Introduction
The current American political system is attributable to the devotion and ingenuity of the Founding Fathers of the nation. Some of these heroes include George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. This paper explains why James Madison stands out as the most influential figure in establishing the United States’ political system in the 1790s.
American Political System
George Washington (the first President of the United States) is appreciated for presiding over a historic conference that declared the country’s Constitution. John Adams became the second president and played a significant role in securing the country’s independence from Britain. James Madison promoted the nation’s Constitution and the famous Bill of Rights. Alexander Hamilton established the country’s financial system and supported the implementation of the U.S. Constitution (Locks, Mergel, Roseman, & Spike, 2013). Thomas Jefferson united the notions of republicanism and democracy as the nation’s third president.
Although all these Founding Fathers played crucial roles in supporting the establishment of the United States as an independent nation, I strongly believe that James Madison was more influential in promoting the nation’s political system in the 1790s. Madison was President George Washington’s advisor. As a member of the House of Representatives in 1788, the politician supported several bills that led to the establishment of a new government in the country.
In the early 1790s, he drafted ten amendments to the Constitution that eventually became the Bill of Rights. At the same time, he supported a new constitution that led to the establishment of a strong government (Locks et al., 2013). In an attempt to create a powerful political system that would serve the people of America for many centuries, Madison was opposed to the idea of a centralized government. This objective was achieved after forming his Democratic-Republic party. This became the first opposition party that checked the government of the day.
From this analysis, it is evident that the above Founding Fathers of the American nation played numerous roles that led to the development of the nation’s government. However, James Madison’s influence was quite spectacular since he supported the enactment of a powerful Constitution that dictated how Americans should be governed. His opposition to the idea of a centralized leadership system is something that continues to dictate the nature of governance in the United States. During the time, many leaders and politicians mainly focused on power. This situation explains why most of the Founding Fathers collaborated in an attempt to secure the country’s independence (Biography, 2013).
However, Madison went a step further to form a new political party in an attempt to regulate and control the government. The establishment of this party is something that has continued to dictate the nature of politics in the United States. Since then, the country has two powerful political parties that control each other. Consequently, every American citizen continues to benefit from the nation’s admirable political system. His roles in enacting and amending the Constitution transformed the future of the country.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is worth noting that James Madison was not the only politician whose efforts led to the establishment of a powerful political system in the United States in the 1790s. However, his efforts, ideas, and actions presented a superior governance structure that could be checked and balanced while at the same supporting the rights of American citizens. Those who want to learn more about Madison’s achievements should, therefore, reexamine the country’s political system.
References
Biography. (2013). James Madison – Mini biography. Web.
Locks, C., Mergel, S., Roseman, P., & Spike, T. (2013). History in the making: A history of the people of the United States of America to 1877. Dahlonega, GA: University Press of North Georgia.