The people of the new republic, learning by experience, in the year
1816, began improving their coast defences and increasing their navy.
Commerce and manufacturers were encouraged. In the autumn of 1816, James
Monroe was elected president of the United States. On December 11,1816,
Indiana was admitted to the Union as a State.
With Monroe's administration, a new era dawned for America. The failure
of the French revolution, and, finally, the failure of Napoleon
Bonaparte and the re-establishment of the old monarchy in France, as the
result first of the excesses of the French republic, and then of the
military interference of Bonaparte with the existing state of things in
Europe, had an important influence in modifying the politics of the
Republican party in the United States; so they came, partially in
Jefferson's administration and completely by the close of Madison's, to
follow the wise and vigorous policy pursued by Washington and the
Federal party; while the general government and the institutions of the
country became deeply imbued with the regard to popular rights, and
attention to the interests and will of the people that formed the
leading idea of Jefferson and the original Democratic, or, as it was
then called, Republican party.
The leading events of Monroe's two administrations were the attention
given to internal improvements, among which may be mentioned the Erie
canal in New York, the encouragement of manufactures, the acquisition of
Florida by treaty, the Seminole war, the Missouri compromise, December
14th, 1819, the Monroe Doctrine, promulgated in 1822, and the visit of
General Lafayette to the United States, in August, 1824.
Pages:
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367