James Madison, the "Father of the ... In 1814 the British went so far as to burn the White House and Capitol Building as a fleeing Madison watched from across the Potomac. By 1815 the American ...

British seizure of American seamen pushed James Madison to ask Congress for a declaration of war in June 1812. The United States entered the conflict without a strong military. Consequently, early ...

Like James Madison, Monroe was secretary of state before becoming ... Before now, no one had ever tried to pretend that slavery was a good thing for white or black people. New positions on slavery, ...