Government
James Madison
By: Ashley Campos
Virginia and United States Government
Block: 2B
Background of James Madison
- Born on March 16, 1757 in Port Conway, Virginia, US.
- Died on June 28, 1836 in Orange County, Virginia, US.
- Lived on a 5,000 acre plantation that produced tobacco and grains with 100 slaves.
- Was home-schooled, Went to preparatory school,and landed in Princeton for college.
- Received his bachelors of Arts degree in 1771
- Remained in Princeton for 6 months after studying under President John Witherspoon.
- He admired John Locke, Issac Newton, Jonathon Swift, David Hume, Voltaire and many others who expressed their ideas on the Enlightened World.
Personal Accomplishments
- 1776: Elected a delegate to Virginia Province Convention (Declaration of Independence Signed)
- 1779: First elected to Continental Congress.
- 1785: Worked to past statute for Religious Freedom in the Virginia House of Delegates.
- 1789: Entered first U.S. Congress as a representative from Virginia.
- 1798: Prepared Virginia Resolutions in opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts.
- 1803: Louisiana Purchase.
- 1809: Took office as 4th President.
- 1815: British defeated at New Orleans; News of Treaty of Ghent received in Washington. This treaty restored prewar boundaries and ensured American National self respect.
- James Madison also drafted Washington's Inaugural address.
- Appointed Secretary of State.
Virginia Plan
Virginia PLan, Digital Image. ClassBrain. James Madison (NARA). March 17, 2006. Web. September 25, 2015.
Federalist Papers
In Praise of Anonymous Political Speech- the Old-Fashioned Name for Internet Trolls, Digital Image. Utopiayouarestandinginit. Jim Rose. October 8, 2014. Web. September 25, 2015.
Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights, Digital Image. OurGovernment. Web. September 29, 2015.
How did James Madison impact the United States that is Formed Today?
- James Madison was on of the principle founders of American's republican form of government. Although the beliefs are now different in the Republican party, this political party still exist today.
- Madison worked toward the Constitution Convention and spent most of his young life of his life there. Previously, he had created the Virginia Plan that became a foundation of the creation for the U.S. Constitution.
- Madison proposed new revenue laws that ensured the president's control over the Executive Branch. We now have a system of Checks and Balances which ensure that no one in the government has too much control anything and allows branches to Veto each others laws if necessary.
- Lastly, proposed the Bill of Rights, The Bill of Rights are the first Amendments and are still and will forever be apart of the U.S. Constitution.
Citations
"James Madison." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
"James Madison." Historic World Leaders. Gale, 1994. World History in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.
"Constitution, U.S." Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Ed. Paul Finkelman and Joseph Calder Miller. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 1998. World History in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.