***(Editor’s Note: In conjunction with the Inauguration of America’s 44th President, “The Thirsty Quill” is publishing a series entitled “Ranking The Presidents.” There is no ‘exact science’ to these rankings other than personal opinion based on such factors as policy, performance, popularity, perseverance, integrity, and legacy. Aside from those Presidents ranked in the top 25% and the bottom 25%, there is a great deal of ‘wiggle room’ for discretionary placement and movement. These rankings are strictly the personal opinion of the Editor of ‘The Quill,’ and should not be regarded as an academic survey of any type. Debate of these rankings is highly encouraged and appreciated.)***

#5: James Madison (1809-1817)

Perhaps one of the biggest “shockers” on this list is the placement of James Madison at the lofty rank of #5. Few scholars and experts rank him any higher than 10^th overall, but during my research, I slowly moved Madison from #11 to just inside the Top-10, and finally, to his rank as one of the Top-5 Presidents in our history.

A lifelong learner, Madison finished his degree at Princeton University (formerly the College of New Jersey) in only two years. He went on to serve as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, the Continental Congress (at age 29, he was the youngest member), the House of Representatives, and was Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson.

While I kept debating Madison’s rise to the upper-echelon of Presidents, it became more and more obvious just how significant he was in laying the foundation for our country. Yet another native of the esteemed state of Virginia, Madison was in “the right place” at “the right time” for jumping on the bandwagon of the revolutionary zeal that was sweeping the colonies during the 1770s. But it was his involvement after the Revolution that was of the utmost importance for the future of our great nation…and the values we hold so dear. 

Any analysis of Madison must begin with his role in the establishment of our Constitution. Very few people realize that it was Madison who was considered to be the master craftsman of the United States Constitution. Keeping very detailed notes throughout the Convention proceedings, Madison earned the nickname “Father of the Constitution” from his esteemed peers before the ink had even dried upon the parchment in Philadelphia.

Yet the debate over the new Constitution was far from over. While the men in Philadelphia had reached an agreement regarding establishing a new government to replace the failing Articles of Confederation, the states had not. The process of ratification would be long and quite controversial.

Once again, Madison’s quill was called upon to convince the country of the Constitution’s legitimacy. Teaming up with the likes of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay (who became the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), Madison helped write and publish a series of 85 essays that collectively became known as The Federalist Papers. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were among the men who hailed the essays as the key works that sold the states (especially New York) on the proposed document.

While many of the states finally agreed to ratify the Constitution, they did so with the understanding that a Bill of Rights was to be included. Guess who wrote that final product, and ultimately presented it (the Bill of Rights) before Congress? That’s right, it was Madison, armed with quill and scroll to carve a path toward a new era for our nation.

Although he wasn’t heavily involved in the proceedings, Madison was linked to the Louisiana Purchase due to the fact that he was Secretary of State at the time. As mentioned in Jefferson’s review (#6), Madison was also implicated in the famous Supreme Court case of Marbury v Madison, which established the concept of “judicial review.” The controversy erupted when Madison followed then-President Jefferson’s order to not deliver some of John Adam’s appointments for the infamous “Midnight Judges.” In the end, Jefferson and Madison won.

Madison was a firm believer in the Constitution and its strange combination of branches, each intertwining, yet separated by a system of “checks and balances.” This continued while he was the President, as he was ever-cautious not to overstep (or under-step) his Constitutional bounds. The biggest controversy of his tenure was the War of 1812 with Great Britain. Despite America’s lack of preparedness for another war with her former mother country, and a British invasion which left the Capital city and Executive Mansion in flames, the war resulted in a strange “victory” for us. It can be argued that regardless of what appeared to be a stalemate on the surface, the United States emerged the victors by claiming new boundaries and by ridding the hemisphere of British influence once and for all. Still, Madison had a tough go of it, as portions of New England actually contemplated secession from the country over what they coined as “Mr. Madison’s War.” After the war was over, Madison oversaw a period of great expansion and growth for our young nation.

The First Lady, Dolley, was one of the highlights of Madison’s time in office. Despite her charm and stories of heroism in saving heirlooms from inside the Executive Mansion (as the British were burning it), she was the talk of the D.C. inner-circle for her use of make-up and tobacco, and her supposed infatuation with gambling.

After the War of 1812, many repairs had to be made to the Executive Mansion. It was then that the building earned its longstanding nickname “The White House.” During the war, Francis Scott Key penned the poem that would become the National Anthem, also a highlight of Madison’s legacy. However, despite all of his “high” accolades and “lofty” accomplishments, Madison will forever be “overshadowed” by the fact that he remains the shortest President in our history, standing only five feet, four inches tall. But in the ranks of influential Presidents, Madison ranks “head and shoulders” among the all-time greats on my list.         

Notable Quotations: “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angles, no government would be necessary.” (From The Federalist Papers)

“Every word decides a question between power and liberty.” (on the Constitution)

“The essence of government is power; and power lodged in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.”

“There is nothing stable but Heaven and the Constitution.”

“A certain degree of preparation for war is not only indispensable to avert disasters in the onset, but affords also the best security for the continuance of peace.”

“The diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”

“Having outlived so many of my contemporaries, I ought not to forget that I may be thought to have outlived myself.”

“Conscience is the most sacred of property.”

“The capacity of the female mind for studies of the highest order cannot be doubted, having been sufficiently illustrated by its works of genius, of erudition, and of science.”

#5: James Madison

PRESIDENTIAL RANKINGS & REVIEWS SO FAR: 

#1:

#2:

#3:

#4:

#5: James Madison (1809-1817)

#6: Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

#7: Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

#8: Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (1901-1909)

#9: Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)

#10: James Monroe (1817-1825)

#11: Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)

#12: John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

#13: Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

#14: James K. Polk (1845-1849)

#15: Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

#16: George W. Bush (2001-2009)

#17: John Adams (1797-1801)

#18: William McKinley (1897-1901)

#19: William Taft (1909-1913)

#21/20: Grover Cleveland (1885-89/1893-97)

#22: George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)

#23: Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

#24: Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

#25: John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

#26: Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

#27: Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

#28: Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

#29: Zachary Taylor (March 1849-July 1850)

#30: Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

#31: Chester Arthur (1881-1885)

#32: Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

#33: John Tyler (1841-1845)

#34: Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

#35: Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

#36: Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

#37: James Buchanan (1857-1861)

#38: Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

#39: Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

#40: Warren Harding (March 1921-August 1923)

#41: Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

#42*: James Garfield (March 1881-September 1881)

#43*: William Henry Harrison (March 1841-April 1841)