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James Madison Facts & Worksheets

James Madison, also known as the Father of the Constitution, was the 4th President of the United States (1809-1817).

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James Madison, also known as the Father of the Constitution, was the 4th President of the United States (1809-1817). The War of 1812 against the British made him popular for re-election. Before his presidency, his Virginia Plan dominated the New Jersey Plan as the primary blueprint of the US Constitution.

See the fact file below for more information on James Madison or alternatively, you can download our 21-page James Madison worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

EARLY AND PERSONAL LIFE

  • James Madison was born on March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia. He was the oldest child of James Madison, Sr., a tobacco plantation owner, and Nelly Conway. His father was considered one of the leading landowners in Piedmont, with about 100 enslaved workers. 
  • Between the ages 11 and 16, young James was tutored by a Scottish instructor and learned Latin, mathematics, and geography. Before going to college, he studied under Reverend Thomas Martin in Montpelier. 
  • In 1769, after homeschooling, he attended the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University, and learned theology, Latin, and Greek. Within two years, he completed a bachelor of arts degree. By 1771, Madison was mentored by Reverend John Witherspoon and learned Hebrew and political philosophy. According to biographer Terence Ball, Witherspoon influenced Madison regarding Enlightenment ideas such as liberalism.
  • In 1772, Madison returned to Montpelier, tutored his siblings, and began to study law books from his friend from Princeton, William Bradford. There were no records that Madison served an apprenticeship to any lawyer in Virginia. 
  • On September 15, 1794, he married Dolley Payne Todd. They were not blessed with children, but he adopted Dolley’s child from a previous marriage, John Payne.

EARLY POLITICAL CAREER

  • In 1774, Madison served on the local Committee of Safety. He started his political career in 1776 when he became the representative of Orange County to the Virginia Convention and was elected to the Virginia governor’s Council of State. He met Governor Thomas Jefferson, and together, they founded the Democratic-Republican Party opposing John Adams and Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Party.
  • Due to his 5 feet and 4 inches stature and poor health, Madison did not fight in the American Revolutionary War but remained a political leader. 
  • At 29, he became the youngest delegate to the Continental Congress. In Congress, Madison supported the French-American alliance, the westward expansion, and the Treaty of Paris. 
  • After holding a seat in Congress between 1780 and 1783, Madison was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1784. 
  • On May 25, 1787, Madison, Edmund Randolph, and George Mason presented the Virginia Plan at the Philadelphia Convention. The Virginia Plan outlines a new federal constitution with three branches of government. When the convention concluded in September 1787, anti-federalists rallied against the new Constitution. 
  • Meanwhile, Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton and John Jay published newspaper articles promoting the new Constitution. Altogether, Hamilton, Jay, and Madison wrote 85 essays known as The Federalist Papers within six months. 
  • Of his 29 essays, Madison’s Federalist No. 10 was the most regarded for advocating representative democracy. Moreover, Federalist No. 51 discussed the separation of powers between the main branches of the government. Madison was proficient in Latin and Hebrew. Under the pen name “Publius”, the essays were meant to support the ratification of the Constitution.
  • By 1789, he was elected to the House of Representatives. He became known as the Father of the Bill of Rights after the proposed amendments to the Constitution were ratified in 1791. The Bill of Rights secured people’s freedom of religion, speech, press, and right to assembly and jury trials.
  • Before being Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State in 1801, Madison authored the Virginia Resolutions in 1798, declaring the unconstitutionality of the Alien and Sedition Acts. He also served as President Washington’s key adviser. 

