As we enter a presidential campaign season, many of us are probably hoping for an era of good feelings, or at least civil discourse, which seemed to have been abundant during James Monroe’s administration. It may be difficult today to imagine that Monroe, always depicted as an unsmiling, stoic individual, was actually extremely popular among voters and the general public. The fact that he was truly interested in the people of his relatively young nation and the regions in which they lived connected him with his constituents.

Emulating a precedent established by George Washington shortly after his own first inauguration, Monroe embarked on a tour of the United States in 1817. Now, the fact that the White House was still in shambles after the British torching during the war may have made that decision easier, but all the records indicate that Monroe was invigorated by meeting “his people.” While he justified the trip as an “inspection” of military fortifications, the tours became so much more.

First stop: Portland, Maine. Then he traveled west to Detroit before returning to Washington, DC, 15 weeks later. In 1818, he struck out for a “Cheakspeake” tour and, during the following year, an extensive tour of the South. Everywhere he was greeted with excitement and acceptance. The great political lesson is that the people obviously valued knowing that their president was interested in understanding their situation — which varied from community to community — and was willing to listen to their concerns.

Although Monroe had governmental experience prior to his election, he knew that the growing nation needed more than just his own expertise, so he assembled a cabinet “team” that provided sound advice and differing regional backgrounds so he would remain close to the people. Most historians agree that his best appointment was selecting John Quincy Adams as his secretary of state, who proved to be a much better diplomat than the president. (Did I actually say that? Yes. Yes, I did.) He tapped John C. Calhoun from South Carolina as his secretary of war, bringing him to national prominence, and he chose William H. Crawford, a Georgia man, as his secretary of the treasury. All were intelligent and talented men who were encouraged to engage in active discussions about options for actions, but each knew that Monroe was in charge.

So, let’s talk about domestic issues confronting President Monroe. Perhaps the biggest issue confronting a president for the next 30 years reared its head — the political reality of sectional differences and its impact on representation in the United States Congress.

What happened? Missouri applied for admission to the Union in 1819, and its admission as a “slave” state would throw the fragile balance of power out of balance. Fears about that imbalance led New York Representative James Talmadge Jr. to introduce two amendments to the admission bill that would cause fireworks in Congress. Amendment one stated that no new slaves could enter Missouri either through purchase or with the move of their owner. The second amendment freed all slaves on their 25th birthday.

Cue the fireworks!

Since the North held the majority in the House of Representatives and the South controlled the Senate, the vote was along sectional lines. It passed in the House and failed in the Senate. Their adamant positions threatened to tear the nation apart, and Monroe, understanding the fragile nature of the Union, began searching for a solution that would allow him to maintain the peace without unduly influencing Congress. (I know — a unique code of ethics…)

Since the Massachusetts General Assembly agreed to allow the north-most counties to apply for statehood as the free state of Maine, the solution presented itself. If Maine entered the Union as a free state and Missouri was logged as a slave state, the political balance was maintained. But the free-slave state issue was certain to pop up every time a new territory applied for admission, and, heavenly days, the possibility of disunion threatened stability.

After much careful negotiation in the secret chambers of Congress, a new guideline was created that became known as the Missouri Compromise. Missouri would enter as a slave state with the understanding that all future states above the 36-30 line would be free and those below the line would be slave. AGREEMENT! Monroe signed the legislation in early 1820 and open conflict was averted.

Next week, we’ll deal with the Panic of 1819, the rise of political parties and their influence, and more — and determine if Monroe can maintain those “good feelings.”