By Ken Bridges, Texas History Minute
James Madison never fought in the American Revolution, but he helped make sure that the ideals behind the war became a reality. The Virginia planter was a driving force behind some of the nation’s most defining events, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
James Madison, Jr., was born on his family’s plantation in Virginia in March 1751. He was the eldest of 12 children. The family lived on a massive estate of 5,000 acres, one of the largest in Virginia. Madison received his early education under a series of private tutors. In 1769, at age 18, he enrolled at the College of New Jersey (what is now Princeton University). He excelled in his studies of Greek, Latin, and theology. He graduated in 1771 and returned to Virginia.
For the Madisons, the American Revolution was a family affair. The entire family had become outspoken critics of British actions against the colonies. In 1774, with tensions rising, Madison joined the local Committee of Public Safety, which was dedicated to publicizing British abuses against the people and organizing support. His father worked to organize a militia to defend the colonists. In late 1775, once the war had started, the senior Madison became colonel of the Orange County Militia. The younger Madison, respected by his neighbors, was elected to be second-in-command at the rank of colonel.
James Madison, however, would never serve in combat. He was quickly pulled into the political realm and elected as a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention, where he helped draft a new state constitution for Virginia, once free from the British. Madison worked to ensure that civil rights were included in the Virginia Declaration of Rights. He soon became a member of the Virginia House of Delegates where he quickly formed a bond with Gov. Thomas Jefferson.
He participated in the debates regarding ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1777, the nation’s first constitution. He served on the Virginia Council of State. In 1780, he became a member of the Continental Congress, where he would serve for three more years.
In Congress with the Revolutionary War winding down, the new nation’s finances were in a mess. The nation faced a crushing debt and no way to pay the bills. Inflation was spiraling upward. But every means he tried was blocked by the limitations of the Articles of Confederation, which left the national government with no taxation power at all. He returned to the Virginia legislature in 1784.
While back in Virginia, he worked with Jefferson as he drafted the Virginia Statute For Religious Freedom. The new law would guarantee freedom of religion in Virginia, allowing everyone to practice their own faith and it would also end the laws forcing Virginians to tithe to the Anglican Church. Madison argued for the statute in 1785, stating that state religions had led to generations of wars in Europe and that history always showed that mixing church and state invariably corrupted both. The measure passed in 1786.
In 1786, Madison proposed the Annapolis Convention, a convention of the states to meet in Maryland to discuss the problems of the national government and the nation’s serious financial problems. Though the Virginia legislature endorsed it, only a few states sent delegates. But all the delegates agreed that the nation needed a new constitution. As a result, Congress authorized a convention to be held the next year to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention began in May 1787. Madison spent the next few months studying forms of government across the world and throughout history and came to the Constitutional Convention as an expert. Gen. George Washington would preside over the convention. Though delegates included former congressmen, governors, and some of the best legal minds in the country, Madison quickly became the focus of the debates. He presented what came to be called the Virginia Plan, an entirely different form of government.
Unlike the system of a one-house Congress being the national government, Madison proposed a three-branch government: a legislative branch that made the laws, an executive branch that enforced the laws, and a judicial branch that interpreted the laws. These branches would be equal to one another in power so no one individual or group could take over or subvert the government. He also proposed a two-house national legislature that would be responsible for passing the nation’s laws and controlling its spending. After the convention decided to adopt the Virginia Plan, the rest of the debates focused on the details of the new document. Overall, it designed a government based on law, personal liberty, and the consent of the governed, with “We the People” set out as the first and most important words.
On Sept. 17, the draft was approved, signed by the delegates, and sent to the states for approval. As a result, Madison became known as the Father of the Constitution, one of many accomplishments that marked his long life.