Customer Reviews

James Monroe: The American Presidents Series: The 5th President, 1817-1825

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I don't often write reviews, but I thought this book deserves one. Having read over 10 of the books from the American President Series, this is the weak link. I was skeptical by a book authored by Gary Hart, but I trusted the series since all the other books were solid works. Hart quotes Henry Ammon so much that you may as well read Ammon's book on James Monroe, published only 15 years prior to this. Hart also repeats himself often. Although this is a minor complaint, the chapters could use some subdivisions. Again, if you are looking for a good biography on James Monroe, you'll probably want to read Henry Ammon's version.

letting his own political bias show through at the end. This is a well written, concise, very readable biography of the first "national security" president. Monroe is one of the most underrated and under appreciated presidents in our nation's history. Hart's book should help assuage that injustice. I have only two criticisms. Hart seemed to take the easy way out by utilizing previous research rather than conducting his own in the use of innumerable quotes from other biographers/historians. This in no way detracted from the book. It just seems to say, "Why do my own research when I can use what others have done before me?" My second criticism is that Hart injected a totally superfluous and politically biased conclusion to his discussion of the Monroe Doctrine by slamming the Bush administration and attempting to advance his own political agenda. Viewing Hart as a politician, I respect his right to do that. Viewing Hart as a biographer/historian, I lament the fact that he felt compelled to prostitute his otherwise commendable book for the sake of partisan politics.

Having Gary Hart write about James Monroe is one of the more inspired ideas this series has conjured up. Hart understandably frames Monroe's career around the idea of him as the nation's first national security president, and most of the book deals with the Monroe Doctrine.
This is good, but it does so to the deteriment of virtually every other issue during the Monroe Administration, including a very cursory mention of the Missouri Compromise. This is one of the book's weaknesses.
Hart also can't resist a cheap shot at the Bush Administration, taking it to task for projecting the Monroe Doctrine worldwide via the War on Terror/Iraq. A very cogent argument, except that the Monroe Doctrine was never mentioned as justification for Bush's military moves, and Hart earlier in the book says that Monroe believed in vigorous projection of American power in the service of democratic ideals. One senses Hart's discomfort would not be shared by Monroe.
This series continues to be very enjoyable, and this is a worthy addition.

The uneven quality of the the America Presidents Series makes it difficult to unequivocally recommend the whole series. Some are fascinating and engaging, some are more difficult to read because of the writers' style. But all that I have read are helpful in understanding American history and American presidents.
Senator Hart's addition to these works, James Monroe, is one of those that requires more effort on the reader's part to remain engaged. Periodic repetition of specific statements within a chapter makes readers wonder if they have accidentally moved back a page or two.
However, there is a detailed and interesting overview of the Monroe Doctrine contained in this book. That chapter concludes with an important comparison of Monroe's doctrine and the current administration's policy related to involvement in international affairs. This thought provoking portion of the book alone is worth the purchase price.
As the title indicates the text primarily covers Monroe's presidency. But it does detail Monroe's diplomatic experience leading up to his two terms. It also covers enough of his relationship with John Quincy Adams to spark interest in more reading about the next president. In all, the book was informative and worth the effort to read.

JAMES MONROE by Gary Hart is a short (150 pages) biography of our fifth president in a series (The American Presidents edited by Arthur M. chlesinger, Jr.) of such biographies by notable biographers. Other works in the series include Theodore Roosevelt by Louis Auchincloss, William Howard Taft by Lewis H. Lapham and James Madison by Garry Wills.

This is certainly not an exhaustive work, but it was a good introduction to the presidency of a man I wasn't very familiar with. Hart focuses primarily on Monroe's pursuit of national security, and the book is organized around this thesis. It is lighter on personal details about Monroe, and pays more attention not even to just Monroe's career, but to his career's dedication to the safety and security of the new nation.

Hart compellingly illustrates Monroe's career by writing about his relationships with others, and this is instructive. Hart writes of Washintong's mentorship of Monroe, as well as of Jefferson's grooming of Monroe for his political career (Monroe is the final of the Revolutionary War presidents) and Madison's friendship, competition and also leadership in Monroe's life. Hart makes a case that while Monroe benefited from these relationships, he was not merely a follower of these other men. He held steady to his own opinions, even when he disagreed with any of these powerful mentors. Monroe was not as intellectual as Madison or Jefferson -- he was more on the soldier side of that continuum -- but he wasn't led by them, either.

