James Madison Dollar celebrates Constitutional architect

As a coin, it is undistinguished from the norm set for this series: a presidential portrait with the name, and the order and dates of office.

It is fair to say that the coin calls little attention to itself. It is significant, not as the James Madison Dollar, but as a reminder of our fourth president, and his considerable contribution to the way Americans are governed.

It is Madison who put forth the idea of checks and balances in government, as exemplified in the three branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial.

Wary of an overly powerful central government, but still dissatisfied with the original governing documentary authority, the Articles of Confederation, he championed and authored much of the US Constitution that was ultimately ratified by each of the states.

Madison was known to be lukewarm on the notion of an expressed guarantee of rights. He felt that the Constitution already provided for the rights of Americans and that no additional verbiage was necessary.

Nevertheless, Madison authored what we now know as The Bill of Rights, in exchange for the support of the anti-Federalists for ratification of the Constitution by Virginia, his home state.

All of the foregoing occurred before the Madison presidency of 1809 - 1817. As president, Madison exhibited antipathy toward Britain, having no love for the Jay Treaty that favored trade with Britain rather than France, who were once again at war.

Although Britain was by far the United States’ most significant trading partner, Madison was stung by, among other things, the British practice of impressing American seaman into service in the Royal Navy by removing them from their ships at sea.

The British claimed to be taking only wayward British citizens, not Americans per se. Interestingly, British impressments were directed mostly at US merchant ships trading with the French.

Not surprisingly, Madison was the US president during the War of 1812 against the British. American victories were few in the beginning, largely due to the weakness of the American forces. This was attributed to the weaker Federal government that Madison espoused.

Though successes in the American south and upon the Great Lakes ultimately won the war for the Americans, the early defeats turned Madison’s beliefs to admit the utility of Federal strength in greater measure than he ever had.




2007 Presidential $1 Coin image from the United States Mint.