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| James Madison Jr. is managed by the US Presidents Project. Join: US Presidents Project Discuss: presidents |
| James Madison Jr. is managed by the 1776 Project. Join: 1776 Project Discuss: 1776 |
Contents |
Biography
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Early Years
As many Founding Fathers were, James Madison was born in Virginia. He was born on 16 March 1751, the oldest of twelve children. His father, James Madison, Sr., was one of the largest tobacco planters in the state, raising his family on a large plantation, known as Mount Pleasant, in the Piedmont region. Slavery was the foundation of the economy of the times, and the Madisons owned several. Young James and his outlook on life would be affected by his experiences and education.
Being the son of a well-to-do family, his education was the best it could be. He attended a boarding school and excelled in Mathematics and Modern and Ancient Languages. At the age of 16, he returned to Mount Pleasant, now re-named Montpelier, and began a two-year course to prepare him for college. Instead of enrolling in the College of William and Mary in his home state, Madison decided to attend the College of New Jersey, which we know today as Princeton University.
College Years
An evangelical seminary known for debating various philosophies, the College of New Jersey gave Madison an introduction to “Republicanism,” a philosophy that would direct him the rest of his life. Republicanism was not a political philosophy but, rather, an ideology in which people lived in a “Republic.” Different than a Monarchy, as most governments of the time were found to be, the people directed the government, deciding how the government would be run by the simple process of voting. The will of the people, rather than the will of a single monarch, would determine the course of government, hopefully reducing war and turmoil while improving economic conditions for all the people.
While at college, Madison studied under Rev. John Witherspoon, who taught him to respect all religions. He excelled at languages, rhetoric, philosophy, and debate. Like many of the Founding Fathers, Madison became a Deist, believing in a single creator of the universe, but not holding to any particular theology.
Finishing at Princeton and returning to Montpelier in 1772, Madison was considered in physical stature to be a small man, standing 5’-4” and weighing about 100 pounds. As a result he was underestimated several times throughout his life.
Entry Into Public Service
Madison’s first foray into public service was as a Colonel in the Orange County, Virginia Militia around 1774. In 1776, when Virginia held its first convention to discuss ongoing problems with England, he met Thomas Jefferson, and they became life-long friends. Madison, Jefferson, and George Mason were selected to write the Virginia Constitution. He continued to work closely with Jefferson while a member of the Virginia Legislature, 1776-1779. The two of them would write the Virginia Statute on Religious Liberty in 1786, saying no person would be required to join a particular religion.
During the Revolutionary War], Madison would join the Continental Congress, becoming its youngest member. At the time, Virginia held land in what would become Ohio and areas further west and, in 1783, the land was designated the Northwest Territory. Continuing to serve as a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates after the Revolution, Madison began to believe in Federalism, an ideology based on a strong central government also favored by George Washington and John Adams.
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| 1783 |
The Colonies were governed by the weak Articles of Confederation after the Revolutionary War ended in 1783. As citizens returned to their pre-war lives, the debate began regarding a strong government versus states’ rights, where the states held the majority of the power. The problem remained, however, what the best way to pay for the government and protection they demanded might be. It was clear the Articles of Confederation were not sufficient, not being able to tax citizens or pay off the war debt. There was a fear the new nation would fail before it had a chance to succeed.
Writing A Constitution
Madison convinced George Washington it was time for a real Constitution, and states began appointing representatives to attend a Constitutional Convention beginning in Philadelphia in 1783. Madison joined 54 other delegates at the Convention. Having spent several months researching various philosophies of government, Madison proposed the Virginia Plan, putting forth the idea of a Republic again, but one in which the states and federal government could work together, rather than one dominating the other.
Important components of the Virginia Plan included a dual legislature, as well as a government with three branches - executive, legislative and judicial. Other changes were discussed and adopted, but the Virginia Plan remained the basic outline of the new government. That’s why James Madison is known as the “Father of the Constitution.”
The final draft of a Constitution was signed in 1787, and sent to the states for individual ratification. Madison joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to write the Federalist Papers, a series of articles explaining various aspects of the new Constitution and urging their passage. Ratification took place in 1788, and the First U.S. Congress met and elected George Washington the first President in 1789.
The rights of individual citizens missing from the Constitution prompted the need for a Bill of Rights. Madison undertook the task of writing the first amendments to the Constitution, although he believed it already limited government control in favor of the populace. Hundreds of amendments became 19, then 12, and then Madison settled on 10 in the end. He then served in the first House of Representatives.
At the time, two political parties existed - Federalist and Republican (later Democrat-Republicans). Washington, Adams and others still pushed for a stronger federal government (Federalists), while Madison and Jefferson pushed for governmental limits and local control by the states. This was a turn-around from strong Federalist leanings by Madison previously, but after he became President, he began favoring a strong central government again as a way of dealing with national debt and the need for a central bank, and an army and navy.
Still serving in Congress, Madison then served as Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State, 1801-1809. Two issues dominated the times - the Louisiana Purchase and the shipping violations and blockades by the French and English that would eventually lead to the War of 1812.
