part0009

James Madison was elected 4th President of the United States in 1808. Jefferson was certainly happy to see his friend and colleague succeed him in office. Both men thought the same way about the current national and international issues affecting the country.

When Madison became president, the war between France and Great Britain raged on and continued to cause problems for Americans. The new country was finding it increasingly difficult to trade with either nation, and there was a lot of trouble all up and down the east coast at this time.

By the time Madison became President, the Federalist party was all but history. Only a few politicians continued to hang on to its beliefs and never again would a president be elected of that political party.

Even though it seemed as if the Democratic-Republican party would dominate, there was much in-fighting during these years. All of a sudden it seemed that factions were forming, some of these were for supporting the war with Great Britain, while others were resistant to such an endeavor .

For a few years leading up to 1812, there was relative peace in Europe. However, by the August of 1809, diplomatic relations had deteriorated to the point that many were predicting there would be a war with Great Britain. Madison didn't want to embroil the US in another war; he believed all war ever did was to restrict the rights of its citizens, and make life difficult for everyone.

Nevertheless, by 1810, Madison was asking Congress to equip the Army and Navy for a possible war with Great Britain. By the time America entered the War of 1812, all of Europe was once again in armed conflict with each other.

During this time, Great Britain was preventing the United States from doing business with France, despite the fact that this was entirely in violation of international law. Even in these later years, Great Britain was trying anything and everything it could think of to harass the new United States. They believed they would be able to take back their colonies one day soon.

The impressment of American sailors into the British navy was worse than an insult; being invaded on American soil couldn't have been worse. To make matters even more distasteful, Britain also armed Indian nations in the Northwest Territories and told them to attack American settlers in the region.

By 1812 there was nothing left to do but to declare war on Great Britain. As with any war, there are always people who are for it, and those who oppose it.

So, between Britain closing off trade routes to France, capturing sailors off of American vessels, and inciting the Indians to rise up against settlers in the Northwest Territories, Madison had had enough. It was a small thing, but he reminded Congress that it was up to them to declare war.

By this time a “war hawk” Congress had been voted in; men like Henry Clay from Kentucky and John C. Calhoun from South Carolina were the leaders determined to bring on a second war of independence against Britain.

Because Madison had sided with Jefferson on many issues of the day, he was having difficulty financing and getting backing for his war. His cabinet was divided along party lines, he faced governors who didn't want anything to do with another war, his generals were incompetent, and because he and Jefferson had dismantled the national bank, there was no way to fund a new war. Because men like Jefferson and Madison despised standing armies and having a central bank, now that they were facing another conflict with Britain, they were coming up short when it came to the hiring of mercenaries or soldiers-for-hire.

Militias, particularly those in the Northeast, refused to invade Canada or do anything at all to help the war effort. Several Indian tribes had been outfitted for war by the British, including the Shawnee chief Tecumseh. At first, battles were lost by the Americans, but they did rally in 1813 and along with their general, William Henry Harrison (who would go on to become the 9th President of the U.S.), Tecumseh was killed and the British were forced to retreat.

In 1814, the British invaded Washington DC. First Lady Dolley Madison was able to rescue some valuables and documents from the White House before it, along with the Capital, was burned by the British. The White House was severely damaged when it was put to the torch.

Meanwhile in Maryland, there was a naval battle, over Fort McHenry. This fort guarded the seaway into the city of Baltimore. During the naval bombardment, there was an amateur poet who witnessed the battle. His name was Francis Scott Key. He penned a little poem which was put to music. This song became the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Down South, General Andrew Jackson, (who would also go on to be a president), gathered troops and anyone else he could rally to fight the British in the Battle of New Orleans. This battle was won handily by the American forces.

By 1815, the War of 1812 was over. Peace treaties were signed, and while no gains in territory had been made, one very important point had been proven once more and for all time: the United States was a force to contend with, and never again would they take orders from the British or any other country.

The War of 1812 tested Madison in many ways. The military was made up of old Revolutionary War generals and younger, incompetent leaders who didn't want the responsibility of leadership. Militia units refused to leave their home states to fight the war; imagine that happening today.

James Madison also knew he was setting precedent as his predecessors had done. He didn't limit civil liberties as future presidents would do in time of war, and refused to act as a dictator because he had the advantage of an armed conflict on his side. Madison stayed true to his view that the US was a republic, and a republic it should remain.

At long last, Americans believed they were free of Britain. No longer would troops in Canada or the Northwest look to make life difficult for the colonists. Now, it was on to building a more secure country.

There was a feeling of goodwill that permeated the land at large; it was even called the “Era of Good Feelings”, what with the wars in Europe coming to an end as well.

For the first six years or so of his presidency, Madison had been consumed with the War of 1812. Once the war ended, he still had issues to deal with. When the Bank of the United States had first been proposed by Alexander Hamilton in 1791, Madison had opposed it as being unconstitutional.

Congress had not renewed the Bank's charter in 1811, but now that Madison had been through a war of his own with an empty bank account, he realized how necessary a national bank really was. Finally in 1816, Madison signed into being a second Bank of the United States.

At this point people were feeling pretty good about themselves, and about the country as a whole. Madison enjoyed high marks in his final presidential years. In his dealings with the Indians, Madison, like Jefferson, believed they would be better off by learning how to be farmers, rather than staying on their ancestral lands. As Americans began moving West into Indian territories, Madison sought to protect them from invasion and intrusion by settlers. He ordered the US Army to protect the Indians as Americans moved onto their lands. In fact, Madison had met more than once with various Southeastern and Western Indians.

Once the War of 1812 was won, and the US and its citizens felt confident enough to know that their country was theirs alone, there were many settlers who decided to move west. In these early days, that meant pushing into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys; it would be some time before settlers would find their way to the western territories and to the West Coast.

James Madison did try to give the Indians rights of their own, all while watching citizens take over many Indian lands. Unfortunately, many Indians were permanently pushed off their lands, never to return. It was the beginning of a bigger problem than even James Madison could not have solved on his own.