James Monroe was, like Washington, Madison and Jefferson, born in Virginia. Our first Prèsident was just twenty six years old when, in Westmoreland County, on April 28th, 1758, was born the boy who was to be the fifth Prèsident. His father, Colonel Spense Monroe, owned a big farm and was quite rich. Little James was sent to good schools and did not have to work to earn the means to stay in school. He learned at first to hunt, to skate and to swim; and was good friends with all the boys; but through all the fun and school work came up the talk of war; of the long strife with England and the fierce red men. It was hard for a brave boy to hear such talk and yet keep on at his books, and though Monroe did go to William and Mary Collège, he did not stay long, for we hear of him in 1775 at the camp near Boston. In 1776 we see him at the head of a band of men, and from that time on he was in the thick of the fight. He fought at White Plains and Harlem Heights, and was so brave that the great Washington gave him high praise for his work, and made him, when but eighteen years old, a captain in the army. At the great fight at Trenton he got a bad wound and had to rest for some time. In the big fights of the war this brave young man was one of the first in the field; his hopes were ever high, and he put heart into the weak and worn men who looked to him for help in the sad years of the war. In 1780 he began the study of law with his old friend Thomas Jefferson and soon led the bright men of the day.

So good a friend of his was Jefferson, that the home to which Monroe took his bride in 1785, was planned for him by Jefferson, who, so it is said, also gave him the nails to build it with.

In 1794 he was sent to France to look out for America’s rights, but he found talk of war there at that time. The people did not want a king any longer, but wished to become a free land like America, with a prèsident at the head; and Madison, who was a Republican, took sides with the Republicans in France. The king did not like this, and so Madison had to come home at the end of two years.

But he met with a welcome at home, and his own State made him its Governor. In 1803 he was once more sent to France; this time to buy the State of Louisiana from the French, and he paid Napoléon for this large State $15,000,000.

Twice Monroe was sent to Spain and once to England, where his task was to force England to stop her search of American ships. You know he could not do this, for that was the cause of the War of 1812.

Tired and sad at heart, he came back home, and was glad to rest for a while in his own home; but he was of too much use to his country to be idle long. Once more, in 1811, he was made Governor of Virginia.

Then came the War of 1812; and it was Monroe, now Secretary of State, who, at the head of a few men, saw the British land near Washington and sent word to Madison to leave the city. He also acted as Secretary of War at this time, and so well did he do his part that in 1816 he was named for Prèsident by the Democrats. He got the most votes and so took the first place in our great land.

His first act was to pay off the great debt which the War of 1812 had brought on us. He did this in a very short time; and now our trade grew so great that railroads were built; and so our first railroad was made while Madison was Prèsident.

There was a fierce war with the Indians in Florida at this time; but General Jackson was sent down there and he forced them to lay down their arms and keep the peace.

Just at this time, too, we got Florida from the King of Spain, and gave up Texas, after paying a big sum of money to the Americans, who had been robbed by Spain.

Missouri came into the Union while Monroe was Prèsident, and there was a fierce storm of words; the North said she should not hold slaves after she was a State, the South said that she should.

At last Congress gave way to the Southern States; but made a law that there should be a line drawn through the land, north of which no State should hold slaves.

In 1825 Monroe was free to go to his home at Oak Hill, Virginia, and here he lived until 1830. His wife died in that year, and then he went to live with his daughter in New York. He died here on the 4th of July, 1831, and his name is one that the whole land loves and honors.

He was buried in New York, but on the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, his body was taken to Richmond, Virginia, and a handsome stone raised over his grave.