The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and a Nations Call to Greatness. It was written by Harlow Giles Unger, who also wrote Lafayette. It was published in 2009 and 2010. This book is about James Monroe and his life. Including his family life, work life, and personal life. Including his life as the fifth president of the United States. The Last Founding Father talks about James Monroe’s life from childhood to his death. He was born in the spring of 1758 whilst the “Great War for the Empire” was going on.
The book goes into more detail about the war, that a dozen nations were spilling blood of millions over four continents and seas etween them. Unger discusses the Monroes family origins and history. They had come from one Scottish clan that went across highland slopes savaging rival clansmen in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Monroe had four other siblings, Spence, Andrew, Joseph Jones and Elizabeth. His father was a kind but strict parent. He was taught to carry a tough workload and worked on the family farm. He was taught to read, write, and calculate by his parents using scriptures, literature, and periodicals.
This all included poetic essays by Alexander Pope to expand Monroe’s vocabulary and for his parents own enjoyment. James Monroe’s mother died in 1772 after she’d given birth to her youngest child. His sister Elizabeth cared for the three younger children while James went to school and worked on the farm. Soon after their mother had passed their father passed as well. He left the five-hundred-acre farm to the eldest son James and he also inherited three hundred acres of land that was his mother’s portion of her fathers farm.
His uncle, Judge Joseph Jones, stepped in to help hold the family together. June 15, 1775 George Washington was named commander in chief of the continental army. He rode to Cambridge, Massachusetts but didn’t arrive in time to top the slaughter on Bunker Hill. There were a hundred dead and two hundred and sixty seven wounded for Americans. The British had lost one thousand and forty five soldiers. George Washington would soon meet Monroe and this would be relevant. Monroe later left his studies and joined the Virginia Infantry even after the loss of his younger brother, Spence.
He pledged to serve without pay. Monroe trained with his men for two months on the William and Mary camp. During that time Patrick Henry the first governor of Virginia. Also on July 4, 1776 all of the colonies were declared “Free and Independent states. The Continental Army caught the Hessians asleep after spending the past night crossing the icy cold Delaware River. Captain William Washington and Lieutenant Jim Monroe were the first to cross the river. Someone had seen them coming and had called out a warning.
Washington put out an army around the cannon and took possession of the Hessians, but he had received a severe wound. The command then fell on Monroe who advanced the same way and was shot. They however kept firing but after George Washington’s Continentals arrived the Hessians surrendered. Monroe had suffered a bullet to the his chest and lodged n his shoulder severing an artery. He was saved by the Patriot physician who quickly arrived. Washington then promoted both William and Monroe, William to major and Monroe to captain.
At the end of June 1783, the first year of Monroe’s first year of government service ended. He joined the Congress in 1780 and led the struggle for interstate unity and congressional powers to impose taxes for national defense. Washington soon left the presidential spot. During a wedding later on James Monroe found Elizabeth Kortright and fell in love. He soon married her on February 16, 1786 in a hurch on Broadway at the top of Wall Street. Monroe soon left Congress, in his congress years he had accomplished nothing.
In the beginning of December Elizabeth Monroe had given birth to their first child who they named Eliza. Soon after in April 1787, Fredericksburg elected Monroe into the Virginia Assembly. In 1790, Monroe was elected as the Virginia senate after William Grayson had passed away. In 1797 on February 8th, Adams won the presidency and Jefferson won the vice presidency. On December 14, 1799, George Washington passed away. Afterwards Monroe made a state supported education system, state supported network of ublic roads, and items for the military. Soon after Thomas Jefferson became president.
Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s election came after to decide who would be the vice president and Aaron Burr won. In 1808 James Madison was elected for president. Then in 1817 Monroe was put into presidency. Monroe had a lot of travels as president. He eventually stayed in Washington at the white house. His wife Elizabeth suffered through many health issues, mainly consisting of chronic pain, headaches, and other discomforts. Then in March of 1825, John Quincy Adams was elected president. On September twenty hird Elizabeth Monroe passed and Monroe got rid of anything of her.
Then on July 4, 1831 Monroe passed away. The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and a Nations Call to Greatness was made to tell the reader(s) that Monroe was a bigger part of the founding of the United States. That he should be included in the founding fathers. He helped shape the country. He was a first time politician, minister to Frnace and Britain, governor of Virginia, secretary of state, secretary of war, and fifth president of the United States. As a student in a democracy this book shows that voting sometimes can lead o good outcomes or bad ones.
It can lead to wars and terrible things. However it can lead to people getting the laws they want and can help them and others out. It also shows me to chose and be careful of the decisions I make. The outcomes could effect others and myself at the same. This book helped my personal growth by showing that you can have multiple parts in something and they can all be important and you still won’t accomplish something. But you also can make huge differences in people’s lives. That even when hardships come into your life you have to do what’s good for you and/or the other erson or people involved.
That it’s okay to do take time for yourself and to help others as well. The Last Founding Father, James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness was an interesting but slightly tedious book. It was a little hard to focus on for long periods of time and some parts weren’t very interesting. The sections with more action or conflict were a bit more entertaining however the sections with discussion on personal things like how he had lived or things going on in congress like taxes were slightly tedious. I would recommend this book for people who can focus on a lot of text and enjoys history.
The author Harlow Giles Unger is an excellent writer. However | feel like he would be better for an older audience than high school students. He writes in a very detailed form. He also includes a good deal of information. Some things you wouldn’t expect and some things you could. The subject matter itself was uninteresting to me personally. It did however have good points in it. Including good information and history. It did live up to the title. It definitely told James Monroe’s journey and how he was the fifth founding father to the United States. However Unger could’ve used more interesting pieces on some occasions.
