James Madison: the record and the legends

The record

• RecordAt about 5'4" and maybe 100 pounds, Madison is the smallest president in American history. He was sick a lot as a young man and worried he wouldn't live long. He made it to 85.Source: Miller Center, Madison
• RecordIn August 1814, with British troops marching on Washington, Madison rode out to the battlefield at Bladensburg. The Americans lost, the British burned the White House, and Madison had to get out of the city.Source: White House Historical Association, Flight of James Madison
• RecordMadison did the homework. Before the Constitutional Convention in 1787 he studied old republics for months, and his Virginia Plan became the starting point for the Constitution.Source: Miller Center, Madison

The legends

• LegendYou'll hear that Madison is the only sitting president to command troops in battle. He was on the field at Bladensburg, but how much he actually commanded is still argued about.Source: White House Historical Association, Flight of James Madison

What he cared about

• Writing the Constitution, then selling it. He co-wrote the Federalist Papers to get it ratified.
• The Bill of Rights. He drafted the amendments and pushed them through the first Congress.
• Standing up to Britain over trade and seized sailors, which led to the War of 1812.

The full record

Madison enslaved more than 100 people at Montpelier over his lifetime, and his will did not free any of them.

Questions about James Madison