Presidential Crises, Episode II: James and Dolley Madison and the Burning of Washington

The Past, the Promise, the Presidency

This week on The Past, The Promise, The Presidency: Presidential Crises we examine how James and Dolley Madison responded to The War of 1812, often referred to by both contemporaries and historians as the "Second War of Independence."

Upon arriving at the White House, British troops thoroughly enjoyed a feast and fine wine before systematically setting fire to the building. They then turned their attention to the Capitol building, the Library of Congress, and every other public building in the city. Before long, most of the city was ablaze. It was only saved by the fateful intervention of a hurricane level storm that doused the flames.

By any definition, having your capital burned by foreign troops ranks as a crisis. So, how did the United States get into another war with Britain so soon after establishing its independence? How did President Madison, the third president and the first to lead the country during a full-fledged war, respond to this crisis? How did the country and the world respond to the outcome of the crisis and the war? And finally, what was First Lady Dolley Madison's role in the crisis?

These are just some of the questions we tackled in this episode. To learn more about this crisis we spoke to two fantastic guests. First, we spoke with Dr. Troy Bickham, a professor of history at Texas A&M. He is an expert on Britain and its empire in the Atlantic world. We then spoke with Dr. Catherine Allgor, a historian of gender, women, and political culture, as well as the president of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

To learn more, visit www.pastpromisepresidency.com.