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Today in History: President James Madison Is Born
03/16/10
Often described by historians as the Father of the U.S. Constitution, James Madison was born in Virginia on March 16, 1751. He was a member of the Virginia colonial legislature and the Continental Congress, participated in the Constitutional Convention, and served as the fourth president of the United States (1809-1817). Madison is also known for his many influential political writings. In 1785, for instance, he presented a powerful argument for the separation of church and state in his Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments.
In 1787, after the U.S. Constitution was sent to the states for ratification, the system of government it proposed became the subject of heated debate. Madison emerged as a prominent advocate of ratification and defender of a strong federal government. Writing under the pseudonym Publius, he presented his arguments in the Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays that appeared in popular newspapers. Madison contributed 29 essays to the series, including several of the most famous installments.
In Federalist No. 10, for example, he argued that a strong federal government would prevent “factions,” or special interest groups, from exerting undue influence. In Federalist No. 51, meanwhile, he discussed how the separation of powers in different branches of the federal government would create a system of checks and balances to keep the democracy working smoothly. The Federalist Papers are held in high regard by scholars and frequently cited by judges as important foundation documents that explain the original intent of the framers of the Constitution.