James+Madison

President James Madison (March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817)

 * Political Party:** Republican Party (later became to known as Democratic-Republican Party)[[image:http://snooperreport.com/storage/constitution/madisons-notes/james%20madison%20flag%20capital.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1300324626017 width="515" height="314" align="right"]]


 * Key Personal Details:**
 * James Madison was from a wealthy family in Virginia. His father owned a plantation and grew bigger after marrying a wealthy tobacco merchant. James Madison was able to receive education and went to school then enrolled in College of University (or Princeton University).
 * Before his presidency, he was known as the Founding Father of the United States and helped draft the Constitution as well as creating the Bill of Rights which was the basic rights for citizens. Throughout his career as president, he was a strict constructionist, but transited to being a loose constructionist.
 * Major events, changes, issues, and decisions of presidency:**
 * During Madison presidency, he faced many difficulties such as resolving diplomatic issues with the British. In domestic issues, he wanted to vetoed renew charter of Hamiltonian national bank (Bank of the United States) because he argued that the Constitution did not specifically allow the federal government to create bank.
 * The War of 1812 caused him to transition and support the Second National Bank. The early war for America was difficult as the infrastructure of the government was unstable when the states believed that they have their own sovereignty and didn't have to strictly follow federal laws. The War of 1812 wasn't cooperatively supported by the states and had difficulty fending off British.
 * Battle of New Orlean (January 8, 1815): By the nearly end of the war, a final major battle took place in New Orlean in which Andrew Jackson took command of leading the state militia into battle against British. Although Jackson won the battle, the battle was invalid because the Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 and the news didn't quickly reach to New Orlean.
 * The Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814): The war was costly and both sides began to negotiate when the war was in stalemate. The War of 1812 ended when the Treaty of Ghent was signed in Ghent, Belgium in which both sides conceeded their demands and returned to status quo ante bellum ("the state in which things were before the war").
 * In 1816, Madison signed the charter for new bank in 1816 creating the Second Bank of the United States
 * Legacy:**
 * One of the Founding Fathers who helped create the Constitution.
 * With Thomas Jefferson, he created the Democrat Party in 1791.
 * Author of Bill of Rights
 * Thesis:**
 * James Madison could be called the most important U.S. presidency of history because he was one of the Founding Fathers who helped create the Constitution. He is also known for his ability to create the Bill of Rights which became the 10 basic rights for citizens and during his presidency, he was able to stop British from harassing US even though it led to war.