James Madison (1751–1836) US statesman and political theorist. Madison was a Virginian who was a keen advocate of American nationalism at the Continental Congress, 1774 and 1775. He helped to set up the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and played a major role in writing the Constitution. Madison served as Jefferson’s secretary of state, 1801–9, and was the fourth president of the United States, 1809–17.
Madison’s best known political writings are his contributions to The Federalist (1787–8), which campaigned for constitutional ratification. He was a leading proponent of pluralism and divided government, believing that ‘ambition must be made to counteract ambition’. He therefore urged the adoption of federalism, bicameralism and the separation of powers. Madisonianism thus implies a strong emphasis upon checks and balances as the principal means of preventing tyranny. Nevertheless, when in office, Madison was prepared to strengthen the powers of national government. His views on democracy, often referred to as ‘Madisonian democracy’, stressed the need to resist majoritarianism by recognising the existence of diversity or multiplicity in society, and highlighted the need for a disinterested and informed elite independent from competing individual and sectional interests. Madison’s ideas have influenced liberal, republican and pluralist thought.
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