The book also demonstrates something I was unaware of: the strong relationship between Monroe and John Quincy Adams (next on my list!). In fact, Hart addresses the hypothesis many have that JQA was the one primarily responsible for the Monroe Doctrine. I found this fascinating.

I was gratified to understand more fully the ramifications of Monroe's policy decisions and statements -- this is not just a past-tense work. As a contemporary politico, Hart can add and interpret his subject matter in a particularly cogent way.

Hart's thesis is stated very well, and it's what makes this book an interesting and fairly quick read (though it's not long, it's not really material for "skimming" -- I had to slow down and pay close attention): Hart states that Monroe was "claiming a new ground" for republicanism in America when he became president, and this shift was what made him innovative. It also may have mitigated the strength of his long-term reputation because he forged new territory beyond what his mentor Jefferson and his predecessor, Madison, had done.

I enjoyed this book and will look to this series in the future for biographies of the presidents of the United States.

I am an avid reader of presidential history. In all historical accounts, I desire to read a simple history of the topic. I am most concerned that some parts of the history may be skewed towards a certain political belief and therefore leave out certain historic points. In reading this book, I believed the writing flowed well. Some of the information was repetitive as if the author was struggling to extend the length of the text. My greatest concern in reading this, though, was that the author condemned the Bush administration on two ocassions. While this condemnation was based on political views of Monroe, the attack was certainly politically charged. Regardless of my political beliefs, I noted this as completely unprofessional. It would have been acceptable to casually mention times in presidential history that Monroe would have disagreed, but to claim misgivings on the current presidential administration when writing a text on James Monroe is far from being a historian and falls within the realm of political editorializing. Furthermore, the statements Mr. Hart claims as facts against the Bush administration are not entirely true. This leads me to wonder how much of this text is a true historic record, and how much is Mr. Harts perception of how Monroe's legacy is or should be. I am concerned this text may be written with Mr. Hart's political bias instead of complying to the real facts concerning this history.

Gary Hart, former United State Senator and presidential candidate, has authored a useful biography of President James Monroe, as a part of the American Presidents series. Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., the late series editor, begins the volume with an essay, in which at one point he says (Page xv): "Bust a system based on a tripartite separation of powers has an inherent tendency toward inertia and stalemate. One of the three branches must take the initiative if the system is to move. The executive branch alone is structurally capable of taking that initiative."

The volume begins by noting that Monroe's service to the country began in the Continental Army. He took part in the great victory at Trenton and served well under George Washington over time. His military service left a lasting impact on him, according to Hart. A key theme advanced by the author is that (Page 8) "This account positions Monroe as the first `national security' president, whose consistent underlying motivation was to expand and establish the borders of the United States and to make it the dominant power in the Western hemisphere, free of European interference." Indeed, Hart's theme is advanced so strongly that it sometimes becomes rather tedious to read.

After the Revolutionary War ended, Monroe was tapped to serve in a number of roles--serving in state government, serving as Governor of Virginia, serving in the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, serving as a diplomat abroad, serving in the United States Senate and so on. He had relationships with the "Big Three" Virginians, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. The book does a nice job of showing his nuanced relationships with each. His emphasis in national security led him, as Hart puts it, to separate from his mentors with his effort to strengthen the armed forces of the United States Indeed, one chapter heading locates questions about him: "Washington's Lieutenant, Jefferson's Puppet, or Madison's Pawn."

Thereafter, the book described the arc of his career as he advanced to the presidency, distanced himself from Republican orthodoxy, worked with his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams to develop the Monroe Doctrine. The volume does a nice job of outlining this briefly on pages 120-124.

The final chapter places Monroe's presidency in context and does a nice job of outlining his contributions. Sometimes, the author is a "Johnny one note," with the emphasis on Monroe's concern about national security; nonetheless, this is a useful volume if one wishes to read a brief biography of this president.

As many of the other reviewers note, Gary Hart's entry in the American Presidents series is a bit of a jumbled effort. In some ways, it almost feels as though each chapter is an essay written by someone else since they tend to repeat and jump through time. Still, there are good insights into Monroe's relationships with Washington (they hardly knew each other), Madison (competitors), Jefferson (Monroe considered himself a protege), and John Quincy Adams (an intellectual partner). There is also ample treatment given to the Monroe Doctrine (the Principles of 1823), including the acknowledgement that it was a reciprocal arrangement stating that not only would Europe stay out of the Western Hemisphere, but the US would stay out of European affairs. Of course, despite many people pledging support for the Monroe Doctrine it has not really held up in either direction.

