James Madison and His Presidency Essays - United States, Virginia

James Madison and His Presidency Essays - United States, Virginia James Madison and His Presidency Supriya Panjiyar History US 1301-71008 Professor April Braden 11/30/2017 The founding father of the United States, James Madison crested the first drafts of the US constitution and the Bill of Rights. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was one of those exceptional American politician who thought about the democratic government and the legalization differently. He managed to bring a change in the constitution of America through his skillful ideas and knowledge. Not only he was the brilliant mind behind the ideas of constitution, but he was also a strong supporter of the right of conscience and religious liberty. Apart from the fact that he helped design the constitution, his articles on "The Federalist Paper," is also one of the finest work of political theory in the American history. James Madison Jr. was born in March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia to father James Madison Sr. and mother Nelly Conway Madison. He was the eldest among his seven brothers and four sisters. His father was a tobacco planter who had grown up in a plantation and later upon reaching adulthood had inherited the plantation and also acquired more property and slaves making him the largest landowner and a leading citizen in the Piedmont. James Madison Jr's mother Nelly Conway Madison was also a daughter of a planter and tobacco merchant. In 1762, Madison was sent to a boarding school in King and Queen county, Virginia and returned after five years to Orange county, Virginia to his father's estate. Due to Madison's health issues his father had him stay home and receive his further education by private tutoring. After two years in 1769 he went to college of New Jersey which is now known as Princeton University. After returning to his home in the Orange county in 1772, he took an interest in the ongoing strained relationship between American colonies and Britain. In 1774, he was appointed as a colonel in the Orange County militia. However, he soon gave up his position in the military for his political career. He stood a representative of Orange county in 1776 at the Virginia Constitution convention to organize a new state government no longer under the British rule where he drafted the state's guarantee of religious freedom. He met Thomas Jefferson around that time who later became his life long friend. In 1777, he lost a seat for Virginia assembly. He supported American- French alliance in the revolution and handled almost all of the council's correspondence with France. He went to Philadelphia in 1780 to serve as one of Virginia's delegates to continental council. In 1783, Madison left congress and returned to the Virginia Assembly where he worked on a religious freedom statute and reworked on revising the document written by Jefferson in 1777. Later on that year he was called back to congress where he helped create a new constitution of US. Madison played a very significant and vital role in creating the US constitution. In 1787, he represented at the constitution convention where he showed his support for a central government. Madison always supported Federalism. He put forward his plans about the constitution through Governor Edmond Radolph. He polished and worked on the principles of constitution which led to giving him the title "Father of The Constitution." Madison after doing a deep research and thinking came to the conclusion that the government had be set up with a system of checks and balances so no branch had greater power over the other. Madison also suggested that governors and judges have enhanced roles in government in order to help manage the state legislatures. After the constitution was written it had to be ratified by nine of the 13 states which was not an easy task because many of the states felt that the constitution gave the federal government too much power. Although many of his ideas were included in the constitution, it faced some oppositions in his own hometown state Virginia and some other colonies. He used to take notes daily of the debates at the constitutional convention. He even collaborated with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in newspaper publication of the "Federalist Paper". He wrote 29 out of 85 of the federalist paper. It promoted the ratification of the US constitution. Civiced.org mentions that "The writings helped him expand his vision of republican government and his idea that the new constitution would be suitable for the ideals and political realities of the young republic". (James Madison and