I have often said a decent biography should be 750-1,000 pages in order to do a famous person justice. Ralph Ketcham barely reaches that threshold! In our current political climate, people often try to determine what the Founding Fathers intended when they established the United States. I regularly read biographies on the American presidents, but I had not previously read one on Madison. He was the brains behind many foundational American documents and significantly influenced Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe. This tome, though 28 years old, helped me understand what the Founding Fathers faced in those crucial early years of the nation.
This book is too extensive and detailed to summarize. So I’ll simply highlight a few points that struck me. First, Madison was an unlikely person of influence. He was 5’6” and a weak public speaker. He suffered from frail health most of his life, which may partially explain why he disliked travel. His first fiancée broke off their engagement. Madison did not marry until a decade later. He often made a bad first impression, because he was awkward in public appearances. Nevertheless, he had a brilliant, analytical mind that Washington and Jefferson prized.
Interestingly, while Madison was generally a realist, he believed that the democratic system of government relied on public virtue for success. He noted, “I go on this great republican principle, that the people will have virtue and intelligence to select of virtue and wisdom. Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation” (262). He went on to say, “‘Under the careful process defined by the constitution, vesting ultimate authority in the people’ he asserted, it was ‘extremely improbable’ that a President ‘not highly distinguished by his abilities and worth’ would be elected” (289). We can only wonder if he would have maintained this opinion had he lived longer!
It is interesting to see how Madison changed his views once he was in power. As a Republican, he and Jefferson diligently fought for freedom from oppressive government. Fearing a turn to monarchy, he and his colleagues were extreme in their belief that government—including its armed forces—should be small. But while in power, Jefferson and Madison both took steps they might have opposed had they not been at the helm. Madison certainly had to weigh his belief in small, temporary armed forces when Great Britain threatened America with its military might.
Madison, like so many political leaders before and after him, used strong measures to support his causes while simultaneously bemoaning his opponents’ actions. Madison and Jefferson freely used the press to lambast their adversaries but felt hurt when the press castigated them. Madison also condemned the Federalist party, led by Hamilton, for its divisive tactics, yet he had no problem forming his own party of Republicans to support his cause.
As I read this book, I was struck by how personal and ruthless politics was even then. While Washington stayed above the fray, his lieutenants attacked and plotted against each other. Many of those attacks involved brutal character assassination.
One of Madison’s greatest achievements was his defense of religious liberty. Though not a religious man himself, he abhorred coercion and saw the benefit of virtue in public life. Madison could be viewed as a deist. He asserted a belief in God, but it does not appear that he knew God personally.
Madison had a brilliant mind and could think through every side of an issue. His cognitive ability, however, did not always enable him to lead decisively. At times his desire to think deeply immobilized him. He commenced his presidency with one of the weakest cabinets in American history (483). Incompetent generals led his armies. But due to political considerations, he did not address these issues until the damage was already done. As a result, the British army was able to march into Washington and burn down the White House and other federal buildings.
Madison, like Jefferson and Monroe, suffered financial hardships and ended his years in a precarious position. Though childless, Madison had various relatives and dependents who cost him money and grief as he paid their incessant expenses and attempted in vain to rehabilitate them.
The Founding Fathers consisted of a significant number of well-educated, brilliant men who thought deeply and were greatly influenced not only by Greek and Latin writers but also by their contemporaries in France and Great Britain. Hamilton and Madison largely produced the Federalist Papers, some of the finest political writing in American history. Yet they became bitter enemies who developed conflicting views on how America could best function. While reading American history, one cannot help but notice that the issues the Founding Fathers addressed continue to spark debate today.
This book takes a scholarly approach and references a wide range of issues and people. Wading through this volume of history takes time. But if you want to truly understand what the Founding Fathers intended when they established the United States, this great book is worth reading.
Rating: 3
