James Madison By: Lucas Hyder

Right Out of College After 2 years Madison graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University). Madison learned how a government should be ran from John Witherspoon, the college president. James returned to Montpelier and suffered from a form of epilepsy James began to study law, but soon gave up after finding the books very dry.

Prepare for war Soon after the Boston Tea Party Virginians prepared for war. Since Madison was the son of a plantation owner he was appointed colonel for the Orange County Militia. Because of Madison’s illness he did not serve as a soldier in the field. Instead he was chosen to represent Orange County in a general convention at Williamsburg, Virginia, to establish a new state government. One important thing that James did at the convention was that he said that people have freedom to worship and that privilege cannot be taken from them.

Return Home Madison returned to Montpelier in the summer of There he learned the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Later he returned to Williamsburg for the first session of the Virginia legislature. James served on the Committee of Religion with Thomas Jefferson. In November of 1777 Madison was appointed to fill a vacant seat on Council of State, which advised the governor of Virginia.

Continental Congress In December of 1779 Madison and three others were chosen to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In 1784 Madison left the Continental Congress and was serving in the Virginia state legislature Madison supported a bill that would establish freedom of religion, while he served in the state legislature. In 1786 the Articles of Confederation began to show symptoms of failure. Madison and Alexander Hamilton scheduled a meeting in Philadelphia to discuss a revision of the articles. Madison thought the U.S. needed a stronger government that could overrule state laws if necessary. There Madison proposed his, “Virginia Plan,” the plan provided that each state would have representatives to the new Congress according to the state’s population.

Federalist Papers When the new Constitution was ready people were afraid of letting the government have to much power. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote a series of essays called, The Federalist Papers, that would defend the Constitution. Madison and others wrote the bill of rights to assure ratification.

In the Government Madison became the a member of the House of Representatives when George Washington was president. In 1794 Madison married Dolly Payne Madison. In 1798 Madison and Jefferson wrote the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions. The resolutions said that states could block unconstitutional federal laws.

Secretary of State Madison became Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809 when Jefferson became president. Madison had trouble with Britain and France, which were having major conflicts. In 1803 Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from Napoleon.

President Madison When Jefferson decided to retire he nominate Madison for the Democratic- Republican Party. March 4, 1809 Madison was sworn into office.

Problems for the President One big issue for Madison was dealing with the attacks of British and French warships on American merchant ships. The British would board ships and take sailors claiming to be deserters. They also claimed land south of the Great Lakes and were arming and supporting Indian tribes who were fighting American settlers.

The War of 1812 On June 1, 1812 Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain. On June 18 Madison declared war. The U.S. was not prepared for this war. The U.S. had a small army and few experienced officers.

The Small Navy When the U.S. started the war they only had seven frigates, but the ship carried more men, extra guns, and had a thick oak siding for protection. The U.S. had numerous victories, but this was nothing compared to the number of ships in the British navy. Although the victories provided morale support for the U.S. In 1814 the British pushed through the Capitols weak defense and burned Washington.

Negotiations for Peace Negotiations started August 1814 in present-day Belgium. Even with negotiations the war still continued. The British army was sailing towards New Orleans planning to capture the city.

After the War After the victory Madison proposed the building of roads, canals, and a national university. In 1816, Madison’s party nominated his secretary of sate James Monroe for president. On April 6, Madison and his wife left D.C.

The Fall of Washington

Works Cited January, Brendan. James Madison. New York: Children's Press, Print. Stuart, Gilbert. portrait of James Madison Learn NC. Web. 20 Mar New World Encyclopedia. "James Madison." New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 3 Apr Web. 20 Mar J and M'Lean. The Federalist The White House. James Madison Madison, James: cartoon depicting Madison fleeing Washington, D.C., during War of Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Web. 20 Mar.