Ryan Hite:
Today on the 275th birthday of the fourth President of the United States, let’s hear what Phyllis Schlafly has to say about James Madison.
Phyllis Schlafly:
Madison has no monument on the national Mall, nor does he have a presidential library. Nevertheless, except for George Washington, nobody did more to ensure the survival of self-government than Madison. Madison was unquestionably the clearest thinker among our Founding Fathers. Even Thomas Jefferson deferred to Madison’s judgment. Like Washington, Madison’s greatness lay as much in his character as in his achievements. Colleagues found him appealing and persuasive because of the diminutive manner through which he conveyed his brilliance. Madison let Alexander Hamilton and Gouveneur Morris lead the debate for a new constitution, let George Mason makes the case for the Bill of Rights, and let Thomas Jefferson head the political party that he and Madison founded. Yet Madison’s organizational hand was behind the success of all those things.
Madison performed his greatest service in his role as the principal architect of our Constitution. In 1787 he sought a government that would simultaneously reflect the will of the majority and protect individual liberties. He saw checks and balances as the best means of achieving that.
Madison was also the architect of the Bill of Rights, and the First Amendment shows his indelible imprint. It is thanks to Madison that it contains the words “free exercise” rather than “toleration” as the national standard for protecting religious liberty.
After the British burned the White House and our national capital in the War of 1812, Madison became the symbol of national reconstruction. He had the good fortune to have the support of his wife, Dolley, who had a flair for public relations. She acted as the President’s lobbyist, intelligence gatherer and pollster.
Madison stood only five feet four inches tall, and never weighed more than 140 pounds. But despite his small size, Madison’s bearing and demeanor accounted for much of his success as a politician.
