James Madison

by Richard Brookhiser

James Madison led one of the most influential and prolific lives in American history, and his story -- although all too often overshadowed by his more celebrated contemporaries -- is integral to that of the nation. Madison helped to shape our country as perhaps no other collaborating on the Federalist Papers and the Bill of Rights, resisting government overreach by assembling one of the nation's first political parties (the Republicans, who became today's Democrats), and taking to the battlefield during the War of 1812, becoming the last president to lead troops in combat. In this penetrating biography, eminent historian Richard Brookhiser presents a vivid portrait of the "Father of the Constitution," an accomplished yet humble statesman who nourished Americans' fledgling liberty and vigorously defended the laws that have preserved it to this day.

Genres: History, Biography, Presidents, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, Us Presidents

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2011

About the author

Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding Father (Free Press 1996), is a senior editor at National Review and a columnist for The New York Observer.

Reviews

[Jay Schutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this biography of James Madison 2.5 stars rounded up generously to 3 stars. Madison was not a very charismatic man. Perhaps that is why the book was not very inspiring. He is best known for being the Father of the Constitution and starting party politics with the formation of the Republican Party (now known as the Democratic Party) with Thomas Jefferson. He wasn't a very good public speaker and did his speaking mainly through his writing. The book did not seem to have a good flow from the beginning and didn't get much better as it progressed. It switched from subject to subject too quickly and could have been longer.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A relatively short bio on Madison at 250pp. Easy to read. Review to follow...
Okay, I would say this is an overview of Madison, without the depth we have come to expect in presidential biographies. It was readable for me I realize because the author injected himself into the telling as he let his opinions color the narrative. Many would object. I gave it 3.5 stars just for scope and my enjoyment of the read overall.

Madison was a thinker, but not a leader or orator and I came away from a relatively short chapter on his presidency thinking he wasn't a very good president. He wanted expansion of the union and peace. He got one but not the other. Up until then, I was forming the picture that he was one of the right men for the times and he certainly was if you consider his work on the Constitution, his essays in The Federalist Papers, his passion for the first amendment, and impact on politics, party politics to be more specific. He admires George Washington and was an acolyte of Thomas Jefferson. He was committed to a Virginia Dynasty grooming Monroe to replace him. He wrestled with slavery but decided to ignore the problem except for thinking freed slaves would be better off back in Africa and supported the Liberian policy. The seeds of secession related to protests against tariffs were already being sown. Unlike his predecessors he stayed engaged in politics after he left office modeling a post-presidential "sage & counselor" role.
He outlived the 38 signors of the Constitution & the other delegates to the convention who did not sign, he carried the torch for the principles that led to the founding of the country until his death.

I would have liked a more in depth look at the man both in his personal and public life.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I decided to read a book about James Madison I came online and read reviews for a bunch of them. Noah Feldman's book had the best reviews and highest rating, and the audiobook was available at the library. Win-win!

I listened to 3 hours and I was bored out of my mind. The whole book was over 34 hours long and I knew there was no way in heck I could listen to another 30+ hours of that. It wasn't even the narrator, it was just boring information. I didn't care anything about what they were saying.

I still wanted to read a book on Madison so I went to the online library, looked at what was available, how long they were, and grabbed one at random. Brookhiser's book is what I ended up with. It was just over 10 hours and that seemed doable.

Here's the biggest thing I learned: James Madison is not very interesting. If I hadn't had the experience with Feldman's book, I might have written it off as an author problem, but I genuinely did not care about anything going on in Madison's life. I don't think it has anything to do with the authors.

I've read books about many of the Founding Fathers and I left each of them feeling like I knew these men better, and understood them as people, not just politicians. The image I got of Madison (from both books) was that he popped out of the womb writing political opinions and foreign war policy, and stopped writing for about two minutes in the middle of his life to get married. I pictured him as this shadowy, stooping figure hovering around in the background, while Jefferson, Washington, etc ruled the day. He was steering policy and letting everyone else take the credit and the blame.

Before reading this book I knew five big things about Madison:
1. He attended everyday of the Constitutional Convention and took detailed, accurate notes.
2. He helped write the Federalist Papers.
3. He was the fourth President.
4. His wife Dolley saved the portrait of George Washington.
5. He lived at Montpelier.

