James Monroe: A Life

In this dense, painstaking biography, historian McGrath (Give Me a Fast Ship) credits James Monroe (1758–1831) with “creat[ing] the presidency as Americans have come to know it.” Wounded in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War, Monroe returned to Virginia, where he studied law under Thomas Jefferson. Though “bitterly disappointed” not to have been selected as a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, he played a decisive role in Virginia’s ratifying convention as a voice of compromise. He went on to serve as ambassador to France, governor of Virginia, negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase, and secretary of state and secretary of war—simultaneously—during the War of 1812. After entering the White House in 1816, Madison became the first president to tour the country, earning praise from journalists for inaugurating the “Era of Good Feelings.” In an 1823 address to congress, he issued what would later become known as the “Monroe Doctrine”—a foreign policy marked by opposition to European colonization of the Western Hemisphere and neutrality in European conflicts. McGrath makes a convincing case for Monroe’s pivotal role in American history, but occasionally grinds the narrative to a halt with accounts of endless partisan debates, political bickering, and diplomatic maneuvers. This exhaustive deep-dive corrects the record on one of America’s most overlooked founding fathers. (May)