James Monroe
Probably the most underappreciated of the four Virginia Founding Fathers is James Monroe. “He is the Founding Father people know very little about, but he had a fascinating life,” said Douglas Moore, a guide at Ash Lawn-Highland, Monroe’s home, just a few miles up the road from Monticello.
“At 18, he is a lieutenant in Washington’s Revolutionary army. For the next 50 years, he holds every imaginable appointed and elected office. He was probably the best prepared of any president. People are surprised at all the offices he held.”
The house, Monroe’s primary residence from 1799 to 1823, is furnished with many items he owned, including several pieces of furniture used in the White House. The dining room is depicted in 1799 with the table, the first purchase made by the Monroes after they married, set for dessert.
“A TripAdvisor comment said it was as if Monroe had just stepped out and would be back in 15 minutes, sit down and have tea,” said Moore.
“We talk about the relationship of all these men,” said Moore. “Jefferson was a visionary; Madison, the architect — he takes the vision and puts in down in black and white. Monroe is the builder— he takes the plan and puts it in action. He took the job of president and added to it.”
You can get more insight into Monroe at the James Monroe Museum in Fredericksburg, located in a brick building on the site where Monroe had a law office.
“Our focus is a life devoted to public service,” said museum director Scott Harris.
The museum covers the various stages of his life and career and has many personal artifacts, including a large collection of his and his wife’s clothing and the Louis XVI secretary that is believed to be the desk on which he wrote the Monroe Doctrine.
Visiting sites where these Founding Fathers worked and relaxed, you can feel their presence still and get a greater appreciation not only of their accomplishments, but also of them as real people.
