James Monroe Born in Virginia
James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary but left during the American Revolution to join the Continental Army, where he was wounded at the Battle of Trenton. After studying law under Thomas Jefferson, Monroe entered public service and held an unusually broad range of offices, including legislator, U.S. senator, governor of Virginia, diplomat to France and Britain, secretary of state, and secretary of war. He was elected the fifth president in 1816 and reelected in 1820. His presidency coincided with the period often called the Era of Good Feelings and included the acquisition of Florida from Spain. In 1823, his administration issued the policy later known as...