{"id":54,"date":"2012-10-09T12:26:13","date_gmt":"2012-10-09T16:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/?p=54"},"modified":"2012-12-03T00:55:25","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T05:55:25","slug":"madison-unfit-for-command","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/1812\/madison-unfit-for-command\/","title":{"rendered":"Madison: Unfit for Command"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Madison: Unfit for Command\" width=\"584\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0RpZ7GKv-is?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>DJ Taylor<\/p>\n<p>My goal for this video assignment was to effectively convey many of the most damning anti-Madison sentiments of the 1812 election. In order to do just that, I scoured Gordon Wood\u2019s <em>Empire of Liberty<\/em> for some background on the \u2018spirit of the age\u2019 and on the propaganda and political gamesmanship that was used prior to the election. <!--more-->In both format and content, I meant for the video to be as simple and concise as possible\u2014thus (theoretically) allowing me to reach my viewers easily with a dynamic message that would stick.<\/p>\n<p>After introducing the video with the \u201cJames Madison: Unfit for Command\u201d slide, I cut directly to the chase, hammering the Virginia Dynasty that Madison was seen as a member of. Especially in the decades after the revolution, the idea of a dynasty or monarchy prevailing in the United States was very appalling to most. By implying that Madison was a member of such a dynasty, I hoped to undermine his claim as a freedom loving Democratic-Republican. The picture that follows this quote contains portraits of all the members of the Virginia Dynasty (Washington, Jefferson, and Madison), pictorially emphasizing the point made in the previous slide.<\/p>\n<p>During the next three slides, I shifted course, this time taking issue with Madison\u2019s leadership (in)ability and his poor decisions in selecting a cabinet during his first term. \u00a0The first of these three slides is a pointed slight at the failures of Secretary of War William Eustis and Secretary of State Albert Gallatin, and at Madison\u2019s judgment in selecting the men for those posts. Eustis\u2019 absolute inability to raise and prepare an American army for the War of 1812 resulted in many embarrassing defeats and in the undue loss of many American lives. Likewise, William Eustis proved impotent in managing the young government\u2019s finances and in preventing a crippling war against the so-called \u2018largest navy ever seen\u2019 up to that point (ie. Britain\u2019s). The next slide strikes at a point about Madison\u2019s leadership inability that is frequently highlighted in Wood\u2019s book: \u201cHe was by far the most uncharismatic president the country had yet experienced\u2026 He was not made for command\u2026. With his retiring personality and his constrained conception of the presidency, Madison was never able to control the Republican party\u201d (662-663). It also did not help his stateliness that Madison was the shortest US President in history, standing at a mere 5 feet 4 inches. The final slide from the section was a great (and hilarious) image of a mad Madison dancing with the caption \u201cMad-Ass-Son\u201d beneath. This was not meant to be a factually accurate criticism of the President as much as it was intended to be funny and to convey the spirit of the age.<\/p>\n<p>I dedicated the final section of my campaign ad towards the central issue of the 1812 election, the War of 1812. In allowing our relationship with Britain to deteriorate through aggressive and sometimes antagonistic foreign policy (though not nearly as antagonistic as Britain\u2019s), Madison allowed the United States to plunge into war with a world superpower and opened himself up to vast criticism. The first slide in this section paints Madison\u2019s war as an \u2018offensive\u2019 one, pointing to the corrupt and pro-French handling of Macon\u2019s Bill No. 2. Indeed, Chief Justice John Marshall declared the scandal to be \u201cone of the most astonishing instances of national credulity\u2026 that is to be found in political history\u201d (666). Accompanying the following image of the original capitol building that was burned to the ground as a consequence of the war is a statement illustrating the supposed absurdity and na\u00efvet\u00e9 of Madison\u2019s decision to antagonize \u201cthe most formidable navy the world has ever seen\u201d into war. The slide likewise touches on the high taxes, exploding debt, and internal dissolution that were all consequences of war with Britain. This point is put as concisely as possible in the next slide, \u201cWar-Taxes-Misery\u201d, a prime example of the kind of simple and direct message I wanted to convey. The campaign ad finishes with a rather pompous looking portrait of Madison and a quote predicting \u201cimpending evil\u201d if Madison was re-elected. Though some of these quotes were quite sensationalist\u2014Madison was reelected and the world did not end\u2014I felt they very accurately represented the spirit of the age and many of the criticisms directed towards Madison at the end of his first term in office.<\/p>\n<p>Constant throughout all of this attacking is the raucous and chaotic Fourth Movement (Sturm) of Beethoven\u2019s 6<sup>th<\/sup> Symphony, composed in 1808. In it\u2019s F minor key, the movement depicts a violent thunderstorm with incredible realism. The terrifying and frenzied nature of the excerpt was intended to imbue a sense of impending doom and calamity to the prospect of a second Madison term and the ongoing War of 1812. This, to me, truly captured the spirit of the age.