Founding Fathers: Complete Biographies, Their Articles, Historical & Political Documents. Emory Speer
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returned to Philadelphia.
Mrs. Todd was then twenty-two years old, wealthy, beautiful, and so attractive that a lady friend once said to her: "Really, Dolly, thou must hide thy face, there are so many staring at thee." Dorothy Todd had been brought up in the Quaker religion and wore the soft gray dress and white cap and kerchief of that sect.
When James Madison took his seat in Congress in 1793, he was forty-three years old, a bachelor and one of the best-known and most honored men in the country. Seeing pretty Dorothy Todd one day, he asked Aaron Burr to introduce him, and there is still preserved a note written by Mistress Dorothy to a friend, in which she says:
"Aaron Burr says that the 'great little Madison' has asked to be brought to see me this evening."
After that evening the "great little Madison" called often at the home of pretty Dorothy, and on September 15th, 1794, they were married and drove in their own carriage to Montpellier, where they remained until the next session of Congress. From that time "Dolly Madison" was as well known and as highly honored as her noble husband.
At the close of President Washington's second administration on March 4th, 1797, James Madison returned once more to Montpellier, determined to rest from public life and give his time and attention to the care of his large estates. But in 1798 he was again elected a member of the Virginia Assembly where he remained in office until the election of Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States.
“Then President Jefferson made his inaugural address on March 4th, 1801, his old friend was not there to hear him. The death of his father and the duty of settling his estates detained him at Montpellier; but when Jefferson appointed him Secretary of State he moved his family to Washington and took his place as head of the Cabinet.
The four years which had passed since James Madison left Congress in 1799 had brought many changes. Philadelphia Was no longer the seat of government; the new city of Washington was now the Capitol of the United States, and there the new Secretary of State and his pretty wife made their home. President Jefferson's wife had been dead many years. Both his daughters were married and living in their own homes, and when social events at the White House required a lady's presence. President Jefferson called the wife of his old friend to assist him, and "Dolly Madison" was really the "Lady of the White House" during the eight years of President Jefferson's administration.
Jefferson's first term was one of such peace and prosperity that it has been called the "golden era" of the nation. His second election was almost unanimous, but during the first year of the term trouble came.
Great Britain, regretting the loss of her colonies and having the strongest navy in the world, determined to provoke another war with the United States. hoping to win back the country she had lost.
Congress issued protests, and sent statesmen to England to negotiate for a new treaty, but believing herself strong enough to crush the young nation, England would make no promises.
One day the British man-of-war Leopard tired upon the American frigate Chesapeake, killing and wounding several men. Then her crew, boarding the ship, captured and carried away four American sailors, on the ground that they were British subjects.
The people of the United States were roused by this outrage. President Jefferson summoned a special session of Congress and issued a proclamation, forbidding British ships of war to remain in American waters. but they paid no attention to this proclamation.
When Congress assembled in 1807 they were not prepared to declare war, but the Embargo Act was passed, closing American ports against foreign vessels and confining all American ships to home trade.
For a while the nation approved of this Act, but it soon proved a greater injury to the United States than to Great Britain, and Jefferson was urged to repeal it during his last year in office. This he refused to do. It was made one of the issues in the next Presidential campaign and when, in 1808, James Madison was chosen Fourth President of the United States, he went into oflice pledged to repeal the Embargo and Non-intercourse Acts.
Almost the first official act of President Madison was the repeal of the Embargo, to take effect June 10, 1809, and this caused great rejoicing throughout the country. President Madison also made an agreement with the English minister at Washington, by which all ships engaged in commerce were to be unmolested. Every one hoped for an era of prosperity and many were the thanks and blessings bestowed on the President.
All along the Atlantic coast was life and action. Hammers rang day and night in the dock-yards where silence had long reigned and the deserted wharves. where ships had long lain idle, rotting at their moorings, echoed with the voices of busy men. On the morning of June 10th, amid the cheers of men, the booming of cannon and ringing of bells, more than one thousand ships, with White sails spread, floated out to sea.
But the hope of peace and prosperity was short-lived. England refused to ratify the agreement made by her minister, and to protect American vessels, President Madison was obliged to declare the Embargo Act once more in force. Then those who had praised him most were the first to denounce and blame him, forgetting that he had no control over the British Government.
British outrages continued. France also began to make trouble. American property was confiscated or destroyed upon the seas. But the stolen dollars did not rouse the wrath of the American people as did the kidnapping of American sailors. Against this wrong Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun spoke with a fiery eloquence that reached the heart of the nation.
President Madison was accused of wishing to preserve peace at the expense of the nation's honor, but that charge wronged him. He had seen the horror and desolation of the Revolutionary war; he knew how small the American navy was, how feeble her armies; he had known the difficulty of raising money to carry on a war; he had helped to establish the young nation on a firm foundation and he dreaded to declare war, and plunge the country he had so faithfully served into fresh disasters. He determined, that if there must be war, it should he with but one nation at a time, and wished to come to some understanding with either England or France, or both, if possible. He knew also that a great number of the American people were opposed to a war with England, and that the only hope of success would be in a united effort by the States.
But the war feeling grew stronger. until a majority of the people believed that England should be made to respect the American Flag and American citizens, wherever found. On June 1, 1812, therefore, President Madison sent a message to Congress, recommending a declaration of war. Another Presidential election was at hand and Madison was a candidate for re-election. He has been accused of declaring war to obtain a re-election, but the reader of history cannot help seeing that a war with Great Britain at that time was the only honorable course left to the nation.
The last administration of President Madison is really a history of the war of 1812. Our navy won splendid victories upon the water and there was fighting all along our borders. History tells the thrilling story of Perry's victory on Lake Erie, and of Jackson's victory at New Orleans. The British won some victories on land, but the little American Navy taught them that England no longer "ruled the seas."
An interesting incident of the war, and one closely connected with President Madison and his wife, was the burning of the city of Washington by the British in 1814.
War had been going on about two years, when the British, who had been blockading the harbors of Virginia and bombarding towns along the coast, grew bolder and sent bodies of soldiers inland, who pillaged and burned the towns and killed or captured the inhabitants. Admiral Cockburn, who afterward carried the Emperor Napoleon to St. Helena, commanded the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay and his name became a terror along the Virginia coast.
It began to be feared that he would sail up the Potomac and attack the Capitol, and President Madison consulted General Armstrong, the Secretary of War, about defending the city. "What!" exclaimed the wise Secretary, "the British attack Washington? Pooh, nonsense!" This gave the people great confidence, and when a motion to provide a larger military force to defend the city was laid before Congress, it was quickly voted down. But President Madison had lived through one War against Great Britain, and he did not feel so confident of safety as the brave Secretary of War. He called a meeting of the Cabinet. laid the case