James Madison's Life

write a new document to govern the country. James came to Philadelphia prepared to write the Constitution. While still in Virginia, James researched past governments and why they failed and why they succeeded. James came up with a plan called the Virginia Plan. This plan called for a strong central government, one the articles didn't have. This plan became the basis of the Constitution. The final draft set up three branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch was equal in power and checked and balanced the other branches. In September 1787, the delegates finally agreed on

the Constitution. The next year all of the states ratified the Constitution. James was elected to the House of Representatives in 1788. During James’ time as a representative he helped form the court system and also proposed new government departments. In 1789, James proposed the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights added freedoms to the Constitution such as the freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and more. James wrote the Bill of Rights because he believed that the Constitution did not guarantee basic rights everyone should have. While James was still a

Barber, James G. Eyewitness Presidents. Penguin Random House, 2017. Fritz, Jean. The Great Little Madison. Penguin Group, 1998. Gaines, Ann Graham. Our Presidents James Madison Our Fourth President. The Child's World, Inc., 2002. “Have You Ever Wondered... Who Saved The Gilbert Stuart Painting Of George Washington From The White House Before It Was Burned In 1812?” The White House Historical Association, The White House Historical Association, https://whitehousehistory.org/questio ns/how-did-dolley-madison-save-george-washington-portrait.

Maloof, Torrey. James Madison and the Making of the United States. Teacher Created Materials, Inc., 2017. Marquette, Scott. America At War War Of 1812. Rourke Publishing LLC, 2003. Mulhall, Jill K. James Madison. Teacher Created Material, 2005. “Our History.” Princeton University, Princeton University, https://www.princeton.edu/meet-princeton/history#c1700s. “Presidents James Madison The 4TH President Of The United States.” The White House, White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-

house/presidents/james-madison/.&nbsp; Venezia, Mike. Getting To Know The U.S. Presidents James Madison Fourth President. Children's Press, 2004. Wikipedia Contributors. “James Madison.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ja mes_Madison. Wikipedia Contributors. “United States Secretary of State.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Un ited_States_Secretary_of_State.

     I am Joseph T. Stitz. I am 12 years old. I live in College Park, MD and attend Berwyn Heights Elementary School. I am in the 6th grade. I chose to write about James Madison because I thought that he would be an interesting person to write about. To learn more about him, my family and I took a trip to his home, Montpelier. I was able to tour his home and walk around the beautiful property. It was a fun time and I got to take pictures for this book and learn more about James' life.

and they agreed with the other colonists. It was clear that the colonists were not going to peacefully accept the new taxes. James wanted to join this fight. In 1774, James and his father were elected to the Orange County Committee of Safety. This committee readied the county for war and also made sure the people did not support England. The English supporters were punished by tar and feathering. James supported this idea and encouraged other counties to do the same. In 1776, James was elected to represent Orange County, Virginia at a state convention. This convention voted

unanimously to tell the Virginia delegates at the Continental Congress to vote for the Declaration of Independence. Also at the convention the members drafted a new constitution for Virginia. James was a strong believer in religious freedom. James proudly wrote the section that gave that freedom in the new Virginian constitution.&nbsp; In 1777, James was asked to join the Governor’s council. The council helped the governor make decisions. During his two years in this position, James and Thomas Jefferson became close friends. The two of them agreed on many topics and worked well together.

their way to Baltimore to defend it. The British forces fired at Fort McHenry for several hours. In the end the British retreated. Both sides were tired of fighting.&nbsp;&nbsp; On board one of the ships was a lawyer named Francis Scott Key. He watched from the ship as the British fired on the fort. He wrote a poem about what he saw. The poem was later made into a song which became the American National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.&nbsp; In December of 1814, a peace treaty was signed. But the soldiers did not know of the treaty so the fighting continued. An example is the Battle of New Orleans. Andrew Jackson

led a final victory at the battle. James spent the rest of his presidency helping the country recover from the war. In 1817, James' term ended and he returned to Montpelier. During James' retirement, he planted new crops in his garden and visited Thomas Jefferson. James also helped Thomas create the University of Virginia. James enjoyed his retirement and was glad not to have the stress of being president. However, he remained involved in politics to some extent. For example, he helped write a new constitution for Virginia. As James got older he developed rheumatism. He had difficulty holding a pen

By Joseph T. Stitz Illustrated By Joseph T. Stitz

silverware, books, the painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart and more.&nbsp; When the British stormed the White House, they found a feast set up. Dolley had planned to host dinner that evening. Even though they were not the intended guests, the British soldiers helped themselves to a feast. After they were done eating they set the White House on fire. The next morning a thunderstorm came and put out all of the fires. The fire ruined the inside of the White House, and James and Dolley could not live there anymore. Dolley and James met up at Dolley’s sister’s house after the battle. They were invited

to live there. Up until this time, the White House had been called the President’s Mansion. When workers were fixing up the White House they painted the outside white and that gave people the name the White House. After the burning of Washington, D.C. there was low morale among the residents and many people wanted James to surrender and move the capitol to Philadelphia. James refused because he did not want the British to think they had won. After the British left the city they set their next target on Fort McHenry, Baltimore. Many American volunteers from nearby states made

and writing. He dictated letters and notes to Dolley about his time at the Constitutional Convention. It was important to James that he leave written documentation of how the country was born. As James got older he got weaker, on June 28, 1836 he died. In the Virginia Piedmont there lay the father of the Constitution and a founding father though short in height, this man was definitely not short of great ideas.

