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The Papers of James Madison
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1, March - 30 September 1809 |
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Volume 1: March - 30 September 1809 |
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Presidential style is an important attribute for holders of the nation's
highest office, but the first volume of James Madison's presidential papers
indicate that he was a reserved and unpretentious man concerned more with
the substance than the style of the office. 414 pages • 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 cloth • 1984 |
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The thirteen months between October 1809 and September 1910 were dominated
by foreign policy problems as Madison labored to protect American neutral
rights from the aggressions of France and Great Britain. The published
papers record the president's difficulties in negotiating with the British
diplomat Francis James Jackson as well as his struggle to persuade Congress
to persevere with policies of economic coercion against the European belligerents. Of considerable interest, too, is the material on Madison's relationships with his cabinet colleagues, particularly his controversial secretary of state, Robert Smith. These papers show a president constantly involved in the daily business of government, and they will enable scholars to develop fresh perspectives on the growth of the executive branch. 681 pages • 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 cloth • 1992 |
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This carefully annotated and indexed volume sheds new light on many of the domestic and foreign tensions that were soon to culminate in the War of 1812. The twelve-month period covered in this volume was dominated by foreign policy concerns, as Madison sought ways to compel Great Britain to respect America's neutral rights. The documents chronicle the consequences of Madison's decision to impose non-intercourse against Great Britain to force a repeal of the orders in council following Napoleon's claim that he had repealed French trade restrictions. British doubts that the French appeal was valid--shared by many Americans and possibly even Madison himself--are amply documented. The apparent failure of the diplomacy of commercial restrictions increasingly brought Madison under pressure at home to change his policies, and by November 1811 he was ready to request Congress to prepare for war. Madison's attention was also occupied during the year by the continuing disintegration of the Spanish colonial empire. His correspondence addresses the consequences arising from the annexation of West Florida, and records America's first diplomatic contacts with other rebellious Spanish-American colonies. On the domestic front, this volume illuminates Madison's painful decision to dismiss Secretary of State Robert Smith and replace him with James Monroe. 648 pages • 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 cloth • 1996 |
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| Edited by J.C.A. Stagg, Jeanne Kerr Cross, Jewel L. Spangler,
Ellen J. Barber, Martha J. King, Anne Mandeville Colony, and Susan Holbrook
Perdue
This fourth volume covers events in James Madison's first administration between 5 November 1811 and 9 July 1812, corresponding almost exactly with the duration of the first session of the Twelfth Congress. Madison's two most important presidential decisions buttress this volume: his advocacy of preparedness in November 1811 and his request in June 1812 that Congress consider his case for war against Great Britain. The documents from the intervening months chart the difficulties of the path to war. On the diplomatic front, Madison worked to clarify French policy toward neutrals. On the domestic front, divided opinions over war are revealed in addresses from citizens an state legislatures. Madison planned offensive operations against Canada, imposed an embargo on shipping, and endured threats to his renomination for a second term. Finally, Madison delivered his "war message" to Congress in June 1812, accusing Great Britain of an accumulation of grievances that stretch back to 1803. This volume also includes a supplement of forty-five items of newly discovered material from March 1809 to October 1811. 720 pages • 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 cloth • 1999 |
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Volume 5 of the Presidential Series covers the first seven months of the War of 1812, documenting the problems Madison faced as he led the United States in its first military conflict under the Federal Constitution. 768 pages • 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 cloth |
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Volume 6: 8 February-24 October 1813 |
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| Edited by Angela Kreider, J. C. A. Stagg, Anne Mandeville
Colony, Jean Kerr Cross, Mary Parke Johnson, Martha J. King, and Wendy
Ellen Perry The nation faced financial and diplomatic challenges as well. With war expenses mounting, Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin kept the government solvent by negotiating a $16-million loan. A few months later, he sailed for St. Petersburg as a peace commissioner under the mediation offer of Alexander I of Russia, leaving the financial affairs of the nation to Navy Secretary William Jones. Early in August, however, Madison wrote Gallatin that the Senate had “mutilated the Mission to St Petersburg” by rejecting Gallatin’s nomination as commissioner. The president spent the remainder of the period covered in this volume at Montpelier, regaining his health after a life-threatening bout of fever. The volume also documents the United States’ evolving relationship with Spain’s American colonies, quarrels among U.S. consuls in France, rivalries within the Cabinet, and Oliver H. Perry’s victory on Lake Erie. Access to people, places, and events discussed is facilitated by detailed annotation and a comprehensive index. 800 pages • 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 • Available December 2008 |
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The Papers of James Madison |
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| http://www.upress.virginia.edu/pjm_pres.html | ||
| Revised 6/2/08 |
