James Monroe - 5th President of the United States

James Monroe is the 5th president of the United States. He held more major offices than any other presidents. He was a U.S. senator; governor of Virginia; minister to Great Britain, France, and Spain; secretary of state; secretary of war; and president of the United States. Monroe sought to improve the country's international reputation and assert its independence.

One of his foreign policy was the Adams-Onis Treaty. In 1818, in the East Florida. Seminoles and other Native Americans who lived there felt great anger toward American settlers, who had been taking land away from their people in Georgia. To fight back, Seminoles from Florida began to cross into Georgia and attack the settlers. To solve this problem, Monroe sent General Andrew Jackson and his troops there to stop them. But Jackson wanted to do more than that, he wanted to take over East Florida as well, making it part of the nation's territory. Jackson did not for orders from Monroe or Congress but marched his soldiers into the region. Monroe did not like what Jackson had done but he took advantage of it. He sent Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, to calm the British and to negotiate the purchase of Florida. The United States and Spain agreed that East Florida would become part of the United States. Sapin agreed never try to take back any part of Florida. The treaty also established the southern boundary of the United States, west of the Mississippi River. The United States gave up claims it had made on Texas, It also agreed to pay $5 million of Spanish debt.

As president, his greatest successes-foreign policy was Monroe Doctrine. While the European nations saw the revolution as an opportunity to step in and take advantage of the newly formed republics in Central and South America. Monroe gave in his annual message to Congress on 2 December 1823. It was a stern warning for European power not to colonize in the Western Hemisphere or try to take over the young, republic government.