James Madison lived in 1751-1836. Madison was a Virginian, just like several of the founding fathers. He grew up in the town of Montpelier, and he lived there his whole life. Madison was a very talented writer, he helped create the foundations of the U.S government. Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution. He had many of the basic ideas in the Constitution. Madison argued for separate branches of government, a strong national government, and also for rights such as freedom of religion. Madison then rallied support for adoption for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. When James Madison and the 56 other delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May 1787, they intended to amend the Articles of Confederation. They ended up creating a new constitution, and Madison, representing Virginia, became the chief recorder of information. Madison had helped develop Virginia’s Constitution 11 years earlier, and it was his plan that served as the basis for debate in the development of the U.S Constitution. Madison argued for a strong central government that would unify the country. The Convention …show more content…
Ratification of the Constitution by some states was based on the expectation that the Constitution would be changed by amendments such as these. Madison originally drafted 19 amendments, 12 of which his congressional colleagues passed on to the states for their approval. On December 15, 1791, 10 had been approved by enough states to become part of the Constitution. These amendments guarantee our individual rights as citizens, such as the freedom of speech, religion and in the First Amendment. In 1785 Madison had written one of the most significant essays regarding separation of religion and government, which no doubt gave him inspiration for some of the Bill of