The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness

Interesting book, which paints James Monroe as one of the most important of the first 5 presidents.

Harlow Giles Unger’s James Monroe biography, THE LAST FOUNDING FATHER: JAMES MONROE AND A NATION’S CALL TO GREATNESS, reads less like a biology and more like a sacred tomb for acolytes to use in worshipping the do-no-wrong object of their devotion.The parts where Unger is simply relaying the events that happened are well done and quite readable, but all too often, he offers opinions designed to glorify Monroe and his wife beyond all reason.By Unger’s description, Monroe was preceded by three presidents in John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who “were mere caretaker presidents who left the nation bankrupt, its people deeply divided, its borders under attack (and) its its capital city in ashes.” Even worse, the 35 years after Monroe’s presidency were led by presidents who were “self-serving, politically ambitions successors” who undermined the national unity he created and led the country into Civil War.Unger describes Jefferson’s choosing of Madison as his secretary of state over Monroe as Monroe “stepping aside,” rather than being overlooked in favor of Madison, a close and well-respected friend of Jefferson in his own right. Perhaps not coincidentally, Unger reserves much of his vitriol for Madison, claiming that when Monroe served in Madison’s cabinet, it was Monroe who took the reins of the country, especially in the wake of the British attack on Washington. Later, he doesn’t appear to recognize the irony of his response when he brings up accusations that John Quincy Adams had actually crafted the Monroe doctrine: The assertion that Adams authored the Monroe Doctrine is not only untrue, it borders on the ludicrous by implying that President Monroe was little more than a puppet manipulated by another’s hand. Such assertions show little insight into the presidency itself and the type of man who aspires to and assumes that office; indeed, they denigrate the character, the intellect, the intensity, and the sense of power that drive American presidents.Each time Unger mentions Madison, he makes certain to belittle the fourth president, referring to him as “incompetent,” and making frequent references to Madison’s well-documented health problems and his short stature. When comparing the foreign policy experience of the two presidents, he says: Monroe’s many years as a minister overseas had taught him diplomacy as a chesslike game of subtle moves, each fraught with nuanced, ripple effects that can accrue to the advantage or disadvantage of either side. Madison’s years in a nation of unsophisticated frontiersmen had taught him diplomacy as a game akin to the new card craze of Slap Jack.At another point: … the president [Madison] seemed impotent, with no command of his armed forces, no credit with Congress, and little influence over the American people. His sickly Lilliputian stature did little to inspire confidence. Everything he said or did only alienated more Americans.When Monroe makes his seventh annual address to Congress, Unger says that some members trembled with awe as they watch him make his way down the aisle, a description that again feels over the top; I would have loved to see a source there so it seemed less a product of Unger’s overactive, awestruck imagination.If possible, Unger seems to go even further overboard in defense of Monroe’s wife, Elizabeth: Washington gossips accused the Monroes – especially Elizabeth – of transforming the White House into a European court. Through no fault of her own, she became the target of mean-spirited attacks, born largely of envy – of her beauty, of her exquisite (and expensive) taste in clothes and furnishings, and of her refined manners and superb education.What Unger wants you to understand is that not only was Monroe the awesomest president who ever presidented, but he also had the hottest and most perfect wife ever. People who disliked her didn’t have any genuine motivation for their feels — they were simply jealous!Now, I don’t point all this out to demean Monroe or his wife — I bought this book specifically to learn more about him and his strengths as an American president, and Unger’s comparisons of Monroe to George Washington were indeed eye-opening. But over the course of the book, Unger’s descriptions of Monroe got in the way of the story of Monroe’s life, and made it difficult for me to trust Unger’s accounting of the events in Monroe’s life.According to this book, everything great that happened, from the Louisiana Purchase to the conclusion of the War of 1812, was a product of Monroe’s greatness despite the perpetual idiocy that surrounded him.A more nuanced view of Monroe’s life would have been far more satisfying. I have no doubt of his accomplishments or his strengths, but to really understand this president, I also would have liked to learn about his weaknesses and regrets. Unfortunately, this isn’t the book for that type of insight.

