James Monroe was the last in the line of the Virginia Dynasty, the group of leaders who helped shepherd the United States through most of its formative years. … Yet unlike his predecessors, who are renowned as among the elite of the nation’s Founding Fathers, virtually nothing is known about the 5th President of the United States. … Make no mistake, Monroe was ever-present throughout many of these early trials, and he emerged from many of these challenging affairs to lead his nation as it transitioned from its earliest period of simply trying to find its way, to the subsequent era of dynamic growth and prominence as an emerging power amongst the nations of the world. … James Monroe was a true American hero and a credit to the founding generation. While an adherent to many of the Jeffersonian principles of limited government, he was not an ideologue or philosopher. He was a practical politician and diplomat who was continuously called upon to solve some of the hardest problems of his era. He was mostly successful, and always performed his duty with earnest hard work and an honorable ethic. His lack of recognition continues to be a mystery, one which deserves attention and rectification. James Monroe was a credit to his state, to his nation, and to his posterity, for which universal commendation is long overdue.