In 1779, James was elected to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. James arrived in&nbsp;Philadelphia right after his 29th birthday, in March of 1780. At the congress, James was very quiet and just listened during the meetings. James was frustrated that the delegates couldn't agree on how to govern the new country. During the American Revolution the Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation. The articles set up how the United States Government would work. At first, James encouraged other states to ratify the articles. After a few years, James and other politicians saw that the articles had some flaws.&nbsp;One

of the flaws was that it gave the federal government too little power and the state governments too much. Another problem was that it did not allow the federal government to raise an army. Also, the articles did not allow the federal government to collect taxes from the states. James worried that the articles would make the country weak and lead to its demise.&nbsp;&nbsp; James suggested to the delegates that they meet to make changes to the articles. In 1787 delegates met in Philadelphia to change the articles. This meeting became known as the Constitutional Convention. The delegates realized that they should

Non-Fiction Individual 6th Grade Berwyn Heights Elementary By Joseph T. Stitz Illustrated By Joseph T. Stitz

quiet man, he was a leader in the Democratic-Republican party along with Jefferson. The opposing party was the Federalist party which was led by Alexander Hamilton. The two parties often argued, especially about foreign relationships. While in Congress James heard about a lady named Dolley Paine Todd. Dolley had recently moved to Philadelphia after the death of her husband, youngest child, and in-laws. Aaron Burr had stayed in a dorm run by Dolley’s mother. Aaron and Dolley got to know each other well. When James wanted to meet Dolley for the first time he asked Aaron to arrange their introduction. Dolley was excited to meet

James and she admired him. The two were very different. Dolley was energetic and outgoing while James was quiet and reserved. A few months later James proposed to Dolley and they were married on September 15 1794. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson asked James to be his Secretary of State. James accepted and he and Dolley moved to Washington, D.C. As Secretary of State, James had to deal with foreign affairs.

One of the concerns James had to address was that the British and French were robbing American ships at sea. In 

sickly, he had to stay inside. He would pass the time by reading his father’s books. By age 11 James had read all of the books in his father’s collection. When James was 11 he was sent to a boarding school in the next county over. There he learned Latin, Greek, French, algebra, and logic. James’ teacher was Mr. Robertson. James stayed until he was 16. James wanted to stay longer but his father told him he had to come home. When James came home he was taught by a minister named, Mr. Martin. He helped James get ready for college. When James was 19 he enrolled at the College of New Jersey, which would later be

renamed Princeton University. James and his friends would play pranks. One of the pranks was to put greasy feathers in a doorway and watch as his classmates slipped. James wasn’t always

about the jokes though, he was a good student and finished college in just two years. James was not a large man. He was only five feet and four inches tall and weighed approximately 100 pounds. He would become our smallest president. England was imposing taxes on the colonies. The colonists were very upset by these taxes because they believed they had no representation in the government. James and his friends from college followed current events

As you know James Madison was the fourth president of the United States of America, but it took a long time before that happened. James Madison was born on March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia. James’ parents were James Madison Sr. and Eleanor Conway. James had seven brothers and four sisters. James was the oldest of the 12 children. When James was a baby the family moved into a planter's cottage on the Montpelier plantation. The plantation was 5,000 acres. When James was nine the family moved into the family home, right next door. The home was built

by James' grandfather, Ambrose Madison. The plantation grew tobacco, which was a popular and profitable crop in Virginia. The plantation owners, like James’ parents, who grew tobacco made a lot of money selling it to the 13

colonies and England. When James was a child he was very sick. He would have seizures sometimes and fevers often. Doctors said that he had problems with his liver. Since James was so

response, James and Thomas suggested the Embargo Act to Congress. The act banned all trade to Europe. Congress passed it but repealed it later because it caused the United States to lose money. After Jefferson’s terms were over, James ran for president. He won the election and became president in 1809. One of the major problems in James' first years was that Great Britain was taking American sailors captive and disrupting American trade. James wanted to avoid war, but some Congressmen wanted to go to war. These men were called War Hawks. James felt pressure from pro-war congressmen and in June of

declared war and the War of 1812 began. The British put a naval blockade on the United States. American goods could not get out of the country or imported. The United States suffered from the blockade. Many people were unhappy with the war and they started calling it “Mr. Madison’s War”. James was ill and re-election was coming up.&nbsp; In August 1814, the British invaded Washington, D.C. James went out to ready the soldiers for battle because he did not think they were prepared. Many citizens had already fled the city. Dolley stayed in the White House to save items like a copy of the Declaration of Independence,

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