Madison Day Essay
Leadership and Constitutionality In Times of War
In times of crisis, nations look to leaders who will protect them from the dangers
they fear. ... Some of the greatest and most
revered presidents found themselves in the same situation we find ourselves today: where
to draw the line between constitutionality and the safety of the American public. A closer
look at three past presidents offers three different experiences with wartime policy and
the preservation of civil rights in times of national emergency.
The Father who Never Forgot: Madison’s Wartime Policy
It would be impossible to say that James Madison ever forgot his writings of
1787. ... Madison, as author of the document defining that very vision,
shaped his own life and political policy to constantly mirror that vision. Of all the
presidents of the United States, Madison was most likely the one who remained most
loyal to the Constitution. Even in times of war, when other presidents would take further
executive measures (as they were allowed,) Madison was reluctant to jeopardize his
citizen’s civil rights. Madison’s wartime policy clearly reflects a leader dedicated to the
Constitution and its preservation of American civil rights.
The most dramatic conflict during Madison’s presidency was the War of 1812. ... Although the United States tried to
remain neutral through several acts (the Non-Importation Act and later the Non-
Intercourse Act) it soon became apparent that America could not stay out of a war so
central to our nation. 1
Madison was not a proponent of war, for he believed that wartime policy
infringed on a citizen’s guarantee of basic civil rights, especially those afforded by the
First and Second Amendments of the Bill of Rights. ... Yet as little as Madison advocated war, he advocated English
interference in America even less. Madison viewed this “second struggle for liberty” as
the chance to sever ties with Great Britain once and for all. 2
Luckily for Madison, a group of aggressive and motivated young politicians was
now setting Congress afire with talk of war- led by Henry Clay and John Calhoun, they
1 “Madison, James. ...
were known collectively as the “War Hawks.
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