Mark+C.+-+Jmad+-+SP10



//and Eldridge Gerry (1813-1814; died)//
 * James Madison **
 * //Born//** //– March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia//
 * //Died//** //– June 28, 1836 in Montpelier, Virginia//
 * //Political Party//** //– Democratic Republican//
 * //Terms in Office//** //– (2) 1809-1813 and 1813-1817//
 * //Vice Presidents//** //– George Clinton (1809-1812; died)//

James Madison proved that he was a competent president during his terms. Madison deserves a grade letter of a “B+” for his terms as president. Madison deserves this letter grade because he proved that he could perform well under pressure. He took the country over from a presidency that made some mistakes at the end. He was able to help rejuvenate the country’s nationalism after coming out of a hard time. Although he did do many great things, he doesn’t deserve a higher grade because of some bad things. The main cause of his grade was his inability to avoid entering another war with Great Britain.

The main goal of Madison’s presidency was to stop the harassment of America by France and Great Britain. Starting in the Jefferson presidency, Great Britain and France started to fight. They both wanted American trade and attacked ships going into the others ports. Great Britain even impressed American sailors into the British military. At this point, Americans were getting angry and wanted something done. This was Madison’s main goal going into the presidency and he accomplished it by fighting a war with Britain. The Treaty of Ghent was made in 1814 which was a final peace treaty between Great Britain and America.

The Majority party in congress during Madison’s terms was Republican. This was so drastic a difference because the Federalist Party was all but collapsed at this time. Even though the vast majority of Congress was made up of republicans, Madison didn’t necessarily have the same opinions as them. This was extremely evident during the War of 1812. Both congresses as well as the cabinet of Madison were split on this issue. In the end though, congress was on Madison’s side because they passed the issue of going to war. All in all, except for the brief period of time during the war, Madison and the congress got along well.

The action made during Madison’s presidency that sticks out as the most positive would probably be the decision to go to war with Britain. Although this didn’t seem like a smart move at the time, it ended with some positive outcomes. One of those outcomes was that they were able to make peace with Great Britain. The impressments stopped and trade was much better. A second positive outcome was the renewed spirit of nationalism in the states. Although the British won the war for the most part, the few American victories gave a big boost to America’s confidence. The most negative thing during Madison’s terms was the Non-intercourse act. This act was put in place of the Embargo act to try and help trade. They were only banning trade with France and Great Britain under this act instead of all of Europe. This act was a complete failure because U.S. merchant ships were still being attacked. This issue still led to war so this act really did nothing to help the situation.

One thing that Madison left for future Presidents was the ability to get things done without infringing upon anyone’s rights. This was not done by any other president before him who had to bend the rules to get stuff done. Madison wanted this sort of policy from the beginning and showed that it was possible to accomplish stuff while staying “constitutional”. Madison was even commended for fighting a war with out taking away anyone’s rights. This was a major lesson to future presidents that everything should be, and can be done the right way.

In conclusion, the country was no doubt better off than when Madison was first inaugurated. Although there were some tough times, the country came out healthy and strong. They had even entered into a time called the Era of Good Feelings because there was less political fighting than ever before. It is clear that Madison deserved a “B-“ because although they did go to war, he kept his composure as well as kept the country united.

__**Bibliography**__
 * 1814, however, Canada, England, continental Europe proclaimed the result a U.S. triumph. Still the country would never forget the ignominy of the president, D.C., including setting afire the executive mansion, the Capitol, and other public buildings.. "James Madison Biography - Biography.com." //Biography.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
 * "American President: James Madison." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
 * "James Madison | The White House." //The White House//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
 * "The Federalist; Biography of Madison." //Heritage - LeftJustified.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .
 * "U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Origins & Development > Party Division." //U.S. Senate//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. .