James Madison

Birth-Death: (1751 - 1836 ) Term: (1809-1817 )

The war between Great Britain and France dominated two years of President Madison's administration. From the summer fo 1812 to the end of 1814, the U.S. fought again with the British, who had been attacking U.S. ships. Prior to the war, the economy was suffering due to the war between Great Britain and France. American merchants were being attacked by both sides, and when the Embargo Act of 1807 was passed, the U.S. fell into a depression. Following the War of 1812, nationalism soared.

Major Events with James Madison

1813 - Hartford Convention

    As the war of 1812 waged on, the Federalists convened in Hartford to protest the war effort. The war was not advantageous to their positions - their shipping industry had been ravaged by the constant attacks from the British fleet, and the merchants were extremely upset with the government.

    The convention pondered secession, but decided it was too drastic of a move, instead they adopted the following resolutions: no embargoes shall last for more than sixty days; a two thirds vote is required to declare war, restrict foreign trade, and admit new states to the union; no naturalized citizen could hold any federal office.

    With these resolutions, the Federalists tried to keep their waning power in the governmental system. However, these resolutions arrived in Washington on the same day as the news of Jackson's victory in New Orleans and the end of the war with the Treaty of Ghent. The Federalists were seen as treasonous, and the Hartford Convention was really the last act of the Federalist Party.

1816 - First Protective Tariff

    Alexander Hamilton's ideas of a protective tariff became popular as the industry began to develop. Protective tariff rates of twenty five percent were added to the revenue tariff to protect the developing industry.