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74 reviews for:
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
Harlow Giles Unger
3.52 AVERAGE
74 reviews for:
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
Harlow Giles Unger
3.52 AVERAGE
I didn't think I would ever give a biography 1 star. It doesn't get 1 star because it is "hero worship", as other reviewers point out, I can deal with "hero worship", especially relating to a founding father. It gets 1 star because there are so many ridiculous statements given on important subjects (e.g. constitutional interpretation), without any explanation, passed off as fact. I can deal with bias, as long as there is an attempt to inform the reader of an actual argument, but Unger doesn't care to inform. No giant of the founding era is safe from Unger's craziness, even members of the same party as Monroe. Jefferson is given no credit for the Louisiana purchase and Madison is so weak that Monroe has to "basically be the president for the final year or his term" (paraphrase).
You can see for yourself by reading the prologue. These types of statements occur routinely throughout the book:
"Washington's three successors-John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison - were mere caretaker presidents who left the nation bankrupt, its people deeply divided, its borders under attack, its capital city in ashes."
The statement about Washington just prior to the above is just as bad.
Hands down the worst biography I have read. Will steer completely clear of Unger in the future. I can't believe it has 4 stars on Amazon.
You can see for yourself by reading the prologue. These types of statements occur routinely throughout the book:
"Washington's three successors-John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison - were mere caretaker presidents who left the nation bankrupt, its people deeply divided, its borders under attack, its capital city in ashes."
The statement about Washington just prior to the above is just as bad.
Hands down the worst biography I have read. Will steer completely clear of Unger in the future. I can't believe it has 4 stars on Amazon.
I think reading the founding fathers' biographies in close succession offers somewhat diminishing returns, as the first 3/4 of this, and the last few books, was rehashing what has already been read. Each author heavily favors their subject and can freely deride those before. Unger spends too many words on fashion and furniture, but his coverage on the Monroe presidency and later years is very good, and touching in moments.
Kind of simplistic, but still pretty decent. Very pro-Monroe, dismissing Adams, Jefferson, and Madison's presidencies in the prologue.
I wasn’t a big fan of this book on our fifth President. The author came across as so biased in the Prologue that I found myself skeptical throughout the book. Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War. He was Governor of Virginia, a foreign minister, Secretary of State and Secretary of War all before becoming President. He came across as a hard worker, ambitious, but perhaps easily offended. Monroe opened the West and expanded the nation’s boundaries. His greatest legacy is the Monroe Doctrine but JQA is said to have been the driving force behind that. However, not according to this author.
James Madison had a very interesting, and very underrated, life. He was a politician in the times of some of history's greatest, overseeing many of the same events and being venerated as an esteemed peer by the likes of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. He was one of the U.S.'s most successful early foreign ambassadors, came readily and capably to her defense during the War of 1812 where others failed, and oversaw one of the U.S.'s most tranquil political periods. While not the political thought-leader of his Founding Father peers, and plagued by many of the same short-sightedness and racist flaws of men of these times, he was certainly a good President, and important one, and one we should discuss more.
However, this books' a-historical gushing love for Monroe makes it hard to appreciate Monroe without questioning the validity of everything you've learned about him. Unger claims that Monroe was Washington-esque, and that Adams, Jefferson, and Madison were "caretaker" presidents. Furthermore, Unger attacks the character and accomplishments of anyone who was ever opposed to Monroe, including Madison and Jefferson, two of Monroe's greatest friends. He does this without anything close to the same level of historical research and citation done by authors such as Chernow, Meacham, or McCullough. For that, this was a disappointing read, as while I do have a greater appreciation for what Monroe accomplished now, it will have to be checked in place by the knowledge that the first-hand accounting for this appreciation was by such an overtly biased source.
However, this books' a-historical gushing love for Monroe makes it hard to appreciate Monroe without questioning the validity of everything you've learned about him. Unger claims that Monroe was Washington-esque, and that Adams, Jefferson, and Madison were "caretaker" presidents. Furthermore, Unger attacks the character and accomplishments of anyone who was ever opposed to Monroe, including Madison and Jefferson, two of Monroe's greatest friends. He does this without anything close to the same level of historical research and citation done by authors such as Chernow, Meacham, or McCullough. For that, this was a disappointing read, as while I do have a greater appreciation for what Monroe accomplished now, it will have to be checked in place by the knowledge that the first-hand accounting for this appreciation was by such an overtly biased source.
A quick and enthusiastic, if not rose-tinted, biography of a man who (in my mind, at least) has been overshadowed by more illustrious names from the American Revolution. The portions of the book spent on Monroe's presidency itself feel a bit scant, but otherwise this is an engaging and interesting book about an American badass.
The biggest downfall of this book is the author's inability to remain objective. Monroe's faults are brushed over as though he had none.
That being said, I like the attention given to Monroe's relationship with his wife and daughters, and the many deep friendships that would eventually lead to Monroe's presidency. The parallels drawn between Washington and Monroe are also interesting.
That being said, I like the attention given to Monroe's relationship with his wife and daughters, and the many deep friendships that would eventually lead to Monroe's presidency. The parallels drawn between Washington and Monroe are also interesting.
