PDF James Madison by Richard Brookhiser in History

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A look at our 4th President from 10;000 feet.By PaulBrookhiser's "James Madison"; presents a high overview of the man who said; "If men were angels no government would be necessary." The 4th president was the middle part of the Virginia tri-fecta that held the office during the first quarter of the 18th century. The treatment of Madison as a framer of the constitution feels sufficient. I also learned that our 4th president was a political animal who would go to great lengths to knee-cap opponents through unreliable proxies in the press. Precursor to Fox News? Much of the book charges at a pace that feels a little brisk. I didn't get a sense of who Madison the man was and also felt the same about one of our more famous first ladies Dolley. The War of 1812 was a major event during his administration but again more detail and analysis would have been helpful. At 250 pages the book feels a little thin. 9/20141 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Lot of Sail; Needs More BallastBy PaulThis is good biography; but rather short and not that detailed. Of course; it can't be at 250 pages.Madison was certainly very important in the making of the Constitution; but his elevation above all others is a stretch for me. Yes; he attended the meetings at a time when delegates came and went; he was there faithfully. The author contends that the four great writers of the founding were Jefferson; Franklin; Paine and Gouvernor Morris. I disagree with that statement. John Dickinson was left out; as he usually is because he did not sign the Declaration of Independence; but prior to the revolution; Dickinson with his Letters from a Farmer was widely read and he earned the title of penman of the period. Then he claims that Hamilton was not a great writer....well; almost anyone familiar with Hamilton knows of his tremendous capability in putting his thoughts on paper on a variety of subjects.The best of the book is that it points out that the Republicans were able to dominate the White House for a generation. With Jefferson; Madison; and Monroe serving two terms each in succession; the Republican party controlled the national government for 24 years; and effectively presided over the death of the Federalist party. As Brookhiser points out; Madison was important to Jefferson in developing party politics and was very good at it.As for his presidency; the declaration of war against England was not popular and it even caused some in New England to consider leaving the Union and aligning with Great Britain; which would have been disastrous for America. Madison also went to war without a national bank to help with the financing; and while there were some naval victories on the Great Lakes (and even more dramatic victories on the high seas; which are largely absent from the book); the war was not a resounding success. Washington was burned by the British and Madison's selection of people in the war effort and his cabinet was disastrous. His rare exception was Albert Gallatin.Brookhiser is a good historian; but this biography of Madison is lacking.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great readBy enthusiastI'm so glad I read this book. It gave me a new perspective on the founding of our country. James Madison did so much to give us our current government. I wish everyone in high school had to read this.