Mr. Unger sets the bar high for his subject when on the Acknowledgments and Dedication page he describes; "...James Monroe as the most significant Founding Father after George Washington".He goes on to produce a very thorough ~400-page biography of our fifth President - full of things we may have known, but now detailed and well retold, as well as many things we (the average reader) did not know about the man, his remarkable career and his family. The author's observation (page 2) that, "Washington's three successors - John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison - were mere caretaker presidents who left the nation bankrupt, its people deeply divided, its borders under attack, its capital city in ashes" - rouses the reader's interest, establishes the tone and encourages the read to come.What does come - despite the rhetoric - is delivered in a very even-handed and professional manner. I did not find the unfairness or bias detected by other reviewers here. The style and conclusions at times can be zealous, but certainly not unsupported, or implausible. By example, Mr. Unger offers a full spectrum of possibilities in his explanation for the rift between Monroe and his colleagues Madison and Jefferson (page 199) through the presentation of a number of historian's conclusions. In the end Mr. Unger suggests human foibles and pride as the cause for the breakup.Despite the author's high-admiration for his subject - the reader is often left wondering whether or not pure happenstance is as much a factor as heroics in many of the enormous events of the era. Was the Louisiana Purchase the legitimate "catch" of Mr. Monroe, or Mr. Livingston... or would Napoleon Bonapart have virtually "handed" the prize to any American envoy that President Jefferson might have sent? Mr. Unger suggests Mr. Monroe - but does not convince. Other matters of character or judgement are left quietly unexplored. For example, the damning Reynolds Dossier - a packet of proofs that ultimately destroy Alexander Hamilton are left for safekeeping with Mr. Jefferson, by Mr. Monroe. The dossier is subsequently shown to the press. Mr. Unger clearly believes Monroe above duplicity, but leaves the issue unexplored, except of course for the obvious deception of Mr. Jefferson. Could Mr. Monroe really have been "above" politics even at that most partisan of times?In the end, a number of events akin to the examples above make the reader feel that the author has set the bar too high for his subject, but no-matter Mr. Unger's research and skill with the written word make the book a very worthwhile and enlightening read.-----kindle edition-----Generally well done with the expected hyperlinks. There are numerous portraits and maps that are worthwhile to the read. The maps especially are somewhat tortured by the resolution of the kindle. The book does have hardbound page number locations which are displayed (page bottom) from the menu & toolbars display (tap page top). The index - which can be a very valuable tool in a biography - is worthless. It contains neither page number nor hyperlink - merely a shell of what should have been, despite the full price extracted for an e-book by the publisher, Da Capo Press. e-Book publication quality, ★★☆☆☆.

This is not a good biography of James Monroe, but not completely useless, as long as you already know something about the period: it fills in some information which biographies of Monroe’s contemporaries might leave out, but you really need to have read those biographies first, or other studies of the time, to make sure you spot the exaggerations and wild interpretations.For instance, Unger describes John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as “mere caretaker presidents who left the nation bankrupt, its people deeply divided, its borders under attack, is capital city in ashes.” This astonishingly cavalier and blinkered judgement left me a little breathless: Adams, for all his failings, resisted huge pressure for a war with France which might have proved disastrous, and certainly would have been costly; Jefferson shifted the nation to a much clearer republican basis than Washington or Adams ever could; and Madison, though arguably his greater contribution was in framing the constitution and the Bill of Rights, was nonetheless the President who brought an end to forty years of hostility with Britain.But Unger isn’t interested in giving a balanced and nuanced view of his subject and those around him. He wants to write a hagiography. So credit for the Louisiana purchase goes to Monroe, for his role in the negotiations in Paris, not to his boss, the then Secretary of State James Madison, or to his boss’s boss, the then President, Thomas Jefferson; on the other hand, credit for the acquisition of Florida from the Spanish, usually referred to as the Adams-Onis treaty, doesn’t go to the Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams for whom it is named, but to the President, James Madison.However, Unger does give a well-paced narrative of Monroe’s life and, in particular, quotes extensively from the writings of others to back up some of his statements, making them easier to believe. These provide colour to the account and I’m grateful to Unger for including them. For instance, he quotes John Quincy Adams on Monroe’s second inaugural, that had to be held indoors because of heavy rain:"… a great crowd of people were assembled and the avenues to the hall of the house were so choked up with persons pressing for admittance that it was with the utmost difficulty that the President made his way through them…"Monroe was, as Unger makes clear, a much-loved President who “created an era never seen before or since in American history – an “Era of Good Feelings” that propelled the nation and its people to greatness.” He’s right to conjure up the atmosphere of this happy period, though not so right to play down the stultifying effect it had on politics: Monroe was the last President elected unopposed, a testament to his popularity as Unger affirms, but also evidence of a political system that had withered and lost the benefit of an active opposition, holding power to account. The reaction would be radical and intense, when Andrew Jackson came to office and brutally ended the complacency that had come before.It’s also a little overstated to say that the nation emerged from Monroe’s presidency “great”. Unger, inevitably, attributes all the credit for enunciating the Monroe Doctrine, according to which no European nation should in the future go empire-building in the Americas, entirely to the President. John Quincy Adams, it seems, played no part in it despite being Secretary of State: “the assertion that Adams authored the “Monroe Doctrine” is not only untrue, it borders on the ludicrous…” (Unger really can’t bear Adams: he even reduces his diplomatic experience to five years in St Petersburg “with his friend the Czar”, ignoring his time in the Netherlands, Prussia or Britain – the latter hardly an insignificant appointment). He fails to point out that the Doctrine, at the time it was announced in 1823, was more of an aspiration than a policy the US could enforce. By the 1840s, the US was beginning to emerge as a force to reckon with on the world stage; and she was a true world power militarily, if not always recognised as such, only after the Civil War.So there’s a lot to mislead in this biography, but with a few nuggets that give it life and make it worth reading – but only if one has read enough previously to be able to distinguish between them.

