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James Monroe Correspondence

An inventory of his correspondence at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: LMD
Date: 29 October 2009

Biographical History

James Monroe (1758-1831) was the fifth President of the United States, from 1817-1825. Prior to his election, he served in the Madison administration as Secretary of State (1811-1817) and Secretary of War (1814-1815). Important events during his presidency included the Missouri Compromise and the acquisition of Florida. He was also known for developing the Monroe Doctrine, which opposed further European intervention in the Americas.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The James Monroe Correspondence consists of two letters written by Monroe. The first letter was sent by Monroe on 14 February 1814 while he was Secretary of State. It is addressed to the Governor of the Mississippi Territory (David Holmes) and warns him about the activities of Dr. John Hamilton Robinson. A few years earlier, Robinson had been an official American envoy in Mexico, and he had developed sympathies for the revolutionaries fighting the Spanish colonial government there. Monroe's letter alludes to Robinson's illegal attempts to recruit American volunteers for the Mexican War of Independence, and he asks the governor to take the "necessary and proper steps" to stop him.

The second letter was written by Monroe on 1 July 1820 to William Wilkins, possibly the Pennsylvania politician who was then a member of the state house of representatives. In this letter of recommendation, Monroe asks Wilkins to give his nephew Charles W. Ernest a commission of second lieutenant in the army.

Arrangement of the Collection

The letters are in chronological order.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Holmes, David, 1770-1832.
Monroe, James, 1758-1831.
Robinson, John Hamilton, 1782-1819.
Wilkins, William, 1779-1865.

Subjects

Filibusters.
Mexico -- History -- Wars of Independence, 1810-1821.
United States -- Foreign relations -- Spain.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.

Occupations

Politicians.
Presidents.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

James Monroe Correspondence,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased, 1966.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory