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Chief of State. Every nation has a chief of state, a person who serves as the symbolic leader of the country and represents the nation. In the United States, the president both leads the government and acts as the chief of state, although this is not the case in many countries.
Theodore Roosevelt changed the public’s perception of the presidency by asserting the centrality of the office in American government. The president is chosen by the whole nation, not just a district or state, and therefore the office of the president is the most important office in the federal government.
A great spirit of American pride overswept the country, and President Madison was one of its chief political benefactors. During the last several years of his presidency, he was tremendously popular, and the fortunes of the Federalists who had opposed him and the war were dismal.
Madison himself had emerged as the chief candidate for the Republicans, and he ran against the Federalist Charles Pickney and two other Republicans, George Clinton and James Monroe. Madison won the election by a wide majority, with Clinton becoming his Vice President.
Unlike domestic policy, however, foreign policymaking usually involves fewer people and less publicity. In the United States, the president serves as the chief diplomat and is charged with running American foreign policy. The president employs three tools to conduct foreign policy: Diplomacy. Foreign aid.
The President. The president is the primary architect of American foreign policy. Article II of the U.S. Constitution names the president commander in chief of the armed forces and designates the president as the nation’s chief diplomat.
President Madison's first cabinet consisted of Robert Smith, former Secretary of the Navy, as Secretary of State; Albert Gallatin as Secretary of the Treasury; William Eustis as Secretary of War; and Paul Hamilton as Secretary of the Navy.
With Thomas Jefferson's election in 1800, Madison moved from Congress to the executive branch as Secretary of State. In this office, he oversaw the acquisition from France of the giant territory known as the Louisiana Purchase, which virtually doubled the size of the United States.
George Washington (president from 1775 to 1783) established the character of the office that nearly all his successors would emulate. Washington carried himself in a statesmanlike manner and set the standard of serving no more than two terms.
Read a comprehensive biography of James Madison’s life, including major events, key people and terms, and important achievements.