"Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician he co-founded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk...

In a time when America is desperately searching for leadership comes this inspiring story of James Madison's coming of age, providing incisive and original insight into the Founding Father who did the most but is known the least.
Michael Signer takes a fresh look at the life of our fourth president. His focus is on Madison before he turned thirty-six, the years in which he did his most enduring work: battling with Patrick Henry — the...

It's unimaginable today, even for a generation that saw the Twin Towers fall and the Pentagon attacked. It's unimaginable because in 1814 enemies didn't fly overhead, they marched through the streets; and for 26 hours in August, the British enemy marched through Washington, D.C. and set fire to government buildings, including the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Relying on first-hand accounts, historian Jane Hampton Cook weaves together several different...

"It was 1790, and Thomas Jefferson and one of his dinner guests, James Madison, were determined to work out a political compromise critical to the nation's future with their third dinner companion (and political opponent), Alexander Hamilton. This gathering around Jefferson's celebrated table involved nothing less than the creation of the young nation's finances, foreign relations and the eventual location of its capital. The dinner's results? An...

DeRose tells the never-before-told story of the 1789 congressional election in Virginia's 5th district and of the two men who fought it: James Madison and James Monroe. They were friends and political allies for most of their lives, but their paths diverged when they found themselves at odds with each other in the battle over the Constitution.

With the death of George Washington, symbol of American unity and a man who abhorred factions, comes the two party system. And with it, comes inherent struggle that the young nation is ill prepared for. A dashing Aaron Burr has a grip on New York, and a coup detat is planned that could bring the two leaders down. Madison learns that Napolean Bonaparte has forced the Spanish to turn New Orleans over to him and thereby potentially take control of the...

The third and fourth presidents have long been considered proper and noble gentlemen, with Thomas Jefferson's genius overshadowing James Madison's judgment and common sense. But in this revelatory book, both leaders are seen as men of their times, ruthless and hardboiled operatives in a gritty world of primal politics where they struggled for supremacy for more than fifty years.

Chronicles the President's life, including his role in the battle for religious freedom in Virginia, his contributions to the adoption of the Constitution, and his performance as commander in chief during the War of 1812.

Asserts that nullification is the constitutional remedy envisioned by the nation's founders to be used to resist Federal power. Presents documents showing the rationale used by States in historic debates.

Vols. 1-4: 1st ed.A condensed version of this work published in 1970 under title: The fourth President. Includes bibliographies. [1] The Virginia revolutionist.--[2] The nationalist, 1780-1787.--[3] Father of the Constitution, 1787-1800.--[4] Secretary of State, 1800-1809.--[5] The President, 1809-1812.--[6] Commander in Chief, 1812-1836.