The Presidency
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| James Madison's Portrait |
Madison was elected 4th President of the United States in 1808. France and England were still at war, and creating problems blockading U.S. ports and impressing American sailors into the British Navy. Domestically, the Federalist Party was almost non-existent, and Madison was asking Congress in 1810 for funding to expand the Army and Navy in preparation for war. A “War Hawk” Congress led by John C. Calhoun (South Carolina) and Henry Clay (Kentucky) gave permission to declare war against the British in 1812.
Indians supported by the British began a Northeast uprising in 1813 and, in 1814, the British invaded Washington, D.C. and burned the city, including the White House. The national anthem was written during a naval attack on Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, and Gen. Andrew Jackson turned back invaders in the Battle of New Orleans in 1814. The War of 1812 officially ended in 1815.
The “Era of Good Feelings” took over the U.S. after the war ended. Relations with the Indians were reasonably good as many moved from their ancestral homes to farms, people were beginning to move West into new territories, and most Americans felt good about the country. Slavery remained an issue to be dealt with at another time, and some of the Indians were being forced off their lands and not being given any rights.
Personal Life
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| Dolley. |
In 1817, at the age of 65, Madison and his wife, Dolley, retired to Montpelier, a 4,000-acre tobacco plantation run by over 100 slaves. Madison was 43 years old when he married 26-year-old Dolley, a widow. She lost her husband, in-laws and a young son to Yellow Fever, but had another son, John Todd, who was adopted by Madison. She and Madison had no children of their own.
Madison enjoyed his retirement years writing and corresponding with his friends, and Dolley continued to welcome streams of guests to their home. Madison was as prominent as an ex-President in his times as George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, having made many prominent and influential friends during their years of public service. Until his death in 1836, Madison continued to provide service on boards, commissions and societies related to his wide range of interests.
Typically, an ex-President left the White House poorer than when he went in, and Madison was no exception. Money, or the lack of it, became so severe toward the end of the 1820’s that Madison sold his notes related to the Constitutional Convention on the condition the funds earned would go toward his estate and take care of Dolley. He also sold 25% of his slaves to help offset expenses at the plantation, as well. Although feeble, he accepted an appointment to a group to revise the Virginia State Constitution in 1829.
Madison died at his beloved Montpelier on 28 June 1836, the last of the Founding Fathers. Despite his contributions and notoriety, he was ignored by up and coming politicians of the day. He was buried in the family cemetery on the plantation.
Dolley sold the mansion in 1842 and, finally, the land in 1844. Her son, John, and a nephew inherited half of the plantation’s slaves. Dolley then returned to Washington, D.C., where she died in 1849.
Timeline
Following are links to his Presidental Time-line and Birth to Death Time-line
Legacy
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| Dollie & James |
- Eighteen US states have named counties in President Madison's honor. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. Virginia named two counties Madison - the first was named after President Madison in 1785 and is now Madison County, Kentucky; the second was named after the Madison family that had owned the land, from which he descended.[1]
- Appears on the 4 cent stamp, $2 stamp, 34 cent stamp.
- Interesting Fact: James Madison and President Zachary Taylor were second cousins. Madison's great-grandmother Francis (Taylor) Madison, and Taylor's great-grandfather, Zacahary Taylor Sr., were siblings.
Sources
- ↑ See the Wikipedia article on the second of the name: Madison County, Virginia (accessed 11 February 2026).
- The Dolley Madison Digital Edition. The Madison Family. Edited by Holly C. Shulman. Accessed by Michael Boynton on March 21, 2016 at 9:45 PM. [1]
- The Dolley Madison Digital Edition. James Madison's Nieces and Nephews. Edited by Holly C. Shulman. Accessed by Michael Boynton on March 21, 2016 at 9:55 PM.
- WhiteHouse.Gov
- Montpelier
- James Madison University
- Miller Center
- [2] James Madison Family Organization
- [3] President James Madison handwritten pedigree
- Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America, p.140.
- Portrait & Bio. Album of Mahaska Co. IA (1887)
- Find A Grave: Memorial #661
- https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-james-madison
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Princeton_University_people
- United States Congress. "James Madison, Jr. (id: M000043)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=M000043
- https://paw.princeton.edu/article/1-james-madison-1771
- 1820 Census: "1820 United States Federal Census"
1820 U S Census; Census Place: Orange, Virginia; Page: 100; NARA Roll: M33_141; Image: 113
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7734 #1125685 (accessed 1 June 2022)
James Madison. (112 enslaved) - 1830 Census: "1830 United States Federal Census"
Year: 1830; Census Place: Orange, Virginia; Series: M19; Roll: 196; Page: 321; Family History Library Film: 0029675
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8058 #900071 (accessed 1 June 2022)
James Madison. (97 enslaved) - Presidents on US Postage stamps
- related
- Descendants Enslaved People Historic Plantation-win
See also:
- Slaves of President James Madison, Virginia
- Wikipedia contributors, "James Madison," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Madison&oldid=1294866446 (accessed June 13, 2025).
- Wikidata Q11813
![[3]](/Code-http-www.loc.gov/exhibits/madison/images/vc1.jpg){kind=link}