James Madison

Political Party: Democratic-Republican

Term: 1809-1817

Nickname: Father of the Constitution

Short (not really) Bio:
Madison is best known as stated above, as the father of the Constitution. Madison himself scoffed at the nickname and claimed that the Constitution was not made by a single mind, and that many had helped form it. Madison was with Jefferson in terms of how he felt about the strength of the government, which was he feared a centralized federal power. After Washington, Adams, and Jefferson had refused to take sides on the war between France and Britain, Madison chose to favor the French. Parts of Jefferson's embargo were still intact for France and Britain, but Madison was willing to agree to terms with France to get trade going again. Why choose France over Britain? Madison and America were a little pissed off that Britain was stopping our ships, taking our supplies, and then impressing our sailors. Impressment meant that our sailors now had to serve on the British ships and fight their war. France did it too, but not as much, and stopped to resume trade.

Pressure to go to war with Britain was high, and not only from citizens. Enter the War Hawks, John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay. They, along with other War Hawks, entered Congress and demanded that Madison deal with Britain. The War Hawks were also convinced that the British had the Native Americans attack our western settlements (The west in that time was our Midwest today). Britain realizes that the hammer is about to come down from both sides, and says they will stop. But, too bad the telegram or any faster mode of communication hasn't been invented yet! The U.S. declares war on Britain while the message is being sent. Madison receives word, and is like, "oh well". Britain now has to fight two countries. Though to their benefit, the Shawnee, led by Tecumseh decide to support Britain and fight the U.S. Tecumseh is widely considered one of the best warriors and generals of all time for his cunning and knowledge of the enemy. Tecumseh was a thorn in the side of Madison and Commander William Henry Harrison. Tecumseh represents the last hope that the Shawnee, and any Native American tribe has at staving off westward expansion of whites.

To make this section about the war itself shorter, I'm going to summarize. The War of 1812 had two parts: Our battles in Canada and around Detroit, and on the east coast. The second part of the war starts when France agrees to a treaty with Britain. Madison runs again for president, wins against Anti-War candidate Clinton, and drives to end the war. Tecumseh is killed in battle, essentially killing the biggest Native American coalition against the whites. Many Native American tribes throw their hats in with the Americans after that, including the Shawnee. The British land in the Eastern U.S. and torch the capitol and the white house. Bad day. Madison and the American forces are finally able to beat the British into a stalemate. Both sides are tired of fighting and sign the Treaty of Ghent. Word doesn't reach New Orleans in time and General Andrew Jackson takes heavy losses, but wins against British forces after the war had already ended. Fun Fact: Our national anthem comes from the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key was captured at Fort McHenry and watched the fort stave off the British forces.

With the war finally over, Madison's popularity grew. America had just shown that it could hold it's own for the second time against one of the world's superpowers. The British never attacked the Americans again after that war. The economy also improves with the creation of the Second National Bank, though it's existence will be snuffed out by a future president. Madison was not big on immigrants into the U.S. He blocked a bill on naturalization, and had all illegal immigrants kicked out of the U.S. Funny how some issues never go away. Madison goes out on a high note and ushers in the Era of Good Feelings.

Grade:B
Madison went to war with a major power and wore them out. That's pretty impressive, though reckless, as Britain had agreed not to impress their sailors anymore. Madison, like Jefferson is more well known for his contributions outside of his presidency. Madison's policy on immigrants could also be seen as harsh by some. Madison also supports the continued expansion of citizens into Native American land. All in all, not a bad presidency.

Yes I realize that this was also a War of 1812 entry too.

Thomas Jefferson

Political Party: Democratic Republican

Term: 1801-1809

Nickname: Sage of Monticello

Jefferson used the new three-fifths compromise which gave the southern slave owners an extra fraction of a vote to win against Adams. In all honesty, Adams would have won a second term had it not been for the inflated southern vote. Jefferson during his presidency is most known for his buying of the Louisiana Purchase from France. Though Congress wasn’t too keen on spending money it didn’t have, they bought the bargain from France to double the size of the U.S. Jefferson also won the Barbary wars, a war with pirates. Yes, the United States did officially have a war with pirates. Jefferson then decided to pass the Embargo Act of 1807 which stopped all trade with foreign nations, but especially Britain. The embargo backfired and sent the U.S. into an economic tailspin. Jefferson later repealed the act. Jefferson is better known for his writing of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was probably the smartest and well rounded president we ever had, having a extensive library that was the largest in the country. He later sold the three thousand books to the Library of Congress after the small library was burned down during the War of 1812. Was Jefferson generous? Yes, but he partly only did it to get money to support his decadent lifestyle. Jefferson was huge into interior decorating and having big parties. This quickly led him to bankruptcy and died nearly penny-less. Way to be. Jefferson and John Adams became enemies after Jefferson’s underhanded election win and they didn’t reconcile until they were old. Both men ended up dying on the fourth of July.

