--- product_id: 7097376 title: "The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness" price: "€ 46.87" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/7097376-the-last-founding-father-james-monroe-and-a-nations-call store_origin: FR region: France --- # The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness **Price:** € 46.87 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness - **How much does it cost?** € 46.87 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fr](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/7097376-the-last-founding-father-james-monroe-and-a-nations-call) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description From the New York Times bestselling author, the larger than life story of America's fifth president, who transformed a small, fragile nation into a powerful empire In this compelling biography, award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger reveals the epic story of James Monroe (1758-1831)-the last of America's Founding Fathers-who transformed a small, fragile nation beset by enemies into a powerful empire stretching "from sea to shining sea." Like David McCullough's John Adams and Jon Meacham's American Lion , The Last Founding Father is both a superb read and stellar scholarship-action-filled history in the grand tradition. Review: Don’t tread on me! - I have embarked on an intellectual/historical trek that involves reading every US Presidential biography. Thus far, I have read: Ron Chernow WASHINGTON: A LIFE David McCullough JOHN ADAMS Jon Meacham THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWER Duane Ostler JAMES MADISON: AMERICAN PROPHET. Harlow Giles Unger’s THE LAST FOUNDING FATHER: JAMES MONROE AND A NATION’S CALL TO GREATNESS Currently, I have begun Harlow Giles Unger’s JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. Although I have been enjoying the exploration of lives of our presidents, I must note that the quality of writing and the spinning of the narrative to place a positive light on the president vary a great deal. Unger stands above the other authors in his effort to create an unbiased portrait of the presidents. In terms of placing a positive writing spin, Ostler (Madison) and Meacham (Jefferson) are the guiltiest. How can a person uncover positive spins? Answer: reading the other biographies that address the same situation. When you have three explanations of a presidential policy position, a person’s eyes are finally opened to reality. In terms of presidents, Monroe is perhaps the most underrated. Historically, he used his presidential influence (even violating the Constitution) to give birth to the “Era of Good Feelings.” Within this time frame, we find the longest period of peace and economic prosperity within American history. Monroe had a firm grasp on Congress and his Cabinet in a manner that promoted cooperation and inhibited egocentrism. As soon a Monroe left office, our national government fell prey to individuals who pursued self-aggrandizement over the needs of the nation. No President before or since Monroe had the ability to mobilize individuals. One hundred years later, Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.” Monroe could have easily made this exact same statement. Although Kennedy believed this, he was never able to get the population to embrace the action. On the other hand, Monroe never made such a statement, but he was able to implement the action within Congress and the American population. The sinister dimension of Monroe’s presidency is his history on slavery. He accepted Jefferson’s slavery position (slavery is a necessary evil) and hope it would end. Actually, with Monroe’s incredible political skills, he might have been able to end slavery and prevented the Civil War. However, his financial investment in slavery was immense. He made efforts to procure freedom slaves by purchasing land for them in Africa, but those he freed and sent were the trouble-makers: those who were most likely to revolt. He wanted to keep the docile slaves on the plantations. He was a bit of a pseudo abolitionist. Even with his dark side revealed, Monroe must be considered one of the most politically skillful presidents that use his influence for the best interest of the nation. Review: Monroe at the "High Bar" - Mr. Unger sets the bar high for his subject when on the Acknowledgments and Dedication page he describes; "...James Monroe as the most significant Founding Father after George Washington". He goes on to produce a very thorough ~400-page biography of our fifth President - full of things we may have known, but now detailed and well retold, as well as many things we (the average reader) did not know about the man, his remarkable career and his family. The author's observation (page 2) that, "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" - rouses the reader's interest, establishes the tone and encourages the read to come. What does come - despite the rhetoric - is delivered in a very even-handed and professional manner. I did not find the unfairness or bias detected by other reviewers here. The style and conclusions at times can be zealous, but certainly not unsupported, or implausible. By example, Mr. Unger offers a full spectrum of possibilities in his explanation for the rift between Monroe and his colleagues Madison and Jefferson (page 199) through the presentation of a number of historian's conclusions. In the end Mr. Unger suggests human foibles and pride as the cause for the breakup. Despite the author's high-admiration for his subject - the reader is often left wondering whether or not pure happenstance is as much a factor as heroics in many of the enormous events of the era. Was the Louisiana Purchase the legitimate "catch" of Mr. Monroe, or Mr. Livingston... or would Napoleon Bonapart have virtually "handed" the prize to any American envoy that President Jefferson might have sent? Mr. Unger suggests Mr. Monroe - but does not convince. Other matters of character or judgement are left quietly unexplored. For example, the damning Reynolds Dossier - a packet of proofs that ultimately destroy Alexander Hamilton are left for safekeeping with Mr. Jefferson, by Mr. Monroe. The dossier is subsequently shown to the press. Mr. Unger clearly believes Monroe above duplicity, but leaves the issue unexplored, except of course for the obvious deception of Mr. Jefferson. Could Mr. Monroe really have been "above" politics even at that most partisan of times? In the end, a number of events akin to the examples above make the reader feel that the author has set the bar too high for his subject, but no-matter Mr. Unger's research and skill with the written word make the book a very worthwhile and enlightening read. -----kindle edition----- Generally well done with the expected hyperlinks. There are numerous portraits and maps that are worthwhile to the read. The maps especially are somewhat tortured by the resolution of the kindle. The book does have hardbound page number locations which are displayed (page bottom) from the menu & toolbars display (tap page top). The index - which can be a very valuable tool in a biography - is worthless. It contains neither page number nor hyperlink - merely a shell of what should have been, despite the full price extracted for an e-book by the publisher, Da Capo Press. e-Book publication quality, ★★☆☆☆. