James Madison was the fourth President of the United States serving in office from 1809 to 1817. He is remembered as the "Father of the Constitution," because of the key role he played in the creation of the United States Constitution. Working closely with Thomas Jefferson, Madison also created the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1790's, and as Jefferson's Secretary of State, handled the Louisiana Purchase, (doubling the nation's size). (1)
Born in Port Conway, Virginia on March 16, 1751, Madison was the eldest of twelve siblings, seven of whom reached adulthood. His parents, Colonel James Madison, Sr. and Eleanor Rose Conway were slave owners and managed a tobacco plantation in Orange County, Virginia. Madison left his parent's plantation at the age of 18 to attend the College of New Jersey (which later became known as Princeton University), finishing a four-year course in half the time. Although he exhausted himself from overwork, he soon regained his health, and began his forty-one year political career in December of 1774, when he got appointed to the Orange County Committee of Safety. (1)
In May of 1787, James Madison traveled to Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. It was Madison's dedication and hard work at the convention helped greatly in the drafting of the Constitution, and earned him the title as the "Father of the Constitution" by the age of 36. Madison, however, protested that the document was not "the off-spring of a single brain," but rather "the work of many heads and many hands." (2)
James Madison and the other delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, intending to amend the Articles of Confederation, however, they ended up creating a new constitution altogether. Representing Virginia, Madison took on the job as chief recorder of information, and wrote out pages of notes on what was discussed at the convention. Madison's previous experience in developing Virginia's Constitution (eleven years earlier) made the process of drafting a new constitution easier, as his Virginia Plan served as the basis for debate. (3)
Born in Port Conway, Virginia on March 16, 1751, Madison was the eldest of twelve siblings, seven of whom reached adulthood. His parents, Colonel James Madison, Sr. and Eleanor Rose Conway were slave owners and managed a tobacco plantation in Orange County, Virginia. Madison left his parent's plantation at the age of 18 to attend the College of New Jersey (which later became known as Princeton University), finishing a four-year course in half the time. Although he exhausted himself from overwork, he soon regained his health, and began his forty-one year political career in December of 1774, when he got appointed to the Orange County Committee of Safety. (1)
In May of 1787, James Madison traveled to Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. It was Madison's dedication and hard work at the convention helped greatly in the drafting of the Constitution, and earned him the title as the "Father of the Constitution" by the age of 36. Madison, however, protested that the document was not "the off-spring of a single brain," but rather "the work of many heads and many hands." (2)
James Madison and the other delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, intending to amend the Articles of Confederation, however, they ended up creating a new constitution altogether. Representing Virginia, Madison took on the job as chief recorder of information, and wrote out pages of notes on what was discussed at the convention. Madison's previous experience in developing Virginia's Constitution (eleven years earlier) made the process of drafting a new constitution easier, as his Virginia Plan served as the basis for debate. (3)
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