who is james madison and what did he do?

Answer 1

James Madison

At his inauguration, James Madison, a small, wizened man, appeared old and worn; Washington Irving described him as "but a withered little apple-John." But whatever his deficiencies in charm, Madison's buxom wife Dolley compensated for them with her warmth and gaiety. She was the toast of Washington.

Born in 1751, Madison was brought up in Orange County, Virginia, and attended Princeton (then called the College of New Jersey). A student of history and government, well-read in law, he participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in 1776, served in the Continental Congress, and was a leader in the Virginia Assembly.

When delegates to the Constitutional Convention assembled at Philadelphia, the 36-year-old Madison took frequent and emphatic part in the debates.

Madison made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the Federalist essays. In later years, when he was referred to as the "Father of the Constitution," Madison protested that the document was not "the off-spring of a single brain," but "the work of many heads and many hands."

In Congress, he helped frame the Bill of Rights and enact the first revenue legislation. Out of his leadership in opposition to Hamilton's financial proposals, which he felt would unduly bestow wealth and power upon northern financiers, came the development of the Republican, or Jeffersonian, Party.

As President Jefferson's Secretary of State, Madison protested to warring France and Britain that their seizure of American ships was contrary to international law. The protests, John Randolph acidly commented, had the effect of "a shilling pamphlet hurled against eight hundred ships of war."

Despite the unpopular Embargo Act of 1807, which did not make the belligerent nations change their ways but did cause a depression in the United States, Madison was elected President in 1808. Before he took office the Embargo Act was repealed.

During the first year of Madison's Administration, the United States prohibited trade with both Britain and France; then in May, 1810, Congress authorized trade with both, directing the President, if either would accept America's view of neutral rights, to forbid trade with the other nation.

Napoleon pretended to comply. Late in 1810, Madison proclaimed non-intercourse with Great Britain. In Congress a young group including Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, the "War Hawks," pressed the President for a more militant policy.

The British impressment of American seamen and the seizure of cargoes impelled Madison to give in to the pressure. On June 1, 1812, he asked Congress to declare war.

The young Nation was not prepared to fight; its forces took a severe trouncing. The British entered Washington and set fire to the White House and the Capitol.

But a few notable naval and military victories, climaxed by Gen. Andrew Jackson's triumph at New Orleans, convinced Americans that the War of 1812 had been gloriously successful. An upsurge of nationalism resulted. The New England Federalists who had opposed the war--and who had even talked secession--were so thoroughly repudiated that Federalism disappeared as a national party.

In retirement at Montpelier, his estate in Orange County, Virginia, Madison spoke out against the disruptive states' rights influences that by the 1830's threatened to shatter the Federal Union. In a note opened after his death in 1836, he stated, "The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated."
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Fourth President
1809-1817

Born: March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, King George, Virginia

Died: June 28, 1836 in Montpelier in Virginia

Married to Dolley Payne Todd Madison

Answer 2

James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was the fourth (1809–1817) President of the United States. Known as the "Father of the Constitution," he played a leading role in the creation of the United States Constitution in 1787, and, together with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, was among the chief expounders of its meaning in the Federalist Papers (1788). He was a leading theorist of republicanism as a political value system for the new nation. Working closely with Thomas Jefferson, they created a Republican party, in opposition to the Federalist party, building a movement of congressional and grass roots political activism that was victorious in the "Revolution of 1800." As Jefferson's Secretary of State, he handled the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the nation's size. As president he declared war on Britain, the War of 1812. The war started poorly but ended on a high note in 1815 as a new spirit of nationalism swept the country.

Answer 3

James Madison
4th U.S. President
James Madison is considered the most influential contributor to the United States Constitution, and he worked vigorously to see it ratified. He also contributed to The Federalist Papers to explain his advocacy for a strong federal government. He served as a member of Congress and as Jefferson's Secretary of State before winning the presidential election of 1808. Madison served two terms in office, losing much of his prestige over his leadership during the War of 1812. During the war, Madison was forced to flee Washington when the British army invaded. His wife, Dolley stayed behind and salvaged national treasures.

Answer 4

James Madison was the man.

Answer 5

He was the fourth president of the United States.

Answer 6

Fourth President - he is referred to as the Father of the Constitution.

Answer 7

He was the 4th president of the US...One of the founding fathers...Signer of the Declaration of Independence...Commander in Chief during the War of 1812.

Answer 8

He was our 4th President and is known as the Father of the Constitution. Here's a link to his page in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison

Answer 9

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Answer 10

4th president of the USA, drafted the constitution