Well, after listening to ten hours about his life, those are still the only interesting things I know about Madison. Everything else was "he wrote a paper pushing this political opinion." In some cases, he would shadow-write a paper for newspapers, and then respond to his own paper as himself. (The Founding Father's all seemed to have this weird obsession with publishing political papers anonymously in the papers.)

I learned that he wasn't a great wartime president, but he was pretty good at sticking by his opinions, though it was sometimes to his detriment. He was better at influencing behind the scenes and sometimes struggled to make the big decisions needed of a president.

I can honestly say that this book did not change my opinions about Madison in any way. I don't find him any more or less admirable than I did before. When I think of the Founding Fathers, he's never been front and center, and that's not going to change.

Maybe another book would make him seem more interesting or exciting. I don't know. I'm doubtful. Brookhiser had a dry style of writing and I appreciated the small nods at sardonic humor. If you're looking for a book on Madison, my opinion would be to roll the dice and see what you get. Maybe you'll find something more thrilling.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched biography deals more with the politics and writings of JM. It gave me a good overview of the man which is what I wanted.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the past year, I've added something to my bucket list. Before I die, I plan to read at least one book on every US president, in order of the dates of their presidencies. I have read a number out of order, having read several books on Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Clinton over the past few years. But, this book on James Madison follows Chernow's Washington, McCullough's John Adams, and Ellis's Jefferson, American Sphinx.

While Brookhiser's biography of Madison provides a great historical timeline of his life, it really does not capture who Madison was. He goes to great lengths to paint a human portrait of his wife Dolley, but fails to capture anything about the personality of the "father of the US Constitution. Following the detail shown for this type of writing by Chernow and McCullough, I found this unsatisfying as if something was missing from the book.

Overall, the history is fine and the prose well written. The book itself was easy to follow and understand. But if you are a student of the psychology of leaders, this book leaves something to be desired.

For a historical perspective, this book does near 5 stars. For a complete profile of James Madison he man, it was a little disappointing.

[Arsenio Santos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This biography never delves into any particular event, opting to cover a lot of ground as quickly as possible. Worse, there's not much of the personality of the President, either. The result is a book that feels more like a Wikipedia entry (and, for certain situations, the Wikipedia page is more informative).

[Brian Pate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brookhiser focused on Madison as a thinker. And he was a great one. The first half of the book explained Madison's reasoning in the debates over the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Not a terribly exciting read, but important nonetheless.

Apart from a general lack of readability, my main criticism is how Brookhiser approached Madison's life. There are times in the book that I wondered, "Where did Madison go? I wonder what he's up to during this time?" It felt like a history of the USA with an occasional "and Madison agreed" or "Madison was upset but held his peace because he knew he would soon be president" thrown in.

Leadership lesson: The burning of Washington was the worst thing that happened during his presidency. Most of the blame belonged to Armstrong (Sec. of War), and Madison did not hesitate to use him as the scapegoat. But everything rises and falls on leadership. Madison had appointed Armstrong. "It was [Madison's] responsibility to spot incompetence and be rid of it, or misdirection and correct it, and he had done neither" (p. 211). Leaders may not be at fault, but they accept the responsibility. It's what leaders do. I am looking forward to hearing a modern-day president say, "Many mistakes were made. I accept full responsibility." But I'm not holding my breath.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a college history major, I have to say this concise, focused and well rounded presentation of our government's constitutional beginnings and development from the pre-Revolutionary War period through the Andrew Jackson presidency of the mid-1840s, with James Madison as its focal point, is the best synopsis I have ever read. The book is detailed and complete, yet concise and on point with James Madison, along with Thomas Jefferson, as the major epicenter and driving force for creating our constitutional republic form of government as opposed to the opposition Federalist's (Alexander Hamilton, John Adams) desire to replicate England's monarchial system. Brookkhiser presents opinions and arguments from all sides without favoring one over the other. What he does emphatically present is the logic and persuavisness of James Madison as the major force behind our founding fathers arriving at the decison to establish a constitution as our nation's foundation. Bravo! And 5-stars. Interesting note: The Federalists of this period are today's Republicans, and the Republicans of this period are today's Democrats. Change was slow occuring but made official in the 1840s.