Grade: B
Jefferson in my opinion did much more outside of his presidency than he did in. The Louisiana Purchase helps him out a lot, but the Embargo was just a terrible idea.

John Adams

Political Party: Federalist

Term: 1797-1801

Nickname: His Rotundity

Adams kept all of Washington’s cabinet members, which was seen as a weakness of the president at the time. Adams also had to deal with the continuing war between France and Britain. He decided to follow Washington and stay out of the ordeal. Adams presidency is somewhat marred by allowing Congress to pass the Alien and Sedition act which made it so foreigners could not become citizens until living in the country for fourteen years and allowed the government to deport anyone they found to be a threat to the nation. This proved to be extremely unpopular and sullied Adams one term as president.

Grade: C
While keeping with Washington’s views, he loses points for the Alien and Sedition act. Adams as a one-termer was not able to accomplish as much.

George Washington

Here’s my first big series. I’m going to give an overview of our presidents, listing their main achievements, what they messed up on, and I give them my personal grade. Be sure to check back every couple days for a few more presidents. Hopefully you learn something you never knew about our nation’s past leaders.

Political Party: None

Term: 1789-1797

Nickname: Father of Our Country

Short Bio: Washington had been enjoying his retirement from national service, when he was asked to preside over the Constitutional Convention. He agreed, and that set him on track to become the President. The framers of the Constitution had made a strong government with Washington in mind actually, and he was the only choice anyone had ever had for the first President of the United States. To this day he is the only president to win unanimously. John Adams was chosen as his Vice-President. Washington realized early on that he was going to be setting many precedents for the presidents. Since Washington lacked much in the way of education, he had James Madison write his inaugural address. Washington was offered $25,000 a year for being president, but like when he was leading the Continental Army, he declined, saying that he would like his work expenses covered only since he was rich already. Congress eventually got him to take the money, since they didn't want this to be something that was perceived as precedents, which would take any poorer man out of the Presidential race.

Washington started the tradition of meeting regularly with his cabinent members, which has been done by every president since. An instance of precedents that was very harmful to America was Washington's unwillingness to visit Congress in person. He had terrible experiences when he did go and try and speak to everyone, so he never did it again. This set a trend for further presidents and caused a larger rift between the Legislative and Executive Branch. Washington helped build the new nation, while dealing with domestic issues including the creation of political parties. Washington was against the creation of political parties and was disdained to find that his secretary of state Thomas Jefferson and secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton had created the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalist, respectively. His cabinet became an all out war against Hamilton and Jefferson. Washington himself leaned more towards the Federalists side, which angered Jefferson, who felt the President relied too much on the advice of Hamilton. This large rift between all of this cabinet members ultimately led to it's demise, as Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton and many more would leave and have their seats filled with inadequate men. Hamilton was the last to go, but served with Washington during the Whiskey Rebellion. The rebellion was a controversial issue for the new nation, mostly on how to deal with it. After the rebellious were told that they would be put down with force if they didn't go back home, they still stayed, and Washington decided that this was a dangerous situation that needed to be put down. Washington and Hamilton led the standing army, though Hamilton led the men, and Washington hung out in back giving orders. This marks the only time in history that a Commander in Chief took part in any part of the military while president. Washington took a lot of heat for this from the Democratic-Republicans, as they felt that this was the government abusing its power.

Washington, though greatly loved in America, was not without detractors. Many Democratic-Republicans thought he was too much like a king, as did a few members of the press at the time, some who routinely wrote of how Washington was trying to be King of America for life. Washington heard these attacks, and though he had a tough exterior, he was internally tortured by them. Washington decided that he had enough and just wanted to go back to Mount Vernon. He knew he could of been reelected till he was too old to serve, but instead wanted to live out the rest of his days in peace. He had to get away from all the politics. Thus, Washington set the precedent of only serving two terms. This would go on until FDR, who was elected to four, though he was criticized for it, as his detractors found it to be a slight against Washington. Though it wasn't expected, Washington had a farewell address prepared, this time by Hamilton. This was the last piece of precedence that Washington set, as all presidents afterward would give one. Though during his two terms his cabinet and many others were torn between the two new parties, Washington endorsed and for the most part had a united America. He had claimed neutrality in the fight between Britain and France and was determined to instead build his nation up. He showed that he was able to tackle tough domestic issues like a rebellion, and able to keep a bunch of colonies together.