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #271,833 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #95 in American Revolution Biographies (Books) #134 in US Presidents #207 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,299 Reviews | ## Images ![The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81zNadDjW7L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Don’t tread on me! *by S***N on July 19, 2016* I have embarked on an intellectual/historical trek that involves reading every US Presidential biography. Thus far, I have read: Ron Chernow WASHINGTON: A LIFE David McCullough JOHN ADAMS Jon Meacham THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWER Duane Ostler JAMES MADISON: AMERICAN PROPHET. Harlow Giles Unger’s THE LAST FOUNDING FATHER: JAMES MONROE AND A NATION’S CALL TO GREATNESS Currently, I have begun Harlow Giles Unger’s JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. Although I have been enjoying the exploration of lives of our presidents, I must note that the quality of writing and the spinning of the narrative to place a positive light on the president vary a great deal. Unger stands above the other authors in his effort to create an unbiased portrait of the presidents. In terms of placing a positive writing spin, Ostler (Madison) and Meacham (Jefferson) are the guiltiest. How can a person uncover positive spins? Answer: reading the other biographies that address the same situation. When you have three explanations of a presidential policy position, a person’s eyes are finally opened to reality. In terms of presidents, Monroe is perhaps the most underrated. Historically, he used his presidential influence (even violating the Constitution) to give birth to the “Era of Good Feelings.” Within this time frame, we find the longest period of peace and economic prosperity within American history. Monroe had a firm grasp on Congress and his Cabinet in a manner that promoted cooperation and inhibited egocentrism. As soon a Monroe left office, our national government fell prey to individuals who pursued self-aggrandizement over the needs of the nation. No President before or since Monroe had the ability to mobilize individuals. One hundred years later, Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.” Monroe could have easily made this exact same statement. Although Kennedy believed this, he was never able to get the population to embrace the action. On the other hand, Monroe never made such a statement, but he was able to implement the action within Congress and the American population. The sinister dimension of Monroe’s presidency is his history on slavery. He accepted Jefferson’s slavery position (slavery is a necessary evil) and hope it would end. Actually, with Monroe’s incredible political skills, he might have been able to end slavery and prevented the Civil War. However, his financial investment in slavery was immense. He made efforts to procure freedom slaves by purchasing land for them in Africa, but those he freed and sent were the trouble-makers: those who were most likely to revolt. He wanted to keep the docile slaves on the plantations. He was a bit of a pseudo abolitionist. Even with his dark side revealed, Monroe must be considered one of the most politically skillful presidents that use his influence for the best interest of the nation. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Monroe at the "High Bar" *by V***K on March 23, 2012* Mr. Unger sets the bar high for his subject when on the Acknowledgments and Dedication page he describes; "...James Monroe as the most significant Founding Father after George Washington". He goes on to produce a very thorough ~400-page biography of our fifth President - full of things we may have known, but now detailed and well retold, as well as many things we (the average reader) did not know about the man, his remarkable career and his family. The author's observation (page 2) that, "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" - rouses the reader's interest, establishes the tone and encourages the read to come. What does come - despite the rhetoric - is delivered in a very even-handed and professional manner. I did not find the unfairness or bias detected by other reviewers here. The style and conclusions at times can be zealous, but certainly not unsupported, or implausible. By example, Mr. Unger offers a full spectrum of possibilities in his explanation for the rift between Monroe and his colleagues Madison and Jefferson (page 199) through the presentation of a number of historian's conclusions. In the end Mr. Unger suggests human foibles and pride as the cause for the breakup. Despite the author's high-admiration for his subject - the reader is often left wondering whether or not pure happenstance is as much a factor as heroics in many of the enormous events of the era. Was the Louisiana Purchase the legitimate "catch" of Mr. Monroe, or Mr. Livingston... or would Napoleon Bonapart have virtually "handed" the prize to any American envoy that President Jefferson might have sent? Mr. Unger suggests Mr. Monroe - but does not convince. Other matters of character or judgement are left quietly unexplored. For example, the damning Reynolds Dossier - a packet of proofs that ultimately destroy Alexander Hamilton are left for safekeeping with Mr. Jefferson, by Mr. Monroe. The dossier is subsequently shown to the press. Mr. Unger clearly believes Monroe above duplicity, but leaves the issue unexplored, except of course for the obvious deception of Mr. Jefferson. Could Mr. Monroe really have been "above" politics even at that most partisan of times? In the end, a number of events akin to the examples above make the reader feel that the author has set the bar too high for his subject, but no-matter Mr. Unger's research and skill with the written word make the book a very worthwhile and enlightening read. -----kindle edition----- Generally well done with the expected hyperlinks. There are numerous portraits and maps that are worthwhile to the read. The maps especially are somewhat tortured by the resolution of the kindle. The book does have hardbound page number locations which are displayed (page bottom) from the menu & toolbars display (tap page top). The index - which can be a very valuable tool in a biography - is worthless. It contains neither page number nor hyperlink - merely a shell of what should have been, despite the full price extracted for an e-book by the publisher, Da Capo Press. e-Book publication quality, ★★☆☆☆. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Readable *by A***K on October 11, 2025* The author wrote the book in a way that is very interesting and historically sound. There is probably a lot more information available for the subject, but I think if you need a starter on the President, this would be my choice. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.fr/products/7097376-the-last-founding-father-james-monroe-and-a-nations-call](https://www.desertcart.fr/products/7097376-the-last-founding-father-james-monroe-and-a-nations-call) --- *Product available on Desertcart France* *Store origin: FR* *Last updated: 2026-09-07*