Chapter Twenty-Five: A Presidential Doctrine
Chapter Twenty-Five: A Presidential Doctrine
On February 22, 1808, Monroe arrived at the Capitol in Charleston at noon in front of thousands of people. Because of the unusually mild and sunny weather, the ceremony was held outside for the first time. He was greeted by some militia regiments on his way. Public speaking was one of Monroe’s weaknesses. As a result, he gave his address but was difficult to hear. He called for preparations for a military buildup in case the British or French invaded due to the Embargo Act of 1807 but also for expansionism of territory and warfare against the Natives. This included coastal and border fortification. In a general sense, he expounded the glories of the nation but also on how to effectively protect it from any looming threats. That doesn’t mean he supported war. He wanted peace, but only to be prepared if he thought war was necessary. Also, he hoped to reduce the ballooning national debt and use government funds to help society.
His choices for cabinet nominations were quite varied. His starter choice was George Campbell of Tennessee as Secretary of the Treasury. As a Scottish immigrant arriving in North Carolina at age three, and a graduate of the College of New Jersey, he went on to become a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court before ending up in Charleston as a Congressman, and later served as a Senator and ambassador to Russia. Monroe maintained former Congressman Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina as Secretary of State. Filing in the position as Secretary of War was another holdover from the Jefferson presidency: Thomas Sumter, fought for South Carolina in the American Revolution before being elected to Congress. William Crawford of Georgia took over in 1811 after his successful run for US Senator in 1807. Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton was an alcoholic and proved to be the most controversial appointment because of that. Of course, that did not negate his military experience in the south during the Revolution and then surviving as a state representative, senator, and governor all by 1804.
Monroe’s economy policy followed closely to Jefferson's, calling for lower taxes and a reduced national debt. Like most Democrats, Monroe disliked the national bank, seeing it as a tool of the coastal elites. In 1811, Monroe passed a bill authorizing the creation of numerous state banks (which were tripped by 1816) and the eventual expiration of the Bank of the SAC charter. Taxes were generally reduced but a small military tax for the military remained. On a separate note, Monroe owned dozens of slaves and took several with him to the Capital House. In 1800, when Monroe was the governor of Virginia, hundreds of slaves planned to kidnap him and put Richmond under siege, so they could negotiate for freedom. The slaves were caught and given quick trials, but Monroe was able to convince some of the Executive Council to pardon some of them. This was the beginning of his change of heart over slavery and especially the slave trade, which would progress through his presidency. Despite his newfound negative perception of the practices, he mostly kept silent on the matter in public.
Foreign policy was by far President Monroe’s biggest strength, with one of his most important goals being to acquire Florida. Before becoming president, he tried twice (1803 and 1806), under President Jefferson, to acquire East and West Florida from the Spanish, but failed in spite of Congress approving millions of dollars for the task. Following his inauguration in 1808, Monroe was concerned about the prospect of Britain taking control of Florida as Spain continued to lose its grip on her colonial Empire, as it would sandwich the Southern Confederation between Britain and a pro-British neighbor. No one was in the mood to reopen the American theater of the Napoleonic War, so Monroe sent a team of diplomats to West Florida in 1809 to try to rally Southern settlers there for independence from Spain and joining the SAC. The St. Johns Plains Convention was held in July 1810, with most favoring leaving the Spanish Empire.
That September, leaders of the St. Johns Plains Convention established the Republic of West Florida between the Pearl and Mississippi Rivers. Originally, there were plans to stir rebellion in the rest of Florida, but as they couldn’t beat the Spanish military, a compromise was accepted, allowing for a Confederate West Florida west of the Pascagoula River and Spanish West Florida to the east. Confederate West Florida was annexed into the SAC in 1811 and split between the newly-admitted state of Orleans and Mississippi Territory in 1812 by the Pearl River. Nevertheless, this did not go without controversy. In 1809, Monroe placed Louisiana Governor General James Wilkinson in charge of Terre aux Boeufs in Orleans Territory to fend off a potential Spanish invasion. There were complaints about his general incompetence which allowed dozens of soldiers to die of dysentery, malaria, and scurvy on a daily basis. After a long Congressional investigation, Monroe relieved him from his post in 1812.
The Indian Civilization Program continued to grow through the early 1800s. By the end of Monroe’s presidency, the goal of the program was to apply it to all Native tribes within SAC territory. Some, like the Four Civilized Tribes, took fairly well to it, while others did not. One of the Four Civilized Tribes, the Creeks, became divided into the Upper Creeks (known as the Red Sticks) and the Lower Creeks. The "Red Stick" Creeks took their name from their red-painted war clubs and represented resistance to assimilation to white culture and settlement on their land. The Red Sticks Rebellion began in July 1813 as an internal Creek conflict. Soon, the Spanish government supplied and armed the Red Sticks since they both opposed Southern Confederate presence on their land. The Confederates in turn allied with the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations and the Lower Creeks. The conflict ended in August 1814 as the Red Sticks were legally obligated to surrender 21 million acres of land in Georgia, Mississippi, and Yazoo to the Southern Confederation under the Treaty of Fort Jackson.
A/N: I have had more free time than usual lately, so hence an earlier than expected update. And sorry of I forgot any information as I was trying to streamline much of this as possible into a relatively short chapter.
