David B. Mattern - Böcker

During the period of this third volume of the ""Secretary of State"" series, Madison was concerned with ongoing problems in foreign policy, particularly US relations with the European powers. Diplomatic letters describe his efforts to defend American commercial rights.

The seventh volume of the Secretary of State Series covers Madison's tenure in that office from 2 April to 31 August 1804, a period in which the bulk of his correspondence dealt with U.S. relations with Great Britain, France, and Spain and the constant struggle to maintain U.S. neutrality in a world at war. Nearly every foreign policy issue with which Madison wrestles in this volume is rooted in European conflict. The large and ever-growing American mercantile fleet, whose ships could be found in all parts of the globe, was required to sail through a minefield of French, British, and Spanish maritime regulations designed to destroy each other's economies. Thus Madison fields complaints about British blockades and impressment in correspondence with James Monroe, George W. Erving, and a host of consuls; the armed trade with Saint-Domingue and French privateering in correspondence with Robert R. Livingston and the French charge d'affaires Louis-Andre Pichon; and the failure of the Spanish to ratify the claims convention of 1802, which provided for compensation for U.S. claims against Spain, in correspondence with Charles Pinckney and Spanish minister Carlos Fernando Martinez de Yrujo. The volume also includes correspondence with William C. C. Claiborne, the governor of Orleans territory, which covers in great detail events in Louisiana as the newly purchased territory begins to be integrated into the United States. Readers interested in the U.S. naval war with Tripoli and Barbary affairs in general will find a wealth of material in the consular correspondence from the Mediterranean basin during this time, including the fallout over the burning of the Philadelphia and Edward Preble's attack on Tripoli. Among a variety of domestic affairs that Madison handled and that are fully represented in this volume, the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment was most important. In addition to his official correspondence, there are a number of Madison's personal letters in this volume. As in all volumes in this series, thorough annotation and a detailed index provide access to people, places, and events.

The first volume of the ""Retirement Series"" covers the period between 4 March 1817, when Madison left the presidency, and 31 January 1820, years when he and Dolley Payne Madison settled once again into the rhythms of rural life at their beloved home, Montpelier. Madison's retirement was a busy and productive one. The management of his large plantation occupied a great deal of his time. The correspondence in this volume reveals aspects of life at Montpelier, whether it be land sales and boundary surveys, sales of tobacco and wheat, court suits, medical bills, or purchases of household goods. Closely allied with his concerns for the productivity of his plantation were Madison's interest in scientific agriculture and his correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, Peter Minor, Richard Peters, and others, relating to it. Featured in this volume is Madison's presidential address to the Agricultural Society of Albernarle, which was published in pamphlet form and widely disseminated in the newspapers. Madison remained engaged with current events through his correspondence with James Monroe, William H. Crawford, John Quincy Adams, James Barbour, James P. Preston, and others who consulted him from time to time on foreign and domestic political matters and constitutional questions, such as the extension of slavery, the tariff, internal improvements, and banking. On these issues and others, Madison freely gave his opinion. During this period also, Madison wrote his ""Detatched Memoranda"", a collection of anecdotes of political figures, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, as well as explanations and defenses of decisions he had made in his political life. Finally, Madison's correspondence with Jefferson, Joseph C. Cabell, and others highlights his involvement in the creation of the University of Virginia. As in all volumes of this edition, thorough annotation and a detailed index provide access to people, places, and events.

During the time covered by this volume, Madison remained at Montpelier, with visits to neighbourhood friends and attendance at the Board of Visitor meetings at the University of Virginia. Madison wrote letters on a wide range of topics, corresponding with President James Monroe about domestic and international politics and discussing the building of the University of Virginia with Thomas Jefferson. The volume includes the minutes of those Board of Visitors meetings of the university attended by Madison, extensive discourse on the importance of public education, and comments on slavery. Finally, there are private letters dealing with daily life at Montpelier, including a typhus epidemic during the winter of 1820–21. The editors also provide a number of visitors’ accounts published in contemporary newspapers. Access to people, places, and events of the period is facilitated by detailed annotation and a comprehensive index.

Here is a ready reference to Madison’s thought, including his most perceptive observations on government and human nature. The compendium brings together excerpts from his writings on a variety of political and social issues, ranging from agriculture to free trade, from religion and the state to legislative power, from friendship to fashion, from slavery to unity.

During the period around volume 3 of the Retirement Series, James Madison remained largely at Montpelier, except for occasional visits to neighbors and attendance at ceremonial dinners and semiannual meetings of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia. Madison’s correspondence in this period was wide-ranging and included replies to requests for advice from President James Monroe. His exchange of letters with Thomas Jefferson dealt primarily with the construction and financing of the university and the search for professors. In addition to responding to the host of individuals who sent him books and pamphlets and requested letters of introduction and recommendation to political office, Madison also engaged with such eminent men as Richard Rush, James Barbour, Henry Clay, Mathew Carey, Edward Livingston, and George Hay. In these letters he offers his opinion on constitutional issues, reiterates his support for strict separation between church and state, and expresses his views on the tariff, political parties, the common law, and public education. Finally, his private letters deal with daily life at Montpelier and the management of the plantation. Access to people, places, and events is facilitated by detailed annotation and a comprehensive index.