Frail and quiet James Madison was often lost in the background of the high profile political scene of the Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary period. His unassuming demeanor and soft spoken voice caused him to be completely overshadowed by fellow Virginians Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. In 1780, however, he overcame his dislike for public speaking to play a role in the Constitutional Convention that would earn him the nick-name "Father of the Constitution."
James Madison was born on March 16, 1751 in Port Conway Virginia. He was the eldest of ten children born to James Madison, a wealthy Virginia planter, and Eleanor "Nelly" Conway, daughter of the Virginia nobleman Francis Conway. Growing up on his father's estate in Orange County (later known as Montpelier), the younger James Madison had every advantage of wealth, but in childhood he was prone to illness. Though he was enrolled in the best elementary schools in Virginia, the sickly James Madison ended up receiving most of his early schooling from private tutors.
Madison enrolled in the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) in 1769. His excessive study habits enabled him to complete his last two years of study in one year. He received his B.A. in 1771. Upon returning home Madison spent his time tutoring his younger brothers and studying theology, philosophy, and law. He became increasingly interested in religion at this time and began learning Hebrew.
James Madison assumed his first governmental position in 1774 when he was elected to the Committee on Public Safety in Orange County, Virginia.
In 1776 Madison was elected to participate in Virginia's Constitutional Convention, where he helped in drafting Virginia's Bill of Rights. Madison's main contribution was in the area of religious freedom. He fought for, and succeeded in changing, a clause which allowed the "fullest toleration" of religion, to a clause which allowed "free exercise of religion." His argument against the first clause was that the word "toleration" implied that the state had jurisdiction over religion. In changing the clause Madison established the separation of church and state in Virginia.
James Madison's work at Virginia's Constitutional Convention won him a seat on the Virginia Assembly. There he served from 1777 to 1780, under Governors Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. In 1780 Madison attended the Continental Congress were he worked to help strengthen the Articles of Confederation. Then in 1783 he returned to the Virginia Assembly. It was during this time that he took seriously to the study of the history of government.
James Madison was selected as a Virginian delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The "Virginia Plan," which set the framework for the Constitution, was largely Madison's work. Though Madison hated public speaking, he found himself in the middle of many heated debates at the Convention. His quiet, congenial voice and his even temperament helped bring about many of the compromises that made the Constitution possible. Back home in the Virginia Assembly Madison fought the opposition led by Patrick Henry to see that Virginia ratified the Constitution. During this period Madison's struggle to see the Constitution ratified brought him to write "The Federalist Papers" with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. It was because of James Madison's overwhelming contribution to the Constitution, at the Convention of 1787 and beyond, that James Madison was dubbed "The Father of the Constitution."
Madison was elected to Congress in April 1789. While in Congress, he was responsible for nine amendments to the Constitution which helped form basis for the Bill of Rights.
James Madison left Congress after only one term. He returned to Montpelier where he married Dorthea "Dolley" Payne Todd on September 15, 1794. While James Madison was quiet and reserved, Dolly was extremely social. Her charm and ability to work a social function provided a strong contrast to the serious and serene James Madison. The couple had no children together, but they did raise a son who was Dolly's by a previous marriage.
The signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts into law by President Adams in 1798 enraged James Madison. Along with Thomas Jefferson, he began a movement to get the acts repealed. This movement was largely responsible for the establishment of the Democratic Republican Party and the election of Thomas Jefferson as the third President of the United States.
When Jefferson became President in 1801 he appointed James Madison his Secretary of State. When the war between Britain in France began to interfere with American trade, Madison advised the President against military measures. The resulting Embargo Act did not deter foreign aggression against American merchant vessels, but it did create a depression in the United States. Thomas Jefferson conceded to repeal the Embargo just before he left office in 1809. Despite the unpopularity of the Embargo Act and Madison's role in its becoming law, James Madison won the Presidency in the following election, and on March 4, 1809 became the fourth President of the United States.
Though the Embargo Act was gone, the problem it had been created to solve still existed. The war between Britain and France was still causing trouble for American ships. President Madison tried to play the warring countries against one another in an attempt to stop the attacks. He told both nations that if they agreed to stop attacking American vessels, he would break off trade with their enemy. Napoleon took Madison up on the deal, without any intention on following through. President Madison discontinued trade with Britain, and Britain stepped up its attacks on American vessels headed to do business with France. Outraged at the infringement upon America's rights at sea, the nation put more and more pressure on the reluctant President for military retaliation. At the request of President Madison, Congress declared war against Britain on June 18, 1812.
Aside from a few triumphs by Generals Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, the War of 1812 was a disaster for the United States. The American forces were small, and new recruits were hard to come by. In the summer of 1814 the British captured Washington D.C. and set fire to the White House and the Capitol. The Peace of Ghent was finally signed on December 24, 1814, ending the fighting, but not resolving the question of international rights at sea, the issue over which the war had been fought.
Despite the problems of the war, Madison had been elected to a second term in 1813. James Madison left office in 1817 and returned Virginia.
In retirement Madison maintained a close friendship with Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello was not thirty miles from Madison's Montpelier. When Jefferson died in 1826, Madison took over the job of building the University of Virginia. Madison came out of retirement briefly in 1829 to help the State of Virginia revise its constitution. James Madison died at Montpelier on June 28, 1836. Dolly Madison continued to be active attending political functions until her death in 1849.
