James Madison
Name:
James Madison was born in 1751 on his family’s Virginia plantation. He served
for 41 years as a politician, writing a constitution for Virginia and playing a
large role in setting up the U.S. government. He would eventually become the
4th president of the United States. After the American Revolution, there was a
lot of disagreement between those who wanted a strong national government
and those who wanted to give more power to the states. Madison saw the
advantage of having both, and he found a way to balance both state and
national power.
Preparing a Plan
James Madison did such a good job writing the Virginia Constitution that
he was asked to help write a constitution for the whole country. He took
his job at the Constitutional Convention very seriously! Before the
convention started, he studied why earlier attempts to build a
representative democracy had failed. He didn’t have to go far. The
Articles of Confederation, the country’s first attempt at democracy, was
not working very well. It gave too much power to the states and not
enough power to the national government. Madison knew they needed a
way to balance the needs of individuals, the states, and the nation all at
the same time.
Taking Action
Madison came up with an idea, which he wrote in the Virginia Plan. He
argued for a federalist government — a strong national government that
would rule over less powerful state governments. Madison convinced the
others at the Convention to follow his plan when writing the Constitution.
But afterward, they still needed to get the public’s support for the new
Constitution and the federalist government. Madison helped write the
Federalist Papers, which explained why the government created by the
Constitution would work well and why people should support it.
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Facing Opposition
But not everyone did support the new Constitution. Many people
resisted the idea of a strong federal government. Anti-Federalists
worried that the new government would ignore the rights of individuals
and the states. Madison was friends with anti-federalist Thomas
Jefferson, who helped him see the anti-federalist point of view. When
Madison became a representative in Congress, he wrote the Bill of
Rights — a set of ten amendments to the Constitution that guarantee
the government will protect individual and state rights. The Bill of
Rights was a compromise that made it easier for both Federalists and
Anti-Federalists to support the new Constitution and government.
Father of Balance
James Madison practiced the fine art of balancing the needs of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.
He was a prime architect in the creation of a strong national government. He also fought for the addition
of a federal bill of rights. This made it easier for the citizens of this budding nation to trust their new
national government.
Influence Library
Madison p.1
James Madison
Name:
Biography Building. Oops! James Madison was working on his life story when a gust of wind blew his
notes to the floor. Help organize the following items in the order in which they happened by numbering
them 1 through 7.
Balancing Act. Madison balanced the needs of
the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Read each
trait of our government and place it on the
correct side of the scale.
Father of the Bill of Rights. Madison is the
author of the first ten amendments listed below.
Circle the two amendments that are most important
to you. Then explain why.
1. Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion, and Petition
A) Strong Executive Branch
B) National Bank
C) Powerful State Governments
2. Right to keep and bear arms
3. People are not required to house soldiers in peacetime
4. Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures
5. Protects the due process of law
D) Individual Rights Protected by Law
6. Protects the rights of those accused of crimes
E) National Military
7. Rights involved in civil court cases, including trial by
jury
8. Excessive bail, cruel punishment prohibited
9. The rights not listed in the Constitution are also
protected
10. Power not given to the federal government is
reserved for the States
Influence Library
Madison p.2
James Madison
** TEACHER’S GUIDE **
Biography Building. Oops! James Madison was working on his life story when a gust of wind blew his
notes to the floor. Help organize the following items in the order in which they happened by numbering
them 1 through 7.
3
7
4
5
1
2
6
Balancing Act. Madison balanced the needs of
the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Read each
trait of our government and place it on the
correct side of the scale.
Father of the Bill of Rights. Madison is the
author of the first ten amendments listed below.
Circle the two amendments that are most important
to you. Then explain why.
1. Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion, and Petition
2. Right to keep and bear arms
A) Strong Executive Branch
3. People are not required to house soldiers in peacetime
B) National Bank
4. Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures
C) Powerful State Governments
5. Protects the due process of law
D) Individual Rights Protected by Law
6. Protects the rights of those accused of crimes
E) National Military
7. Rights involved in civil court cases, including trial by
jury
8. Excessive bail, cruel punishment prohibited
9. The rights not listed in the Constitution are also
protected
10. Power not given to the federal government is
reserved for the States
D
C
A
B
Answers will vary.
E
Answers will vary.
Influence Library
Madison p.2