[Branden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks Madison for starting the two party political system, starting a meaningless war with the British, and doing absolutely nothing about slavery. The constitution and the federalist papers are cool though. 3 star book 1 star president.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth President of the United States, James Madison - whose two terms as chief magistrate of the nation stretched from 1809 through 1817 - is often referred to as "The Father of the Constitution," in honor of his central role in creating that document, and shepherding it through the rocky process of ratification; and is celebrated as one of the three contributors, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, to The Federalist Papers . In this brief biography, Richard Brookhiser sets out to explore another aspect of Madison's long career: his role as the "Father of Politics" (by which we are clearly meant to understand "American Party Politics"), and the result is a book that, while it falls somewhat short as a general biography, will undoubtedly be of interest to those students of history who are particularly concerned with the development of our political system, in the early days of the republic.

I found Brookhiser's James Madison, chosen as the fourth selection for my Presidential Book-Club - begun as a personal project to improve my own knowledge of American history, it has grown to a bi-monthly book-club with friends and family, and involves reading a biography for each president, in chronological order - a moderately informative read. I learned a little bit more about Madison - details about his political and intellectual partnerships, about his wife, Dolley, and about his retirement - that I hadn't gleaned from our previous selections (Chernow's Washington: A Life , McCullough's John Adams , Bernstein's Thomas Jefferson ), but was left with the impression that there was so much more to know, so much not being presented. I didn't get much sense of Madison as a man, perhaps because the author's focus was more political than personal, and I have to confess that I missed having a section of images included. Granted, this latter is a minor point, but I would have liked to have an image of Dolley, about whom some risque remarks were made, over the years, or of the Madison home at Montpelier to refer to, when reading about them.

In addition to wishing for a more extensive account of Madison's life - he came from a large, close-knit family, for instance, but the details of his family life, and how they affected him, are not to be found here - I also sometimes found the author's tone rather off-putting. Stray references to modern realities and technologies - no, I don't need to be reminded that they didn't have Twitter, back in the 18th century! - find their way into the text, as does an oft-repeated reminder that the Republican Party of the late-18th/early-19th centuries (the fore-runner of the modern-day Democratic Party) is wholly unrelated to the modern party of the same name. Supplying your readers with this information once might be considered helpful, doing it two or three times can start to look like condescension, particularly when you made a point to include it in your foreword. It begs the question - does Brookhiser not trust his readers to recall this vital piece of information?

Finally, and perhaps most troubling of all to this reader, was Brookhiser's rather inconsistent analysis of the events he sets out for his readers, his editorializing - presented as statement of fact, in the text, rather than as opinion - and his apparent inability to separate himself from his subject's viewpoint. This latter is particularly evident any time the character of John Adams is raised, and one gets the sense that Brookhiser, rather than just presenting Madison's views on our second president as one perspective amongst many, has embraced them as gospel, content to ignore any evidence to the contrary. He will occasionally admit that Adams may not have been as dastardly a fellow as Madison imagined - he grudgingly allows, at one point, that, despite Republican fears, Adams was not really a monarchist - but is curiously silent on the fact that Adams, whatever one might have to say against him (and the Alien and Sedition Acts certainly provide ample material, on that score), did not engage in the same sort of party politics as Madison, and was quite willing to stand against his own "side" (ie: the Federalists), when he thought it right. Perhaps Brookhiser is conscious that a more detailed exploration of the tense relationship between these two founding fathers - something like that found in McCullough's John Adams - might show his hero in a negative light? Or is it party politics itself - something the author, a political commentator for most of his life, clearly revels in, and sees as self-evidently beneficial - that he doesn't wish to see tarnished, by an honest analysis of Adams' more independent virtues?

However that may be, it's fascinating to see him, without blinking an eye, or offering any negative commentary, describe Madison as engaged in "the politics of personal destruction," whilst subsequently labeling James Callender - the pamphleteer and journalist that Jefferson and Madison used to attack both Washington and Adams, without getting their own hands dirty - as sleazy, for revealing the sordid details of Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings. Apparently the difference, between a perfectly acceptable "gentleman" engaged in party politics, and a sleazy political journalist, employed by that selfsame gentleman, is that one was powerful and managed to conduct his character assassinations in secret, while the other was humble, and conducted his dirty business before the public eye. There is even the implication, presented by Brookhiser as a throwaway possibility (and nothing to worry too much about!), that Callender was assassinated for his activities.

