But guess who THIS is? Ok, well you cheated. You knew who it was because you clicked on the video.
Yes, that’s James Monroe, who was the fifth president of the United States. Most Americans have no idea who James Monroe is. Lara: If I asked any random person, tell me three
facts about Thomas Jefferson, I bet you a lot of people could do it. But if I asked you the same question about James Monroe, I think people would have a hard time coming up with anything more than
was a president, maybe Monroe Doctrine. And we actually know very little about him compared
to the other founding father presidents. And yet when he was president, he was extremely popular.
I mean, political polling didn't really exist back then, but we do have evidence that most everybody
loved Monroe, just like everybody loves Raymond when he was president. If you read all newspapers
from the time, they're all kissing his butt. His first election win was one of the most dominant
presidential election victories in American history. After he won, he toured the country,
and huge crowds gathered to cheer his arrival, even in states he didn't win in. When he ran for
reelection, he ran virtually unopposed and won every state in the country. I repeat,
he was so freaking popular that he won every single state in the country. Well,
so what? So did George Washington when he ran. Well, yeah, but everybody knows
who George Washington is. They don't know who James Monroe is. Shut up, you nitwit.
That guy. Here's the story of James Monroe, the most popular presidents you've never heard of.
Monroe. James Monroe was born on April 28th, 1758 in this part of Virginia, the Northern Neck,
where a bunch of important founding father dudes were born. You know, obscure folks like George
Washington. Of course, Washington was 26 years old when James was born. James's dad, Spence,
was a farmer and carpenter. He grew tobacco and made furniture and was not a fan of British
colonial rule. At one time, participating in protests against the Stamp Act. We don't know a
whole lot about his mother, Elizabeth, but we do know she came from a respected family and helped
teach young James how to read. When James was 11, he began attending a school run by the influential
Reverend Archabald Campbell. He'd get up before dawn to walk several miles through the forest to
school, carrying his books and musket the whole way, I assume, for protection. When James was 14,
his mother died shortly after giving birth to his younger brother, Joseph. Two years later,
his dad got sick and died. At just 16, James was an orphan in charge of the family farm, now the
sole provider for his sister and brothers. He now owned 800 acres and his father's enslaved people.
But just when it looked like James was going to have to drop out of school, his uncle Joe came to
the rescue. Joseph Jones and his wife Mary Jones, who had no kids of their own, decided to take care
of the family and help James finish school. Joseph got James enrolled at the College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg at the time, the capital of Virginia. And due to his connections as a member
of the House of Burgesses, Joseph also introduced James to A-list Virginians like Patrick Henry and
George Washington. Holy crap. You serious? George. Dang. James was living it up in college when his
studies got suddenly interrupted by the American War of Independence. And boy, did James get caught
up in it. He ditched the books for guns, joining the local militia. After the British governor of
Virginia, John Murray, tried to confiscate their weapons. Monroe was one of 24 militia men who
stormed his palace to get them back. on June 24th, 1775. At the time, he was just 17 years old. Dang,
Monroe. That little fella ain't messing around. Imagine like you're like in college hanging out