James madison and Slavery Essay -- Slavery Essays

James madison and thraldomSlavery was a problem that faced all Americans in the years prior to the American Civil War. Many Americans wanted to bring about an end to it but were unable to come up with a executable plan. One person to try and find an answer to the problem was himself a slave owner he was James Madison. The institution of slavery deeply interested James Madison, even at the start of his political career. During his career, Madison held many important political offices he used these offices to try to bring to an end this evilness in his society. Some criticized him for not using his power to fuller advantage, but Madison had a plan for achieving his objective.It is difficult to determine where James Madisons idea that slavery was evil and should be done away with came from, however two events, only a few years before his birth may have been a factor. In June of 1737, a court of Oyer and Terminer ordered that a slave named Peter, guilty of murthering his said master, be hanged.1 His head was cut off and placed on a pole near a creek for all to see. There is no evidence James Madison saw the head on the pole but, he must have heard about it for the creek was renamed, Negrohead Run. In 1745, a black female slave, Eve, was burned to death for poisoning her master, Mr. Peter Montague. Thomas Chew, sheriff and great-uncle of James Madison carried out Eves sentence. Speculation exists that Madisons father was present and related the story to his son years later. These repugnant events may not have had an cause on Madison, but the efforts of his parents were a factor. The institution of slavery as Madison grew up with it combined the personal ease of the master with a life gigantic consideration of the servant.2 In his book, A History of the Old South, Clement Eaton describes many Southerners as having a guilt complex over slavery. Historians are iridescent whether James Madison had a guilt complex but he did grow up with a respect for the slaves o n his fathers farm. This respect stayed with Madison his full life. His personal servant, Paul Jennings, related years after Madisons death that,Mr. Madison often told the story, that one day riding home from court with old Tom Barbour (father of governor James Barbour), they met a colored man who took off his hat. Mr. M. raised his, to the surprise of old Tom to whom Mr. M. replied, I nev... ...artineau, Harriet. Retrospect of Western Travel, 2 vol. London Saunders and Otley, 1838 reprinted 1948.Miller, Ann L., ed. Visitors to Mr. Madison Accounts of archaeozoic Nineteenth Century Visitors to Montpelier. Unfinished edition of the Montpelier Monograph Series, ____.Alexander, Archibald. A History of Colonization on the Western Coast of Africa. Philadelphia William S. Martin, 1869 reprint, New York Negro University Press, 1969.Berkeley, Edmund, Jr. seer Without Honor Christopher McPherson, Free Person of Color. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 77 (April 1969) 180-90.Bra nt, Irving. James Madison, 6 vols. Indianapolis The Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc., 1941-61.Eaton, Clement. A History of the Old South The offspring of a Reluctant Nation, 3d ed. Prospect Heights, Ill. Waveland Press, 1975.Grinnan, A. G. The Burning of Eve. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 3 (January, 1896) 308-10.Ketcham, Ralph. James Madison A Biography. New York Macmillian Publishing Co., 1971 reprint, Charlottesville University Press of Virginia, 1990.Koch, Adrienne. Madisons Advice to My clownish. Princeton Princeton University Press, 1966.