Madison, James (Administration)

James Madison was born in 1751 to a wealthy planter family in Virginia. His political career began during the American Revolution when he served on a local Committee of Safety, and during the lead-up to the American Revolution he took part in the Virginia Convention that declared independence, along with drafting a state constitution. During the revolution, he was selected for the Virginia Governor’s Counsel, where he worked closely with both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.

As the Revolutionary War progressed, Madison, in 1780, was chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, which was operating under the Articles of Confederation at that time. Madison, more so than most in attendance, had become frustrated with convention delegates being unable to accomplish much of anything under the ...