
James Madison
A Life Reconsidered
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Narrated by:
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Eliza Foss
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By:
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Lynne Cheney
About this listen
A major new biography of the fourth US president, from New York Times best-selling author Lynne Cheney.
James Madison was a true genius of the early republic, the leader who did more than any other to create the nation we know today. This majestic new biography tells his story.
Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution. His visionary political philosophy - eloquently presented in the Federalist Papers - was a crucial factor behind the Constitution’s ratification, and his political savvy was of major importance in getting the new government underway. As secretary of state under Thomas Jefferson, he managed the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the United States. As president, Madison led the country in its first war under the Constitution, the War of 1812. Without precedent to guide him, he would demonstrate that a republic could defend its honor and independence while remaining true to its young constitution.
©2014 Lynne Cheney (P)2014 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“With this compelling, elegant, original biography, Lynne Cheney brings the great, elusive James Madison back to life, reminding us of how powerfully this brilliant founder’s political and intellectual leadership has shaped the course of American history. In this era in which Madison is too often eclipsed by more histrionic founders, Cheney shows us his crucial, fascinating relationships with Dolley, Thomas Jefferson and an all-star cast, and lets us witness the growth of a world-changing political philosopher. Her book demonstrates why Madison deserves to stand near the center of our early American firmament.” (Michael Beschloss, author of The Conquerors and Presidential Courage)
“Lucidly written... this is probably the best single-volume bio of Madison that we now have.”(Gordon Wood, New York Times Book Review)
“The book is a lovingly researched tribute to an often-underestimated man. It does not explicitly refer to modern controversies. But present-day politics intrudes.” (The Economist)
“[A] meticulously researched, richly detailed look at the life and times of Madison. Former Second Lady Cheney fleshes out the achievements and struggles of this American founding father.... [A]uthoritative, conversational, certainly confident in its analysis.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
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Readable, but more hero worship than history
- By Elaine Martin on 12-22-10
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The Virginia Dynasty
- Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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A vivid account of leadership focusing on the first four Virginia presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe - from the best-selling historian and author of James Madison.
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Captivating
- By Jean on 11-19-20
By: Lynne Cheney
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John Quincy Adams
- A Man for the Whole People
- By: Randall Woods
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 38 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In this masterful biography, historian Randall B. Woods peels back the many layers of John Quincy’s long life, exposing a rich and complicated family saga and a political legacy that transformed the American Republic. This deeply researched, brilliantly written volume delves into John Quincy’s intellectual pursuits and political thought; his loving, yet at times strained, marriage to Louisa Catherine Johnson, whom he met in London; his troubling relationships with his three sons; and his fiery post-presidency rebirth in Congress as he became the chamber’s most vocal opponent of slavery.
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Great Story
- By Sean Hicks on 04-17-25
By: Randall Woods
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Making the Presidency
- John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic
- By: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Narrated by: Lindsay M. Chervinsky
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The United States of 1797 faced enormous challenges. The father of the new nation, George Washington, left his vice president, John Adams, with relatively little guidance and impossible expectations to meet. Adams was confronted with intense partisan divides, debates over citizenship, fears of political violence, potential for foreign conflict with France and Britain, and a nation unsure that the presidency could even work without Washington at the helm. Making the Presidency is an exploration of the second US presidency, a period critical to the survival of the American republic.
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A non-comprehensive deep cut on Adam's Presiency
- By DB1089 on 09-22-24
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George Washington
- The Wonder of the Age
- By: John Rhodehamel
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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As editor of the award-winning Library of America collection of George Washington's writings and a curator of the great man's original papers, John Rhodehamel has established himself as an authority of our nation's preeminent founding father. Rhodehamel examines George Washington as a public figure, arguing that the man - who first achieved fame in his early twenties - is inextricably bound to his mythic status.
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Not what I expected for an unabridged book
- By David Osborne Jr. on 04-13-17
By: John Rhodehamel
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Destiny and Power
- The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 25 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on President Bush’s personal diaries, on the diaries of his wife, Barbara, and on extraordinary access to the 41st president and his family, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham paints an intimate and surprising portrait of an intensely private man who led the nation through tumultuous times.
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Fair and insightful
- By Jean on 12-02-15
By: Jon Meacham
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A Man of Iron
- The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland
- By: Troy Senik
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli, Troy Senik
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Grover Cleveland’s political career—a dizzying journey that saw him rise from obscure lawyer to president of the United States in just three years—was marked by contradictions. A politician of uncharacteristic honesty and principle, he was nevertheless dogged by secrets from his personal life. A believer in limited government, he pushed presidential power to its limits to combat a crippling depression, suppress labor unrest, and resist the forces of American imperialism.
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Worth the Wait!
- By Brian S Cunningham on 09-21-22
By: Troy Senik
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Friends Divided
- John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
- By: Gordon S. Wood
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas Jefferson and John Adams could scarcely have come from more different worlds or been more different in temperament. Jefferson, the optimist with enough faith in the innate goodness of his fellow man to be democracy's champion, was an aristocratic Southern slave owner while Adams, the overachiever from New England's rising middling classes, painfully aware he was no aristocrat, was a skeptic about popular rule and a defender of a more elitist view of government.
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A Great Read
- By Jean on 12-22-17
By: Gordon S. Wood
Excellent
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Great read and informative History brought alive
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Acceptable but no more
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Outstanding and complete telling of our 4th Presid
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We are the Constitution...the Constitution is Madison
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words for the ages
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Triumph Builds In The Shadows
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Lynne Cheney gives an engaging and stimulation account of Madison's life, well and often movingly read by Eliza Foss. Well worth listening to if you are interested in the man and his epic times.
A good biography of a fine subject
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If you love founding fathers stuff, this is great!!!
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Great read, well-written
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