While the constitutional debates and writings speak of the personalities and brilliant
statesmanship of the Founding Fathers, little is known about their private and public lives, political
ambitions, as well as religious and philosophical views. One such figure is James Madison.1 Besides
Father of the Constitution and prominent author of the Bill of Rights little is known about James Madison
as US’s 4th President (1809-1817), Member of US House of Representatives (1789-1797), Secretary of
State (1751–1836) among other prominent roles who stirred the country during the war times (1812-
1815) and seeing it a prosperous finish towards his retirement. James Madison was born to a rich family
from Montpellier, Virginia with thousands of slaves. Although endowed with wealth and fortune, James
Madison earned his way up to political prominence. His frail health and prevalent yellow fever in Virginia
made his parents to send him to College of New Jersey (which became known to be Princeton University)
which he was under the mentorship of Rev. John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian clergy. Scholars agree that
although James Madison was born to Episcopalian faith, he did not show strong religious belief. At the
College of New Jersey, James Madison studied classical languages, math, geography, philosophy, politics,
and Hebrew.
Madison believed in a strong central government with an equally strong mechanism for the
separation of central and state powers. This was opposed by the Anti-Federalist's who believed that
national government is a threat to the state and individual liberty. Madison was concerned about the lack
of ultimate checks when the states were given individual sovereignty. At that time, in 1783, America just
came out of the war with Britain, and as President, Madison struggled to find solutions to nationwide
problems. The war has severed America's trade relationship with Britain, while America needed trading to
rebuild its financial base. Additionally, the states began to devise their commercial instruments by issuing
paper currency for credit that skyrocketed inflation. Madison saw the solution in having a single
coordinated trade policy to counter states' independent action that justified the need for a national or
central government.
With the birth of the new republic, Madison's dislike for political parties grew and sought to
abolish them as captured in Jefferson's famous statement "we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists"
meant to embrace one America and one people standing on one belief, rather than divided along political
lines.2 In his view, political parties emerge to destroy each other, foreshadowing today's realities in US
politics. He was firm in his convictions, even to the point of contradicting his close friends and fellow
Federalists. For instance, he opposed the Sedition Act that penalized newspaper editors with jail time and
increased fines and voiced strong disagreement of the Louisiana Purchase as unconstitutional.
Literature shows James Madison was not necessarily a religious man. Scholars tried to construct
Madison's religious identity with no success. But as a student at the College of New Jersey, Madison must
have imbibed the universal Christian character from Rev. John Witherspoon, who equated Christianity
with a high standard of conduct in public office.3 Additionally, as a public figure, it was necessary to
remain neutral, not to compromise his stance on church-state issues and his fundamental philosophy of
Freedom of Religion enshrined in the Bill of Rights he authored. Despite remained anonymous in his faith
practice, Madison’s writings express deep attachment to Biblical principles of statesmanship of wisdom
(Deuteronomy 34:0; 1 Kings 3:7-9), virtue (Philippians 2:1-4), prudence (I Samuel 25; Proverbs 14:8),
and justice (1 Kings 3; Proverbs 14:8) that Purvis explains.4
His handling of the Hartford Convention issue--an attempt of the New England States to secede
and join Britain considered an existential threat to the constitution is a model of prudence and wisdom.
James Madison commands deep respect not only in the east but also for the northern states. He left a
legacy of respect for civil liberties and state’s rights and an "era of good feeling," a description attributed
to James Madison.5
1 Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. First paperback edition. Charlottesville: University Press of
Virginia, 1990.
2 “Peaceful Transition, Creating the United States.” Exhibitions-Library of Congress.
Accessed https://bit.ly/3ukC0L0, May 2, 2021.
3 Morrison, Jeffrey Hays. John Witherspoon and “the Public Interest of Religion." A Journal of Church
and State 41, no. 3 (Summer, 1999): 560-62.
4 PLCY 702: The American Founding and Constitution. A Course Introduction by Dr. Jennifer Purvis.
Helms of Govenrment. Liberty University. n.d.
5 1815 James Madison - The "Era of Good Feelings" begins. The State of the Union in History. Accessed
https://bit.ly/3ulIvNI dated May 2, 2021.
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