James Monroe while expanding the United States at the expense of the Spanish Empire, from which he obtained Florida and the recognition of a border across the continent. Faced with the breakdown of the expansionist consensus over the question of slavery, the president tried to provide both North and South with guarantees that future expansion would not tip the balance of power between slave and free states, a system that, Weeks remarks, did indeed allow the continuation of American expansion for the best of four decades. Monroe pursued warmer relations with Britain in the aftermath of the War of 1812. In 1817
James Monroe High School (Virginia) to honor the nation's fifth president, James Monroe, who had his law office in the city from 1786-89. The second James Monroe High School building was constructed in 1952, and a wing was added in 1959. From 1981-83, a large renovation project modernized the entire building, and another wing was added. The Arthur H. Schwartz Memorial Athletic Complex was constructed during 1985-86, providing a new track, tennis courts, and a baseball field. Up until 2005, Fredericksburg City Public Schools used an unusual system of grade levels and schools. James Monroe High School carried 8th through 12th grades. However, the construction