James Madison By: Lucas Hyder

1. James Madison By: Lucas Hyder

2. Right Out of College • After 2 years Madison graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University). • Madison learned how a government should be ran from John Witherspoon, the college president. • James returned to Montpelier and suffered from a form of epilepsy • James began to study law, but soon gave up after finding the books very dry.

3. Prepare for war • Soon after the Boston Tea Party Virginians prepared for war. • Since Madison was the son of a plantation owner he was appointed colonel for the Orange County Militia. • Because of Madison’s illness he did not serve as a soldier in the field. Instead he was chosen to represent Orange County in a general convention at Williamsburg, Virginia, to establish a new state government. • One important thing that James did at the convention was that he said that people have freedom to worship and that privilege cannot be taken from them.

4. Return Home • Madison returned to Montpelier in the summer of 1776. • There he learned the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. • Later he returned to Williamsburg for the first session of the Virginia legislature. James served on the Committee of Religion with Thomas Jefferson. • In November of 1777 Madison was appointed to fill a vacant seat on Council of State, which advised the governor of Virginia.

5. Continental Congress • In December of 1779 Madison and three others were chosen to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. • In 1784 Madison left the Continental Congress and was serving in the Virginia state legislature • Madison supported a bill that would establish freedom of religion, while he served in the state legislature. • In 1786 the Articles of Confederation began to show symptoms of failure. Madison and Alexander Hamilton scheduled a meeting in Philadelphia to discuss a revision of the articles. • Madison thought the U.S. needed a stronger government that could overrule state laws if necessary. • There Madison proposed his, “Virginia Plan,” the plan provided that each state would have representatives to the new Congress according to the state’s population.

6. Federalist Papers • When the new Constitution was ready people were afraid of letting the government have to much power. • Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote a series of essays called, The Federalist Papers, that would defend the Constitution. • Madison and others wrote the bill of rights to assure ratification.

7. In the Government • Madison became the a member of the House of Representatives when George Washington was president. • In 1794 Madison married Dolly Payne Madison. • In 1798 Madison and Jefferson wrote the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions. The resolutions said that states could block unconstitutional federal laws.

8. Secretary of State • Madison became Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809 when Jefferson became president. • Madison had trouble with Britain and France, which were having major conflicts. • In 1803 Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from Napoleon.

9. President Madison • When Jefferson decided to retire he nominate Madison for the Democratic- Republican Party. • March 4, 1809 Madison was sworn into office.

10. Problems for the President • One big issue for Madison was dealing with the attacks of British and French warships on American merchant ships. • The British would board ships and take sailors claiming to be deserters. • They also claimed land south of the Great Lakes and were arming and supporting Indian tribes who were fighting American settlers.

11. The War of 1812 • On June 1, 1812 Madison asked Congress to declare war on Britain. On June 18 Madison declared war. • The U.S. was not prepared for this war. • The U.S. had a small army and few experienced officers.

12. The Small Navy • When the U.S. started the war they only had seven frigates, but the ship carried more men, extra guns, and had a thick oak siding for protection. • The U.S. had numerous victories, but this was nothing compared to the number of ships in the British navy. • Although the victories provided morale support for the U.S. • In 1814 the British pushed through the Capitols weak defense and burned Washington.

13. Negotiations for Peace • Negotiations started August 1814 in present-day Belgium. • Even with negotiations the war still continued. • The British army was sailing towards New Orleans planning to capture the city.

14. After the War • After the victory Madison proposed the building of roads, canals, and a national university. • In 1816, Madison’s party nominated his secretary of sate James Monroe for president. • On April 6, Madison and his wife left D.C.

15. The Fall of Washington

16. Works Cited • January, Brendan. James Madison. New York: Children's Press, 2003. Print. • Stuart, Gilbert. portrait of James Madison. 1821. Learn NC. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.      <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/10887>. • New World Encyclopedia. "James Madison." New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 3 Apr.      2008. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/      James_Madison>. • J and M'Lean. The Federalist. 1788 • The White House. James Madison. 1788. • Madison, James: cartoon depicting Madison fleeing Washington, D.C., during War of 1812. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Web. 20 Mar.