James Madison was a founding father known as the "Father of the Constitution." He helped draft Virginia's constitution and championed religious freedom. Madison went on to write the first drafts of the U.S. Constitution, co-author the Federalist Papers, and sponsor the Bill of Rights. He later served as the fourth president of the United States. Alexander Hamilton was born in the West Indies and became George Washington's assistant during the Revolutionary War. He played a key role in getting New York to ratify the Constitution and served as the first Secretary of the Treasury.

1. F O U N D I N G FAT H E R S
REVOLUTIONARIES

2. JAMES MADISON
FATHER OF THE CONSTITUTION

3. Born: March 16,
1751
Hometown:
Potrway,
Virginia
Died:
June 28, 1836

4. EARLY LIFE
• He was elected to the Orange County
Committee of Safety in December of 1774
• In 1776, he became Orange County’s
representative at the Virginia Convention
• He once wrote to a college friend
"There is something at hand that shall
greatly augment the history of the world."

5. CONTRIBUTIONS
• Worked with George Mason on the drafting and
writing of Virginia’s Constitution.
• One of his special contributions was reworking
some of the language about religious freedom.
• In 1780, he went to Philadelphia to serve as one
of Virginia's delegates to Continental Congress.

6. • In 1783, Madison returned to Virginia and the
state legislature. There, he became a champion
for the separation of church and state and
helped get Virginia's Statute of Religious
Freedom, a revised version of a document
penned by Jefferson in 1777, passed in 1786.

7. • Madison wrote the first drafts of the U.S.
Constitution, co-wrote the Federalist Papers &
sponsored the Bill of Rights.
• He established the Democrat-Republican Party with
President Thomas Jefferson, and became president
himself in 1808.
• Madison initiated the War of 1812, and served two
terms in the White House with first lady Dolley
Madison.

8. ALEXANDER HAMILTON

9. Born circa January 11,
1755 or 1757 (the exact
date is unknown), on the
island of Nevis, British
West Indies.

10. • 1777: Became George Washington’s assistant
• 1778: Convinced New Yorkers to ratify the US
constitution
• 1789-1795: Served as the nation’s first secretary
of the treasury
• a tax collection bureau that would later become
the U.S. Coast Guard.