Before reading this book, I knew Monroe was an oft-overlooked early president in our nation’s history. And after reading it, I can say that perhaps Monroe should be given more thought than Madison, but certainly none more Washington, Adams, of Jefferson. In that way, Unger failed to convince me that Monroe is wrongly canonized in history. On the chessboard of history, Monroe seems like perhaps a valuable rook to Washington and others’ more coveted kings, queens, and knights.
Monroe’s service to his country started early on, with his impressive performance in the Revolutionary War. Rising through the ranks of the Virginia legislature, Monroe jumped back and forth from politician to ambassador to private lawyer, never able to keep his finances in order — as many a man of the time, he was land rich and cash poor. Like Jefferson and Adams, he was key to establishing friendly relations with Britain and France in some of their most tumultuous times and was also central in getting the Louisiana Purchase through (for the latter, he does seem to deserve more credit).
But Unger fails to really examine Monroe with as critical eye as you’d hope. Monroe’s personal slaves are rarely mentioned, and his role in the territorial expansion of the American empire in Florida seems to need another examination. The author, however, seems more interested in dunking on the failures of his predecessor, Madison, than actually exposing or dissecting Monroe’s own flaws. To Unger, Monroe’s biggest flaw was his pride and patriotism, which left him broke most his life — that, however, is similar to saying your biggest flaw is caring too much.
Certainly, Monroe deserves a place in history, for his role in the early Republic and his leadership in guiding the nation through prosperity and “good feelings,” keeping the U.S. out of war and helping establish the modern empire through the famous Monroe Doctrine. As someone purely interested in American history, you’d be wise to read more about Monroe, who, given his relation to so many events — the Revolutionary War, the Louisiana Purchase, the Adams-Onis Treaty, and opening of the West, the French Revolution, the War of 1812 and the burning of the Capitol — was a bit of a Forrest Gump of early American History.
Monroe’s ideals also seem to be as universal as the rest of the Founding Fathers, with a passion for liberty, independence, equality, social order, expansion, prosperity, and unity. He so sought unity and order that he surrounded himself with a diverse cabinet, representing different views and regions of the country, and wished to see the elimination of the political party (something he partly achieved; though, obviously, it was short-lived). Overall, Monroe represented the early American ideal, having served as a successful soldier and politician, ultimately helping America through its first trials and establishing it, through his doctrine, as a power not to be messed with by foreign entities.
Perhaps Monroe is a poor man’s Jefferson, snubbed by history for being various versions of other founding fathers, always failing to establish himself as a more independent entity. He seems like a more competent Madison, more likeable leader than Adams, a more humanized version of Washington. Taken altogether, Monroe may be proof that presiding over an era of good feelings without war is an easy way to be cast aside an important footnote of history, deserving of respect, certainly, though maybe not study.
Monroe’s service to his country started early on, with his impressive performance in the Revolutionary War. Rising through the ranks of the Virginia legislature, Monroe jumped back and forth from politician to ambassador to private lawyer, never able to keep his finances in order — as many a man of the time, he was land rich and cash poor. Like Jefferson and Adams, he was key to establishing friendly relations with Britain and France in some of their most tumultuous times and was also central in getting the Louisiana Purchase through (for the latter, he does seem to deserve more credit).
But Unger fails to really examine Monroe with as critical eye as you’d hope. Monroe’s personal slaves are rarely mentioned, and his role in the territorial expansion of the American empire in Florida seems to need another examination. The author, however, seems more interested in dunking on the failures of his predecessor, Madison, than actually exposing or dissecting Monroe’s own flaws. To Unger, Monroe’s biggest flaw was his pride and patriotism, which left him broke most his life — that, however, is similar to saying your biggest flaw is caring too much.
Certainly, Monroe deserves a place in history, for his role in the early Republic and his leadership in guiding the nation through prosperity and “good feelings,” keeping the U.S. out of war and helping establish the modern empire through the famous Monroe Doctrine. As someone purely interested in American history, you’d be wise to read more about Monroe, who, given his relation to so many events — the Revolutionary War, the Louisiana Purchase, the Adams-Onis Treaty, and opening of the West, the French Revolution, the War of 1812 and the burning of the Capitol — was a bit of a Forrest Gump of early American History.
Monroe’s ideals also seem to be as universal as the rest of the Founding Fathers, with a passion for liberty, independence, equality, social order, expansion, prosperity, and unity. He so sought unity and order that he surrounded himself with a diverse cabinet, representing different views and regions of the country, and wished to see the elimination of the political party (something he partly achieved; though, obviously, it was short-lived). Overall, Monroe represented the early American ideal, having served as a successful soldier and politician, ultimately helping America through its first trials and establishing it, through his doctrine, as a power not to be messed with by foreign entities.
Perhaps Monroe is a poor man’s Jefferson, snubbed by history for being various versions of other founding fathers, always failing to establish himself as a more independent entity. He seems like a more competent Madison, more likeable leader than Adams, a more humanized version of Washington. Taken altogether, Monroe may be proof that presiding over an era of good feelings without war is an easy way to be cast aside an important footnote of history, deserving of respect, certainly, though maybe not study.