James Madison was the 4th president of the United States(1809-1817) and his presidency is not the highlight of his political career, it was more so what he did that led up to his presidency that really defines him. “Madison’s presidency is the most neglected part of his brilliant career, since he was a great constitutionalist, but not a great president.”(Garry Wills on James Madison) Raised on a plantation in Orange County, Virginia that his parents owned, James Madison, Jr was the oldest of all his family’s children. Growing up on this plantation, James was greatly influenced by his father James Madison, Sr who was the largest land holder of Orange County along with being commander of the county militia and a leading citizen. With all these duties his father had to preform Madison admired the way his father preformed his duties and had an influence on him. Madison went through schooling regularly, but then when it came to college he completed four years of courses at Princeton University in only two years. He moved on to postgraduate studies for a while at Princeton but after that he went home not knowing what career to peruse in life but was considering law or joining the military. Then in 1775, as the revolution began, …show more content…
Madison was never on the battlefield due in part to his small demeanor of 5 feet 4 inches and weighing about 100 pounds. After his time in the military, he moved on and entered the political field by