Non-fiction: Annual Message to Congress, 1820 (State of the Union)

Overview
President James Monroe’s 1820 Annual Message presents a calm survey of a nation at peace yet adjusting to postwar realities and rapid expansion. He emphasizes the broad security of the United States in its external relations, the need for prudent economy at home amid lingering financial distress, and a steady program of institution-building, fortifications, a modest but capable navy, improved administration, and a reasoned approach to internal improvements and public lands.

Foreign Relations
Monroe reports amicable relations with the major powers and a generally tranquil international scene for the United States. He highlights continuing progress under recent agreements with Great Britain that have reduced tensions on the northern frontier and protected navigation and fisheries, while acknowledging unresolved commercial questions, especially in colonial trade. With Spain, he notes the pending completion of arrangements that would settle boundary disputes and transfer Florida, expecting an early and friendly resolution. He underscores neutrality toward the revolutions in Spanish America, maintaining lawful conduct while observing developments with sympathy for liberty and self-government. Peace persists with the Barbary states, and American naval presence safeguards commerce against piracy in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

Economy and Finance
The message confronts the aftermath of the recent commercial crisis, describing a contraction that has strained agriculture, manufactures, and credit. Monroe counsels patience and thrift, trusting that the nation’s resources and enterprise will restore prosperity. Federal revenues, though affected by the downturn, remain sufficient for ordinary expenses, and the government continues to reduce the public debt through a disciplined sinking fund. He urges Congress to keep expenditures within safe bounds and to maintain a stable, predictable policy environment that encourages recovery without unsettling speculation.

Military and Naval Affairs
Monroe favors a compact, well-trained regular army, supported by a reformed militia and a professional corps of engineers. He gives prominence to the ongoing system of coastal fortifications intended to secure principal harbors and strengthen deterrence. At sea, he supports a navy sized for peacetime protection of commerce, suppression of piracy, and readiness for emergencies, with continued attention to shipyards, docks, and the preservation of valuable timber for future construction.

Commerce, Improvements, and Public Institutions
While affirming the national importance of roads and canals, Monroe reiterates constitutional scruples about federal authority over internal improvements, urging that any permanent system rest on clear constitutional grounds. He commends selective works of evident national character and improvements to navigation that facilitate internal trade. The message also values scientific and technical education, especially at the Military Academy, as essential to engineering, fortification, and navigation, fields that multiply the nation’s practical strength.

Public Lands and Western Growth
The President reports energetic settlement and orderly administration across the public domain. Recent changes to land sales, shifting from credit to cash at reduced prices, promise fairer terms for settlers while safeguarding the Treasury. He encourages a land policy that balances revenue with the rapid, stable occupancy of the frontier, fosters the survey and sale of lands, and reserves sites needed for public purposes.

Indian Affairs and the Slave Trade
Monroe calls for a humane, consistent Indian policy built on just treaties, protection from encroachment, and efforts to advance agriculture and education among tribes, thereby reducing conflict at the border of settlement. He gives special attention to the suppression of the transatlantic slave trade, praising strengthened laws and naval enforcement and the humane return of Africans taken from illegal traders, reflecting both legal duty and moral obligation.

Administration of Justice and General Tone
Recognizing the nation’s growth, Monroe invites consideration of adjustments to the federal judiciary to accommodate new states and circuits, ensuring equal access to justice. The message’s tone is confident but careful: peace abroad, sobriety at home, measured public works, and adherence to constitutional boundaries, all aimed at consolidating the gains of a young republic expanding in population, production, and national cohesion.