James Monroe: The Fifth U.S. President

It was on this day 250 years ago, a quarter of a millennium, that James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, was born.

Monroe, who served as President from 1817 to 1825, was a master builder of consensus and a sharp leader who was able to effectively govern from the center. Although he was neither in the Continental Congress, which declared the United States to be independent, nor in the Constitutional Convention, Monroe is considered a Founding Father largely because he was an aide-de-camp to George Washington in the Revolution and also served with Lafayette. He initiated the Monroe Doctrine, which closed European colonization of the Western Hemisphere.

Monroe became president at a time when Americans took pride in themselves for having stood up to the British in the War of 1812 and were creating a prosperous, democratic society. The Monroe years are known as the Era of Good Feelings.

We could use an era like that now. :-(