Dave+H.+-+JM+-+FA10

** Born March 16, 1751 Died June 28, 1836 ** ** Democratic-Republican ** ** Served As President 1809-1817 (2 Terms) ** ** Vice Presidents: George Clinton (1809-1812) and ** ** Elbridge Gerry (1813-1814) ** James Madison is considered to be one of the Fathers of the Country. He wrote the Constitution that made us the country who we are today. While Madison’s presidency was a very important one, his total grade should only be a C+. While Madison had very few failures as a President, his attributes to the country during his presidency were very few. His actions before his presidency shaped the country far more than his presidency.
 * James Madison, Jr. **

Without his background, Madison could never have become president. At the age of 29, he became the youngest member of the Continental Congress and gained major respect. In this time, he and many others realized that the Articles of Confederation needed much revising. By September of 1787, Madison had become the voice of pro ratification of the new Constitution. He, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, wrote the Federalist papers together, which professed the ideas of a strong central government, and republicanism. In 1799 (after returning to the Virginia House of Representatives) he campaigned for the election of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, in turn, gave him the role of Secretary of State, which allowed Madison to realize him ambitions of running for President.

Madison had big shoes to fill because, not only is he replacing Jefferson, but he was endorsed by Jefferson. Madison had a few goals accomplish as president. He wanted to keep peace with the European Nations, to continue the nation’s neutrality cause, re-charter the national bank, and develop stronger trade routes within the United States. Madison had trouble in keeping peace with other nations. At the time, France and England were treating America very poorly when it came to shipping. In response to this, Jefferson had signed the Embargo Act of 1807. This halted the export of American products to Europe. In turn, the act destroyed the American economy, yet saved American boats. The act ended and Madison put the Non-Intercourse Act into play in 1809, which reopened shipping to all countries except France and Britain. When this was repealed by Macon’s Bill No.2 in 1810 and 1811, it allowed trade with the countries to continue. Britain still said American ships would be captured. This ultimately sparked the War of 1812, which Madison ended up claiming inevitable. Besides the War of 1812 America did not get involved in any other real scraps with any other countries. In 1816, after fighting the “old” Republicans seeing the bank being unconstitutional, and the anti-British Republicans fearing the Bank being able to control all financial business, the rechartering idea was thrown out and the Second Bank was chartered. After the war was over, the rivers opened up and trade in the United States flourished. Overall, Madison was somewhat successful with his goals.

Madison’s had a pretty good relationship with congress. This is mainly due to them being mostly Democratic-Republicans. When Madison finally realized that war with Britain was inevitable due to the high tensions brought on through the various trade acts, he immediately went to congress for his declaration of war. He received it post-hace a mere two weeks later. Also, in developing the national bank, an answer to the question was received after minor disagreements. In his office, Madison vetoed many a bill that he deemed unconstitutional and, being the Father of the Constitution, his grievances were understood. In the end, Madison had a relationship in congress where they got many things done.

Ultimately, the War of 1812 can be viewed as both had the most successful and most horrendous outcome in his presidency. To begin with, the call for war greatly divided the country itself. The South and West supported the war as well as Republicans in Pennsylvania and Virginia. However, the North and South Federalists didn’t like the idea of war because many Federalists sympathized with Britain because of their mutual hatred for Napoleon. In August of 1814, British troops came in from the Chesapeake Bay and stormed Washington. They successfully burned down many buildings, including the White House. In the end the war killed or wounded 6000 Americans. America did profit in some ways from the war, the most obvious being that the States showed how they could fight such a power like England and hold their own. Also, thanks to the British blockade that halted American shipping, manufacturing flourished thorough out the states and a sense of nationalism swept the country. Going to war influenced the country today greatly. If countries wouldn’t have seen the fight we put up against British, they would have failed to respect us, and maybe even try to take over our land. With the boom in manufacturing, America realized that they could take care of themselves. All in all, Madison’s decision of going to war both helped, and hurt the Country.

The country wasn’t necessarily better off post-Madison, but at the same time, it wasn’t any worse. Madison did lead the country through a very important war, and reestablished the Bank, but really, did his presidency accomplish very much? He really didn’t change the country in a major way besides going through the War of 1812. His Presidency wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that great, which is why James Madison deserves a C+.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Kennedy, David M. //The American Pagent//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 225-241. Print.  "James Madison." //SparkNotes//. SparkNotes, 2010. Web. 23 Sep 2010. .  "First Inaugural Address ." //Ashbrook Center For Public Affairs//. Teaching American History, 2008. Web. 23 Sep 2010. .

American President: James Madison." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. University of Virginia, 2010. Web. 23 Sep 2010. < []>