Why The Failure Of James Madison's Presidency

Yet, several decades later, Henry Adams concluded that Madison's presidency was “a long recitation of 'executive weaknesses' and mismanagement.” (Rutland 1990). And this judgment has been wide accepted by many historians. First of all, James Madison took down the banking system. When the first Bank of the United States was scheduled to expire in 1811, and while Madison's treasury secretary said the bank was a necessity, Congress failed to re-authorize it. As the absence of a national bank made war with Britain very difficult to finance, Congress passed a bill in 1814 chartering a second national bank, but Madison also vetoed it. It is not until 1816 that the second national bank was chartered when had learned the bank was necessary from the

The Acts were passed due to both France and England pressuring the United States to pick an alliance in the Napoleonic Wars. Jefferson had no desire to become involved in the wars and passed the Embargo Act prohibiting trade with European countries believing it would make both countries stop pressuring the United States. This would make the United States move towards an agrarian economy as trading would almost become useless as European’s countries were the only ones to trade with the United States. Jefferson presidency having helped the average man especially farmers would not Continue as he would make choices that would oppose the ideals that his presidency had promised.

Moreover, Jefferson’s successor, James Madison further used the Non- Intercourse Act and was assisted by Nathaniel Macon’s Bill No. 2, which offered Britain and France to choose whether to stop seizing U.S. ships and to participate trading with the U.S. or to continue

The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law passed by the United State Congress and signed by President Thomas Jefferson on December 22, 1807, that prohibited American ships from trading in all foreign ports. Jefferson signed this bill because of conflict that was going on between France and England. The British had been using impressment, which was the act of enslaving captured sailors and using them on their own ships, on the Americans and it was making everybody home in the U.S angry. This put a lot of pressure on Jefferson and Madison.

The Americans fought many battles against the British, while winning some and losing others, they eventually defeated the British. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, that was supposed to bring an end to the war and resolve any other conflicts between the United States and Great Britain (176). But there were still a lot of ongoing issues during the post-revolutionary war period which led to the start of the War of 1812. One of the main causes of this war was the violation of American shipping rights. Great Britain and France placed many economic sanctions against the United States, which caused many American industries to plummet (347,348). The embargo act that Thomas Jefferson passed prohibited any Americans goods to be exported and any ships to leave for any foreign ports

Madison and these supporters of the war looked upon it as being inevitable, causing it to eventually also be known as “Mr. Madison’s War”. Madison was influenced to believe this war was unavoidable as a cause of the British supplying already aggressive Native Americans with weapons, along with members of his party urging the idea of kicking the Indians out of the United States and putting them in Canada. While individuals like this saw the war as inevitable others, such as southerner expansionists, had ulterior motives. These expansionists sought the state of Florida, which at the time was controlled by Spain, a weak ally of Britain. Even with multiple stances on the topic of war and individuals having ulterior motives, what started the entire discussion of war was all the different unjust actions of the British towards the United States. The British were consistently impressing American sailors, taking the Americans from their vessel and forcing them to join and work for the British Navy. Along with impressment occurring there were many more reasons behind the War of 1812; such as, harassment of United States trade by British naval ships, and “During the first three decades of American independence there was a general feeling that the British government had very little respect for the young United States. And during the Napoleonic Wars the British government actively sought to meddle with — or completely suppress — American trade with European nations.” (McNamara). Britain was so desperate in attempting to squash the United States through trade they even passed laws, known as Orders in Council, which meant for all American ships that were headed towards a European port a blockade would now be there.

The early 1800s was a difficult time for the young nation of America with the Spanish established in the south, the British navy dominating the east in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Native Americans contesting the enlargement of U.S. settlers in the west. The stagnant nature of the U.S. weakened their agricultural based economy, which stressed the impairing effect of the embargo established by Thomas Jefferson. While Great Britain failed to recognize U.S. neutrality concerning their ongoing war with France, Natives sought to unite their forces against the Americans who were invading their land. Because the Native Americans needed land to live off of and the Americans desired to expand their agricultural establishments westward, the desperate

James Madison 's view on the president, that he or she is the head of the branch most prone to engage in the dealings of war, has been substantially manifested in the degree to which the executive has taken war power from Congress. In Article I Section 8 of the Constitution, Congress is stated to have the power to “declare War,” to “raise and support Armies,” and to “provide and maintain a Navy.” By explicitly listing these powers to be reserved for Congress, the Framers exemplified their preference of a slow, deliberative body to have control over matters of war, rather than invest the power in a single executive, who might be more prone to act belligerently. However, over the past century in particular, presidents have claimed many war powers which were intended to be meant exclusively for Congress as their own. One way in which the president has taken war power from Congress is through energetic, emergency, and reactive military appropriations. In contrast to the time of the Framers, modern war seems to require swift action. The branch of government that requires the least amount of time to act is the Executive, which places the president, also Commander in Chief in control of the armed forces, in a situation in which they can take unquestioned steps in sending troops into conflict and beginning involvement in a war, a power that was originally vested in Congress through the Constitution. For example, in the wake of the Civil War, President Lincoln contributed to the