Excellent read of an interesting life well lived

A marvellous book to read in one shot. It let me discover the impressive personnality of this man I now find great. Very well written

First biography I have managed to find on this US President. Well constructed and written, factual and concise. A founding father who resides amongst the unknown presidents but should be higher in the pentheon of great presidents.

There is much to commend about The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger. For one thing, it will introduce the reader to one of the greatest, but least known Presidents. Readers who bring no biases about the man will take an instant liking to Monroe. He seems larger than life, like a hero from a Hollywood movie. Born into modest means, responsibility is thrust upon Monroe early on and he accepts it exceedingly well. He becomes the "man of the house" as a teenager upon his parents' deaths, having to fend for an older sister and two unambitious younger brothers. He makes his way to college and joins the Revolution, seeing combat at the Battles of Brandywine and Harlem Heights. He tends to a wounded Marquis de Lafayette and is later wounded himself. It is only a lack of wealth that prevents him from raising troops and fighting in other battles as an officer, future combat evades him despite his best efforts.Monroe continues to serve at every level of government and being universally loved by all. Despite losing his bid for a seat in the first congress to James Madison, the two men hold no grudges. He becomes a congressman, a senator, a four term Governor of Virginia before turning to the diplomatic service. He almost duels Alexander Hamilton, but Aaron Burr of all people intervenes as peacemaker. We are told that Monroe is an exceptional ambassador (or "plenipotentiary"), securing the release of the Marquis de Lafayette and his family, as well as an ungrateful Thomas Paine, from French prisons. We are also led to believe that it was Monroe who does all the heavy lifting leading to the Louisiana Purchase. He is treated poorly by his government, but remains ever loyal and ready to serve when called upon to do so.Unger tells is that it is Monroe who, doubling as Secretary of State and War, leads the nation out of the War of 1812, while President Madison cowers in the background. There can be no doubt that Monroe was a success as president, since he presided over the "era of good feelings" and ran essentially unopposed for re-election. Unger also tells us that those historians who credit John Quincy Adams with the Monroe doctrine are clearly mistaken, all the credit goes to the man whose name the doctrine bears.While I enjoyed the history of Monroe, I couldn't help wonder if Unger had lost objectivity about his subject. Unger gushes over his subject. Monroe apparently had no enemies. He is given a rare letter of reference from George Washington, even as Washington recalls him from his diplomatic post in a purge of Republicans from his administration. He is first criticized but later praised by John Adams. Monroe remains a constant friend of Thomas Jefferson, maintains a lifelong friendship with James Madison even as he apparently yields Madison's power in the dying days of Madison's presidency and somehow manages to keep the friendship of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson even as the two men become bitter enemies. Unger tells us that Monroe is praised by crowds everywhere in rock star proportions, and that any mistakes of his administration are the result of selfish and dishonest acts of his cabinet members like Treasury Secretary William Crawford who is positioning to become Monroe's successor. (Monroe chases Crawford out of the White House with a pair of fireplace tongs, prompting Crawford to apologize.)Every time first lady Elizabeth Monroe is mentioned in this book, we are reminded of her great beauty and assured that any animosity against her in Washington society is a mistaken perception of her snobbery when in fact it is really her poor health which leaves this impression. That she was remarkable in many respects is clear. That she is without her shortcomings is suspicious.I would recommend this book for its telling of Monroe's story. From all that he accomplished, it is clear that he was a great man and a great president. However Unger's telling of Monroe's story leaves the reader wondering if Monroe was as perfect and as sainted as Unger would have us believe, and leaves the reader wanting for a more objective assessment of Monroe's Presidency. I have an appetite to read more about Monroe. I can't say the same about any history written by Unger.