James Madison
Fourth President of the United States
Born in 1751 - Died in 1836
James Madison was born in Virginia. He had eleven younger brothers
and sisters. He was sick a lot when he was a child and the family
hired a private tutor to teach him until he was 11. Then he went
to a boarding school which was 70 miles from his home. There he
spent five years studying Latin, Greek, French, Italian, algebra,
geometry, and geography.
When he was 18 he entered college. He studied hard and finished
college in two years instead of three.
After he graduated, he didn't know what he wanted to do. He could go
back to the family plantation and farm, or he could become a minister.
He thought about becoming a lawyer. He would just
keep studying.
He decided to help in the government. He served in the Continental
Congress. Some say that without James Madison, the Constitutionwould not have been written. He is called the Father of the
Constitution.
He had studied a lot and taken a lot of notes. When the men met to
talk about a constitution, Madison spoke 161 times. He knew about
every subject being discussed.
He was elected president in 1809. His wife Dolley enjoyed entertaining
in the White House. It is said she had a smile and a pleasant word
for everyone.
After he retired from being the president, he and Dolley returned to
Montpelier, the family estate. He died there in 1836. His wife then
returned to Washington and lived there for the last 13 years of her
life.
This biography by Patsy Stevens, a retired teacher, was written in 2001.
The Making of the Constitution and the Foundation of the U.S. Legal System and Government written by target="top"
Aaron Schulman and
Sylvia Fraley
Part 1Part 2
Part 3
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Dictionary
From
Word Central's Student Dictionary
by Merriam - Webster
(Pronunciation note: the schwa sound is shown by ə)
tutor
Pronunciation: 't(y)oot-ər
Function: noun
: a person who has the responsibility of instructing
and guiding
another...
algebra
Pronunciation: 'al-jə-brə
Function: noun
: a branch of mathematics that explores the relationships
between numbers and the operations used to work with them
and that uses letters or other symbols to represent them ...
geometry
Pronunciation: jE-'ahm-ə-trE
Function: noun
: a branch of mathematics that deals with points, lines, angles,
surfaces, and solids...
constitution
Pronunciation: kahn(t)-stə-'t(y)oo-shən
Function: noun
a : the basic beliefs and laws of a nation, state, or social group
that establish the powers and duties of the government
and guarantee certain rights to the people in it
b : a document containing a constitution ...
Research Links
James MadisonEarly America.com
James Madison
Events Leading to the War of 1812 Lesson PlanLesson Snips.com
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James Madison Lesson PlanLesson Snips.com
The British Attack on the Capital Lesson PlanLesson Snips.com
Information about James Madison(Look in the box top left) at Humanities Web
James MadisonDucksters
The Articles of Confederationvideo lesson
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Videos
Books
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Library
A LIBRARY OF
ONLINE BOOKS and BOOK PREVIEWS
James Madisononline book by Sydney Howard Gay
Memoirs and Letters of Dolly Madisonby Dolley Madison, Lucia Beverly Cutts (public domain, full view) Order
here
Father of the Constitution: A Story About James Madisonby Barbara Mitchell (selected pages) Order
here
James Madisonby Garry Wills (selected pages) Order
here
How to Draw the Life and Times of James Madisonby Roderic Schmidt (selected pages) Order
here
James Madison, easy biographyby Lynn George (selected pages) Order
here
Preview these Amazon books using the links below.
James Madison, Patriot, Politician, and Presidentby David B. Mattern (selected pages)
A Picture Book of Dolley and James Madisonby David A. Adler, Michael S. Adler (selected pages)
James Madison, Presidential Leadersby Jeremy Roberts (selected pages)
James Madison, Profiles of the Presidentsby Andrew Santella (selected pages)
James Madison, Presidents and Their Timesby Dan Elish (selected pages)
James Madison Fourth President of the United Statesby Megan M. Gunderson (selected pages)
Dolly Madison Saves Historyonline book by Roger Smalley (selected pages)
Credits and Solutions
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Wikimedia Commons.
* Word Match Solution
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