
简介詹姆斯·门罗James Monroe
美国第五任总统,"门罗主义"的创始人。
生卒年月:1758年4月28日生于弗吉尼亚州威斯特摩兰郡(Westmoreland County, Virginia)
1831年7月4日逝世于纽约州纽约市(New York City, New York)
总统任期:1817年3月4日——1821年3月4日1821年3月4日——1825年3月4日
所属政党:民主共和党
身高:183cm
第一夫人:伊丽莎白·科特莱特·门罗(Elizabeth Kortwright Monroe)
副 总 统:丹尼尔·D·汤普金斯
门罗沉浮政界4 8 年,先后当过律师、议员、驻外使节、州长、国务卿、陆军部长和总统以及州制宪会议主席等职。
门罗任总统时,正值美国结束连年战争进入和平建设时期,他对内强调国家意识,对外大力开拓疆土,为美国资本主义发展创造了有利条件。1 8 2 3 年门罗在国情咨文中提出的美国外交政策方针,世称《门罗宣言》或“门罗主义”,即在“美洲是美洲人的美洲”的口号下,公然把拉丁美洲划为美国的势力范围。门罗老境凄凉,病逝在女儿家中,享年7 3 岁。
少年时代投笔从戎1758年4月28日,詹姆斯·门罗诞生于弗吉尼亚的威斯特摩兰县的一个小农庄主家庭。门罗的祖先是苏格兰人,父亲斯彭斯·门罗,青年是当过木匠,以后曾任巡回法官。母亲伊丽莎白·琼斯·门罗,是威尔士后裔。门罗家庭虽非名门,但家境小康, 属当地的上层社会。门罗的父母生有五个孩子,门罗在男孩中最长。
童年时期,门罗在附近牧师办的学堂里上了四年学,拉丁语和法语都学的很好,课余时间喜欢摸鱼捉鸟,驾驶帆船,有时还带上猎犬,骑马捕狐狸、野兔,练得一身好体魄,十岁刚过身高就已经达6英尺。
1774年门罗16岁是进入了弗吉尼亚著名的学府----威廉与玛丽学院读书,起初还能悉心向学,独立战争爆发后,他热血沸腾,中辍了学业,拿起武器,成为该学院的“学院连”的一员,接受军事训练,从此走上了争取祖国独立自由的战场。
《门罗宣言》影响巨大1823年12月2日,门罗向国会提出了由约翰·昆西·亚当斯拟定的国情咨文,咨文中有关外交方面的主要内容被称为“门罗宣言”,即后来被称之为“门罗主义”。其内容大致可归纳为三个基本原则:即“反对欧洲国家再在美洲夺取殖民地”原则、“不干涉”原则和“美洲体系”原则。这个《门罗宣言》虽然没有经过国会以决议的形式批准,但一百多年来他已成为美国用来反对美洲以外的国家干涉美洲事务的工具,阻止和进一步排斥欧洲列强势力在西半球的政治影响,使美洲和欧洲“脱离接触”,从而为美国在西半球的扩张扫清道路,特别是它成为了美国对拉丁美洲外交的行动指南。
变卖家产老境凄凉1825年3月3日,门罗第二次总统任期届满,卸任后偕夫人回弗吉尼亚故乡定居。他归宿的橡树庄园,是杰弗逊亲自帮他设计的。与当时其他总统一样,由于总统薪俸根本不足以支付开支,离任时审计发现,他原有的庄园由于卖地还债,已经剩余不多了。于是他致信当时总统詹姆斯·麦迪逊,要求美国政府补偿对他的拖欠并请求国会援助,否则他将难以应付退休后的生活。但无结果。
这样他不得不卖掉阿尔比尔和密尔顿附近的土地,仅能偿还部分债务。在有的债权人开始追索的情况下,他企图向杰弗逊请求援助。却不料这才知道杰弗逊比他更贫困,于是门罗联合其他人,联名向弗吉尼亚立法机关要求接济杰弗逊。门罗对于美国政府的补偿要求被一拖再拖,门罗只好作放弃的打算。
830年9月23日,门罗夫人因中风逝世,给门罗以极大打击。安葬完夫人之后,门罗几乎一文不名,他的所有资产都耗费殆尽。只得搬到二女儿在纽约的家中,依靠女儿生活。当时的总统约翰·昆西·亚当斯任命他的二女婿为纽约邮政局局长,这份薪俸保证了门罗一家的生活。为了挣钱,门罗总统只得写书换取稿费。门罗的贫困状态终于感动了美国国会,他们批准给予门罗在任总统期间的补偿费3万美元,连同他的卖地进账只够还清门罗的旧债,却无法弥补他清贫的生活。1831年,门罗最后的家――橡树庄园被他卖掉了,到此,门罗成为地道的无家可归者。当年7月4日,门罗在女儿家因心脏衰竭离开了人世,终年73岁,成为死于国庆日的第三位前总统。
James Monroe (1758-1831), fifth president of the United States (1817-1825) and the last of the so-called Virginia dynasty of U.S. presidents. He succeeded his lifelong friends Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the nation's highest office. Monroe was a man of good intelligence, sound judgment, and highest integrity. In more than 40 years of public service, he never stinted of his energies in doing what he considered his public duty.
James Monroe was the fifth president of the United States. Monroe is most famous for his 1823 proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European countries not to interfere with the free nations of the western hemisphere.
Encarta Encyclopedia
Hulton Deutsch
Monroe was president during the “Era of Good Feelings.” It was called that because there were few political battles and his Democratic-Republican Party ruled almost unopposed. It was a transitional period in which the nation's democratic institutions and capitalist economy were taking form. National identity, as opposed to narrow state interest, was growing as evidenced by the westward movement and the construction of roads and canals. People who were leaving their old colonial homes and moving west on the expanding frontier began to think of themselves not as Virginians or New Yorkers, but principally as Americans. The roads and canals, or internal improvements as they were called, were built to tie together the nation's commerce. They were considered a national priority and were often funded by Congress, whose members understood that an improved flow of commerce in any section of the country would also benefit their own constituencies.
Even though one party dominated, political debate did not disappear. Factions developed in the party over questions about tariffs (taxes on imports); the future of slavery; and how to deal with Britain and other European colonial powers. As President, Monroe consistently and successfully pursued a policy that served both to protect the United States from European interference and to foster unhampered growth of the nation and its economy. He was responsible for the Monroe Doctrine, the principle that the United States would not tolerate new colonies in the western hemisphere or interference by outside powers in the internal affairs of nations in the western hemisphere.