Needless to say, I finished this slim volume with some significant qualms about Brookhiser, who seems, as a historian, to lack objectivity, and as an analyst, to have some curious moral blind spots. This was a low three-star title for me - I found it easy to read, and did learn some new things, so I can't in good conscience give it only two stars - and I came away with the wish that I had chosen a more substantial analysis of Madison for my club. Although I think this book has something to offer readers with an interest in the development of the American political system, I recommend reading it with caution. When it comes to the recent crop of authors writing about the founding generation, Brookhiser is no Chernow or McCullough, and I don't think I'll be picking up any more of his work.

[Dee Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible.com 9 hours 41 min. Narrated by Norman Dietz (A)

I don't believe this book about James Madison was meant by Bookhiser is meant to be a definitive biography about Madison. It gives the reader the author's insights into the writings of Madison, their importance when he wrote them and their relevance in the 21st century. He credits Madison as the father of political parties and his value of public opinion. He highlights the good Madison accomplished though his support of Thomas Jefferson and their long and enduring friendship. Madison also recognized the importance George Washington held as the Father of our country and held him high regard, but that regard didn't stop Madison from undercutting Washington because of his relation with Alexander Hamilton. Richard Brookhiser is an American journalist, biographer and historian and member of the National review. I'd enjoy reading more books by him.
I've returned to books about the Founding Fathers, their lives and contributions. (Grover Cleveland's biography "The Good President" reminded me that there is still so much I have to learn about our American Presidents so I'm going to leave my pursuit of WW One and the OSS until I've finished the books on my shelf on early American history.) I believe my next book is about Dolly and James Madison.
Note: I've discovered a great blog. bestpresidentialbiographies.com

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prolific writer Richard Brookhiser tackles President James Madison in this short biography. Though the writing skills I have come to respect in Brookhiser are present, this volume is not quite as good as the others of his that I have read. As a biography, I did not think it was as good as David Stewart’s “Madison’s Gift” either.

The book begins with a riveting retelling of the British marching on Washington during his time as President. Then, it backed up and took the story chronologically. When you finally got back to that point of his life’s story, you could never figure out what device the author had in mind by opening the book with it. I thought of it as a missed opportunity.

Still, the prose is agreeable and the reading easy in this volume. While the biography is not standout, his premise that Madison brought us the partisan politics that since has defined us was much more successful. Some think he overstated his case, and surely Jefferson had a role, but he was an essential element as Brookhiser proves.

This is not my first choice for Madison, but still a fine read.

[Brian Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this paperback at Mount Vernon, and it serves as a good, compact biography. It is just the nuts and bolts, however; the analysis is very limited and it moves at a quick pace. If you want a brief (250 p.p.) bio, this will do just nicely. As somebody else noted here, it feels like "this happened in America and then Madison did this" rather than portraying Madison as a mover of events. But then again, Madison may be even harder to know as a person than Jefferson.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book overall, I was left feeling like I was never granted access to the mind and motivation of Madison. I wanted too see more of the world from his eyes, not merely to read more about his role in events.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like a poorly written high school research paper. The author interjects what he suspects that Madison, Jefferson, and others are thinking without any real purpose or proof. I did not enjoy this book.

[Bret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't tell whether Madison is boring or Brookhiser makes him so. If McCullough makes you feel as if you've met and roomed with John Adams, Brookhiser makes you feel as if you've met a librarian who's met a bunch of people who've read encyclopedia entries about Madison.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The "Father of our Constitution" I learned a lot about our 4th President that I didn't know before. I liked what he said about the need for free exercise of religion, not just toleration. Also I liked how he talked about the importance of books and reading and how he would write down his own thoughts to try and figure out his own ideas and positions. This showed him as a man of brilliant ideas who was able to form alliances of like-minded people to move his policies forward. This was the start in our country of "politics". It wasn't all flattering & I felt like tried to give a realistic picture of the man and didn't say much about his charismatic wife Dolly but overall I really enjoyed this one.

[Martin Zook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Richard Brookhiser should have saved the waste of paper and ink it took to produce this biography.

Empire of Liberty, Gordon Wood's superb survey American history covering 1789-1815 quite literally has more detail of James Madison's considerable accomplishments than Brookhiser's excuse of a biography.

