James Madison in the U.S. of A. James Madison was the fourth president of the United States of America, and one of the most educated, high achieving political leaders known to America. He was president for two terms that lasted through 1809-1817 (Sullivan 1). As well as being very well known for his involvement in government even before his presidency. He contributed to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and was the Secretary of State for Thomas Jefferson. Madison also helped in the writing of the Bill of Rights, and led the United States into the War of 1812 (History (1) 1). James Madison was a founding father of the United States and left his mark through the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. …show more content…
He is crowned the Father of The Constitution for, “his ideas for an effective government system in his “Virginia Plan,” which detailed a government with three branches: legislative, executive and judicial [all equally powerful]” (History (1) 1). Madison was also one of the authors of the Federalist Papers, which were articles that were published in New York papers to help persuade people into accepting the Constitution (James Madison (1) 2). After the making of the Constitution a couple things came to Madison as well as other citizens. They realized there were some very important rights that they wanted to incorporate into the constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. Madison proposed 17 amendments, later shortened to twelve and only ten were selected by the states (Staff 1). Before James Madison was president he served as Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State, this helped get his name out there and helped him win the presidential election (History (1) 1). While Madison was in office he created a few policies to try and help America’s trade and possibly avoid war such as the trade embargo act and its less-harmful successor the Non-Intercourse Act. Although these policies caused more damage to America’s trading than it helped, leading the U.S. into the War of
Madison states several things in his papers that will be used in the United States Constitution. He says: “authority will be derived from and dependent on the society, because society is broken into so many parts, interests and classes of citizens…”, ”government must protect the weak as well as themselves.”. “Principles of justice” and the “general good” of the people are also mentioned.
In The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Madison discuses various aspects of government and how the government must be organized in order to better represent the people. In The Federalist, No. 10 Madison discusses the nature of political factions and parties and how they can affect the government and its practices. The Federalist, No. 51 discusses instead how the government being in branches helps maintain liberties and better protect the American people. The topics mentioned in The Federalist Papers continue to explain and structure our government today.
On September 17, 1787, the Philadelphia Convention sent their new constitution to the states for ratification. The Federalists highly approved of the Constitution because it allowed for a more central and powerful government that was previously undermined under the Articles of Confederation. The Anti-Federalists, however, didn’t want a powerful central government, but, instead, powerful state governments; in response to the Constitution, many Anti-Federalists began writing essays and creating pamphlets as a means of arguing against it. In retaliation to the Anti-Federalists attempt at getting states to not ratify the Constitution, many Federalists developed a group of essays known as the Federalist Papers, which argued for the ratification of the new law system.
All the presidents in the past have played an important part in shaping our country the way it is today. Either for better or for worse. James Madison is one of the presidents which made a difference for the better and probably did some of the best actions for our country. He did his job with pride for The United States of America and he did his job humbly with efficiency. That is why I look up to this American Hero.
James Madison, an American statesman and political theorist that was present at the constitutional convention. Many of the ideas proposed by Madison are part of the reason that the Constitution has withstood the test of time. Madison was ultimately prepared to deal with one of the biggest problems this new government would face in his eyes, factions. Factions, which as defined by Madison are “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community” (Madison 156). Madison addresses various ways that he sees factions can be cured of its mischiefs such as removing a faction’s causes and also controlling their effects. Madison points out that this is would potentially create an even bigger problem than the factions themselves by stating, “Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an ailment, without which it instantly expires” (Madison 156) Madison also stated that the way for a government to remove the cause of faction was either to destroy the liberty that causes factions to exist in the first place or to give every citizen the same beliefs and opinions. Madison deemed this impractical, because it is nearly impossible to give everyone in a given place the same opinions and destroying the liberty would take away the very thing that the colonies fought for 4 years earlier. The fact is Madison knew that the country wouldn’t be able to count on a well-educated statesman to be there any time a faction gets out of hand. Madison knew the only viable way to keep factions under control is not to get rid of factions entirely but to set a r...
