(You can view the rest of our presidential Best Book lists by going to our Best US President Books page, or for a more in-depth look at how we found and ranked the books you can visit our Best Book About Every United States President article.)
James Monroe Quick Facts |
| President Number | 5 |
| Terms In Office | 2 |
| Years | 1817-1825 |
| Political Party | Democratic-Republican |
| Vice President | Daniel D. Tompkins |
| Home State | Virginia |
| Slaves Owned | 75 |
| Presidential Pet | Siberian Husky (Sebastian) |
| Articles Used in Ranking | 12 |
| Number of Unique Books | 10 |
Happy Scrolling!
In this compelling biography, award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger reveals the epic story of James Monroe (1758–1831)—the last of America’s Founding Fathers—who transformed a small, fragile nation beset by enemies into a powerful empire stretching “from sea to shining sea.” Like David McCullough’sJohn Adams and Jon Meacham’s American Lion, The Last Founding Father is both a superb read and stellar scholarship—action-filled history in the grand tradition.
A biography of James Monroe who became the fifth president of the United States in 1816. Ammon recreates his remarkable career, through his service in the revolutionary army, the Confederation Congress, to his exertions in James Madison’s cabinet and his subsequent presidency.
James Monroe is remembered today primarily for two things: for being the last of the “Virginia Dynasty”—following George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison—and for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, his statement of principles in 1823 that the western hemisphere was to be considered closed to European intervention. But Gary Hart sees Monroe as a president ahead of his time, whose priorities and accomplishments in establishing America’s “national security” have a great deal in common with chief executives of our own time.
Filled with new insights and fresh interpretations, this is the richest study yet published on the presidency of James Monroe, the last Revolutionary War hero to ascend to that august office.
In 1789, James Madison and James Monroe ran against each other for Congress—the only time that two future presidents have contested a congressional seat.
From the moment Governor Thomas Jefferson handpicked a young soldier named James Monroe to serve as an aide during the Revolutionary War, a vital friendship and political alliance was born. Both men served as governor of Virginia, minister to France, secretary of state, and president for two terms. Their lives overlapped even more clearly through shared friendships with individuals such as James Madison; shared interests, such as the creation of the University of Virginia; and shared missions, including the completion of the Louisiana Purchase.
Here is history as delightful as it is profound. Exploring the period between Jeffersonian democracy and Jacksonian democracy, George Dangerfield describes the personalities and experiences, American and European, which furthered the political transition “from the great dictum that central government is best when it governs least to the great dictum that central government must sometimes intervene strongly on behalf of the weak and the oppressed and the exploited.” The book, winner of the Pulitzer and Bancroft prizes, throws new and fresh light on an important formative period in American history.
| Source | Article |
| All The Presidents Books | One Through Forty-Two or Forty-Three |
| At Times Dull | Janet’s Presidential Biography Project & Blog |
| Best Presidential Bios | The Best Presidential Biographies |
| Huffington Post | Presidents’ Day History: The Must-Reads Of Presidential Biographies |
| Library of Congress | Selected Bibliography |
| Mandi Lindner | 44 Presidents and Their Definitive Biographies |
| Mashable | Why I’m spending a year reading about every U.S. president |
| Presidential History | Presidential Resources |
| Presidential History (Again) | Pulitzer Prize Winning Books About Presidents |
| Presidents USA | FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT JAMES MONROE |
| The Tailored Man | The 44 Best Presidential Biographies |
| The Washington Post | The Fix’s list of best presidential biographies |
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