Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 39 of 1,110
vii, 9-1011 p. incl. ill., ports. : ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
fA S MORE 3
The happy result of the conference at
Ghent in securing peace rendered the increase
of the army unnecessary; but it is not
too much to say that James Monroe placed
in the hands of Andrew Jackson the
weapon with which to beat off the foe at
New Orleans. Upon the return of peace
Mr. Monroe resigned the department of
war, devoting himself entirely to the duties
of Secretary of State. These he continued
to discharge until the close of President
Madison's administration, with zeal which
was never abated, and with an ardor of
self-devotion which made him almost forgetful
of the claims of fortune, health or
life.
Mr. Madison's second term expired in
March, 1817, and Mr. Monroe succeeded
to the Presidency. He was a candidate of
the Republican party, now taking the name
of the Democratic Republican. In 1821 he
was re-elected, with scarcely any opposition.
Out of 232 electoral votes, he received 23I.
The slavery question, which subsequently
assumed such formidable dimensions, now
began to make its appearance. The State
of Missouri, which had been carved out of
that immense territory which we had purchased
of France, applied for admission to
the Union, with a slavery Constitution.
There were not a few who foresaw the
evils impending. After the debate of a
week it was decided that Missouri could
not be admitted into the Union with slavery.
This important question was at length
settled by a compromise. proposed by
Henry Clay.
The famous "Monroe Doctrine," of which
so much has been said, originated in this
way: In 1823 it was rumored that the
Holy Alliance was about to interfere to
prevent the establishment of Republican
liberty in the European colonies of South
America. President Monroe wrote to his
old friend Thomas Jefferson for advice inthe emergency. In his reply under date of
October 24, Mr. Jefferson writes tipon the
supposition that our attempt to resist this
European movement might lead to war:
"Its object is to introduce and establish
the Alnerican system of keeping out of our
land all foreign powers; of never permitting
those of Europe to intermeddle with the
affairs of our nation. It is to maintain our
own principle, not to depart from it."
December 2, 1823, President Monroe
sent a message to Congress, declaring it to
be the policy of this Government not to
entangle ourselves with the broils of Europe,
and not to allow Europe to interfere
with the affairs of nations on the Arnerican
continent; and the doctrine was announced,
that any attempt on the part of the European
powers "'to extend their system to
any portion of this hemisphere would be
regarded by the United States as dangerous
to our peace and safety."
March 4, 1825, Mr. Monroe surrendered
the presidential chair to his Secretary of
State, John Quincy Adams, and retired,
with the universal respect of the nation,
to his private residence at Oak Hill, Loudoun
County, Virginia. His time had been
so entirely consecrated to his country, that
he had neglected his pecuniary interests,
and was deeply involved in debt. The
welfare of his country had ever been uppermost
in his mind.
For many years Mrs. Monroe was in such
feeble health that she rarely appeared in
public. In I830 Mr. Monroe took up his
residence with his son-in-law in New York,
where he died on the 4th of July, 1831.
The citizens of New York conducted his
obsequies with pageants more imposing
than had ever been witnessed there before.
Our country will ever cherish his memory
with pride, gratefully enrolling his
name in the list of its benefactors, pronounc.
ing him the worthy successor of the illustrious
men who had preceded him in the
presidential chair,
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Lewis Publishing Company. Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas., book, 1892; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth20932/m1/39/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library.