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James Madison Jr. Birth: March 16, 1751 Death: June 28, 1836 Political Party: Republican Terms: 1808-1812 1812-1816 Vice Presidents:George Clinton 1808-1812, Elbrige Gerry 1813-1814

If men were angels, no government would be necessary.

__**Rating**__ I would give James Madison a C for his over all presidency. He didn't do anything that was terrible yet he didn't have any above average achievements either. He lead the country through the war of 1812, starting the national bank again, and the Macon's Bill No. 2.

James Madison wanted to accomplice many things. First off he wanted to have Britain and France respect American ships as neutral of any nation but America. Also he wanted to keep peace between America and its european cousins. James Madison wanted to create better interstate transport networks to help unite the people and help the American trade between the states.
 * __Goals__**

Unlike under Jefferson the Republican party was not as united with Madison. The congress disagreed with many of Madison's plans even though they were the same party. This was caused by the criticism of his foreign policy and the economic troubles. This hurt Madison even though he got quite a few bills through.
 * __Congress__**

The most positive of Madisons decisions was to get rid of the Embargo Act which was hurting and limiting the American economy. This bill prevented trade with either france or Great Britain causing the european countries to become frustrated and angry. Afterwards we became better allies with france. The most negative is the was the bill called the Macon's bill no. 2 which made America pick sides with who they should trade. The french agreed to respect America's neutral standing but england felt betrayed and this lead to the war of 1812. The British felt it was unfair that America wouldn't trade with them but would with their biggest enemy.
 * __Administration__**

Through the War of 1812 Madison helped America. He forced America to become independent of Britain economically. Also this war would later allow Demecratic Andrew Jackson to become elected. This war also created the national anthem that we still sing today. The capital was burned which provided a way to build a new white house and capital city.
 * __Future__**

The country in all wasn't that much better off after James Madison. He did a few good things but all in all he hadn't accompliced that much this is why he got a C. Through the War of 1812 a few different bills and a new launch of the national bank the country hadn't over all changed.
 * __Conclusion__**

DeGregorio, William, and Sandra Lee Stuart. __The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents__. Fort Lee, NJ:Barricade Books, 2009. Virtualology. "James Madison." James Madison. Evisum, Inc. Review., 2000. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. .