For instance, Madison, who originally opposed amending the Constitution to accommodate the Anti-Federalists objections to a strong central government, was persuaded by his neighbor Thomas Jefferson of the need to amend the just-drafted document. Madison sifted through the Anti Federalists' arguments against the new American government.

Madison pushed his concepts through the House, where what he regarded as key protections were stripped. The House's version was passed to the Senate, which added its own significant changes. Finally, the Bill of Rights as we know it was passed through both houses and sent to the states for ratification.

From a political perspective, Madison strengthened the foundation of the federal government he strove to create by adding protections that his political opponents advocated, without adopting their goals of undermining the central government. According to Wood, not only was Madison the father of the Constitution, but he was the individual most responsible for pushing through the legislation that protects minority groups from the tyranny of majorities.

And, he did this while not defeating his purposes by stubbornly insisting on what he regarded as key components to protections provided, and how they would be provided (whether integrated into the Constitution, or tacked on as 10 amendments).

This is how the American government is designed to work. Imagine this type of accomplishment in today's Congress.

Wood's account is exemplary for a survey history. But I wanted more detail, so I turned to Brookhiser's biography focused solely on Madison's life. Mistake. Brookhiser's account of this period notes that Madison changed his position; and it tells us that initially Madison said the changes sought by the Anti Federalists were not necessary, but reversed his account of his position during a political campaign.

In other words, Brookhiser, senior editor of National Review, has reduced this important phase of his subject's political life to a urinating war over flip-flopping and he-said, he-said politics.

In a biography of Madison, I would have liked more detail about rights Madison felt were important, but that were sacrificed to the political process (politics, after all, is the art of the possible). What did Madison have to give up to get the amendments through the legislative process?

I especially turn to books to be informed. I find it most disappointing that Brookhiser has reduced his account of Madison so that it will fit into the uninformed and uninformative scope of today's political debate. I have limited shelf space and Brookhiser's book will no longer consume valuable room that can be filled by the works of those who aim to inform readers.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't say I was bowled over by this one. Brookhiser is capable relator of information, but his prose is not literary in the manner of McCullough or Ellis. I found a handful of curious copy editing decisions (sentence fragments, writing in first person) that were jarring when juxtaposed with Brookhiser's otherwise dry style. Furthermore, I found his disdain for Adams tedious -- yes, Adams was a pragmatist and a Federalist, and his ego got in the way at times, but he was a true patriot who rose to the challenges of leadership not from pure ambition but from a sense of duty and a love of God and country. Brookhiser's unfair treatment of Adams made me question his judgment of other historical figures. (Hamilton was honorable? News to me.) This is unfortunate because Madison is an interesting study. Our society owes a great debt to him; we enjoy daily the freedoms he wrote into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Brookhiser gives him his due in that regard, so my rating on this one is more like three and a half stars instead of three.

[velellanovella · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is yet another example of a staple important US history figure whose life was not that exciting, and the author of his bio doesn’t do much help in hyping him up.

Madison’s true relevancy comes into play with the constitution and its creation. He nit picked every last bit of it, and we have him to thank as the document has served as the foundation of keeping the USA rolling for over 200 years. Pretty impressive that something authored so long ago still holds sway and holds relevancy. The foresight is truly brilliant.

The main problem I have with the bio is that there are a lot of generic summaries of the early countries “goings-on” and not as much point of view from Madison during those asides. I’m not looking for a general history lesson when I read these bios - I’m looking for insight into the mind of these great/well renowned individuals.

Overall, im pretty bummed with this recap as it felt like reading a really really long Wikipedia article.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book seems to suffer from a failing of a lot of biographers. He likes his topic too much. Brookhiser spends much of this book trying to come up with ways to justify the incosistancies, failures, and failings of his subject. He glosses over the fact that Hamilton's economic policies that Madison worked so hard to destroy ended up being so successful that Madison's own party reinstated them. He claims that philosophers do not need to be consistant when trying to explain away that fact that when it was politically convenient Madison changed his entire belief system. It is not surprising that I have seen the same issue with biographers of Jefferson and there are more examples. Unfortunately, people have a hard time glorifying one or a few parts of their topics lives while justifiablely questioning others. The prose of this book was well written and it was very readable.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a readable account of the life of this Founding Father, but it is not in the league of a Chernow biography, for example. Brookhiser has written about a number of figures from this period, and this understanding of relationships adds color to the story. He also offers pretty convincing insights into personal motivations, which were often not in the best interests of the struggling new nation. Madison emerges not only the key recorder of the creation of the Constitution, but also one of the founding fathers of the American political system. Reviewing the ugly conduct of early elections and the emergence of political parties reminds us that there are some precedents for the current state of political affairs in this country. This is a competent overview, with entertaining insights.

