Monroe's Second Inaugural Address Analysis

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Monroe’s second election went by without a hitch. Not wanting to embarrass the president, there was no nomination to run against Monroe in the Democratic-Republican Party, considering there would only be a handful of votes. The Federalist Party, almost all abandoned, also had no one to elect nor endorse. This allowed for James Monroe and his current Vice-President Tompkins to run unopposed. Monroe says in his Second Inaugural Address, “I shall not attempt to describe the grateful emotions which the new and very distinguished proof of the confidence of my fellow-citizens, evinced by my reelection to this high trust, has excited in my bosom (Second Inaugural Address). “ This would be the first time since George Washington that an event like that …show more content…
The construction of the Cumberland Road, or National Road, was something Monroe set his eyes on. In his first annual message, Monroe alarmed many by wanting to clear the federal construction of roads and canals. By doing this, he was attempting to resolve many conflicts that the presidents before him started, like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson (Economic Policy). Monroe asked and urged Congress, but they never acted on it (The American System).
Also as President, Monroe advocated for the decline of the parties. Monroe believed that the government could operate fully without them. This turned out to backfire on him. Without the parties, Monroe couldn’t rely on any one party’s loyalty to help him reach his goals. With many different factions and many different opinions, Monroe had to build consensus and create coalitions to back him up. With the end of his presidency nearing, Monroe helped to transition from the Democratic-Republican and Federalist system to the second party system of the Democrats and the Whigs (Political
…show more content…
Before becoming president, he was the Minister to France and Great Britain, where he did a lot for the U.S. In his first term, Monroe managed to expand the U.S. territory by purchasing Florida from Spain. He also in 1820 developed what is now known today as the Monroe Doctrine. This policy would state that the U.S. should forevermore be free from European colonization and that any more interference with independent states would be considered a hostile act (The ‘Monroe Doctrine’). In return, Monroe said that America would no longer interfere with European territories or any wars. This document ended up being highly favorable among Congress (A Second Term and the Monroe

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