James Madison – 4

James Madison was the 4th President of the United States of America. He was a part of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution and played an important role in the creation of the Bill of Rights.

He is considered one of the Founding Fathers of USA. Important events during his Presidency include the War of 1812.

When and where was he born?

James Madison was born in Port Conway, King George, Virginia on March 16, 1751.

Early Life

James Madison developed an early interest in reading. He read many books while growing up at a tobacco farm in Virginia, which was then a colony of Britain.

He also excelled at formal education at the school. After he had attained primary education, he joined the College of New Jersey from where he graduated.

He studied law for a time before he decided to join the politics. Soon after joining politics, he became a member of the Virginia Legislature.

During the American Revolution, he joined the American Continental Congress. As part of the Congress, he played an active and energetic role in opposing the British during the Revolutionary War.

After the American Revolution

When the American Revolutionary War ended, James Madison emerged as one of the most prominent politicians. He played a very active role at the Philadelphia Convention.

One of his most important achievements at that time was the role he played in creating the US federal government. He also helped create the constitution of United States.

When Madison and other members of the Congress proposed a strong federal government in the newly-born USA, many state delegates opposed this.

So Madison wrote a series of essays which are called Federalist Papers today. In these essays, he explained how a federal government will be beneficial to all the states. In this way, he played a key part in the creation of a strong federal government in USA.

Life as the President

James Madison was considered one of the Founding Fathers of USA and after the American Revolutionary War was over, he remained a very popular politician.

During the Presidency of Thomas Jefferson, he was appointed to the seat of Secretary of State. Then in 1809, he finally got elected as the 4th President of the United States of America.

While he was the President, the War of 1812 took place. In this war, USA and Britain declared war on each other. During the war, British forces attacked Washington D.C. and burned many important buildings. But eventually, USA won the war by decisively defeating the British forces.

Important Achievements

As a politicians, the achievements of James Madison included being elected to the Virginia Legislature, being elected to the Continental Congress, taking part in the Philadelphia Convention and finally, becoming the President of the USA.

Other achievements included the important role he played in the drafting of US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and as the author of the Federalist Papers.

Later Life

James Madison served as the President from 1809 to 1817. He later became less active in politics and died on June 28, 1836 at the age of 85.

Read More about American President James Madison at Wikipedia