A Rare look at the U.S. Presidents: James Madison

This is an undated photo of a portrait of U.S. President James Madison by artist Gilbert Stuart. (AP Photo)

Once a generation, a few people come along and change the course for the rest of us. Because of them, we stand taller, we talk clearer, we listen to different music, use different technology, society changes.

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In the beginning of the United States, we had several of those minds all living within a few hundred miles of each other. Together, they shaped the legacy and some of the rules and guidelines that still bind us together today.

We at Rare are going to take a “Rare” look at the commanders-in-chief. It’s time to meet the man who wrote the U.S. Constitution. But he didn’t take all the credit; he once said:

“The Constitution is not the offspring of a single brain, but the work of many heads and many hands.”

Here are a few facts about our fourth president, James Madison.

  1. Although timid, Madison was widely regarded as a genius. He had great knowledge of a wide and diverse range of subjects, and was considered a political prodigy.
  2. And he put that political genius to good use when he wrote the Constitution. Madison created many of the checks and balances we have in place today, and also gave us the ability to ratify the document.
  3. Madison believed in the separation of church and state, and wrote one of the most highly regarded arguments for it.
  4. He was one of only a few presidents to accompany his troops into battle. Armed only with dueling pistols, he rushed to the front lines in the Battle of Bladensburg, then was escorted from Washington as the British burned the White House, Capitol, and other public buildings.
  5. Despite being complete opposites in personality, Madison and his wife, Dolley, had a fun, happy, and loving marriage.

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