March 16th, 2019 marks the 268th birth anniversary of the fourth US president, James Madison. Born in Port Conway, Virginia, Madison was the oldest of 12 children.
He was a driving force behind the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and presented the first version of the Bill of Rights to Congress.
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On his 268th anniversary, here are some interesting facts about him-
- Madison was a sickly and slightly built man who stood just 5 feet 4 inches tall and rarely tipped the scales at much more than 100 pounds.
- He was one of the only presidents to accompany troops into battle. Other than Abraham Lincoln, who was present at the Battle of Fort Stevens during the Civil War, Madison is the only sitting commander-in-chief to be directly involved in a military engagement.
- Madison became the Father of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Before the Constitutional Convention, he studied various forms of government. While he did not personally write every portion of the document, Madison was instrumental in the discussions and forcefully argued in favor of many of the articles contained within the Constitution.
- Madison initially opposed the idea of a Bill of Rights because he felt that the Constitution was sufficient. After changing his opinion, he helped to author the bill and ensured ratification of the first 10 amendments.
- His face was on the $5000 bill, whose circulation stopped in 1945.
Madison died of natural causes in Montpelier, Virginia on June 28, 1836. He was the last surviving signer of the Constitution.