James Madison Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is James Madison?
James Madison was an American statesman, diplomat, political theorist and the fourth President of the United States. He is best known for his role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution during his time as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was also instrumental in creating the Bill of Rights, which ensured individual rights for all citizens of America.Madison was born on March 16th 1751 to a wealthy family in Orange County, Virginia. He received most of his early education from private tutors before attending Princeton University (then known as The College of New Jersey). During his time at Princeton he studied government and law under several prominent figures such as John Witherspoon and William Bradford Jr., who were both influential figures in American politics. After graduating from Princeton in 1771 Madison returned home to begin studying law with Thomas Jefferson’s mentor George Wythe. After completing his studies on law he returned home to manage his family’s estate and became active politically, joining with Jefferson’s Republican Party and serving three terms in Congress from 1780-1783 before returning home again to continue managing the estate. While back home he wrote extensively on government matters and eventually gained a reputation as one of America’s leading political thinkers. In 1787 Madison represented Virginia at the Constitutional Convention where he played a major role in drafting what would become America’s Constitution His efforts earned him the title Father of The Constitution In 1801 Madison was elected President by an electoral college vote, defeating then-incumbent President Thomas Jefferson to become America’s fourth President. As President Madison faced numerous challenges including dealing with foreign relations issues such as Britain’s impressment policy against US ships as well continuing tensions between France and Britain that threatened war with either nation or both nations simultaneously (known now as The War Of 1812). Despite these challenging circumstances Madison managed to lead a successful presidency that preserved peace with foreign nations while still protecting US interests abroad especially through is negotiation skills which resulted in two crucial treaties; The Treaty Of Ghent which ended The War Of 1812 & The RushBagot Treaty which limited naval armaments along boundary lines between US & Canada territories Overall James Madison had an amazing career not only founding our nation but also managing it while under hostile international conditions while also setting up some key legislation that has kept our country strong since its inception over 200 years ago.