Curated person dossier
President · United StatesJames Madison
1751–1836
President and wartime commander in chiefMadison asked Congress for war in June 1812 and led a government whose constitutional theory, finances, military administration, and political coalition were all tested by it.
Why this record matters
His war message assembled maritime, commercial, territorial, and security grievances without reducing the case to one cause. The war nearly broke his government, yet its conclusion strengthened the party system he led.
Follow the evidence
Sources for this dossier
- War of 1812 DeclarationU.S. House of Representatives · primary document guide
The declaration and congressional context.
- War of 1812: A Resource GuideLibrary of Congress · research guide
Primary documents, maps, newspapers, prints, and manuscript collections.