James Madison & Ronald Reagan

Foreign Policy:
James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, made many foreign policy decisions while he was President, 1809-1817. One of the major decisions he made was the Non-Intercourse Act. This allowed the United States to trade with any country except the belligerents. However, this was unenforceable for James Madison; therefore he put into act the Macon Bill. This stated that the U.S could trade with any country. This was done to respect the neutrality of the United States. The French leader at the time, Napoleon agreed with this condition, yet the British did not. Therefore, James Madison made the decision to trade with France, yet not Great Britain. As a result of James Madison’s decision, much tension grew between the British and the U.S. After putting into act the Macon Bill, James Madison stated at his first Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1809, “To cherish peace and friendly intercourse with all nations having correspondent dispositions; to maintain sincere neutrality toward belligerent nations; to prefer in all cases amicable discussion and reasonable accommodation of differences to a decision of them by an appeal to arms;..” Clearly, James Madison believed that the Macon Bill was the best for the U.S.

Another foreign policy decision that James Madison was forced to make was the war of 1812. James Madison asked Congress on June 1, 1812 for a declaration of war against Great Britain. After the revolutionary war, Great Britain failed to completely leave North America, specifically Canada; therefore, James Madison believed that it was necessary to go to war against the British. The United States was not prepared for war, yet James Madison pressed forward. During James Madison’s second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1813, he stated, “It is a propitious consideration that an unavoidable war should have found this seasonable facility for the contributions required to support it. When the public voice called for war, all knew, and still know, that without them it could not be carried on through the period which it might last, and the patriotism, the good sense, and the manly spirit of our fellow-citizens are pledges for the cheerfulness with which they will bear each his share of the common burden.” Clearly, this shows how James Madison believed that this war was absolutely the only solution. He also describes how the public was on his side during this decision he made.

Ronald Reagan
From 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan made many foreign policy decisions which affected the entire world. First off, Ronald Reagan worked hard to put an end to the Communist Soviet Union. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan sent a formal declaration to the Soviet Leader, Gorbachev saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Finally, on November 9, 1989, with the help of both Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the Berlin Wall came down. If President Ronald Reagan had not used a strong foreign policy against the Soviet Union, Germany could still be separated until this day. After his Presidency, in 1991, the Soviet Union finally fell. However, that would not have been possible if Ronald Reagan had not worked to tear down the Berlin Wall.

Furthermore, during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, he created a Strategic Defense Initiative, promoting national missile defense, and explaining the possibilities of a war between the two major nuclear superpowers. This created more tension with the Soviet Union. President Ronald Reagan had much concern about the threat of nuclear destruction; therefore, therefore he worked with Gorbachev to create a treaty which eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles. In Ronald Reagan’s second Inaugural Address, on January 21, 1985, he stated, “There is only one way safely and legitimately to reduce the cost of national security and that is to reduce the need for it. And this we are trying to do in negotiations with the Soviet Union. We are not just discussing limits on a further increase of nuclear weapons. We seek, instead, to reduce their number. We seek the total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth.” This just shows how hard President Ronald Reagan was willing to work in order to create a safer and peaceful world.

Economy:
Ronald Reagan
From 1981-1989, President Ronald Reagan not only worked to create stable world peace, but he also worked to create a better economy for our nation. During his first term, he carried out an economic plan. This program consisted of reductions for domestic programs and tax cuts for individuals and businesses. President Ronald Reagan had one major theory, to stimulate a great supply of goods and services, therefore creating more jobs. President Ronald Reagan worked hard the restore the working class, promoting more jobs for people. He wanted to create an economy which provided jobs for many. By 1988, the unemployment rate went from 10.6% to 5.5%.

“We must simplify our tax system, make it fairer, and bring the rates down for all who work and earn. We must think anew and move with a new boldness, so every American who seeks work can find work; so the least among us shall have an equal chance to achieve the greatest things—to be heroes who heal our sick, feed the hungry, protect peace among nations, and leave this world a better place,” said Ronald Reagan during his Inaugural Address, January 21, 1985. Not only did President Ronald Reagan work to create more jobs, yet he worked to make more budget cuts and tax cuts. He created a 25% tax cut for individual taxpayers and faster tax-write offs for business. President Ronald Reagan’s process of helping the economy, also known as Reaganomics, helped to but the United States back on track.

James Madison
During James Madison’s Presidency, 1809-1817, not only did he work on foreign policy, yet he addressed many economic issues. For example, in 1816, the United States was not doing so well, as a result, President James Madison supported and signed a bill which authorized the Second Bank to be established. This bill stated that the Second Bank would be chartered for 20 years. As a result of this bank, the United States became more successful.

Subsequently, during President Ronald Reagan’s term, he worked to create more trade opportunities for the United States, and intern make the United States a more prosperous country. On March 4, 1809, President James Madison expressed, “…to promote by authorized means improvements friendly to agriculture, to manufactures, and to external as well as internal commerce…” Obviously, President James Madison wanted to make the United States a more prosperous country by extending who we trade with as a country.
Both President James Madison and President Ronald Reagan worked to create wise economic and foreign policy decisions. Without these two Presidents, the United States would never have been a superpower.

Sources:
http://www.historycentral.com/documents/Madison1.html
http://www.historycentral.com/bio/presidents/madison.html
http://www.gatewayno.com/history/War1812.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5145921/
http://www.historycentral.com/documents/reagan2.html
http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ronald_Reagan_Budget_+_Economy.htm
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h256.html