04 - James Madison Episodes

You asked and I answered! As we close the book on the Madison presidency series, listeners sent in questions about topics ranging from the War of 1812 to Madison's views on the judiciary to differences between his two vice presidents. Listen in to learn a little more about the Father of the Constit…

Year(s) Discussed: 1817-1836If James Madison hoped for a retirement from public life in the final years of his life, he would find it to be anything but. From helping found and lead the University of Virginia to serving in a state constitutional convention to writing articles and coordinating w…

Year(s) Discussed: 1815-1817As Madison prepared to hand off the presidency to James Monroe, numerous matters - both foreign and domestic - came to his desk. From revolutions in South America to internal improvement bills, the President continued to chart a course for his administration, even is…

Year(s) Discussed: 1815-1816While Madison's administration in its latter days worked to secure peace with Native peoples in the Gulf South, General Andrew Jackson decided to act unilaterally in Florida against a fortified settlement of people seeking their freedom from enslavement. Meanwhile, a…

Year(s) Discussed: 1813-1816In the aftermath of the War of 1812, the Madison administration is faced with multiple lingering issues. Looming large is how to support the recovery of the national economy, and Treasury Secretary Alexander J Dallas's proposed solution of a new national bank meets w…

Year(s) Discussed: 1814-1815As the British and Americans handed back over land captured during the recent War, the US government was finally able to turn its attention to the situation with Algiers and the American sailors that had been held captive by them for years. Meanwhile, in Europe, Napo…

Year(s) Discussed: 1814-1815In the latter days of the War of 1812, President Madison had to rebuild a shattered administration and a decimated capital city while still working to bring the military conflict to a resolution. Meanwhile, in New England, the British took control of a large portion …

Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1815After failing to take Baltimore, the British turn their attention to the Gulf South in an attempt to land another blow to the Americans before the work of the peace commissioners brought the war to an end. However, they would find General Andrew Jackson ready to defe…

Year(s) Discussed: 1814In the aftermath of the burning of Washington, DC, the Madison administration hardly had time to pick up the pieces before they had to turn their attention to a new British invasion of Baltimore. Meanwhile, the American negotiators in Europe worked to find a path to peace…

Year(s) Discussed: 1813-1814President Madison and his administration learned that the British were sending seasoned veterans of the Napoleonic Wars to fight American forces in the north as the new commander of the British North American fleet issued orders designed to attack the United States e…

Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1815As the second year of the war against Britain wrapped up, the Madison administration found that little progress had been made. The invasion of Canada had stalled, and merchants in New England were undermining the war effort by continuing to trade with the British. Me…

Year(s) Discussed: 1813-1814The Allied forces of Europe were drawing ever closer to the French capital in the early months of 1814, and the Emperor Napoleon had to consider what options remained for him and for his empire. Meanwhile, American diplomats in Europe worked to determine what impact …

Year(s) Discussed: 1813-1814Within a few months' time, Andrew Jackson went from having a depleted force under his command to achieving one of the most decisive victories in his military career. In this episode, we explore how that transpired and the ramifications that this would have for the Na…

Year(s) Discussed: 1813As the War of 1812 moved into its second year, two American commanders on the northwestern frontier - William Henry Harrison and Oliver Hazard Perry - struggled against logistical challenges and political infighting to assemble their respective forces in order to finally …

Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1813After the failed campaign in Russia, French Emperor Napoleon had to regroup. And by regroup, I mean launch another war, of course. It soon became clear, though, that the tide was shifting, and instead of a war of conquest, Napoleon was now fighting for the survival o…

Year(s) Discussed: 1813Tensions had been building between the Native inhabitants and the incoming American settlers in the Gulf South, and the year 1813 saw open hostilities which resulted in a joint operation planned by the US federal government and state and territorial governments in the are…

Year(s) Discussed: 1813The 1812 ground campaign in the north may have been a bust, but with a new year and a new Secretary of War in place, surely the invasion of Canada would go better in 1813, right? Meanwhile, President Madison had to deal with trying to work with a contentious Congress as w…

Year(s) Discussed: 1810-1814Though it took a while, in 1813, news of the war between Britain and the US arrived on the West Coast and would have ramifications for the Americans at the Pacific trading post of Astoria. Meanwhile, President Madison with his second inauguration launched a reset of …

Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1813Though the French Army captured Moscow in the fall of 1812, Emperor Napoleon quickly learned that holding it and forcing the Russians to capitulate would prove to be a tougher prospect. Meanwhile, Russian Tsar Aleksandr, concerned about the impact of the War of 1812 …

Year(s) Discussed: Prehistory-1954Being in the midst of a war with Great Britain did not stop some Americans in the early 19th century from thinking about territorial expansion into Spanish-held colonies in the Americas including those in the Caribbean. For this episode, I am joined by Joseph P…

Year(s) Discussed: 1811-1813As if the United States didn't have enough military conflicts to be involved in, agents of the Madison administration worked to support the efforts of would-be revolutionaries leading the Republican Army of the North to end Spanish control of New Spain. Meanwhile, Ge…

Year(s) Discussed: 1812-1813As the USS Constitution brought home the nation's first major victory in the War of 1812, the Madison administration had to carefully consider how to readjust its strategy in ground operations. New leaders started emerging in the field, but the President, after secur…

Content Note: There is a mention of death by suicide in this episode around the 32 minute mark.Year(s) Discussed: 1811-1812Even after the declaration of war in 1812, US and British officials on both sides of the Atlantic continued to work towards a cessation of hostilities. At around the sa…

Year(s) Discussed: 1812In the aftermath of the surrender of Detroit, the Madison administration had to consider whether its strategy against Britain had already gone awry in the early days of the War of 1812. Meanwhile, in East Florida, the arrival of a new colonial governor boded ill for the P…