Changes in the U.S. Government

Few changes in the U.S. government occurred during James Monroe's presidency. He served in an era when chief executives understood the power of their office to be rather limited, and before the institutions and functions of the U.S. government had much opportunity to grow. For the most part, the government that Monroe inherited was very much the same when he left office, sustaining only modest growth in most departments. One exception was the office of the attorney general, occupied throughout most of Monroe's presidency by William Wirt. Until Monroe, the job was considered to be part time, whereby the president could receive advice on legal matters and include another voice in his cabinet. Monroe asked the Congress to appropriate funds to provide an office and a clerk for the attorney general.

What did change during the Monroe years was the size of the United States itself. Five new states were...