James Madison & The Four Letters

As the new Government of the United States takes form, James Madison plays a very important role with....himself. 

Episode Transcript

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Madison's four letters well discussed as wetake a byte out of history with Ingles
Markets. The year seventeen eighty nine, in the very young United States of
America, still learning how to buildits new concept of government, George Washington
has been named the first President ofthe United States, and he's enlisted the
help of his good friend James Madisonas a sort of chief of staff.
One of Washington's first request as presidentwas for a letter to be crafted and

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sent to Congress, telling them thathe was excited to work alongside them.
Washington knew his friend James Madison wasmuch better with words and penmanship, so
Madison wrote the initial letter. Congressreceived said letter graciously and wished to answer
the president. Members of Congress alsoknew that James Madison was an excellent wordsmith,
so they too asked him to pendthe letter for them. But wait,
there's more. Washington had Madison respondto Congress's returning letter, and one

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final time, Congress again had Madisonwrite yet another letter for them back to
Washington. So James Madison can sayhis first official task as member of the
Washington administration was having an entire fourletter conversation with himself. This has been
a bite out of history with Inglesmarkets