James Madison Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

James Madison (1751–1836) was an American politician and the fourth president of the United States. Born into a prosperous family of planters in Virginia, he was the eldest son of Nelly and James Madison. As a student, Madison excelled in history and had a keen interest in law and government. In 1769 he entered the College of New Jersey in Princeton. Here he studied the works of the great philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment and graduated in just two years. In 1772, Madison returned home, where he focused on politics and an emerging political career.

Madison made the acquaintance of his lifelong friend and mentor, Thomas Jefferson, due to his involvement with the Virginia House of Delegates. Although Madison lost his first bid for election to the House, he was chosen in 1779 to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Madison returned to Virginia and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1784. In 1787, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Madison submitted a proposal to abolish the Articles of Confederation and institute a new constitution. Often referred to as the “father of the Constitution,” he was active in the subsequent debates, and his notes of the deliberations remain the most complete record of the proceedings. After taking a leading role in formulating the new constitution, Madison worked tirelessly to ensure its ratification. Together with fellow congressional delegates Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, he secretly wrote a series of articles advocating the benefits of the proposed constitution that became known as the Federalist Papers.

In 1789 Madison was easily elected to the newly created U.S. House of Representatives and served until 1797. He then returned to his home, Montpelier, with the intent of retiring from public service. However, he was unable to ignore national politics and accepted Jefferson’s nomination to serve as secretary of state after Jefferson was elected president. In this capacity, Madison not only served as Jefferson’s key advisor but also was recognized as his heir apparent.

In 1808 Madison was elected the nation’s fourth president. As president, he faced a challenging international climate. He successfully acquired the western coast of Florida from Spain, which gave the United States control over the Gulf of Mexico. By June 1812, relations with Britain had deteriorated to the point that Madison asked Congress for a declaration of war. After his election to a second term in 1812, however, he found the prosecution of the war to be a daunting and difficult task, and, with American prospects looking dim, he was eager to end the hostilities. This was accomplished with the Treaty of Ghent, negotiated in December 1814. Madison focused on domestic affairs toward the end of his presidency, and in 1817 he retired to Montpelier. Active even in retirement, Madison occupied himself with the operation of his plantation and was involved in the founding of the University of Virginia. Upon Jefferson’s death, Madison became the university’s second rector. Madison died at Montpelier on June 28, 1836, at the age of eighty-five.

Bibliography:

Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1990.
McCoy, Drew R. The Last of the Fathers: James Madison and the Republican Legacy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
Rakove, Jack. James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic. 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2006.
Rutland, Robert Allen. James Madison: The Founding Father. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1997.
Wills, Garry. James Madison. New York: Times Books, 2002.

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