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Primary sourceDocument3 May 1814

Signed Check by James Monroe

James Monroe · 3 May 1814

A personal check handwritten and signed by James Monroe while serving as Secretary of State, requesting payment of five hundred dollars.

Monroe personally signed this check during his service as Secretary of State, reflecting his personal finances.

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Handwritten document on aged, yellowed paper dated Washington, May 3, 1814, addressed to Alexander Sheers Esq., cashier of the Bank of the Metropolis, requesting payment of five hundred dollars to a bearer, signed by James Monroe, marked Paid $500.
James Monroe, signed check, 3 May 1814. National Museum of American History.

About this source

What it is

This is a handwritten financial document dated Washington, 3 May 1814, addressed to a bank cashier, requesting payment of five hundred dollars to a bearer. It is signed by James Monroe and marked as paid, held by the National Museum of American History.

Why it matters

This everyday financial record shows Monroe's personal finances during his time as Secretary of State, a period that also touches on the money troubles that followed him through much of his career.

Look closer

  • What does a simple bank check reveal about the daily life of a government official in 1814?
  • Why might historians care about something as ordinary as a bank withdrawal?
  • What questions does this check leave unanswered about why the money was needed?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Monroe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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