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James Madison Biography

James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fourth President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

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James Madison Quotes

If this spirit shall ever be so far debased, as to tolerate a law not obligatory on the legislature, as well as on the people, the people will be prepared to tolerate any thing but liberty.

Freedom, Law, Legislature, Liberty, Obligatory, People

The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legislature the power of declaring a state of war [and] the power of raising armies. . . . A delegation of such powers [to the President] would have struck, not only at the fabric of our Constitution, but at the foundation of all well organized and well checked governments. The separation of the power of declaring war from that of conducting it, is wisely contrived to exclude the danger of its being declared for the sake of its being conducted.

Army, Declared, Government, Legislature, Vests, War

Inference is founded upon obvious reasons. Regard to reputation has a less active influence, when the infamy of a bad action is to be divided upon a number, than when it is to fall singly upon one. A spirit of faction. . . will often hurry the persons of whom they were composed into improprieties and excesses for which they would blush in a private capacity.

Excess, Fall, Numbers, Persons, Regard, Singly

Armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.

Army, Debt, Debts, Instruments, Libertarian, Taxes

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

Forget, Having, May, Ought, Outlived, Thought

The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.

Miracle, Liberty, Example, Throughout, Happy

It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage and such only as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.

Acceptable, Believe, Believes, Homage, Men, Religious

It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.

Abroad, Freedom, Loss, Pretended, Real, War

Equal laws protecting equal rights…the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country.

Country, Guarantee, Laws, Love, Loyalty, Protecting

Power is of an encroaching nature.

Church, Encroaching, Nature, Power, States

Since it is impossible for the people spontaneously and universally, to move in concert towards their object; and it is therefore essential, that such changes be instituted by some informal and unauthorized propositions, made by some patriotic and respectable citizen or number of citizens.

Impossible, Moving, Numbers, Object, Patriotic, Universally

As compacts, charters of government are superior in obligation to all others, because they give effect to all others. As truths, none can be more sacred, because they are bound, on the conscience by the religious sanctions of an oath. As metes and bounds of government, they transcend all other land-marks, because every public usurpation is an encroachment on the private right, not of one, but of all.

Conscience, Government, Land, Obligation, Religious, Transcend

Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.

Assembly, Citizen, Citizens, Mob, Mob Rule, Socrates

At first view it might seem not to square with the republican theory, to suppose either that a majority have not the right, or that a minority will have the force to subvert a government. . . . But theoretic reasoning in this, as in most other cases, must be qualified by the lessons of practice.

Squares, Government, Views, View, Lessons, Practice

The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce. . . . The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives and liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State.

Constitution, Federal, Government, Negotiation, Order, War

[N]o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Religious, Atheist, Kgb, Under, Test, Required

I think it absolutely necessary that the President should have the power of removing his subordinates from office; it will make him, in a peculiar manner, responsible for their conduct, and subject him to impeachment himself, if he suffers them to perpetrate with impunity high crimes or misdemeanors against the United States, or neglects to superintend their conduct, so as to check their excesses.

Thinking, Should Have, Office, Excesses, States, Necessary

A government resting on the minority is an aristocracy, not a Republic, and could not be safe with a numerical and physical force against it, without a standing army, an enslaved press and a disarmed populace.

Army, Government, Gun, Numerical, Physical, Safe

A sincere and steadfast co-operation in promoting such a reconstruction of our political system as would provide for the permanent liberty and happiness of the United States.

Liberty, Political, Promoting, States, United States

But ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments, would not excite the opposition of a single State, or of a few States only. They would be signals of general alarm. . . But what degree of madness could ever drive the federal government to such an extremity.

Alarms, Ambitious, Encroachments, Extremity, Government

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