1751–1836 · Father of the Constitution and 4th President

James Madison

James Madison was small, quiet and tireless. He prepared for the Constitutional Convention for months, took the most complete notes of its debates, helped persuade the country to ratify the result, and then wrote the Bill of Rights. He is often called the Father of the Constitution.

Preparing for the Convention

Madison was born on March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia, and grew up at Montpelier, the family estate he called home until his death. Before the Convention of 1787 he studied the history of republics, ancient and modern, to understand why they failed.

The Virginia Plan

Madison's ideas formed the Virginia Plan, introduced by Edmund Randolph, which based representation on population. Smaller states answered with the New Jersey Plan, and the Great Compromise blended the two into the House and Senate we know today. Madison sat near the front and recorded the debates in detail. His notes, published after his death in 1836, are our best record of what was said.

The Federalist

To win ratification, Madison joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing 85 essays under the pen name "Publius," known as The Federalist. Madison wrote about 29 of them. In No. 51 he wrote that if men were angels, no government would be necessary, so government must be designed to control itself as well as the governed.

The Bill of Rights

In the First Congress of 1789, Madison kept a promise to supporters who wanted rights spelled out. He introduced amendments, twelve were sent to the states, and ten were ratified in 1791 as the Bill of Rights, protecting freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and more.

President in wartime

Madison became the fourth President in 1809 and led the nation through the War of 1812. In 1814 the British burned Washington, and his wife Dolley stayed at the President's House until a large portrait of George Washington was taken down and carried to safety. The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent in 1815.

Quick facts

• Born: March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Virginia
• Died: June 28, 1836, Montpelier
• Known for: the Virginia Plan, The Federalist, the Bill of Rights

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