James Madison: A Son of Virginia and a Founder of the Nation - Hardcover

Broadwater, Jeff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807835307 ISBN 13: 9780807835302

Publisher: University of North Carolina Press, 2012

Synopsis

James Madison is remembered primarily as a systematic political theorist, but this bookish and unassuming man was also a practical politician who strove for balance in an age of revolution. In this biography, Jeff Broadwater focuses on Madison's role in the battle for religious freedom in Virginia, his contributions to the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, his place in the evolution of the party system, his relationship with Dolley Madison, his performance as a wartime commander in chief, and his views on slavery. From Broadwater's perspective, no single figure can tell us more about the origins of the American republic than our fourth president.
In these pages, Madison emerges as a remarkably resilient politician, an unlikely wartime leader who survived repeated setbacks in the War of 1812 with his popularity intact. Yet Broadwater shows that despite his keen intelligence, the more Madison thought about one issue, race, the more muddled his thinking became, and his conviction that white prejudices were intractable prevented him from fully grappling with the dilemma of American slavery.

About this title

Book Description:

"Broadwater has mastered the voluminous literature on Madison. With lively and fast-paced prose, this succinct synthesis of recent scholarship will appeal to historians, political scientists, and general readers alike."--Stuart Leibiger, LaSalle University

About the Author:

Jeff Broadwater is professor of history at Barton College and author of George Mason, Forgotten Founder.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0807835307
• ISBN 13: 9780807835302
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288