James Monroe Day
WHEREAS, James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia to Spence Monroe and Eliza Jones Monroe on April 28, 1758, and he studied law under the tutelage of Thomas Jefferson at the College of William and Mary; and
WHEREAS, James Monroe fought with the Continental Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Revolutionary War, earning recognition from General George Washington as “a brave and active officer”; and
WHEREAS, as a young politician, James Monroe joined the anti-Federalists in the Virginia Convention, where he helped ratify the Constitution of the United States of America, and in 1790, he was elected to represent the Commonwealth as a United States Senator; and
WHEREAS, James Monroe was the United States’ Minister to France from 1794-1796 and, along with Robert R. Livingston, he utilized his understanding of foreign policy and his powerful skills of persuasion to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase; and
WHEREAS, James Monroe served as the fifth President of the United States from 1817-1825, during which time he signed the “The Monroe Doctrine,” which denounced European intervention and colonization in the Western Hemisphere; and
WHEREAS, April 28, 2010 marks the 252nd birthday of James Monroe; a loyal public servant and an important leader in both Virginia and American history, and he left behind a legacy as one of our nation’s great foreign policy leaders;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert F. McDonnell, do hereby recognize April 28, 2010 as JAMES MONROE DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.