James Madison, Jr. (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American statesman,  diplomat, expansionist, philosopher and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. On March 4, 1809 Madison took the oath of office and was inaugurated President of the United States. Unlike Jefferson, who enjoyed political unity and support, Madison faced political opposition from his rival and friend, James Monroe, and by Vice President George Clinton. Literally sick with anxiety, he began to despair of his ability to make himself understood by his fellow citizens.' Born into a prominent Virginia planter family, Madison served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. He became dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation and helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution to supplant the Articles of Confederation.
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