UnitedStatesHistoryResearchProject:

WhowasthemostinfluentialAmericaninthehistoryoftheUnitedStates?

JenniferAlvarez
U.S.History&05
VictorMunoz
May15,2016


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Equal laws protecting equal rights arethebestguaranteeofloyalty andloveof country

said James Madison, in 1820, on a letter to Jacob de la Motta. James Madison is known as the
Father of the Constitution which was signed on September 17, 1787. When JamesMadisonand
the other 56 delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787, they intended to amend the Articles of
Confederation, but instead created a new constitution because the articles created a weak
government and a loose confederation of sovereign states. On the other hand, the Constitution
was suppose to create a new government that would be powerful but still having rights and
liberties. Madison had helped developed Virginias constitution and it was this that helped with
the development of the U.S. constitution. Madison argued for making a strong government that
could unify the country. After the constitution was signed, twothirds of the 13 states neededto
approve it in order to make it alaw.Madisoncampaignedfortheapprovaloftheconstitutionby
writing 85 essays withJohnjayandAlexanderHamilton knownastheFederalistPaper. In1789,
James Madison introduced the amendments that are known as the bill of rights. JamesMadison
helped develop the U.S. constitution that has had a huge part in giving citizens protection of
their rights, providing for the checks and balances and also helped free the colonists from the
tyrannyofGreatBritain.
We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certainunalienableRights,thatamongtheseare Life,Libertyand
the pursuit of Happiness. This is the popular statement saidintheDeclarationofIndependence
thatgivesbasicrightsforeveryman.However,howwouldequalrightsbeensuredforeveryone?
The answer is the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights were introduced byJamesMadisonin1789


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and became the first 10 amendments. The purpose of the amendments is to preserve rights as
people of the United States and to know what kind ofrightsareprovidedforeachcitizen.Inthe
website,
How the Constitution Protects Our Rights it states, The Bill of Rights defines the
following rights: freedom of speech, press, religion and petition, right to keep and bear arms,
protection from quartering of soldiers, Protection from unreasonable search andseizure,rightto
due process of the law, right to trial by jury, speedy trial, public trial,counsel,righttociviltrial
by jury, prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment,protectionofrightsnot
enumerated in the Constitution, protection of the powers of the states and the people. Other
amendments that play a huge role in peoples rights are the citizenship rights, voting rights,
womens voting rights and voting age. Over the years the Bill of Rights has had an important
impact on American values 5. The Constitution keeps protecting freedomsandrightsofcitizens
of the United States. The founding fathers of the Constitution have helped define the luck of
citizens livinginacountrywiththesetype ofrights.Although,thisis playahugepartintheU.S.
Constitutionthiswasnttheonlywayithasaccomplishedequality.
The accumulationof all powers,legislative,executiveandjudicial]inthesamehands,
whether ofone,afew,ormany,andwhetherhereditary,selfappointed,orelective,mayjustly
be pronounced the very definition oftyranny(JamesMadison,FederalistNo.51,1788). The
checks and balances is a system that allows each branch of the government to challengeeach
other in order tolimitthepowers sothatnobranchbecometoopowerful.Althoughtheideaof
checks and balances was not originally James Madisons he was the one to push this idea
forward. In
Separation of Powers with Checks and Balancesitstates,Madisontheorizedthat
as it is the Constitution that grants each branch it's power, honorable ambition thatultimately


