James Madison

James Madison, who became the fourth President of the United States, was the son of a Virginia planter. He was born at his grandparent's home in Port Conway, Virginia, on March 16, 1751, but grew up at Montpelier, his family's plantation, also in Virginia.

School Days

Madison, whom Thomas Jefferson considered "the best farmer in the world," left the family plantation at age eighteen to attend the College of New Jersey at Princeton. After graduating two years later, in 1771, he returned home to Virginia.

A Gathering Storm for Independence

When Madison returned home to Virginia he immediately plunged into the political storm that was gathering. Five years later, in 1776, the storm came crashing down on the thirteen colonies as America declared itself independent of Great Britain. James Madison was twenty-five-years-old then and stepped in to serve as a delegate to the patriotic convention that had been called to form a new state government, and to help write the Virginia constitution.

A New Acquaintance Becomes a Lifelong Friend

Madison was elected to the first state legislature. It was then that he met one of America's most famous men, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson had just returned from writing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Almost immediately they became friends. It was a friendship that lasted for the rest of their lives.

No Free Rum for Voters

When it came time again for elections to the legislature, Madison lost because he refused to go along with the custom of providing free rum for votes. However, Governor Patrick Henry appointed Madison to the council of state.

Off to Congress

Madison served in Congress, as a member of Virginia's delegation, from 1780 to 1783. Madison was not a tall man, such as his friend Thomas Jefferson. In fact, in a time of short men as compared to men's heights today, Madison was shorter than the average male. It was his "brilliant mind" that he relied on and his "commanding presence" that enabled him to lead others to his way of thinking.

While in Congress he helped organize the national government under its newly adopted Articles of Confederation. Although he aligned himself with Jefferson's "democratic ideals," Madison, now in his early thirties, found himself also attracted to the even younger Alexander Hamilton and his belief that America needed a strong central government.

James Madison: The Fourth President of the United States continues with Madison and Hamilton: A Revised Articles of Confederation.

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