james madison
As a Founding Father and eventual fourth president brought us the United States Constitution and the resulting Bill of Rights. These documents have been America’s roadmap for democracy since their ratification in 1789.
Read and know the United States Constitution.
The Bill of Rights can be found here.
James Madison was born in Colonial Virginia in 1751 and graduated from what today is known as Princeton University in New Jersey. He married Dolly Todd in 1794. Together, they had no children, but Madison did help raise a stepson from Dolly’s previous marriage, which ended when her then-husband died the year before.
Madison had a varied career serving in legislative bodies during and after the American Revolution, including leadership roles in the United States House of Representatives. Deeply concerned about the influence of the Federalists, who believed in a strong central government and financial system, Madison would join forces with Thomas Jefferson to form the Democratic-Republican Party in 1792 which was a follow on to his earlier role as one of the widely influential “Publius” authors of The Federalist Papers.
Madison is widely credited with being the father of the Constitution, which was written in great secrecy during the summer of 1787. He introduced the Bill of Rights on June 8, 1789.
During his U.S. House service, Madison would serve as an advisor to President George Washington before being named Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State for both terms in office from 1801 to 1809.
Madison succeeded Jefferson as president of the United States when he was elected to the first of his two terms in 1808. The fourth president certainly had his hands full during his trying administration with Indian wars and treaties, Northwest Territories disputes, the War of 1812 against the British when the White House was burned, and the Protective Tariff of 1816.
Like today, Madison battled hyper-polarized politicians and constantly fought to protect democracy and guard against too large a federal government, which Alexander Hamilton sought.
When he left the presidency in 1817, Madison returned to his Virginia plantation, Montpelier, for his remaining days, which included keeping slaves on the estate. James Madison died at home on June 28, 1836, at the age of 85, and Dolly Madison died in 1849. They are buried at Montpelier.
