How Did James Madison Contribute To The War Of 1812?

James Madison, as you may know, was the 4th president of the United States. He was also the father of the constitution. As President, Madison was a well respected statesman with brilliant mind, and he thought that service to his country was very important. Also while president, the War of 1812 was fought. It was fought in places along the east coast. One event took place in Washington D.C. where the British burned the city to the ground. During the siege, Dolly Madison, President Madison's wife, was also involved and she removed several important things from the White House that she did not want destroyed. One of those things a famous painting of George Washington that still hangs in the East Room of the White House to this day. Some …show more content…
To retaliate, President Madison proclaimed war against Britain to begin the war of 1812. This was often called “Mr. Madison’s War” because several states did not support the war and would not allow their militias to help fight. As the War of 1812 went on, Madison ran for re-election against federalist DeWitt Clinton and won re-election. Even though he won, he was blamed for the difficulties caused by the war. Trade stopped between the U.S. and Europe, hurting American merchants, and New England threatened to secede from the Union. As mentioned earlier, Madison fled Washington D.C. because British troops invaded and burned buildings including the White House, the Capital and the Library of Congress. (I’m told that there are scorch marks from the War in the White House still today.) A major victory for the the U.S. was winning the Battle of New Orleans and that helped put a positive on this controversial war. Future President Andrew Jackson was the commanding general. Even though the war of 1812 was mismanaged, key victories uplifted Americans. Once blamed for the errors in the war, Madison was hailed for its