4.06 – Peace Interrupted



Year(s) Discussed: 1809

When the British government learned of the Erskine Agreement, it was not best pleased. In the summer of 1809, the Madison administration scrambled to deal with the ramifications of the British response while at the same time, two members of the Cabinet found themselves in opposition due to political infighting. Meanwhile, a similar row in the British ministry threatened to throw that government into turmoil. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

Featured Image: “Samuel Smith” by Gilbert Stuart [c. 1795-1805], courtesy of Wikipedia


SATT 009 – James McHenry



Tenure of Office: January 27, 1796 – June 2, 1800

James McHenry was the last individual appointed to the Cabinet of George Washington, but would being tapped to head the War Department by the esteemed first President lead to his tenure being viewed favorably by his contemporaries and by the annals of history? With my special guest, Kyle Väth of the Just Cincinnati podcast, we explore McHenry’s entire life and career along with the role he played in the Washington and Adams administrations to determine just what this signer of the Constitution brought to the table.

Featured Image: “James McHenry” by H Pollock, courtesy of Wikipedia


4.05 – In the Arena



Year(s) Discussed: 1808-1809

A new congressional session provided an opportunity for the President and his wife to make their mark on the Washington political and social scene as they invited guests into the refurbished President’s House. Meanwhile, General James Wilkinson continued with his intrigues down in New Orleans, but rather than establishing a pseudo-dictatorship again, his affairs were more of a personal nature. Over in Europe, Austria rose up once more against the French Empire, and Napoleon had to scramble to avoid defeat. Sources used in this episode can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com.

Featured Images: “Portrait of Dolley Madison, First Lady of the United States” [c. 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia and “George Canning” [pre-1827], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band


4.04 – Source Notes



Special thanks to Alycia from Civics & Coffee for providing the intro quote for this episode and to Christian at Your Podcast Pal for his audio editing work on this episode!

  • Alvord, Clarence Walworth. The Illinois Country, 1673-1818. Urbana, IL and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1987.
  • Armstrong, Thom M. Politics, Diplomacy and Intrigue in the Early Republic: The Cabinet Career of Robert Smith 1801-1811. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co, 1991.
  • Bemis, Samuel Flagg. John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1956.
  • Esdaile, Charles. Napoleon’s Wars: An International History. New York: Penguin, 2009 [2007].
  • Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2017-2022. http://presidencies.blubrry.com.
  • Madison, James. “To John Quincy Adams, 6 March 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-01-02-0022. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 1, 1 March–30 September 1809, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Thomas A. Mason, Robert J. Brugger, Susannah H. Jones, Jeanne K. Sisson, and Fredrika J. Teute. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, p. 21.] [Last Accessed: 13 Feb 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To the Senate, 6 March 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-01-02-0024. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 1, 1 March–30 September 1809, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Thomas A. Mason, Robert J. Brugger, Susannah H. Jones, Jeanne K. Sisson, and Fredrika J. Teute. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, p. 22.] [Last Accessed: 13 Feb 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To Simon Snyder, 13 April 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-01-02-0132. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 1, 1 March–30 September 1809, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Thomas A. Mason, Robert J. Brugger, Susannah H. Jones, Jeanne K. Sisson, and Fredrika J. Teute. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, p. 114.] [Last Accessed: 13 Feb 2022]
  • Madison, James. “Proclamation—Suspension of Prohibition of Trade Between the United States and Great Britain, 19 April 1809.” Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/205581. [Last Accessed: 17 Feb 2022]
  • Malone, Dumas. Jefferson the President Second Term, 1805-1809: Jefferson and His Time, Volume Five. Boston: Little, Brown and Co, 1974.
  • Masterson, William H. Tories and Democrats: British Diplomats in Pre-Jacksonian America. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1985.
  • Owens, Robert M. Jefferson’s Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.
  • Rowan, John. “To James Madison, 21 February 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/99-01-02-4050. [Last Accessed: 13 Feb 2022]
  • Rutland, Robert Allen. The Presidency of James Madison. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1990.
  • Schom, Alan. Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: HarperCollins, 1998 [1997].
  • Snyder, Simon. “To James Madison from Simon Snyder, 6 April 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-01-02-0118. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 1, 1 March–30 September 1809, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Thomas A. Mason, Robert J. Brugger, Susannah H. Jones, Jeanne K. Sisson, and Fredrika J. Teute. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, p. 105.] [Last Accessed: 13 Feb 2022]

