Sentence:  The active sponsor of Jefferson 's measure for religious liberty in Virginia , Madison played the most influential single role in the drafting of the Constitution and in <WSD>securing</WSD> its ratification in Virginia , founded the first political party in American history , and , as Jefferson 's Secretary of State and his successor in the Presidency , guided the nation through the troubled years of our second war with Britain . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  get by special effort