As with the other books in this series, this is a quick and concise read giving you a quick overview of a president. If you are looking for depth, look elsewhere.

James Monroe is a short biography written by Gary Hart (US Senator, D - CO) about the fifth president of the United States. James Monroe, the last of the presidents who served in the American Revolutionary War, (he got wounded in the Battle of Trenton) is never ranked highly in his role as chief executive, especially when compared with big guns he had followed (fellow Virginians, Washington, Jefferson and Madison as well as Massachusetts native John Adams).

The theme the author chose to follow is that Monroe is the "first national security president". As a solider, like Washington, James Monroe saw the building of the nation through the eyes scarred from the battlefield, not through legislative eyes of Jefferson and Madison. Gary Hart does a masterful job in filling the gaps in the life of a president who played an important role in the building of these United States.

I find that true in today's world as well. Many soldiers and ex-soldiers view the world from a different perspective than those who have not worn a uniform. Maybe it is because we have seen human kind at its best and worst; we have seen people act in unbelievable kindness under the harshest circumstances as well as commit the crimes which we didn't think civilized human beings are capable of even imagining.

The first chapter gives the reader a background about Monroe's service in the Continental Army, a role which, as explained before, affects his policies and administration. After the revolution Monroe served in several political roles such as Governor of Virginia, Congress, an ambassador as well as the first person to hold duel offices of Secretary of State and Secretary of War during the tenure of James Madison.

Taking on the office of the president, Hart describes how Monroe differed from the Republican ideals of the time (those who studied and shaped their policy from the ancient Greek texts, not today's Republican Party), as well as the breakthrough act of installing John Quincy Adams, a northerner, to a position of power and influence in the administration.

At this point, Hart touches on the important part Monroe's successor John Quincy Adams played in the administration. As an experienced diplomat and Secretary of State Adams had large influence on the president's policies towards Europe and South America, as well as what we known today as the "Monroe Doctrine". To my disappointment the Missouri Compromise barley gets mentioned even though it was a defining moment in Monroe's administration in which he gambled many of his political chips.

Hart goes on to describe the post-presidency years of James Monroe. Unlike many of today's politicians, James Monroe did not line his pockets during his tenure because he felt it was unethical. When Monroe left politics he was in debt due to his out of pocket expenses during the years of his service. At the time, unless you were very rich (Washington, Jefferson) or had a steady source of income (Adams) public servant salaries, especially at the upper echelon of the government, did not pay a living wage.

Former president Monroe, bankrupt and out of assets, was forced to be Congress to reimburse him for his expenses overseas, representing the country he gave so much to help create. The embarrassing scenario was made even more humiliating when Congress ignores his requests and even the mighty Jefferson could not help.

James Monroe, wounded veteran of the Continental Army, Senator, Congressman, ambassador, president - died bankrupt.

In the last chapter, Hart tries to put Monroe's tenure and policies in context to today's world. The author does a fine job even though he could not resist taking a few cheap shots at the Bush (43) administration which I felt, right or wrong, were out of place in this book.

The book is a good discussion starter about President Monroe, it is by no means a complete biography, but it's not meant to be either. The narrow scope of the book is interesting, concise and well written; a welcomed introduction a president many have forgotten.

After reading the previous installment in The American Presidents series, on James Madison, I had begun to lose a little faith in this presidential journey that I had set out upon, as the content was so heavy and often very boring to wade through. This book, however, restored my confidence in the series going forward.

Basically, this James Monroe biography is much more engaging than the previous two books in the series. Whereas the Jefferson and Madison editions got bogged down in details at times, this one was much more straightforward and interesting. I learned a lot about our nation's fifth President, and wasn't bored to death in the process.

There were only two things that tempered the experience for me: First, was the over-harping on Monroe being the first "national security" President. It probably didn't need to be said or implied on seemingly every other page (!). Also, on one occasion, author Gary Hart completely breaks the character of the book and does a little George W. Bush-bashing, which was wholly un-called for.

Overall, this was a very interesting, engaging read and really re-establishes the series going forward.