Happy Birthday James Madison

On this day, in 1751, the "Father of the Constitution" was born. James Madison is often a forgotten figure of the American Revolution. His deeds are regularly shrouded by the other "giants" of the revolution, yet his contributions are undeniable. James Madison was without question the most passionate crusader for a change in government during the years of the Articles of Confederation. Thanks to Madison, the federal convention in 1789 became a bloodless coup d'etat, which led to the implementation of the Constitution. Madison was also a powerful advocate for the Bill of Rights (which he primarily authored). Historian Gordon Wood put it best when he wrote:

It is lamentable that Americans do not remember Madison as well as they should, especially when we reflect on who he was and what he achieved: The major architect of the Constitution; the father of the Bill of Rights and one of the strongest proponents of the rights of conscience and religious liberty in American history; the coauthor of The Federalist, surely the most significant work of political theory in American history; the leader and most important member of the first House of Representatives in 1789; the co founder of the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1790s; the secretary of state in Jefferson's administration; and the fourth president of the United States. All this, and still he does not have the popular standing of the other founders.

Happy Birthday James Madison!