James Madison: A Life Reconsidered by Lynne Cheney

James Madison is more famous for his role in developing the U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights than for his accomplishments as our fourth president. in James Madison: A Life Reconsidered, historian Lynne Cheney presents a compelling and sympathetic portrait of Madison, arguing that his greatness lies in more than just his “fatherhood” of the Constitution, but also in his roles as congressman, co-founder of the Democratic-Republican Party, Secretary of State, and, of course, as President.

Cheney’s book is well-written and enjoyable to read. Rather than give a full overview of the book, I thought I would point out a few things I learned and conclude with some thoughts of my own on Madison’s presidency.

One thing I learned from reading Lynne Cheney’s biography of James Madison is that Madison suffered from a mild form of epilepsy all his life. This makes his accomplishments all the more impressive, especially considering the primitive state of medicine at the time and the social stigma associated with the disease.

Another interesting tidbit I picked up concerns Madison’s personal courage. When the British invaded Washington DC, rather than simply flee and go into hiding, Madison stayed with the American forces that were stationed outside Washington to prevent further British advances. His presence there provided encouragement for his fellow countrymen in a time when it was desperately needed.

As a whole, however, Madison’s presidency does not compare well with those of his three predecessors, for at least one reason. All four of our first presidents were continually vexed by pressure from the warring nations of Great Britain and France to help them against their enemy. But whereas Washington, Adams, and Jefferson used diplomacy to keep the US out of war, Madison failed in this regard. Instead, Madison gave into the pressure exerted by members of his party to declare war against Britain. He led the US into a senseless war that devastated the US economy and many of its cities (particularly Washington, DC) and that in the end accomplished very little. For this reason, if not for others, Madison fails to make the top tier of US presidents.

Despite this, Madison deserves to be ranked among the greatest of American leaders because of his leading role in producing and then fighting for adoption of the masterpiece that is the US Constitution.