Featured Image: “Tsar Aleksándr I” [c. 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia


4.04 – East and West



Year(s) Discussed: 1808-1809

In the first couple of months of his presidency, Madison not only dealt with a domestic political dispute but also managed to negotiate an agreement with the British Minister to the US to resolve issues with Great Britain. Unbeknownst to him, however, the continued instability in Europe would keep peace and prosperity just out of reach for his administration. Sources used for this episode can be found at https://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “David Erskine” by Richard Woodman [c. 1820], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band


SATT 008 – Charles Lee



Tenure of Office: December 10, 1795 – March 4, 1801

Charles Lee served as legal counsel during some of the most notable trials of the Early Republic, but does that mean that his tenure as Attorney General is equally remarkable? With my special guest, Kenny from [Abridged] Presidential Histories, we explore his life and career to determine what he contributed to the Washington and Adams administrations as well as to American history in general.

Audio editing by Alex Van Rose

Featured Image: “Charles Lee” by Cephas Giovanni Thompson [c. 19th century], courtesy of Wikipedia


4.03 – Source Notes



Special thanks to Alex for providing the intro quote for this episode and to Christian from Your Podcast Pal for his audio editing work on this episode!

The transcript for this episode can be found at this link.

  • Allgor, Catherine. A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. New York: Henry Holt & Co, 2006.
  • “An Act making provision for the further accommodation of the household of the President of the United States.” Annals of Congress, 10th Congress, 2nd Session. 1830-1831. https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llac&fileName=019/llac019.db&recNum=910. [Last Accessed: 29 Jan 2022]
  • Armstrong, Thom M. Politics, Diplomacy and Intrigue in the Early Republic: The Cabinet Career of Robert Smith 1801-1811. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co, 1991.
  • Dungan, Nicholas. Gallatin: America’s Swiss Founding Father. New York & London: New York University Press, 2010.
  • “Eustis, William, 1753-1825.” Biographical Guide to the US Congress. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/E000230. [Last Accessed: 29 Jan 2022]
  • Feldman, Noah. The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. New York: Random House, 2017.
  • Green, Constance McLaughlin. Washington: Village and Capital, 1800-1878. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1962.
  • Kaminski, John P. George Clinton: Yeoman Politician of the New Republic. Madison, WI: Madison House, 1993.
  • Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville, VA and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994 [1971].
  • Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2017-2022. http://presidencies.blubrry.com.
  • Madison, James. “Inaugural Address, 4 Mar 1809.” Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/204053. [Last Accessed: 29 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To William Eustis, 7 March 1809,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-01-02-0028. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, Presidential Series, vol. 1, 1 March–30 September 1809, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Thomas A. Mason, Robert J. Brugger, Susannah H. Jones, Jeanne K. Sisson, and Fredrika J. Teute. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1984, p. 26.] [Last Accessed: 29 Jan 2022]
  • Malone, Dumas. Jefferson the President Second Term, 1805-1809: Jefferson and His Time, Volume Five. Boston: Little, Brown and Co, 1974.
  • McGuiness, Colleen, ed. American Leaders 1789-1994: A Biographical Summary. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 1994.
  • Rutland, Robert Allen. The Presidency of James Madison. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1990.
  • “South Carolina Governor Paul Hamilton.” National Governors Association. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035647/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=266425330cd1a010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD. [Last Accessed: 2 Feb 2022]
  • White, Leonard D. The Jeffersonians: A Study in Administrative History 1801-1829. New York: The Macmillan Co, 1956 [1951].
  • Withey, Lynne. Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams. New York & London: Simon & Schuster, 2002 [1981].

Featured Image: “Samuel Smith” [c. 1800], courtesy of Wikipedia


4.03 – The Call of My Country



Year(s) Discussed: 1809

Though James Madison was seen as being Thomas Jefferson’s successor, it became clear starting with his inauguration that his presidency would be different from his predecessor’s, for better or worse. While the public got to see a more festive social tone as set by Dolley Madison, behind the scenes, the president struggled to get political support for a key Cabinet nomination. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “James Madison” by David Erwin [c. 1809-1817], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band


4.02 – Source Notes



Special thanks to Nicki of As the Money Burns for providing the intro quote for this episode and to Christian of Your Podcast Pal for his audio editing work on this episode!