Grade: A: For his role in creating our nation and keeping the new nation afloat in the early years.

Elections

If you have driven, or have ever been in a car, or walk around with your eyes open, you have probably seen all those election signs spread out all over your community. Chances are you have never heard of these names before. If you do recognize one, it’s only because you accidentally listened to your counties’ local radio station or NPR. What do these signs mean? It means election time is upon us! Hoorah! Election time means something for people who are 18 and over. Or at least it should. If you are under 18, it doesn't mean as much. It’s just a time when your parents seem more agitated and seem to yell at the TV more than they do when Jeopardy is on. Along with the thousands of signs that line every coverable inch of earth on the side of the road, there are those fun TV commercials which are paid for by the committees to elect John or Jane Doe. Because politicians aren't just men anymore, women have overcame the fact that they couldn't vote less than a hundred years ago, and now have run for president. The TV commercials are either two things; boring or funny. "My opponent supports punching puppies, and that just sickens me," says one politician about his competition. "Those puppies are taking our jobs, and they’re communist! Do you want to support someone who loves communist puppies? ," says the competition. Though communist puppies will surely not become an issue for many years, that’s basically how the mudslinging goes between candidates.

Mudslinging is a popular way to get you elected. All you have to do is paint the other person as being the worst human being in existence and you are all set! A republican and a democrat go back and forth about jobs, taxes, abortion, gay rights, gun control, and a number of other issues. Then you have that third party candidate that kind of knows they’re going to lose but wants to draw votes away from one party.
So what does election time mean to us? Does it mean change? Does it mean more of the same? We honestly don’t really know unless there is an incumbent running. We all hope for different things though. There aren't many times when both sides of the political spectrum decided to get someone elected. The exception is Washington’s, Monroe’s, and Eisenhower’s election as president of the United States. Washington had no competition. Monroe was voted in unanimously except for one vote just because they didn't want to put Monroe in the unanimously voted in area of presidents. Eisenhower was a war hero from World War II. Enough said. I may want change, while another person wants things to stay the same. What we can all agree on, is that the American public is never happy.

Elections bring another thing besides signs and commercials. They bring debates. This is where you get to see a little snippet of what that politician is about. Most of the time, the responses to questions will fit in to what their party wants. It is a proven fact that third parties just can’t win in our current political elections. The last time they came close was Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party. As a politician, you either spout what your party wants you to, or you go somewhere else. Are all Democrats and Republicans the same? No. Some republicans are more liberal than others and some democrats are more conservative than others. But they can’t go too rogue, as it’s called nowadays, or they alienate themselves from their party. Good example: John Tyler. You will hear more about him in a later blog. When a person becomes an elected official, they have to reach over the aisle just enough to get things done, but not topple completely over into the other side or withdrawal too much into their own side. That’s why it’s hard for a president to get anything done when congress is controlled by another party.

Anyway, I’m going on a tangent. You may be upset at a candidate for saying certain things, but in truth, they probably have to say those things, either to appease their party, or to reach out to a group that they need votes from. Abraham Lincoln, when in debates for president, pledged that he did not support the spread of slavery, but would not work to abolish slavery. Do you really think that Lincoln didn't want to get rid of slavery? Of course he probably did, but, when the country is on the brink of war and you say you’re going to work to get rid of a region’s way of life, then things get ugly. Lincoln had to find a way to get southern votes if he could and not cause any more unrest. Politically, he said one thing, and personally felt another way. Who is to say that politicians today disagree with some of the stances they have tied themselves to? Debates can be entertaining at times. If you want entertaining, check out the first televised debate between Nixon and Kennedy in the 1960 election. Nixon was getting over a sickness and make up was used to try and make him look better. It just made him look pastier and old compared to the good-looking JFK. For those that saw that debate on television, Nixon appeared tired and un-presidential, while Kennedy looked the youthful politician of the future. Television viewers found Kennedy to be the winner. Radio listeners thought Nixon won. So, appearance matters. Especially now since debates are watched mainly on the television. Things can unravel fast for a candidate. It doesn't matter what level you are at, getting up in front of a bunch of people and answering important social questions is nerve wracking. All it takes is a slip of the tongue and you've lost some of your constituents. Or maybe you paused too long after being asked a question. Or maybe you answered it as vaguely as possible and everybody knows it. Elections are won or lost here. If you've never watched a debate before, please do. They are incredibly boring sometimes, but at heart, they are what we are supposed to listening to the most. People vote a certain way for a variety of reasons. Whether if it’s on one issue only, or they just always vote one way, sometimes, people don’t really care what the candidates have to say. I think that’s a mistake. I think that no matter what party the candidate belongs to, they have the potential to be great, or a dismal failure. I personally vote either way in elections all time based on who I think is best for the job. It’s about competency, leadership skills, and the will to get things done. Issues of course to come into play, but in all honesty, many issues we take into consideration when voting are not addressed at all during that persons tenure.

