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JAMES MONROE


Picture of James Monroe

1758-1831

5th President (1817-1825)

Biographical Data
Religious Views
Quotations
References, Links, & Further Reading



Education: College of William and Mary

Occupation: lawyer

Political Affiliation: Democratic-Republican

Organizational Affiliation(s): Mason


Religious Affiliation: Episcopalian

Summary of Religious Views:

Franklin Steiner, in his book The Religious Beliefs Of Our Presidents, categorized Monroe among "Presidents Whose Religious Views Are Doubtful." Indeed, Monroe was very close-mouthed about his religious views -- almost nothing on that subject can be found in his speeches or writings.
David L. Holmes, in his article "The Religion of James Monroe," summarizes Monroe's views this way: "James Monroe seems to have been an Episcopalian of deistic tendencies who valued civic virtues above religious doctrine."

Views on Religion & Politics:


Quotations:

James Monroe left almost no documents or speeches pertaining to religion, so there are no quotations from Monroe here.

References, Links, & Further Reading: Books, Articles, Links


Books

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Works by James Monroe

ed. by Stanislaus Hamilton, The Writings of James Monroe, 7 vol., G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1898-1903; reprint, AMS Press, 1969; Vol. I Vol. II Vol. III Vol. IV Vol. V Vol. VI Vol. VII
ed. by Stuart Gerry Brown, The autobiography of James Monroe, Syracuse Univ. Press, 1959

Biographies

Harry Ammon, James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity, McGraw-Hill, 1971; reprint, 1990
Harry Ammon, James Monroe: A Bibliography, Meckler, 1991
W. P. Cresson, James Monroe, Univ. of North Carolina Press, 1946; reprint, 1986
Noble E. Cunningham, Jr., The Presidency of James Monroe, Univ. Press of Kansas, 1996
John Ferling, Apostles of Revolution: Jefferson, Paine, Monroe, and the Struggle Against the Old Order in America and Europe, Bloomsbury, 2018
Gary Hart, James Monroe, Times Books, 2005
Ernest R. May, The Making of the Monroe Doctrine, Harvard Univ. Press, 1975
Tim McGrath, James Monroe: A Life, Dutton, 2020
Dexter Perkins, Hands Off: A History of the Monroe Doctrine, rev. ed., Little Brown, 1963
Harlow Giles Unger, The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness, Da Capo Press, 2009
Lucius Wilmerding, Jr., James Monroe, Public Claimant, Rutgers Univ. Press, 1960

Articles

David L. Holmes, "The Religion of James Monroe," The Virginia Quarterly Review, Autumn 2003, pp.589-606
Arthur Scherr, "James Monroe on the Presidency and 'Foreign Influence': from the Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788) to Jefferson's Election (1801)," Mid-America, Vol. 84, Nos. 1-3, 2002, pp. 145-206
Arthur Scherr, "Governor James Monroe and the Southampton Slave Resistance of 1799," Historian, Vol. 61, No. 3, 1999, pp. 557-578

Links

Works by James Monroe

James Monroe (American Presidency Project)
James Monroe: Historic Speeches (Presidential Rhetoric)
James Monroe -- selected speeches & writings (Hypertext on American History)
Documents (Constitutional Sources Project)
First Inaugural Address (AMDOCS)
Second Inaugural Address (AMDOCS)
Views of the President of the United States on the Subject of Internal Improvements (The Founders' Constitution)

Biographical Sites

James Monroe (POTUS)
James Monroe (White House)
MONROE, James, 1758-1831 (Biographical Directory of the US Congress)
James Monroe (American President)
James Monroe (USA Presidents)
Life Portrait of James Monroe (C-SPAN)
James Monroe Biographical Vignette (C-SPAN)
The Monroe Doctrine (Library of Congress)
James Monroe (Ash Lawn-Highland)
Who Served Here? James Monroe (Historic Valley Forge)
James Monroe (Medical History of the Presidents of the United States)
Ash Lawn-Highland



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