James Madison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

James Madison - Essay Example Madison firmly believed in the strong unification of the country. Origin The fourth President of United States, James Madison (16th March, 1751- 28th June, 1886) made a massive contribution towards building the foundation of the nation. This great leader was born at Belle Grove Plantation situated near Port Conway, Virginia. His father, James Madison Senior was the largest landowner (with 5000 acres of land) and a leading citizen of the Orange Country. His mother, Nelly Conway Madison was the daughter of a prominent planter 2 and tobacco merchant. Thus, Madison was born in quite a prosperous family and as the oldest of 12 children was given suitable education at each step of his life. Both his parents had a considerable influence on him and his career. James Madison attended Princeton College (previously named College of New Jersey) and graduated in 1771. On 15th September, 1794, James married a widow, Dolley Payne Todd (20th May, 1768) and adopted her son, John Payne Todd. Dolley wa s the sister of Lucy Payne who married one of President Washington’s nephews, George Steptoe Washington. Dolley was expelled from the Society of Friends for marrying a non-Quaker. Ratification of Constitution Madison greatly contributed towards the ratification of Constitution by writing several Federal essays along with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. Madison had extensively studied the ancient and modern confederacies and he understood that the republic would perish if it did not have a strong central government. He contributed twenty nine out of eighty five articles that were published in various newspapers. At 1787 Constitutional Convention, Madison’s draft of Virginia Plan and his revolutionary three-branch federal system became the basis for the American Constitution of Today. Afterwards when addressed as the â€Å"Father of the 3 Constitution†, Madison deliberately played it down by saying that the document was not â€Å"the off-spring of a single brain †, but â€Å"the work of many heads and many hands.† Political Views James was very much a liberal politically. He believed that as the governments were formed after a formal election and by popular choice of people, hence if that government failed and became oppressive then people should have the full right to cause a revolt and overthrow that government. James respected privatization in the form of properties and religious liberties. James Madison had helped to write the Federalists Papers. According to him, the national government should be empowered to act directly on persons while safeguarding the integrity of the State Sovereignty. Hence, this also makes him Federalist in a political way. James was a republic too. His life was devoted to the cause of self government. Dislike of Slavery James Madison regarded slavery as a form of cruelty where one person was treated as a property of another individual and traded in the same way as human does. In a letter to Robert J. Evans, Madison writes, â€Å"[I]f slavery, as a national evil, is to be abolished, and it be just that it be done at the national expense, the amount of the expense is not a paramount consideration.† 4 James Madison appealed to the public to abolish slavery and to treat the slaves as human beings and not merely as property. Favored Congress Over State Legislature James Madison favored the Congress over the