Dolley And James Madison

Known as the Father of the Constitution, James Madison served two terms as the fourth president, from 1809 until 1817. Determined that all Americans be treated fairly, he devised our three branches of government and drafted the Bill of Rights. When the British set fire to Washington D.C. in 1814, his wife Dolley saved one of our country's greatest treasures, a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart which now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution, before fleeing for her life.

One of our most remarkable First Ladies and Americans, here is Dolly Madison in her own words. This long-forgotten, out-of-print volume is now available for the first time for Kindle. Read her loving correspondence with her husband, James Madison, and her many famous friends like Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. Her fire and humor are all on display here in a collection edited in 1886 by her grand-niece. Her birth registry gives her name as "Dolley" but she signed her letters and will as Dolly. Regrettably, like many of her background, was a slave owner nearly to the end of her life and after her husband's death, fell into poverty. She eventually had to sell the family plantation and all her remaining slaves. Daniel Webster bought her former butler and gave him his freedom. He asked the butler to purchase anything in the market that he thought Dolly might want or need and take it to her at Webster's expense. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE or download a sample.

Based on more than two thousand of Dolley Payne Todd Madison's letters and accompanied by period illustrations, offers a biography of the popular First Lady who was renowned as a hostess and heroine of the War of 1812.

Discusses the personal and political life of James and Dolley Madison and how they came to rely on each other.

Dolley was a farm girl who became a fine first lady when she married James Madison. She wore beautiful dresses, decorated her home, and threw lavish parties. Everyone talked about Dolley, and everyone loved her, too. Then war arrived at her doorstep, and Dolley had to meet challenges greater than she’d ever known. So Dolley did one thing she thought might make a difference: she saved George Washington. Not the man himself, but a portrait of him, which would surely have been destroyed by English soldiers. Don Brown once again deftly tells a little known story about a woman who made a significant contribution to American history.

This revealing new portrait of James and Dolley Madison introduces the reader to America’s first power couple. Using recently uncovered troves of letters at the University of Virginia, among other sources, historian Bruce Chadwick has been able to reconstruct the details of the Madisons’ personal and political lives. Chadwick argues that Madison was not a boring, average president, as other historians have characterized him, but a vibrant, tough leader—and a very successful commander in chief in the War of 1812. He contends that Madison, the architect of the Constitution, owed much of his success to the political savvy of his charismatic, much younger wife, whose parties and backdoor politicking make for remarkable stories. And Dolley, through her many social skills, created the dynamic role of First Lady that we know today. Despite their glamorous lifestyle, behind the scenes, the Madisons struggled with family drama: James and Dolley’s constant funding of their charming but sociopathic son’s misadventures ultimately led to their own financial ruin. Blending the personal and the political, this is a fascinating profile of a couple whose life together contributed so much to the future course of our nation.

A fact-filled short biography of James & Dolley Madison with many interesting bits about their personal lives.

This book introduces young readers to the life of Dolley Madison, beginning with her childhood as a Quaker and her life in early Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Readers will become familiar with her bravery as they learn about the horrible yellow fever outbreak of 1793 and her heroic rescue of George Washington's portrait during the War of 1812. Details of her marriage to James Madison, her time as First Lady, and her legacy as Washington, D.C.'s most famous hostess are also discussed. Informative sidebars and full-color photos accompany easy-to-read, engaging text. Includes timeline, fun facts, index, and glossary.