In March of 1817, James Monroe began his first term as the fifth president of the United States with a sense of reverence and purpose.
Attaining the nation’s highest office was the logical culmination of his 50-year career in public service. The new president soon took to the road, ostensibly to inspect military installations in the northern region of the country. Covering more than 2,000 miles in seven states in 15 weeks, Monroe’s successful tour inspired the phrase that would describe his administration: the Era of Good Feelings.
Two hundred years later, The James Monroe Museum kicks off a new social media campaign in celebration of the bicentennial of Monroe’s presidency and his 1817 tour of the northern states. The three-part initiative marks the launch of the new Twitter username @PresMonroe. The social media campaign features three major themes designated by three different hashtags. Tweets featuring #JMo1stTerm will concentrate on the beginning of Monroe’s presidency (1817-1821), including issues of focus as represented by his first inaugural address, cabinet appointments, and purpose for and speeches from his presidential tours. This portion of the campaign features a secondary hashtag, #JMoInaugural, which will highlight excerpts from his inaugural address.
The 1817 Tour of the Northern States will come to life through tweets from the road from President Monroe using #JMo1817Tour. The messages will trace the trail of the tour and highlight cities and towns Monroe stopped in, as well as the receptions he received, the activities he engaged in and excerpts from speeches along the way. It will also feature selections from newspaper articles about the tour.
The campaign includes a modern-day element, as well, through the use of #MonroeUSA, which will feature fun facts and stories about places named after James Monroe, with a focus on cities, counties and towns he visited on his tours.
All three hashtags, plus the occasional use of #PresMonroe will appear in tweets on the new @PresMonroe account and help distinguish its different themes.
The existing @JMonroeMuseum account will still be used to disperse Monroe history and Museum information, as usual.
To learn more, contact The James Monroe Museum at 540-654-1043.
The James Monroe Museum is a National Historic Landmark owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and administered by the University of Mary Washington.
