James Madison Leadership Analysis

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Within this article, Donald Zinman discusses heir apparent presidencies. Heir apparent presidencies are presidents that immediately succeed presidents of their respective parties who had built the foundations for a new political regime. Heir apparent presidents are faced with the challenging political environment of a stronger opposition party and emerging divisions within the governing party. Zinman writes that an heir apparent president must contend with the consequences of his predecessor’s policy choices.
As a successor to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison served as the heir apparent to the Jeffersonian political order. Madison’s presidency exemplifies the leadership dilemma of the heir apparent president. His election to the presidency
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When faced with the rising political party opposition, Madison was cautiously meticulous about endorsing certain situations. He had to carefully serve the sometimes conflicting constituencies of the Democratic-Republic coalition. As a loyalist of the Democratic-Republican regime, Madison took the first steps toward refining and adjusting Jeffersonian policies. We can see that Madison showed immense care in vetting all arguments, yet he consistently held to his Jeffersonian principles.
Furthermore, students and future leaders must understand that to be a successful leader, care and consistency must be used when making decisions. Madison was a good example of a leader that was not easily swayed by division and contention. When faced with national banking issues and war with Great Britain, Madison sought the aid of Congress as well as non-politicians, yet ultimately his decision rested in the security and consistency of the Constitution.
Finally, James Madison was a successful leader because although he served as a protector of Jeffersonian orthodoxy, he was willing to, if necessary, carefully depart from that orthodoxy. As a leader, Madison understood that there will be certain national circumstances that are not going to facilitate the predecessor’s