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Quotes: (In order)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><tt>Virginia Dynasty:<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10ECB1F1085E5198\/0F4223B7E8433C2F%20\">http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10ECB1F1085E5198\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><tt><\/tt><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><tt>Madison\u2019s Cabinet:<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g655974ba9d729998dd4d7e718549183dbkijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.newsbank.com%2Fs%2FHistArchive%2Fahnpdoc%2FEANX%2F10C87E58B3CCA2A8%2F0F4223B7E8433C2F\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10C87E58B3CCA2A8\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><\/tt><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><tt><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g65b67b97e9010eca94267b52f9b05d926kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.newsbank.com%2Fs%2FHistArchive%2Fahnpdoc%2FEANX%2F10AE2F6453440D78%2F0F4223B7E8433C2F\" target=\"_blank\">Not Fit for Command: http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10AE2F6453440D78\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>\u00a0<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>War Cannot be Just:<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g65ff78ac30904db865042bce232a8853fkijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.newsbank.com%2Fs%2FHistArchive%2Fahnpdoc%2FEANX%2F10E6925BCB031780%2F0F4223B7E8433C2F\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10E6925BCB031780\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>\u00a0<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>The Consequences of War:<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g653c3db4d0ddf6ccb407fd90b3b75e2f9kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.newsbank.com%2Fs%2FHistArchive%2Fahnpdoc%2FEANX%2F1046F81CEF55333F%2F0F4223B7E8433C2F\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/1046F81CEF55333F\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>\u00a0<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>War-Taxes-Misery:<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g668ea408ec2d948bdb41b403603a29d15kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.newsbank.com%2Fs%2FHistArchive%2Fahnpdoc%2FEANX%2F10AE2EAEE3366F50%2F0F4223B7E8433C2F\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10AE2EAEE3366F50\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>\u00a0<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>Clinton over Madison:<\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g688c582a8131b6171246c780298c16bdfkijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.newsbank.com%2Fs%2FHistArchive%2Fahnpdoc%2FEANX%2F10856E1C00520FD0%2F0F4223B7E8433C2F\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/docs.newsbank.com\/s\/HistArchive\/ahnpdoc\/EANX\/10856E1C00520FD0\/0F4223B7E8433C2F <\/a><\/tt><\/p>\n<p><tt>\u00a0<\/tt><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Images: (In order)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Virginia Dynasty:<\/p>\n<pre><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g6dbf69bb75706637fba02b5c38fbe6338kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fhdl.loc.gov%2Floc.pnp%2Fppmsca.31803\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/ppmsca.31803<\/a><\/pre>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mad-Ass-Son:<\/p>\n<pre><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g6dbf69bb75706637fba02b5c38fbe6338kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fhdl.loc.gov%2Floc.pnp%2Fcph.3a05345\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/cph.3a05345<\/a><\/pre>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Capitol Building:<\/p>\n<pre><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g6dbf69bb75706637fba02b5c38fbe6338kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fhdl.loc.gov%2Floc.pnp%2Fppmsca.31524\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/ppmsca.31524<\/a><\/pre>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Madison portrait:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/webmail.williams.edu\/wm\/mail\/fetch.html?urlid=g6dbf69bb75706637fba02b5c38fbe6338kijgpdhal&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fmemory.loc.gov%2Fservice%2Fpnp%2Fcph%2F3a10000%2F3a19000%2F3a19100%2F3a19159v.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/memory.loc.gov\/service\/pnp\/cph\/3a10000\/3a19000\/3a19100\/3a19159v.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Music<\/span>:<\/p>\n<p>Movement IV from Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 6<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hiCJjD5bXXQ\">http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hiCJjD5bXXQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DJ Taylor My goal for this video assignment was to effectively convey many of the most damning anti-Madison sentiments of the 1812 election. In order to do just that, I scoured Gordon Wood\u2019s Empire of Liberty for some background on &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/1812\/madison-unfit-for-command\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26638],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-26638"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":190,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions\/190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/hist359f2012\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}