The changing republicanism of James Monroe, 1787--1831: An essay in the history of political ideas.
Item
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Title
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The changing republicanism of James Monroe, 1787--1831: An essay in the history of political ideas.
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Identifier
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AAI9946219
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identifier
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9946219
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Creator
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Scherr, Arthur Elliot.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Jacob Judd
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Date
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1999
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, United States | Political Science, General
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Abstract
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This is a study of James Monroe's political thought from 1787 to 1831, culminating in his participation in Virginia's constitutional convention of 1829--1830 and his little-known treatise, The People the Sovereigns , written after his retirement from the presidency. Monroe's preeminent concern was for the survival of his nation's inherently unstable "republican" form of government (representative democracy), which was constantly faced by the ever present threat of disruption by domestic factionalism, class conflict, and foreign intervention. To employ a terminology primarily the anachronistic invention of modern historians, Monroe finally found solace in a theoretical shift from his "classical republicanism" of the 1780s--1790s, when he stressed the dangers of centralized power, to "liberal republican" ideology after the War of 1812, upholding the view that the people's representatives might be trusted to act on behalf of a "publick [sic] good" closely linked to individual self-interest. In The People the Sovereigns, he reached the conclusion that the political economy of the United States, a society of widespread property ownership, social mobility, and economic growth lacking an ingrained socioeconomic class system or privileged social orders, precluded factionalism and guaranteed the republic's endurance over time.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