JAMES MADISON’S PRESIDENCY

  • Despite his absence during Adam’s administration, Madison won the presidential nomination of the Democratic-Republican Party in 1808. 
  • On March 4, 1809, Madison became the 4th President of the United States. He took his oath at the House Chamber in US Capitol, and George Clinton (1809-1812) and Elbridge Gerry (1813-1814) were his vice presidents.
  • Six months after election, madison agreed to the Treaty of Fort Wayne, which compensated Native Americans with goods, subsidies, and lands. The treaty angered Tecumseh, a prominent Shawnee chief accusing the president of selling the country. On November 7, 1811, Tecumseh and his British allies were defeated at the Battle of Tippecanoe. After the battles, the Native Americans were pushed off their lands, while General Andrew Jackson cemented his career. 
  • By 1810, President Madison ceased fire with Napoleon to end French attacks after the passage of Macon’s Bill number 2. The Bill was intended to lift the embargoes with the British and the French.
  • In 1812, together with the “War Hawks” of the Congress, Madison declared war against Great Britain. The War of 1812 was due to the seizure of American cargo ships and crew along the Atlantic. By August of 1814, British troops attacked and burned the White House and the US Capitol in Washington D.C. The Battles of Baltimore and New Orleans in 1814 and 1815 were considered the Second War of Independence for the Americans. They ended the war on February 17, 1815, through the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent.
  • After the war, the Federalist Party, mostly pro-Britain, was dissolved. The Era of Good Feelings was coined to describe postwar nationalism in the US. 
  • In 1816, Madison co-founded the American Colonization Society, which aimed to return freed enslaved Africans to their continent. Under Madison’s influence, Congress granted a 25-year charter to the Second Bank of the United States. Moreover, the Tariff of 1816, which increased import duties on goods produced outside the United States, was passed. 
  • Both Madison and Jefferson favored the presidential candidacy of James Monroe. 

POST-PRESIDENCY AND DEATH

  • Madison retired to Montpelier, near Jefferson’s Monticello, when he left office. He occasionally advised President Andrew Jackson and other presidents. During the Nullification Crisis, Madison believed that no state had the right to secede.
  • Before he retired from politics, Madison was a chosen delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention in 1829. He succeeded Thomas Jefferson as the rector of the University of Virginia.
  • He died of congestive heart failure on June 28, 1836, at Montpelier estate. 
  • By 1844, the Madisons’ mansion and plantation were sold along with their enslaved people. In 1865, Paul Jennings, one of Madison’s slaves, published a memoir recounting his former master as “one of the best men that ever lived.”
  • Historian J.C.A Stagg suggests that Madison was one of the most significant Founding Fathers of the United States. Madison was always on the winning side of every important political issue. On the contrary, historian Garry Wills believes that Madison’s failure to prevent the War of 1812 remains one of the worst mistakes made by a US President. 
  • In honor of President Madison, a famous square in New York was named him. He appeared in the first printed gold certificate in 1878.

James Madison Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use James Madison worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about James Madison, also known as the Father of the Constitution, who was the 4th President of the United States (1809-1817). The victories in the so called Second War of Independence against the British made him popular for re-election.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • James Madison Facts
  • Father of the Constitution
  • Madison Square
  • Building Glossary
  • Other Founding Fathers
  • Constitutional or Unconstitutional
  • Virginia Plan v. New Jersey Plan
  • President Acrostics
  • Bill of Rights Case Study
  • Photo Collage
  • My Rights

Frequently Ask Questions

What are 3 facts about James Madison?

James Madison was the 4th president of the United States. He was the father of the Constitution and the leading proponent of the Bill of Rights. Madison did not fight in the American Revolutionary War. He attended Princeton and became acquainted with William Bradford. 

What did James Madison do for the US Constitution?

In 1787, Madison presented the Virginia Plan in Philadelphia, which became the blueprint of the new Constitution. 

How did James Madison violate the Constitution?

James Madison denounced the Sedition Act, and his view violated the First Amendment and was considered a threat to the federal government. 

Who did James Madison represent in the Constitution?

Madison was a delegate from Virginia. 

Why is Madison the Father of the Constitution?

James Madison is regarded as the Father of the Constitution because of his influential role in drafting the document and its ratification. Moreover, Madison drafted the Bill of Rights. 

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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