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James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758 in Monroe Hall, Virginia.
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In 1774, at the age of fourteen, Monroe entered the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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In 1776 he stopped going to college in order to join the War of Independence, which would last until 1783.
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He was injured at the Battle Of Trenton.
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He was with George Washington during the difficult winter from 1777-1778 at Valley Forge.
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In 1780 he began studying law under Thomas Jefferson, who would become his mentor and Monroe would affiliate with the political party Jefferson created.
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In 1782 he was chosen as a delegate to the Virginia Assembly and and the following year was chosen as representative to the Congress of Confederation from 1781 to 1789, the American governing body when the nation was founded.
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The War of Independence ended in 1783, with the surrender of Great Britain.
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He married Elizabeth Kortright.
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In 1790 he was elected to the U.S. Senate representing Virginia.
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He helped Thomas Jefferson and James Madison help the Democratic-Rebulican Party.
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In 1794, he was appointed as minister to France by George Washington in order to better relations with the country.
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Due to disagreeing with Jay’s Treaty George Washington removed Monroe as minsiter to France.
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He resumed his political career in 1799 becoming governor of Virginia.
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Him and Robert Livingston were the people who found out that Napoleon wanted to sell the entire Louisiana Territory and due to not have time to get the purchase approved they approved it themselves.
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In 1808, he ran for president the first time against James Madison and lost.
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Even though there was some animosity between James Madison and Monroe over a treaty, put this animosity aside and Madison made Monroe his Secretary of State.
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Not only did Monroe serve as Secretary of State, but from 1814 to 1815 as Secretary of State.
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Monroe ran for president a second time as a Democratic-Republican defeated his Federalist opponent, Rufus King.
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In 1818 he approved Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state.
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In 1819, he was able to negotiate the purchase of Florida for five million, expanding the United States Territory.
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The Missouri Compromise outlawed slavery in the Louisiana Territory above the 36'30 parallel north, excluding Missouri.
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In 1820 Monroe ran unopposed for a second term as President and won.
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In 1823 Monroe passed the Monroe Doctrine, which greatly helped foreign relations. It declared the the United States would not interfere with European colonies nor meddle in the affairs of Europe.
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In 1825 he left and retired to Virginia, where he helped draft a new state Constitution.
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He died on July 4, 1831 at the age of seventy-three in New York City.
