James Madison (The American
Presidents Series) by Garry Wills
Small Man, Big Accomplishments, Lackluster President
A bestselling historian examines the life of a Founding Father.
Renowned historian and social commentator Garry Wills takes a fresh look
at the life of James Madison, from his rise to prominence in the colonies
through his role in the creation of the Articles of Confederation and the first
Constitutional Congress.
Madison oversaw the first foreign war under the constitution, and was
forced to adjust some expectations he had formed while drafting that
document. Not temperamentally suited to be a wartime President, Madison
nonetheless confronted issues such as public morale, internal security,
relations with Congress, and the independence of the military. Wills traces
Madisons later life during which, like many recent Presidents, he enjoyed
greater popularity than while in office.

Personal Review: James Madison (The American Presidents
Series) by Garry Wills
James Madison(1751 -- 1836) is revered for his role as one of our nation's
Founders. Madison played a major role in organizing the Constitutional
Convention, in drafting the Constitution, and in securing its ratification
through cowriting "The Federalist" (with Hamilton) and through winning a
difficult debate with Patrick Henry which led to the narrow ratification of the
Constitution in his home state of Virginia. Madison also worked valiantly for
the separation of church and state.
Madison's accomplishments as the fourth President (1808 -- 1817) are less
well remembered. Madison's presidency is the focus of this brief book by
Garry Wills as part of the American Presidents series. Wills tries to explain
why Madison's presidency was less successful that his brilliant earlier
career. Wills points to Madison's provincialism, shyness, lack of executive
experience, and tendencies toward idealism rather than practical politics to
conclude that Madison's talents and prodigious learning made him better
suited for a legislative, behind-the-scenes role than for a position as the
nation's chief executive.
After brief consideration of Madison's earlier accomplishments and his
roles under the presidencies of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson (he
was Jefferson's Secretary of State), Wills examines Madison's two terms
as president. Early in his administration, Madison showed poor judgment
about people in selecting his cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices,
and military leaders. He also displayed weaknesses of leadership and
administration in coordinating the efforts and minimizing the feuding of his
subordinates. Even thought he came to see the wisdom of the Bank of the
United States, (he had opposed Hamilton on the formation of the Bank)
Madison foolishly allowed its charter to lapse, when any sort of
endorsement on his part would likely have saved the bank in Congress.
This mistake haunted Madison throughout his administration.
Most of Wills's study of Madison's presidency is devoted, as it must be, to
the War of 1812. If Madison's presidency is little-known, the War of 1812
remains our country's most confusing, obscure, and little understood
conflict. The War had its roots in the conflict between England and
Napoleon as Jefferson tried to steer clear of war. At the end of his
presidency, at Madison's urging, Jefferson imposed an embargo with near
disastrous results.
Wills traces the complex course of events that led Madison into war. Some
of these events were due to misunderstanding and to slowness of
communication (Britain had repealed the Articles in Council to which the
United States had taken offense in declaring war. The ship bringing the
repeal to the United States crossed the Atlantic at the same time as the

United States ship sailing to England with news that war had been
declared.) But, Wills argues, Madison was active in bringing on the War, in
part because he had grandiose visions of annexing Canada. The result
was a conflict for which the United States was ill-prepared. The country
had a weak army, only six frigates built during the Washington
administration, no generals with military experience, and, with the end of
the First Bank of the United States, no money to conduct the war. It was a
harrowing conflict for the United States.
The United States and Madison were fortunate to be able to end the War
of 1812 without loss of territory. For Wills, Madison led the Nation into an
unnecessary war for which it was ill-prepared. But Wills praises Madison
for conducting the war without treading upon the constitutional rights of
Americans. This was an important and difficult accomplishment which
partially redeems Madison's presidency. And the United States came
together as a nation following the conflict for the first time in its history.
Wills's book is both more reflective and more detailed than most of the
works in the American President's series. Indeed, Wills has written
extensively about this period of our history. Readers of this volume may
wish to turn to Wills's study "Henry Adams and the Making of America"
which examines Henry Adams' monumental history of the Jefferson and
Madison administrations. Wills' short study is heavily indebted to Adams's
history. Ambitious readers may want to explore Adams's history of this
period for themselves. It is available in a two-volume set from the Library
of America.
Robin Friedman
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