Voting is a gamble. It’s our patriotic duty, but it’s a gamble. As a representative democracy, we the people choose who represents us. They make decisions based on what they think is good for the people. Unfortunately, it’s not always all people, and just some. We for the most part don’t really know that much about the politicians we elect. We hear a few personal preferences and party talk and then we make our decisions. That’s why I think it’s important that we all do our research. Not just vote for a person because they belong to the party you usually support, but vote for someone who has the integrity, the good character, and the passion to make our communities, our states, and our country a better place. Vote for someone that represents the people, and not just their party, not just the movers and shakers, and not just interest groups.
Our elections and their systems may be tedious, but it gives us the ability to voice our opinion. Some say that your vote does not matter, and they may be true because of how our system is set up, but it is our right to vote, and we have the freedom to do it, so we should take advantage of that right. Go out and vote! IT'S FUN!

Independence Day

We as Americans celebrate our freedom on July 4th. But is that the true date of our independence? The Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2nd. It was dated the 4th, but John Adams was quoted saying that the 2nd of July would go down in history and should be celebrated with fireworks. Well, that didn't work out. Another kicker is the document wasn't even fully signed until August 2nd! Does this really matter to us in America now? No, not really, and it really shouldn't matter too much. It's just a date, but it's interesting nonetheless.
What's important is that our forefathers decided to rebel against the British and sign the Declaration of Independence, largely written by Thomas Jefferson, but with a little help from others. Why did we want independence? A quick synopsis would be that the British were unfair and had performed atrocities against the colonies. The atrocities were mainly to do with small skirmishes and heavy taxes on paper, tea, and other items the colonist depended on. The tax on tea went up and down actually. Many people believe that the Boston Tea Party happened because the British had raised taxes on tea, and the Bostonites didn't like that. The British had, but then lowered them drastically. Lowering the tax upset the people of Boston. Why? The tea that the British brought in was the good stuff. They taxed it heavily on the colonist, which the colonist didn't like, but it lead to smuggling of tea. All of a sudden, people in America could get tea for cheap instead of paying outrageous prices for British tea. The British, realizing that smuggling was going on, decided to drastically lower the price of imported tea, so much that it was cheaper than the smuggled tea the people of the colonies sold to each other. This outraged many who saw this as the British messing with the American colonist. Never mind that they had tea at a smaller price. Therefore, a bunch of patriots dressed up as Indians and threw millions of dollars of tea into the ocean that were waiting to be unloaded.

