James Monroe by Tim McGrath

Author:Tim McGrath [McGrath, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2020-05-05T00:00:00+00:00

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MONROE RETURNED TO Washington from his tour on September 17, 1817, the thirtieth anniversary of the Constitution’s ratification. By this time the Republicans routinely followed a simple, but devout approach to the Constitution: Congress was responsible for leading the nation through its passage of laws, with the president to ensure their being carried out unless the Supreme Court found any illegalities or overreach by the House or Senate. The president’s true power lay in foreign affairs, but even that was checked by legislative approval of ministers, treaties, and declarations of war.86

The emergence of the two-party system only added to the checks and balances inscribed in the Constitution. It vexed George Washington sorely to see his proposals languish in Congress or ignored altogether from partisan opposition. John Adams, despite a sizable bloc of Federalists in both houses, never had any Republican support to speak of, and lost much Federalist support in his pursuit of peace during the Quasi-War with France. Jefferson had enjoyed a degree of success, with his skillful use of congressmen as advocates for his policies, and the fact that the Republican Party was often solidly behind him.

Madison never really had that luxury. No one knew the Constitution better (he had written a great deal of it), but by 1809 the Republican Party was splintered by geographical and political divisions, and the Federalists had made enough of a comeback that nearly every vote was close. His alliance with the War Hawks provided support for his administration and sent his unprepared country into war. Jackson’s victory in New Orleans, more than the Treaty of Ghent, spared Madison from enduring a bitter end to his administration.

Now came Monroe’s turn.

The president’s successful tour fueled his determination to unify the country behind the goals of his administration. As his family settled into what was already being called “the White House,” and Congress weeks away from returning, Monroe held his first cabinet meeting on October 25, attended by Adams, Crawford, Rush, and acting war secretary George Graham (Calhoun began his tenure in December).87

The meeting began at eleven A.M. with a short welcome to all from Monroe, who sat at the head of the table. Several sheets of paper were before him, each with a subject written at the top, with outlined notes on one side and space for discussion points on the other. During the meeting, Monroe scribbled comments and edits throughout discussions. It was a pattern he used throughout his presidency; Adams came to call Monroe’s papers his “Sibylline leaves.”88

The discussion that day focused on “Spain and the South American insurgents.” For years, Spain’s New World subjects had been fighting for the same independence the United States had won in 1783 and, many Americans believed, had re-won in 1815. King Ferdinand VII of Spain, aware that his South American forces were losing land as well as battles, looked to Great Britain and France for military aid to turn the tide. As Monroe saw it, there were broad questions, especially how Spain would react to any recognition of the newly independent countries by the United States.

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