe-trotting career that takes him from nearly being orphaned to the White House.
From his service In Washington's army during the Revolutionary War, to Valley Forge, to his vote against ratifying the Constitution, to his signing of the Louisiana Purchase, to his leadership as Secretary of State and War during the War of 1812, and finally the presidency, we'll follow Monroe as overcomes setbacks and learns from his mistakes to become one of the most influential presidents and Founding Fathers our country ever produced.
Bibliography
1. The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and A Nation’s Call to Greatness - Harlow G Unger
2. James Madison - Richard Brookhiser
3. Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power - Jon Meacham
4. John Quincy Adams - Harlow G Unger
5. The Life of Andrew Jackson - Robert V. Remin
6. Martin Van Buren and the American Political System - Donald B. Cole
7. The Presidents Fact Book - Roger Matuz

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04.) James Madison 1809-1817

James Madison is known as the father of the Constitution. Unfortunately, he's also the father of the War of 1812 and the Embargo act of 1807. The first was a disastrous conflict that burned down the White House, the second was a well-intentioned policy that totally failed and plunged the American economy into depression.
From his time helping create the modern American government to his year's building the Jeffersonian-Republican Party and his two terms in the (badly burnt) White House, we'll follow Madison as he does his best to advance the country with big, bold ideas, and only sometimes has them blow up in his face.
Bibliography
1. James Madison - Richard Brookhiser
2. The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and A Nation’s Call to Greatness - Harlow G Unger
3. Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power - Jon Meacham
4. John Adams - David McCullough
5. John Quincy Adams - Harlow G Unger
6. Washington, A Life - Ron Chernow
7. Hamilton - Ron Chernow
8. The Life of Andrew Jackson - Robert V. Remin
9. The Presidents Fact Book - Roger Matuz

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06.) John Quincy Adams 1825 - 1829

Full disclosure, John Quincy Adams is my favorite early president. Not for anything he did as president - he was a total failure there. But because of what he did after the presidency, when he returned to D.C. as a humble Congressman and became the loudest voice against slavery in Congress. John Quincy will roar so loud, the South will pass a series of unconstitutional gag rules to try and shut him up. They won't succeed.
From his first diplomatic mission at the age of 14, to the Napoleonic Wars, to negotiating an end to the War of 1812 and the acquisition of Florida, to the controversial election of 1824, the White House, and his post-presidential career as a voice against slavery in Congress, we'll follow John Quincy as strives to live up to his father's legacy as a man who always stands up for what is right, no matter the cost.
Bibliography
1. John Quincy Adams – Harlow G Unger
2. The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and A Nation’s Call to Greatness – Harlow G Unger
3. Heirs of the Founders – H.W. Brands
4. John Adams – David McCullough
5. The Life of Andrew Jackson – Robert V. Remin
6. Martin Van Buren and the American Political System – Donald B. Cole
7. John Tyler – Gary May
8. Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America – Walter R. Borneman
9. Zachary Taylor – John D. Eisenhower

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[Abridged] Presidential Histories - 05.) James Monroe 1817-1825

Transcript

5.) James Monroe 1817-1825

When a parent or guardian sends their child off to college, one of their unspoken hopes, probably pretty high on the list, is that their child not get caught up with a bunch of violent revolutionaries bent on overthrowing the government.

In this regard, James Monroe’s uncle was sorely disappointed.

James Monroe, the future fifth president of the United states, was a student at the College of William and Mary when the American revolution broke out