The British, on top of taxing the colonist and messing with the American's seeming hatred of market competition(think of it as a 18th century version of the "Buy American" campaign), also demanded that colonist let them stay in their houses. This is now the third amendment to the constitution, stating that in peacetime, soldiers cannot quarter a house unless they have the owner's consent. This was all too much for many colonist. Many in big cities, especially Boston, protested and harassed the British. But, many of the colonist were still loyal to the King of England. It is a common misconception that every colonist back then wanted freedom from the British. So, not only did the patriots have the British to watch out for, but seemingly their neighbors.
We of course won our freedom from Britain after eight long years, making it the third longest war in American history, barely losing to the Vietnam War(64-75), and the longest war which is our current war in Afghanistan(01-present). I won't go in detail of the Revolutionary War, but ask a few questions about our independence.
I asked several co-workers and other friends what they associated with July 4th. I got a lot of answers that had to do with cook-outs, fireworks, friends and family. Others said redcoats, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and war. Both sections are legitimate responses. With new generations, our perspective on events changes a little bit. Having a cookout, having drinks and other things we do on the fourth are much more current. Fireworks have been used to celebrate since the year after independence. The question is, do we as Americans really think about the Revolution against the British on the fourth? Is the fourth of July an excuse to shoot off explosives and get wasted? The fourth though, is not just a celebration of our freedom from the British. It is a celebration of the American spirit. We have memorial day to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, and I believe that the Fourth also should serve that purpose, though everyday we should thank our ancestors for their contributions. America went against huge odds to win it's freedom. Had it not been for Washington, France, and our familiarity with the landscape, we would have been decimated. Yes, I did mention France. We may poke fun at France for their lousy track record in military victories and being snooty, but the French are the reason we won the revolution and were again able to beat Britain to a stalemate in the War of 1812.
On the fourth, we must remember why we fought for our freedom, remember what makes this country so great, and why it's worth fighting for. While we have our cook outs and look at the pretty lights in the sky, let us not forget those who died in that long war for out freedom.

"We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!" OK, that may have been Bill Pullman's speech from the movie Independence Day. But he has a point. We are going to continue to live on no matter what enemy we face, whether it is the British or terrorists. America is a young country, but it is a strong country that does know how to fight.

Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary

Today is actually the last day of the battle of Gettysburg...if it were the year 1863. So marks the 147th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Three more years! Anyway, today is the anniversary of the day of the ill-fated Pickett's Charge. For anyone unfamiliar, this is when General Lee sent Lt. General Longstreet's division to charge at General Meade's division on top of cemetery hill. Major General Pickett served under Longstreet and was lucky enough to get this idiotic attack named after him. The Union army under Meade had a better position, and proceeded to destroy about half of Longstreet's division. The overwhelming loss was the final straw for Lee who then ordered his men to retreat. Following in General McClellan's footsteps, General Meade took way too long to follow Lee's army, and were not able to permanently stamp out the army of Northern Virginia. This would of probably taken a good two years off of the war.

Nevertheless, the battle of Gettysburg, including main skirmishes at Little Round Top, Devil's Den, the Wheat field and the Peach orchard, is best known as the turning point of the war, along with General Grant's victory in Vicksburg. Though the Union's victory in Antietam helped get the Emancipation Proclamation passed, and the threat of foreign help to the Confederacy stamped out, Gettysburg proved that the war was turning in the Union's favor. It proved that the south could not win a battle in the North's territory.

When most people are asked to name one battle in the Civil War, which one do you think they say? That's right, Gettysburg. The little insignificant town was incidental put on the map thanks to this battle. But is it just because Gettysburg was the turning point of the war that people know it? I would say yes actually. In school, we only covered the "important" parts of the Civil War. Those included Fort Sumter, Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Appomattox. Most people wouldn't be able to name the Wilderness Battle, Seven Pines, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, or Cold Harbor. Were these events less relevant? That's debatable. Vicksburg definitely has a place among the biggest due to it being the key to cutting the Confederacy in half.

Unfortunately, unless you are a history buff, or actively go to reenactments, a lot of people forget about the anniversary of Gettysburg. It's conveniently located right before our Independence Day. Well, technically, our Independence day is during Gettysburg on the 2nd, but I'll get to that later. Our Independence Day is more important than Gettysburg arguably, but Gettysburg still should be remembered nonetheless. The victory there basically called the war in the union's favor, even though it would take them another two years to get Lee and the other armies to surrender. Lincoln would later write an address about the battle in the place where the battle took place. The people at the time seemed unimpressed by the short speech. Lincoln himself considered it a failure, but some time after people realized how perfect the speech was and now it is considered one of the best speeches ever written. If you get a chance, read the Gettysburg Address, and think about what was going through the president's mind and everyone elses mind at the time. The incredibly bloody battle was a glimmer of hope. It represented a real chance that this country would stay together, not be permanently torn apart.

I would recommend the movie Gettysburg if you haven't seen it already. It's really long, but it's fascinating even if you aren't a huge Civil War person. Also, if you happen to be in lower Pennsylvania, check out the battlefield itself. Seeing the battlefields really gives you a scope of how big these battles were. I'm actually going to visit Gettysburg in couple weeks, along with Harper's Ferry, and our nation's capitol.

Hope you enjoyed my Gettysburg edition of Histeria. Look for an Independence Day post soon.