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James Madison
James Madison (b. March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia) was the 4th President of the United States. He served from 1809 to 1817 and died on June 28, 1836, at the age of 85.
Madison was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. His vice presidents were George Clinton (1809-1812) and Elbridge Gerry (1814-1817). No vice president served from 1812-1813 and again from 1814-1817.
Madison's presidency is well-known due to the War of 1812, which was initiated following British attacks on American shipping. In 1814, many government buildings, including the White House and the Capitol building, were burned by invading British forces. The war ended in 1815, with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.
Prior to serving as president, Madison was one of America's Founding Fathers. He is known as the "Father of the Constitution" for his role in writing the first drafts of the U.S. Constitution and sponsoring the Bill of Rights. Madison also represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 5th United States Secretary of State to President Thomas Jefferson.[1]
Biography
Timeline of life events
Below is an abbreviated outline of Madison's professional and political career:[1]
- 1751: Born in Port Conway, Virginia
- 1771: Graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)
- 1774: Elected to the Orange County Committee of Safety
- 1775: Served in the Virginia militia
- 1776: Attended the Virginia Convention and helped draft Virginia's constitution
- 1777: Lost a bid for the Virginia Assembly; later appointed to the Governor's Council
- 1780: Delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia
- 1781-1783, 1786-1787: Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia
- 1787: Represented Virginia at the Constitutional Convention and wrote the Federalist Papers alongside Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
- 1789: Proposed amendments to the Constitution, ultimately leading to the Bill of Rights
- 1789-1797: Served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia
- 1794: Married to Dolley Payne Todd
- 1801: Inherited Montpelier estate
- 1801-1809: Served as Secretary of State for President Thomas Jefferson
- 1807: Campaigned for Embargo Act of 1807, banning American ships from trading with foreign nations
- 1808: Elected president of the United States
- 1809: Embargo Act repealed and replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act, banning trade with only Great Britain and France
- June 1812: United States declares war on Britain, initiating the War of 1812
- 1812: Re-elected as president of the United States
- 1814: White House and Capitol burned by British soldiers
- 1815: Treaty of Ghent signed, ending the War of 1812
- 1826: Appointed rector of the University of Virginia
- 1833: Became president of the American Colonization Society
- 1836: Died at his Montpelier estate
Before the presidency
Madison was born on March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia. He attended the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University) and graduated in 1771. Madison's political career began shortly before the Revolutionary War. He was elected to the Orange County Committee of Safety in 1774 and served in the Virginia militia the following year.
In 1776, Madison attended the Virginia Convention and helped draft Virginia's constitution. The following year he lost a bid for the Virginia Assembly but was later appointed to the Governor's Council. In 1780, Madison was a delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia. He then served as a delegate at the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia from 1781 to 1783 and again from 1786 to 1787. Madison represented Virginia at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and pushed for ratification of the Constitution, writing the Federalist Papers alongside Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Following its ratification, Madison proposed a series of amendments to the Constitution, which ultimately became the Bill of Rights.
Madison then served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789 to 1797. He was appointed Secretary of State to Thomas Jefferson's administration in 1801 and served in that role until 1809. During his time as Secretary of State, he campaigned for the Embargo Act of 1807, which banned American ships from trading with foreign nations. Madison succeeded Jefferson in 1808 when he was elected President. He ran as a Democratic-Republican and defeated Federalist candidate Charles C. Pinckney and sitting Vice President George Clinton. Madison received 122 out of a total of 175 electoral votes (roughly 70 percent). Pinckney received 47 votes, and Clinton received the remaining 6 votes. Clinton remained as Vice President through Madison's first term.[1][2]
Presidency
In 1809, the Embargo Act was repealed and replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act, banning trade with only Great Britain and France. Macon's Bill Number 2 was then passed in 1810, which lifted the embargoes on Britain and France. It stated that if either Great Britain or France ceased attacks upon American shipping, the United States would stop trading with the other country, unless the other country also agreed to recognize the rights of American trade ships. The charter of the First Bank expired in 1811 and the bill to re-charter the bank failed in the House of Representatives. The Battle of Tippecanoe also took place in 1811, in which William Harrison fought Native Americans led by Tecumseh.[3]
Attacks on American shipping continued, and the United States declared war on Great Britain in 1812. Shortly after the war began, Madison was re-elected with nearly 60 percent of the vote. He defeated Federalist De Witt Clinton. The Creek War between the Creek Native Americans and the U.S. and the Peoria War between the U.S. and the Potawatomi and Kickapoo Native American Tribes took place from 1813 to 1814. On August 14, 1814, the City of Washington was burned by invading British soldiers. In January 1815, Andrew Jackson defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans. The war ended shortly after, with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.[4]
Following the war, Madison signed the charter for the Second Bank of the United States into law in 1816. The Tariff of 1816 was also passed by Congress. It was the first tariff passed by Congress to protect U.S. manufacturing from overseas competition. Madison left office in 1817 and was replaced by James Monroe, also of the Democratic-Republican Party.[1][5]
Post-presidency
Madison and Thomas Jefferson helped to create the University of Virginia, which opened in 1825 with Jefferson serving as rector. Following Jefferson's death in 1826, Madison took over in leading the university. In 1829, Madison served as a delegate to the state's Constitutional Convention. He also served in the American Colonization Society, an organization with the goal of returning freed slaves to Africa, which he had co-founded in 1816. He became president of the organization in 1833. Madison died on June 28, 1836.[1]
Personal
Madison was married to Dolley Madison from 1794 until his death in 1836. He had no children of his own but had a step-son, Payne, from his wife's first marriage.[1]
Elections
1812 presidential election
In 1812, James Madison defeated De Witt Clinton (Federalist) to win re-election in the United States presidential election.
| U.S. presidential election, 1812 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Electoral votes |
| Democratic-Republican |  James Madison Incumbent |
59% | 128 |
| Federalist | De Witt Clinton | 41% | 89 |
| Total Electoral Votes | 217 | ||
| Election results via: 1812 official election results | |||
1808 presidential election
In 1808, James Madison defeated Charles C. Pinckney (Federalist) and George Clinton (Democratic-Republican) in the election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1808 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Electoral votes |
| Democratic-Republican | James Madison |
69.7% | 122 |
| Federalist | Charles C. Pinckney | 26.9% | 47 |
| Democratic-Republican | George Clinton | 3.4% | 6 |
| Total Electoral Votes | 175 | ||
| Election results via: 1808 official election results | |||
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[6] Following are transcripts from Madison's State of the Union addresses.
- November 29, 1809
- December 5, 1810
- November 5, 1811
- November 4, 1812
- December 7, 1813
- September 20, 1814
- December 5, 1815
- December 3, 1816
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Biography.com, "James Madison," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ 270towin.com, "1808 Presidential Election," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ Legisworks.org, "Statute 2 Pg 605," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ 270towin.com, "1812 Presidential Election," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ Presidential-power.org, "James Madison Timeline," accessed July 6, 2018
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) |
President of the United States 1809-1817 |
Succeeded by James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) |
| |||||||
