Let's Bust a Recap : The Three Lives of James Madison

Okay, so I have finished reading a second biography on James Madison, and while I don't plan to make it a habit to read multiple biographies on each president (until next year when I read two biographies on Andrew Jackson—ha!), I'm glad I did in this case. You can read the recap I wrote of Lynne Cheney's biography of Madison here. Comparatively, this 2017 biography of Madison by Noah Feldman is much more intellectual, authoritative, and thorough. Of the two, this is definitely the one I'd recommend. 

The full title of this book, The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President, gives you a glimpse at how the book is written. It's actually divided into three books, each focusing on the main three phases of his political career. The first phase details his work on the creation and ratification of the Constitution. While Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution and the Constitution we have today is very much his brainchild, I had no idea after reading Cheney's book earlier this year how much his original vision for the Constitution was compromised and changed during the Philadelphia Convention. I appreciated that Feldman took the time to really describe how the convention played out and explained how the small states forced Madison to compromise his idea for having proportionate representation in both houses of Congress. Madison did not think each state should have equal representation in the Senate because he thought both houses should have representation proportionate to each state's population. This is only one example of the many issues battled over and compromised on during the Philadelphia Convention. After reading Cheney's book, I had this vague notion that Madison wrote the Constitution, presented it to the Convention, there was some discussion and debate over it, and then it was accepted. That's not how it went down. The Constitution produced by the Philadelphia Convention certainly was constructed on the frame Madison introduced, but it was fleshed out much differently than he originally imagined.

The second phase describes his time as a Congressman and the rise of partisan politics. When Madison dreamed up his perfect Constitution, he was adamantly against partisan politics and he thought that the construction of the Constitution would actually prevent political parties from rising up against each other. Boy, was he wrong, and this is a point in Madison's own thinking and practice that he truly evolved on. He went from working closely as friends with Alexander Hamilton in their effort to have the States ratify the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, to considering him a political and personal enemy. In this phase of Madison's life, he and Jefferson really banded together to create the Republican Party in order to combat the Federalist Party headed by Hamilton. Madison went from supporting a powerful central government to protecting States' rights, a true 180 in his thinking.

And in the final phase of the book, Feldman concentrates on Madison's involvement in the War of 1812, first as Jefferson's Secretary of State, then as President of the United States. Madison's thinking on this subject shifts again from being certain that the U.S. could maintain control and neutrality during the war by utilizing economic sanctions to our advantage, to eventually deciding that war was inevitable and ultimately winning the presidency by promising to fight for U.S. interests. Again, Madison's time as President was my favorite part of his life to read about.

Another major difference between Feldman's book and Cheney's was their differing views on Madison's health and motivations for religious freedom. While Cheney spent so much time theorizing on Madison's "mysterious" bouts with poor health and positing that he was committed to religious freedom because he probably struggled with epilepsy and people back then attributed epilepsy to demonic possession, Feldman very practically asserts that Madison's dedication to religious freedom stemmed from his time at Princeton being surrounded and influenced by students and professors of differing beliefs. He writes off Madison's occasional mentions of illness to debilitating migraines or other plausible illnesses which made a lot more sense than Cheney's far-reaching notions of epilepsy. I appreciated that Feldman stuck to the facts of what we know about Madison as opposed to Cheney's constant efforts to fill in all the blanks of his personal life.

Another point Feldman made in this book that I really loved was one regarding Madison's marriage to Dolley. While John Adams is always hailed as such a loving husband because of the multitude of affectionate correspondence he shared with his wife Abigail, Feldman points out that Madison always preferred to be with Dolley while Adams spent much of his political life apart from Abigail. Not to say that Adams didn't love his wife, but the point resonated with me.

Really, my only bone to pick with this biography is that the Table of Contents is after the preface. (Who does that?!) While there were times when Feldman was so detailed I just wanted him to get to the point already, his writing ultimately helped me understand Madison and at the end of the book, I realized the detailed accounts of the political battles he fought gave me the clearest picture of Madison possible. If you're looking for a good biography to read on Madison, I highly recommend this one. 

And just to give you a little update on my Monroe dilemma: I got the bio by Harlow Unger, and I think I can squeeze it in this year so stay tuned for another presidential recap before 2018 is through!