Customer Reviews

Jefferson and Monroe

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The fifth president of the United States,James Monroe, had several hard acts to follow in the early days of the republic and rarely makes it into the history books for more than his strong warning to European powers not to mess around in the Western Hemisphere, especially the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The author of the Monroe Doctrine was a young protegê of Thomas Jefferson and a lifelong friend. A practicing Virginia lawyer, his primary virtue was diligence rather than brilliance. Most of his career was shaped by following in the footsteps of the founders. He was a staunch republican and at first voted against ratification of the U.S. Constitution as part of the Virginia ratifying convention. He changed is position when other states approved the document.
This books is a brief and sympathetic vignette of Jefferson's and, to some extent, James Madison's, relationship to Madison. Those who are interested in the early history of the republic will find this a useful remedy to the usual inattention to the country's fifth President.
The distinguished author's rather reverent treatment of Jefferson is not to my taste, but the brevity of the book's format probably prohibited anything more extensive. On the whole a very useful offering.
E.T. Dell, Jr.

This slim volume from the Monticello Monograph Series published by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation is beautifully illustrated and a welcome addition to my growing collection of books about U.S. Presidents. A nice supplement to my reading program of two or more books on each President of the United States. Cunningham's work reveals not only the crossing of political paths but also the "Constant Friendship and Respect" between the two founding fathers. Interesting to read the georgrphical and political comparisons of the two Viginians, from nearly adjoining residences to their similiar political paths as Governors of Virginia and diplomatic missions to France. I recommend that you buy Harlow Unger's new book on James Monroe "The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nations' Call to Greatness" for further reading on James Monroe.