[Channing · Rating 1 out of 5]

Straightforward account of Madison's life. Lacks insight both politically and in terms of Madison's personal life.

[David Buccola · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typical white washing of one of our Founding Fathers.

[Andy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: the short length.

[Brian Koser]

James Madison was the fourth founder to attain the presidency, all four indispensable to the birth of the nation. Madison played a subtler but no less important role. The consummate example is how he worked with Washington to charter the Potomac River Company, urged the company to give Washington fifty shares (worth about $22 thousand), drafted a letter for Washington asking the company donate the shares to charity, then served on the committee that donated the shares and wrote the committee's letter praising Washington's generosity. He was America's first and most complete politician.

Madison loved his family and loved being a husband and father. He visited his mother regularly until she died in her late 90s.

He also built professional relationships that took on familial qualities: he looked up to many mentors as father figures, chiefly (who else) George Washington. Madison convinced Washington to attend the Constitutional Convention (Washington was reluctant to re-enter the limelight after playing Cincinnatus). He advised Washington for years, until the then-president ended their relationship when they disagreed over foreign policy with England.

Jefferson was the brother he stayed loyal to always. When Jefferson soared on his flights of fancy, Madison was the practical voice that brought him back to earth. He convinced Jefferson to serve as Washington's Secretary of State, and was Jefferson's only choice for the position (at that time, the most powerful after the president). They loved to talk books, and together compiled a list of 1400 for a proposed congressional library (not funded).

Hamilton was the brother who at different times acted as ally and rival. Together in the Continental Congress during the War for Independence, they raised money to pay the soldiers and foreign bank loans, and wrote the majority of The Federalist Papers. They both worked to convene the Constitutional Convention and agreed on the Compromise of 1790 (the federal government assumed state war debts, the capital moved from New York temporarily to Philadelphia, then eventually the Potomac). They split over politics: a central bank and foreign policy with England and France.

As a boy, Madison formed a love for learning he never lost: he read extensively, kept a commonplace book, and wrote essays. He learned Latin, Greek, Italian, French, and some Hebrew. In the very impressive group of American founders, he may have been the most intelligent.

Leading up to the Constitutional Convention, Jefferson shipped him hundreds of books as he studied every historical republic. Madison was the first to arrive in Philadelphia for the Convention. He attended every meeting, took the most complete notes of any delegate, and spoke to every other delegate multiple times a day. He was the chief architect of the Virginia Plan: a strong federal government with three branches. Though Gouverneur Morris wrote most of the words of the Constitution (no better choice, said Madison; according to Brookhiser, the four great writers of the Revolution were Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, and Morris), he is rightly considered it's Father.

He again read dozens of books when laying the groundwork for the first American political party, the Republicans (technically they are separate organizations, but an ancestor of the modern Democratic party; no relation to the modern Republican party). It was agrarian, expansionist, populist, and pacific.

Not an all-time great president like Washington and Jefferson; maybe he was a better collaborator than executive. But he governed Jeffersonianly, won re-election despite starting an unpopular (and ineffective) embargo against England, and won the War of 1812.

He groomed James Monroe as his successor, continuing the "dynasty" of Virginia Republicans.

Though he fought for religious liberty and defended persecuted Baptists, he kept his own religious beliefs private.

Five feet tall, one hundred pounds, a hypochondriac and often actually ill...but he lived to 85. Illustrative of the brevity of American history: the year he died was Abraham Lincoln's third year in the Illinois state legislature.

Brookhiser's biography is fine. It's the shortest presidential bio I've read so far, both a positive and negative as you'd expect.