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serves the highest interests of the people could work to maintain the separation 4. In other
words, since Congress is not dependent on the presidency or the courtsforeitheritsauthority
or its election to office, members will jealously guard its power from encroachments by the
other two branches and vice versa. This quote shows that for James Madison this
organization was the answer to limiting the power of each branch. In the article
The
Importance of of Separation of Powers & Checks and Balances it states, lets say that the
legislative branch had the power to create any law it so desired. Any legislation could be
passed, and there would not be a way to oppose it. However, there are two safeguards if the
executive branch disagreed with the law, it could be vetoed or, if a lawsuit was brought
against this law, the judicial branch could decide if the lawwasConstitutionalornot.Bothof
the two other branches ensure that the legislative branch cannot pass unconstitutional or
unethical legislation. This helps prove that without the Checks and Balances the branches
could take advantage of their power, however, the Checks and Balances prevents this from
happening and creates a government that is equal in power. Without James Madison pushing
the checks and balances to actually happen the government wouldnt be the way it is right
now.
James Madison being one of the founding fathers, who helped free the colonists from
the control of Great Britain. While the colonist went to the new world in the belief of
mercantilism. Mercantilism is an economic nationalismforthepurposeofbuildingawealthy
and powerful state like stated in
Mercantilism . This was the concept of providing for the
motherland, which was a strong ideal during the sixteenth century. While this was the
colonistoriginalgoalwasprovidingforthemotherland,GreatBritainabusedtheircontrol,and


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the colonists had enough. In the website

James Madison ,it states, James Madison believed
powerfully in the powerof freespeech,whichledtothecreationof theFirstAmendment.He
also created an African Colony for freed slaves, which promoted equality as well as stated in
"Equality: James Madison, Memorandum on an African Colony for Freed Slaves."
. With the
ratification of the constitution, thanks to his famousFederalistsPapers,thisfreedthecolonists
fromthecontroloftheBritishCrown.
There are those whoquestionwhetherJamesMadisonisthemostinfluentialAmerican
in the history of the United States. Many claim that President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the
mostinfluentialbecause hecreatedtheNewDeal.TheNewDealagroupofpoliciescreatedto
improve the bad conditions during the Great Depression. In the website
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt and the New Deal, 19331945 it states, In the short term, New Deal programs
helped improve the livesofpeoplesufferingfromtheeventsofthedepression.Inthelongrun,
New Deal programs set a precedent for the federal government to play a key role in the
economic and social affairs of the nation. This provides prove that the New Deal policies
created by Franklin Roosevelt had a short term impact on thelivesofpeopleduringthe Great
Depression. The New Deal provided change for the people that were struggling during that
hardperiodoftime.
It is true that Franklin Roosevelt New Deal did help a lot of people during the Great
Depression. However, the change that were made by the New Deal were only short impact.
The plan failed to accomplish what it was made for, Ending the Great Depression. In a
website,
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Impact and Legacy
, it states, The New Deal did this to a


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remarkable degree. But FDR's NewDealfailedtocurecompletelytheDepressioninducedills

of the American economy. By 1940, the percentage of Americans without jobs remained in
double digits andtheAmericanpeople lackedthepurchasingpowertojumpstarttheeconomy.
Only American entry into World War II ended this torpor. This proves that the economy
wasntfixedduetotheNewDealcreatedbyFranklinRooseveltinstead,WorldWarIIwasthe
one who better the economy. As a result, Roosevelt had little to no impact ontherecoveryof
the economy after the Great Depression. Therefore, Franklin D. Roosevelt was not the most
influentialAmericaninthehistoryoftheUnitedStates.
In conclusion, James Madison is the most influential American in the history because
hehasprovidedmanypositive changesto theUnitedStates.JamesMadisonisthefatherofthe
constitution therefore, the constitution would of never happened without him. The U.S.
Constitution is the primary source to why James Madison has been such an influence to the
United States. The Constitution has allowed people to be equal in allcircumstancesunderthe
law. The Constitution contains the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments were written by
James Madison,thatguarantees rightssuchasfreedomofspeech,assembly,andworshiptoall
citizens. Equality is also present in the Checks and Balances which also plays a huge role in
the Constitution. The Checks and Balances helpskeepeachbranchofgovernmentatthesame
power without onehavingcontrolovertheother.JamesMadisonalsohelpedfreethecolonists
from the tyranny of Great Britain. James MadisonbelievedinequalitysohecreatedaAfrican
Colony for freed slaves which freed them from the control of Great Britain. James Madison
has had a huge impact on the history of the United States and most of the U.S. Constitution


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happened become ofhim.Thus,JamesMadisonisthemostinfluentialAmericaninthehistory

oftheUnitedStates.