Madison Administrations - Madison and Congress

Madison and Congress

Madison was president during the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Congresses. The Democratic-Republicans held a strong majority in both houses throughout his presidency. More and more the West was figuring into national politics, and political leaders were coming from that part of the country.

The "War Hawks"

In 1810 a new, younger, and more belligerent group of national leaders from the West were elected to the twelfth Congress. Upon taking office, they elected 34-year-old Kentucky representative Henry Clay as Speaker of the House and proceeded to call for war against Great Britain. These "war hawks," including Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, were concerned over Great Britain's repeated violations of the nation's neutrality, the impressment of U.S. seamen, and British incursions...

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