The transcript for this episode can be found at this link.

  • Allgor, Catherine. A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation. New York: Henry Holt & Co, 2006.
  • Chambers, Douglas B. Murder at Montpelier: Igbo Africans in Virginia. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2005.
  • Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton. New York: Penguin Press, 2004.
  • Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life. New York: Penguin Press, 2010.
  • DeRose, Chris. Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, The Bill of Rights and the Election That Saved a Nation. New York: MJF Books, 2011.
  • Feldman, Noah. The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President. New York: Random House, 2017.
  • Gutzman, Kevin R C. James Madison and the Making of America. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012.
  • Hicks, Hilarie M. “Where Have All the Papers Gone?” Montpelier’s Digital Doorway. 1 Aug 2018. https://digitaldoorway.montpelier.org/2018/08/01/where-have-all-the-papers-gone/. [Last Accessed: 22 Jan 2022]
  • Kearse, Bettye. The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.
  • Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison: A Biography. Charlottesville, VA and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994 [1971].
  • Landry, Jerry. The Presidencies of the United States. 2017-2022. http://presidencies.blubrry.com.
  • Madison, James. “To James Monroe, 7 August 1785,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-08-02-0178. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 8, 10 March 1784 – 28 March 1786, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973, pp. 333–336.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To James Madison, Sr., 1 November 1786,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-09-02-0063. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 9, 9 April 1786 – 24 May 1787 and supplement 1781–1784, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1975, pp. 153–155.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To George Washington, 8 November 1786,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-09-02-0074. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 9, 9 April 1786 – 24 May 1787 and supplement 1781–1784, ed. Robert A. Rutland and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1975, pp. 166–167.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To Thomas Jefferson, 24 October 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0151. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 10, 27 May 1787–3 March 1788, ed. Robert A. Rutland, Charles F. Hobson, William M. E. Rachal, and Frederika J. Teute. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1977, pp. 205–220.] [Last Accessed: 22 Jan 2022]
  • Madison, James. “To Thomas Jefferson, 28 February 1801,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-17-02-0318. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 17, 31 March 1797–3 March 1801 and supplement 22 January 1778–9 August 1795, ed. David B. Mattern, J. C. A. Stagg, Jeanne K. Cross, and Susan Holbrook Perdue. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1991, pp. 474–476.] [Last Accessed: 23 Jan 2022]
  • Pole, J.R., ed. The Federalist. Indianapolis, IN and Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Co Inc, 2005.
  • Reardon, John J. Edmund Randolph: A Biography. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co, 1974.
  • Signer, Michael. Becoming Madison: The Extraordinary Origins of the Least Likely Founding Father. New York: PublicAffairs, 2015.
  • Stahr, Walter. John Jay: Founding Father. New York: Hambledon & Continuum, 2006 [2005].
  • Stewart, David O. Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016 [2015].
  • Washington, George. “To James Madison, 7 December 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-05-02-0432. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 5, 1 February 1787 – 31 December 1787, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997, pp. 477–481.] [Last Accessed: 22 Jan 2022]
  • Washington, George. “Undelivered First Inaugural Address: Fragments, 30 April 1789.” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-02-02-0130-0002. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 2, 1 April 1789 – 15 June 1789, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1987, pp. 158–173.] [Last Accessed: 17 Jan 2022]

Featured Image: “An Advertisement of The Federalist,” courtesy of Wikipedia


4.02 – Madison Pre-Presidency Part Two



Year(s) Discussed: 1785-1809

After scoring some key political victories in Virginia, Madison decided to lead an effort to reform the government of the United States. However, he would find that getting the Constitutional Convention to agree on a new federal structure was only half the battle, and he would soon acquire some powerful enemies in the ratification campaign. Sources used for this episode can be found at http://presidencies.blubrry.com.

Featured Image: “Scene at the Signing of the United States Constitution” by Howard Chandler Christy [c. 1940], courtesy of Wikipedia

Intro and Outro Music: Selections from “Jefferson and Liberty” as performed by The Itinerant Band