Presidency of James Madison

Historical Context Note

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James Madison (16th of March, 1751 - 28th of June, 1836) served as the fourth President of the United States (1809-1817).

James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and principal author of the United States Constitution, is remembered as the 'Father of the Constitution' as much as for his presidency. The main event of his two terms in office was the War of 1812 against the British. Initially the war looked disastrous for the ill-prepared US, and Madison faced heavy criticism, but by the time the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1814 America felt it had triumphed and Madison's reputation was recovered. Madison retired to his tobacco plantation in Montpelier, Virginia after completing his second term as president and continued to write and comment on political affairs.

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584 Presidency of James Madison 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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