Brief Biography of James Madison :
Madison, James is regarded as one of the 'Founding Fathers' of the United States of America. He was the 4th US President and started his tenure in the Presidential office in 1809, and continued till 1817.
In the early days of his political career, James Madison worked as the leader in the House of Representatives with President George Washington. Together they tried to organize the new Federal Government.
In the process, James Madison had a conflict with the Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton that led to his break up from the Federalist Party. In association with Thomas Jefferson, Madison coordinated the Democratic-Republican Party in 1791. they opposed the Federalist policies like the Jay Treaty and the National Bank. Madison played a big role in the authoring of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in 1798 in association with Jefferson. He also protested the Alien and Sedition Laws.
From 1801 to 1809, James Madison worked as the US Secretary of State. He played a major role in working out the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. He was also a major influence in perpetuating the Embargo Act of 1807, in order to stop the seizure of American ships by fleets of Great Britain and France. It also banned British ships from trading with America. the Act became immensely unpopular because it proved to be highly detrimental to the cause of the American traders. Merchants from New England were particularly opposed to this law.
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James Madison and US Presidential Election
In the 1808 US Presidential Election James Madison, as the Democratic-Republican candidate, recorded a win over the Federalist candidate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. After Madison took to the US Presidency, he played a major role in protecting the economic rights of the US. He took the initiative to start the Second Bank of the United States, although he had earlier opposed the proposition along with Jefferson when Alexander Hamilton proposed it. the law was sanctioned by James Madison in 1816.
After James Madison retired from the US President's office, he concentrated on the tobacco plantation in the state of Virginia. In the year of 1829, he once again returned to politics. As a legislator, he took measures to revise the constitution of Virginia State. However, he led a quiet and retired last days, and died at the age of 85.
James Madison was a leading political theorist of his times. Through his political actions, Madison was intent on putting republicanism in the US on a strong footing. He had an earnest belief that an emerging nation should maintain a serious fight against corruption and aristocracy. He also worked tirelessly to end the culture of factionalism, which he thought was the biggest deterrent towards achieving National Unity.
Quotes of James Madison
Some of the quotes by James Madison have become popular over the decades. A few of these quotations include:
- "All men having power ought to be mistrusted".
- "If men were angels, no government would be necessary".
- "Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power".
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Last Updated on: September 29th, 2017