Thomas Jefferson is most noted as being the author of the Declaration of Independence as well as our third president. He was also a diplomat, an architect, a musician, and scientist. His last act of public service was the founding of the University of Virginia in 1819. He valued this accomplishment as much as his authorship of the Declaration of Independence. However, his presidency left great legacies that touch the lives of all Americans still today. He will forever be associated with the Supreme Court decision in the case of "Marbury v Madison," the greatest land transaction in history, the Louisiana Purchase, and with the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Jefferson is firmly entrenched alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as one of the truly great Americans.
Thomas Jefferson was at the center of American history for more than half a century. He was a man of many talents, he was the author of the Declaration of Independence, and he was the third President of the United States.
James Madison was no stranger to opposition. In publishing an essay referred to today as Federalist Essay No. 10, Madison participated in a persuasive attempt to ratify the Constitution, a document he drafted and for which he is credited as its “Father”. Along with John Jay, who became the United States’ first Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Alexander Hamilton, who became the first Secretary of the Treasury, Madison articulates in his writing the necessity of the Constitution as a remedy for the extant ills of an infant nation recently freed from the grasp of distant monarchical rule. This young nation faltered under the first endeavor of organized government, the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were designed during a period of emerging
Thomas Jefferson was the third American President. Due to the fact that he was such an early President, he influenced our political system greatly, both in the short and long term with his seemingly quiet approach to congressional matters. During his presidency, many things happened that changed the United States as we know it. He coordinated the Louisiana Purchase, assisted in implementing the twelfth amendment, formed the character of the modern American President, and cut the U.S.’s war debt by a third. Jefferson came into office on March 4, 1801 and left office on March 4, 1809.
The War of 1812 took place while president James Madison was in office. Madison was born in Orange County, Virginia in 1751. He attended the College of New Jersey, which is now well known as Princeton. Madison did many significant things both before and after he was in office. He participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution, served in the Continental Congress and he was also a leader in the Virginia Assembly. One of his major contributions was a ratification to the Constitution. He wrote the Federalist essays along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In writing that, many people then began referring to him as the “Father of the Constitution.” Madison felt guilty for getting all the credit so he protested that the document was not “the off-spring of a single brain,” but “the work of many heads and many hands.” Also he helped frame the Bill of Rights and enact the first revenue legislation. All of those things were done before he was elected president in 1808.
It could be said that there has never been a greater disparity between the physical and mental attributes of a man than James Madison. Physically, he was described as tiny, soft-spoken, and generally unimpressive. Mentally, he was an unmatched giant, revered as one of the greatest philosophical minds in the history of mankind. What sets Madison apart from the rest of the great philosophers in history is the fact that he descended from the world of political theory into the realm of reality and brought down with him a formula which has been the bedrock of the most successful form of government this world has ever seen. Before the constitutional convention in 1787, the world had no successful and proven method of self-government for America to
At the age of eleven James Madison was the oldest of his siblings and he began to peak an interest in intellectual earnestness. At age eleven Madison began schooling with a Donald Robertson. Robertson’s school was located in King and Queens County, Virginia. Robertson received his education from the University of Edinburgh. Robertson ran an extremely rigorous school of cla...
During his entire life, James Madison, who is one of the founding fathers, contributed many dedications to the States, especially when creating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. As the fourth president of the U.S, he consciously chose to create a new model of presidential power that he thought would fit better with the system of the separation of powers after seeing “the danger overwrought executive power poses to republican constitutionalism” (Kleinerman). Despite of having such good intention, some of his actions led the country through some significant suffers.
The United States of America was formed by many president's of our time. One of these very influential presidents was George Washington. Courageous, smart and firm. The "founding father" has influenced many people today. He was a commander in chief of the forces during the Revolutionary War, chairman of the convention that wrote the Constitution, and the very first president. He has made very important decisions that still influence our country today.
When faced with differing threats, one haphazard and domestic the other formidable and foreign, both James Madison and Abraham Lincoln understood their audience and attempted to exploit this knowledge. While the specific details of why the United States went to war with Great Britain in 1812 and with the “so-called ‘Confederate States” in 1861, the similarities in language and imagery are evident. In their respective addresses to congress on the topic of impending or open war, both Presidents Madison and Lincoln attempt to appeal to the legislatures sense of patriotism, honor and pride in justifying their actions or desires.