James Madison

James Madison: Biography

James Madison grew up in Orange County, Virginia, in a plantation house named Mount Pleasant. In the early 1760s, the enslaved labor owned by the Madisons constructed another much larger plantation house, later to be called Montpelier. From age ten to sixteen, he attended boarding school in King and Queen County under the tutelage of Scottish instructor Donald Robertson. He learned geography, mathematics, and classical and modern languages, notably gaining proficiency in Latin.

Fig. 1 - James Madison preferred to influence policy away from the public eye.

In 1769, he enrolled in the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University. There, Madison laid the foundation for his political thinking. He continued his studies of classical languages like Latin and Greek, but also law and philosophy. In 1771, he completed the three-year bachelor's program in two years. He became the college's first graduate student studying political philosophy under the University president and future signer of the "Declaration of Independence," John Witherspoon. Witherspoon's enlightenment ideas, such as man's innate ability to reason and rule himself, became fundamental concepts that Madison extolled as a future statesman.

After graduating in 1773, Madison began to study lawbooks heavily, though he would never take the bar nor practice law. This experience, combined with his background in political philosophy, led to the creation of some of his most influential ideas on American Democracy.

James Madison: Beliefs

James Madison was a nationalist and supporter of a strong centralized government. However, he was well aware of the possibility of a federal government having too much power and authority over the states. He believed a strong central government could be held accountable through a system of checks and balances.

Madison also believed in freedom of religion, though there is no substantial evidence regarding his personal religious beliefs. He was raised in the Anglican church in British America, but generally opposed any state religion and insisted on separation of church and state.

James Madison: Contributions

James Madison made several major contributions to American politics that shaped the nation's destiny in the following centuries.

Fig. 2 - Madison's estate is now a National Historic Landmark. Wikimedia.

The Federalist Papers (1777-1778)

The Federalist Papers were a series of essays arguing for the ratification of the Constitution. Of eighty-five Federalist papers, Madison wrote twenty-nine. His most famous is "Federalist No. 10". He argues that a large republic with a variety of factions will act as a counterbalance to a strong central government.

Drafting the US Constitution

James Madison used his experience in the Virginia state legislature to propose the Virginia Plan. The plan recommended three branches of government, which would form the basis of the United States Constitution. The executive would be led by a single figurehead with self-appointed administrators, with the judicial branch to interpret the laws created by the bicameral legislature.

Each branch can conduct itself independently but cannot become the dominant institution. The executive branch can veto laws passed by the legislature, but the legislature can impeach and vote to remove office holders from the executive branch. The Supreme Court of the judicial branch has the ultimate say in law interpretation and can overturn rulings. While the size, scope, and reach of each branch have changed over time, the establishment of this form of government is the most famous American body of law today.

Fig. 3 - The US Constitution is famous for the opening words "We the People..."

Drafting the Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the US Constitution are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. These were proposals by James Madison to appease the opposition to the ratification of the Constitution. Opponents called themselves anti-federalists and were concerned with preventing the central government from gaining too much power. The Bill of Rights guaranteed many civil liberties that are now taken for granted. For example, the freedom of speech, religious liberty, and right to a fair trial if accused of a crime are just some of these freedoms guaranteed to citizens by the US Constitution.

Louisiana Purchase

James Madison served as Secretary of State from 1801-1809 in the Jefferson administration. He oversaw the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, effectively doubling the size of the contiguous United States. France was at war with Great Britain and needed the funds to pay for its military campaign. Madison sent diplomats to France to facilitate the purchase and set the terms of a peaceful transfer to avoid conflict with Great Britain and Spain (who still had the Florida territory).

Fig. 4 - The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the contiguous United States.

Second Bank of the US

As President, Madison wanted to create a national university and strengthen state militias. He proposed a Second Bank of the US, modeled after Alexander Hamilton's First Bank of the US. Ultimately, Congress approved the Second Bank to fund other projects.

Democratic-Republican Party

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson both founded the party. Once Jefferson was out of public office, James Madison became the presumptive leader of the party. The majority of the party base would split off and become the beginning of the modern Democratic Party.

James Madison: Quotes

Below are quotes by James Madison.

Madison was wary of a society heavily reliant on enslaved people's labor and felt it was unstable. Rebellion was an ever-present danger to plantation owners. Madison himself owned over one hundred slaves on his Montpelier estate. Much like Thomas Jefferson in private, he held a more empathetic opinion towards slavery. Moralizing slavery was unpopular in Madison's time, and it was more feasible to address the fragile system as a logical contradiction to the principles of the republic.

Equality in representation was a radical idea in Madison's time. He recognized that a society with a variety of people had different needs, and each deserved representation. Colonial America was populated mainly by immigrants. Some, like the Madisons and Jeffersons, managed to amass wealth over a few generations. Despite his higher economic status than most Americans, Madison understood that a peaceful union of the states required a genuinely representative democracy.

James Madison recognized and valued differing opinions in an open democracy. He felt factions were essential to counterbalance the power of a central government that was susceptible to majority rule. While the US Constitution created a stronger federal government to unite the states, the Bill of Rights addressed anti-federalist concerns and protected civil liberties. Madison believed in government for the people, by the people, and his position on defining civil liberties evolved throughout his political career.