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Period: to
Life
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ACCOMPLISHMENT: Constitutional Convention
James Madison represents Virginia in the Philidelphia Convention. He was very passionate about a strong central government and expressed his ideas for executive, judical, and legislative branches. -
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Wrote and published Federalist papers
In an effort to get the Constitution ratified, James Madison Alexander Hamilton and John Jay wrote The Federalist Papers and sent them to newpapers to be published in hopes that they could convince the people that the new Constitution was a good idea. -
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Won a seat in the House
James Madison won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, something he had helped create for our country. He was determined to make sure that Americans would have rights so he helped create the Bill of Rights. -
CHALLENGE: Objected the federal bank
James Madison and Thomas Jefferson debated against the creation of the federal bank but it was passed anyway because of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton -
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Secretary of State
James Madison become secretary of state for his good friend, Thomas Jefferson. -
CHALLENGE: Embargo Act
James Madison campaigns for the Embargo Act of 1807 to stop U.S. vessels from visiting foreign countries, stopping imports and exports to and from America. The act resulted in an ecomomic fiasco. -
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Became President of the USA
In 1808, James Madison won the presidential election with nearly 70% of the electoral votes. Considering the disaster of the Embargo act a year before, it was a miraculous victory. -
CHALLENGE: Non-Intercourse Act
With the Embargo Act repealed, the country still needed a way to ensure the safety of American vessels from the war between France and Britain. James Madison passed another act, the Non-Intercourse Act, preventing merchants of the U.S. to stop trade from only France and Britain. The act did nothing and people continued to trade causing our ships to be attacked. -
CHALLENGE: The Battle of 1812
James Madison declared war on Britain in 1812. The Federalists called the war "Mr. Madison's War." The war dragged on into his second term. In 1814, the British attacked Maryland and made their way to DC. They destroyed the White House and other important government buildings. -
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Virginia Convention
Madison's final political event was taking part in the Virginia Convention to revise the Constituion. His last years of political activity were spent organising and editing documents from the 1787 convention.
