October 1, 2019 (Tuesday)
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Born on March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia, James Madison wrote the first drafts of the U.S. Constitution, co-wrote the Federalist Papers and sponsored the Bill of Rights. He established the Democrat-Republican Party with President Thomas Jefferson, and became president himself in 1808. He served as president two terms, 1809-1817.
The Madison administration’s principal event was the War of 1812. Britain and France had been at war for years and would not trade with each other. The young United States tried different approaches to finding solutions. Ultimately the United States tried an embargo, under Jefferson’s presidency, but it only brought depression. The hostile actions of the British brought about Madison’s declaration of war. In the end, the war was a draw, ended by treaty December 24, 1814, but 15,000 Americans died in it. The White House was also burned by the British, who paid Native American tribes to attack the Americans; after the war, the British provided no more help to them, enabling Americans to move westward more easily.
James Madison was married to Dolley Todd Payne, a young widow and mother of a son. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of both political parties. Previously, founders such as Thomas Jefferson would only meet with members of one party at a time, and politics could often be a violent affair resulting in physical altercations and even duels, Madison helped to create the idea that members of each party could amicably socialize, network, and negotiate with each other without resulting in violence. By innovating political institutions as the wife of James Madison, Dolley Madison did much to define the role of the President’s spouse.
Dolley also helped to furnish the newly constructed White House. When the British set fire to it in 1814, she was credited with saving the classic portrait of George Washington; she directed her personal slave Paul Jennings to save it.
James Madison-4th President(1809-1817)