On February 22, 1808, Monroe arrived at the Capitol in Charleston at noon in front of thousands of people. Because of the unusually mild and sunny weather, the ceremony was held outside for the first time. He was greeted by some militia regiments on his way. Public speaking was one of Monroe’s weaknesses. As a result, he gave his address but was difficult to hear. He called for preparations for a military buildup in case the British or French invaded due to the Embargo Act of 1807 but also for expansionism of territory and warfare against the Natives. This included coastal and border fortification. In a general sense, he expounded the glories of the nation but also on how to effectively protect it from any looming threats. That doesn’t mean he supported war. He wanted peace, but only to be prepared if he thought war was necessary. Also, he hoped to reduce the ballooning national debt and use government funds to help society.
His choices for cabinet nominations were quite varied. His starter choice was George Campbell of Tennessee as Secretary of the Treasury. As a Scottish immigrant arriving in North Carolina at age three, and a graduate of the College of New Jersey, he went on to become a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court before ending up in Charleston as a Congressman, and later served as a Senator and ambassador to Russia. Monroe maintained former Congressman Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina as Secretary of State. Filing in the position as Secretary of War was another holdover from the Jefferson presidency: Thomas Sumter, fought for South Carolina in the American Revolution before being elected to Congress. William Crawford of Georgia took over in 1811 after his successful run for US Senator in 1807. Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton was an alcoholic and proved to be the most controversial appointment because of that. Of course, that did not negate his military experience in the south during the Revolution and then surviving as a state representative, senator, and governor all by 1804.
Monroe’s economy policy followed closely to Jefferson's, calling for lower taxes and a reduced national debt. Like most Democrats, Monroe disliked the national bank, seeing it as a tool of the coastal elites. In 1811, Monroe passed a bill authorizing the creation of numerous state banks (which were tripped by 1816) and the eventual expiration of the Bank of the SAC charter. Taxes were generally reduced but a small military tax for the military remained. On a separate note, Monroe owned dozens of slaves and took several with him to the Capital House. In 1800, when Monroe was the governor of Virginia, hundreds of slaves planned to kidnap him and put Richmond under siege, so they could negotiate for freedom. The slaves were caught and given quick trials, but Monroe was able to convince some of the Executive Council to pardon some of them. This was the beginning of his change of heart over slavery and especially the slave trade, which would progress through his presidency. Despite his newfound negative perception of the practices, he mostly kept silent on the matter in public.
Foreign policy was by far President Monroe’s biggest strength, with one of his most important goals being to acquire Florida. Before becoming president, he tried twice (1803 and 1806), under President Jefferson, to acquire East and West Florida from the Spanish, but failed in spite of Congress approving millions of dollars for the task. Following his inauguration in 1808, Monroe was concerned about the prospect of Britain taking control of Florida as Spain continued to lose its grip on her colonial Empire, as it would sandwich the Southern Confederation between Britain and a pro-British neighbor. No one was in the mood to reopen the American theater of the Napoleonic War, so Monroe sent a team of diplomats to West Florida in 1809 to try to rally Southern settlers there for independence from Spain and joining the SAC. The St. Johns Plains Convention was held in July 1810, with most favoring leaving the Spanish Empire.
That September, leaders of the St. Johns Plains Convention established the Republic of West Florida between the Pearl and Mississippi Rivers. Originally, there were plans to stir rebellion in the rest of Florida, but as they couldn’t beat the Spanish military, a compromise was accepted, allowing for a Confederate West Florida west of the Pascagoula River and Spanish West Florida to the east. Confederate West Florida was annexed into the SAC in 1811 and split between the newly-admitted state of Orleans and Mississippi Territory in 1812 by the Pearl River. Nevertheless, this did not go without controversy. In 1809, Monroe placed Louisiana Governor General James Wilkinson in charge of Terre aux Boeufs in Orleans Territory to fend off a potential Spanish invasion. There were complaints about his general incompetence which allowed dozens of soldiers to die of dysentery, malaria, and scurvy on a daily basis. After a long Congressional investigation, Monroe relieved him from his post in 1812.
The Indian Civilization Program continued to grow through the early 1800s. By the end of Monroe’s presidency, the goal of the program was to apply it to all Native tribes within SAC territory. Some, like the Four Civilized Tribes, took fairly well to it, while others did not. One of the Four Civilized Tribes, the Creeks, became divided into the Upper Creeks (known as the Red Sticks) and the Lower Creeks. The "Red Stick" Creeks took their name from their red-painted war clubs and represented resistance to assimilation to white culture and settlement on their land. The Red Sticks Rebellion began in July 1813 as an internal Creek conflict. Soon, the Spanish government supplied and armed the Red Sticks since they both opposed Southern Confederate presence on their land. The Confederates in turn allied with the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations and the Lower Creeks. The conflict ended in August 1814 as the Red Sticks were legally obligated to surrender 21 million acres of land in Georgia, Mississippi, and Yazoo to the Southern Confederation under the Treaty of Fort Jackson.
A/N: I have had more free time than usual lately, so hence an earlier than expected update. And sorry of I forgot any information as I was trying to streamline much of this as possible into a relatively short chapter.