My ranking:
- Adams, the Hobbit
- Washington, the Titan
- Jefferson, the Polymath
- Madison, the Politician

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brookhiser's colorful portrait of the Father of the Constitution.
A few non-exhaustive notes:
- Madison was nearly silent on his personal belief in a divine being. Toward the end of his life, he commented, "The mind prefers the idea of an infinitely good, if invisible God. In this belief, all philosophical reasoning on the subject must perhaps terminate." (Ch. 1)
- In the Constitutions production, Madison was involved in each of the major stages, including the Annapolis Convention, the Philadelphia Convention, writing The Federalist, fighting for ratification, and writing the Bill of Rights. In each, Madison was a major player. (Ch. 3)
- Madison ended his presidency with a surprise call for roads and canals in 1815. But he then vetoed a bill from Congress by reasoning that "building roads and canals was not an enumerated power of Congress under Article I, Section 8, nor did it fall by any just interpretation, under the "Necessary and Proper" Clause, the Commerce Clause, or the Preamble when it spoke of providing for the Common Defense and promoting the General Welfare. Such loose constructions of the Constitution would have the effect of giving Congress a general power of legislation." He further commented how Congress could effect federal roads and canals, "If Congress wanted to build roads and canals, it could propose and send on to the states, an amendment giving itself that power, a safe and practicable solution." (Ch. 10)
- Brookhiser opined that Madison showed steady allegiance to certain things throughout his life: religious liberty, freedom of the press, anglo-phobia and franco-philia, trade war as a policy instrument, and expansion--especially to the west and south. (Ch. 10)
- Madison was the "last framer standing" after other prominent framers had passed away. (Ch. 11)
- Madison held back on publishing his notes on the Constitutional debates because he sensed that the longer he held them back, the greater the impact they would have. "The more that things grow old, the more they are relished, the distance of time, like that of space, giving them that attractive character." (Ch. 11)
- There is a very interesting, but too short bio of Madison's private secretary and Dolley's first cousin, Edward Coles, who was an abolitionist and became the 2nd governor in Illinois and helped it remain a free state. (Ch. 11)
- Broadly speaking according to Brookhiser, the younger cohort of Founders, to which Madison belonged, valued union as much as liberty. In their minds, union was the necessary condition of American personal and national freedom. (Ch. 11)

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know I love reading about the founders and early framers of the Country. Sometimes the details are hard to follow in this book because I am too far removed from my history classes!

What I continue to find fascinating is that how well each of these men, and women, seem to know each other. I think it is easy for us looking back to assume or feel like each of the signers of the declaration ended up as good friends and were proud of their contributions. It is easy to forget that there were many compromises by all involved, no one truly "got their way." It took thousands of letters, endless hours of meetings, etc to vet this out. Many of the framers did not like each other in person, but were united in a common cause and will forever be cast in that light.

This book had a lot of information on Hamilton. Seemed to me like a bit too much for a biography of Madison. I have always known that Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution, but it was interesting to learn some of the reasons why, according to this author.

I also wondered while reading this book, about if we still solved disputes with duels like they sometimes in the old days, what would our political landscape look like? Many people do not realize that Aaron Burr was the Vice President of the United States when he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. I find it fascinating to play a "what if" game with some of our past administrations...

Overall, this was a good book. Many stories seemed irrelevant to the story, but may be much more relevant to someone more engrossed in the specifics of the times.

Give it a listen.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This is a good book, but I felt that it left too much yet to be talked about. James Madison is a complicated character. A person able to talk and debate on issues from both sides. Finding himself fight for and against something that he felt passionate about...throughout his life. He became the consumate politician.

I want to know more...so I am now moving on to Noah Feldman's The Three Lives of James Madison.

I am doing this, not because I liked his life, but I want to know how a very capable and smart man can and did live his life the way he did. I'm hoping to understand him, so that I can understand our current state of affairs with politicians seemingly not having the same backbone that the early presidents did.

[Matt Vargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are not any recently written, long biographies of James Madison that have been well received.....so I selected this well reviewed short biography. At 287 pages, this is a full on sprint through Madison's life. He writes the constitution over ~10 pages.....this book moves fast.

Like a greatest hits album from a band - there is nothing not to like here. You definitely get an idea of who Madison was and his major accomplishments. However, also like a greatest hits album, there is just something missing.

**A new James Madison biography written by Jay Cost was published 10 days ago (about a month after I read this book) that I will be getting for a later revisit to Madison.