James Madison's Influence

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James Madison’s Influence on the Creation of American History

Introduction

The decade of 1790s is the most decisive decade in our nation’s history, in which the greatest statesmen of their generation came together to define the new Republic and direct its course for the coming centuries. Of all the Fathers that have contributed to the formation of American national structure that has survived until today, I picked James Madison because he strikes me as one of the most outstanding people that have achieved great consequences for American history.

All our Founding Fathers had influenced the course of the American history in some significant way. Some might have hated each other for personal or political reasons like Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton and some might have stood by each other’s side like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, but they all shared one thing: To keep the infant and fragile Union, the symbol of independence, strong and economically prosperous. Each of the Founders was of high statute in society and most were very well educated and they agreed upon a great document which set up a well rounded government for our new country.

The Compromise of 1790

It all happened one day by chance. Jefferson was the secretary of the state and Hamilton the secretary of treasury. They both were waiting outside the presidential office. Jefferson thought Hamilton looked odd and Hamilton confined that the leader of southern congressmen, James Madison, blocked the assumption of state debts by the federal government and therefore aborted his financial plan for the recovery of public credit. And Hamilton feared the whole union without the approval of his plan will inevitably meet the end.

Out of concern, ...

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...the western territories and it failed to pass by only a single vote.

Madison believed that slavery was the central cause of the most elemental division in the Constitutional Convention. It did not lie between large and small states. It laid between the North and the South. The slavery issue was a big taboo because it possessed the political potential to destroy the union. That is why even Madison, being first against slavery was suddenly hesitant to give straight answer when asked about slavery.

Madison wanted to take slavery off the national agenda because he believed that this action would result in the destruction of either Virginia planter class or union itself. Madison understood better than most that having slavery was a big betrayal to the Revolution concept, remembering Franklin’s reminder before he died not to remain silent about the slavery issue.

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