As his presidency continued Jefferson began drifting further away from the original ideals of the Republican Party. His decisions no longer reflected a strict interpretation of the Constitution, but resembled the loose construction of the Constitution employed by the Federalists. When he made the decision to purchase the Louisiana Territory in 1803, effectively doubling the territory of the USA, he loosely interpreted the Constitution like that of a federalist by working around the Constitution. No where did the Constitution state that the president had the power to make such a purchase, but by using the “necessary and proper” clause as a loop pole he made the purchase. He went against his party doctrine of strict interpretation in order to expand American domain and to protect the US from the threat of a resurgent France. Another show of Republican movement away from being strict constructionist was when Jefferson passed The Embargo Act of 1807, which banned all foreign exports. Supported by Document C, the Embargo Act was extremely unpopular with the American public. No where in the listing of the presidential powers did it state that a law such as the Embargo Act could be passed. When Jefferson passed this Act,

The passing of the Embargo Act in 1807 banned all trade with European nations during the Napoleonic Wars in an attempt for the United States to steer clear of war and to prove to the European Nations that American goods were essential to their economies. Alexander Anderson's cartoon, drawn one year after the bill was passed, shows how the American people were affected by the Embargo Act. They resorted to smuggling goods in order to make money during the economic depression caused by the act. After Jefferson's poor decision with the Embargo Act, his party members began to loose faith in him and his Federalist opponents gained a great amount of popularity. By refusing to trade, the United States experienced the bad aspects of war with none of the potential gains through the signing of treaties. After the Embargo Act, the American citizens begin to

On June 1. 1812, President James Madison submitted a war message to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States. This message Madison submitted describes how the British have been violating the American flag. It also in tells how the British violated neutrality rights in United States. The Americans also complained of dealing with British ships in American waters. The Americans were angry of the seizure of the American sailors to join the Royal Navy. Madison believed this war would help to protect American ships on the high seas. He believed it to stop the British from impressing United States sailors. President Madison also wanted to stop Britain from having alliances with the Native Americans. Madison hoped to increase the size of the United States by gaining control of Canada and Florida. Because Madison’s War Message did reflect the reality of what was happening between the British and the Americans. His message was approved for the United States to declare war against Great Britain.

In my paper I will state and explain the least known aspects of James Madison. James Madison contributed to some of the most simple and complex events that have not been recognized. For his job well done, I am willing to make those aspects known.

across 6 states, allowing the nation to be tied together and to be utilized for internal commerce. Later in Jefferson’s term he set a law that potentially was one of the worst notions during his presidency. In 1807 the Embargo Act was placed with the purpose of attempting to prevent foreign tension with France and Britain by not allowing American ships to any foreign ports and eliminated international trade. “The embargo, however, backfired and brought greater economic hardship to the United States than Britain” (Newman and Schmalbach. 136). While Jefferson’s attempt to preserve the economy failed once he passed the Embargo Act, he later at least recognized his doings during his presidency that it must be repealed. The embargo eventually got repealed in 1809, during James Madison’s term.

Congress a few years later only to work for a short period as his health was

banned the foreign slave trade January 1, 1808. The first problem in Jeffersons international affairs was the war with the barbary pirates. Recently the UnIted States had paid bribes to the Barbary States to keep them from Harassing with American merchants. Thomas Jefferson stopped paying the Bribes which led to a war. Jefferson tried using the navy to create a complete blockade around Tripoli. Jefferson ended up paying a last time fee of 60,000 dollars and made him build up the navy because of the weakness it showed. When Jefferson learned that Spain had given France the Louisiana territory it made him nervous. He believed that another battle for America was going to arise and he did not want to face the brilliant military mind of Napoleon. Thomas Jefferson sent two diplomats James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston to negotiate a purchase of Louisiana. Napoleon who desperately needed money to fight his european battles agreed to a price of fifteen millions dollars amounted to about four cents per acre for 828,000 square miles.. The United States obtained the land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains which more than doubled the size of the nation. Napoleon next declared war on Great Britain. Both countries than banned Almost every American commerce with the other country. The British Navy then began impressing AMerican sailors