James Madison

James Madison, our fourth president of the United States, he was known 
as the Father of our Constitution. Madison was born in Westmoreland 
County, Virginia on March sixteenth, 1751. 

Madison was the son of James Madison Sr. and his Nelly Madison. James 
was the eldest of twelve children. The Madisons were settled nicely in 
VA. His father was a wealthy planter. The Madisons had their own 
plantation, Montpelier. James was a fragile and sickly child. He had 
many private tutors and he attended the Donald Robertson School in King
and Queen County. At the age of 18 he entered the College of New Jersey 
(Now Princeton). Madison had a strong interest in politics and became 
an early member of the American Whig Society. He studied very hard and 
completed the regular course in two years. Madison graduated in 1771. 

Madison had a deep interest in religious questions. He spent the next 
six months learning Hebrew, philosophy and other subjects. Those other 
subjects were history and law. A weak speaking voice of his prevented 
him from becoming a minister for his career. Soon after he turned to 
politics.

In 1774 James Madison entered politics. He was elected to the Committee
of Safety in Orange County, VA. This kind of committee provided local 
government in the days when the British colonial government, was 
crumbling. 1776 he served on a committee that drafted a new VA 
constitution and the Declaration of Rights. This was the VA Convention.
He also served in VA 's First Legislative assembly in 1776 where he met
Thomas Jefferson. They soon began a lifetime friendship. From 1777 to 
1779 he was a member of the Governor's Council which was an advisory 
group. He held this position until he was elected to the Continental 
Congress in December 1779. 

Madison had been elected to the Continental Congress for a three year 
term. He took his seat in congress in March 1780. In those days, 
Congress had no power to raise taxes, and found it difficult to pay 
national debts. Even though he was the youngest member, Madison rose 
quickly to a position of leadership, working unsuccessfully along with 
Alexander Hamilton and others, to strengthen the central government by 
giving Congress power to tax and to regulate trade. He also recommended 
many other measures to stabilize and dignify the government.

By 1783 he returned to Virginia. Madison then entered the Virginia 
Legislature. An supporter of separation of church and state, he 
succeeded in persuading the legislature to adopt the Statute of 
Virginia for Religious Freedom drafted by Thomas Jefferson. His chief 
opponent was Patrick Henry, who favored state support for teachers of 
the Christian religion. In 1786 the assembly passed Virginia's Statute 
of Religious freedom. Madison then wrote to Jefferson that so in 
Virginia, "was extinguished forever the ambitious hope of making laws 
for the human mind." 

Madison then went on to the Constitutional Convention. With other 
people of strong central government, Madison was a large contributor in 
influencing Congress to call in a convention to revise the Articles of 
Confederation, or federal constitution. At the convention which met in 
Philadelphia in May1787, Madison had a leading role. He drafted the 
Virginia Plan also known as the Randolph plan which became the 
foundation for the structure of the new government. In agreement with 
his views , the Constitution provided for a break away from powers with
a system of checks and balances. He was responsible for the creation of
a strong executive with a refusal and a court with power to prevail 
state laws. His journal of the transactions established the exclusive 
record of the debates. With Alex Hamilton and John Jay he drafted 
essays in defense of the constitution to argue those afraid of 
centralized power. In the Virginia Constitutional Convention Madison 
led the successful fight for authorization against the opposition.

Madison's support of the constitution displeased many Virginias who 
supported states' rights. They united in the Virginia legislature to 
defeat him in 1788 for a seat in the first United States Senate. Early 
next year, Madison defeated James Monroe in an election for the U.S. 
House of Representatives. He then sponsored the first ten amendments to
the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights to fulfill a pledge made 
during the fight over authorization, when it was charged that the 
constitution failed to protect individual rights. In 1791 he broke with
Alex Hamilton and the Federalists, opposing the financial policy of 
Washington administration. He joined Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe 
in founding the Democratic-Republican party, they were the pioneers of 
today's Democratic party. During this period of time he met Dolley 
Payne Todd. She became his wife in 1794. They had raised on child but 
it was from Dolley Payne's first marriage. 

By 1797 he became tired of politics and retired from congress. The 
following year Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. Madison 
became outraged. He drafted the Virginia resolutions of 1798, proposing 
joint action by the states declaring these laws unconstitutional. He 
was elected to the Virginia Legislature in 1799 and 1800, and led the 
fight against what he considered Federalist effort to undermine basic 
human rights.

1801, Thomas Jefferson became president and appointed Madison to 
Secretary of State. Subsequently Madison and Jefferson failed to force 
Great Britain and France to respect the rights of Americans on the high
seas. The British and French were fighting each other in Napoleonic 
Wars, and each had isolated the other's coast. American ships that 
tried to trade with either country were stopped by warships of the 
other. Many American seamen were captured and forced to serve on 
British or French warships. The Embargo act of 1807 attempted to 
protect American ships but it brought economic distress because it 
stopped all commerce with foreign countries. The Embargo act hurt more 
then helped. To resolve the problem the Non-Intercourse Act was passed 
and opened all trade with other countries but Great Britain and France. 
Jefferson chose Madison to succeed him as president.

Madison was elected president in1809 with 122 electoral votes to 47 for 
the Federalists candidate Charles Pinckney. His Vice president was 
George Clinton. When he was reelected as president his running mate was 
then Eldrige Gerry of Massachusetts. Madison was married to Dolley 
Payne Todd. Dolley Madison had a very active social life. She was a 
dazzling hostess of the White House.

As president James Madison had accomplished many things. Tensions grew 
between the United States and Great Britain however Madison's action of
foreign policy was criticized by both Federalists and members in his 
own party. In 1812 he asked Congress for a declaration of war against 
Great Britain. On the day that war was declared, June 18, 1812 the 
British repealed their trade restrictions. Because they would not 
abandon impressment, Madison refused to conclude a truce pending formal 
peace negotiations. Many events happened to Madison and to the world. 
The war of 1812 started. Napolean invaded Russia in 1812. The White 
House was burned by the British in 1814 and Madison and his wife had to
flee to prevent capture. Denmark gave Norway to Sweden in 1814. Treaty 
of Ghent, signed by Great Britain and the United States in 1814, ended 
the war of 1812. During the British attack on Baltimore Francis Scott 
Key in 1814 wrote the Star Spangled Banner. 1815 Belgium united with 
the Netherlands to form a single country. In the same year Napolean was
 crushed in Waterloo. The First Savings banks in the country were 
founded at Philadelphia and Boston in 1816. In 1817 Madison retired and
Monroe took his place as president. He served for 8 years as president.

Madison retired In Montpelier. He busied himself with affairs of his 
estate. June 28, 1836 at Montpelier he died. His wife died in 1849. 
Dolley Payne Madison and James Madison had no children but cherished 
Dolley's son from her first marriage. They were buried at a family plot
in Montpelier. He was 85 years old.

James Madison was the father of our constitution. He was our fourth 
president. He wrote the Bill of Rights. Without him we wouldn't have 
the liberties we have. James Madison was a great leader, a great man, 
and very important to this country's history. James Madison was a true hero.