James Madison: America's First Politician
by Jay Cost
On This Page
Description
"How do you solve a problem like James Madison? The fourth president is one of the most confounding figures in early American history -- his political trajectory seems almost intentionally inconsistent. He was both for and against a strong federal government. He wrote about the dangers of political parties in the Federalist papers and then helped to found the Republican party just a few years later. And though he has frequently been celebrated as the "father of the constitution," his show more contributions to our founding document were subtler than many have supposed. This so-called "Madison problem" has occupied scholars for ages. Previous biographies have made sense of Madison's mixed record by breaking his life into discrete periods. But this approach falls short. Madison was, of course, a single person -- a brilliant thinker whose life's work was to forge a stronger Union around principles of limited government, individual rights, and above all, justice. As Jay Cost argues in this incisive new biography, we cannot comprehend Madison's legacy without understanding him as a working politician. We tend to focus on his accomplishments as a statesman and theorist -- but the same ideals that guided his thinking in these arenas shaped his practice of politics, where they were arguably more influential. Indeed, Madison was the original American politician. Whereas other founders split their time between politics and other vocations, Madison dedicated himself singularly to the work of politics and ultimately developed it into a distinctly American idiom. Bringing together the full range of his intellectual life, Cost shows us Madison as we've never seen him before: not as a man with uncertain opinions and inconstant views -- but as a coherent and unified thinker, a skilled strategist, and a key contributor to the ideals that have shaped our history. He was, in short, the first American politician."-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Biography of James Madison, focused on his contributions to the US Constitution, the Federalist Papers, Bill of Rights, and overall political acumen. It follows his career progression through state office in Virginia, member of Congress, Secretary of State, and two terms as President. The interplay among personalities of Madison, Hamilton, and Jefferson are explored in depth. It covers at a high level the War of 1812 and some of the mistakes made by Madison in that conflict. The author takes a fact-based analytical approach, which leaves Madison’s personality in the background. It is not quite as much fun to read as some of my favorite non-fiction wordsmiths, but still insightful and worthwhile.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
James Madison
19 works; 1 member
Author Information
6 Works 184 Members
Jay Cost has been a top political analyst for a decade. Currently a staff writer for The Weekly Standard, he got his start with RealClearPolitics.com. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, National Review, FoxNews.com, National Affairs and Policy Review. His first book, Spoiled Rotten, was a critical history of show more the Democratic Party published in 2012 by Broadside Books. He received a B.A. with High Distinction in government and history from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in political science from the University of Chicago. He resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and two children. show less
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- James Madison
Classifications
- Genres
- Politics and Government, History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 973.5 — History & geography History of North America United States Jacksonian Era (1809-1837)
- LCC
- E342 .C67 — History of the United States United States Revolution to the Civil War, 1775/1783-1861 By period Early nineteenth century, 1801/1809-1845 Madison's administrations, 1809-1817
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 72
- Popularity
- 435,172
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (4.06)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 2
