# James Monroe as Diplomat and Scholar

Decades prior to becoming our nation’s fifth President, James Monroe served the United States as Minister to France. During his time in Paris, he purchased a rare book about Roman history that he referenced later in life, during his retirement, as he wrote a book about the history of republican governments.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2025
- Runtime: 4 min
- By: Hastings, Patrick
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/video-10716/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/video-10716?play=1)