James Madison’s Schedule
January:James Madison started his campaign by touring his own constituency, Charlottesville, and filing to stand. He visited many small towns in the area to shore up support and lock down his own base before helping other Democratic-Republicans campaign. Throughout the constituency, he distributed the first edition of the
Republican Standard and his first pamphlet, "Rise Up, Citizens!". To close his initial campaign, he held a rally in the center of Charlottesville, where he set the tone of the Republican campaign.
For his second week, he started his initial campaign, touring the entire state of Virginia (which he would continue into his third week). He campaigned for Republican candidates including his close allies Jefferson and Monroe, with impassioned speeches against the Patriots and their deceptive tactics and shaky coalition due to their many opposing views, along with the release of his second pamphlet, "These Patriots Are Liars". He meet hundreds to even a few thousand citizens and potential voters along the way, and made a few speeches which would serve as inspiration for some of his later pamphlets.
Moving into his fourth week, Mr. Madison began to migrate from Virginia to North Carolina, bringing his anti-Patriot, Tory, and Hamiltonian message along with him. In some of his speeches, he nailed the Tories on their monarchical support and the Hamiltonians for their opposition to states' rights, a key issue that was supported in the South. He canvassed with the local Democratic-Republican candidates to help them appear more personable and to get his message across. To every voter he met, he passed out copies of the
Republican Standard and "These Patriots Are Liars".
FebruaryEntering the first week of February, Mr. Madison entered South Carolina, where he continued to hammer against the Patriots for their mixed messaging in their pamphlets, and general incoherency on the trail. He called the Patriots "not fit for you, not fit for me, not fit for the South, not fit for government," a quote that would be repeated in local and statewide press. He set up volunteer operations within the state, as he did back in North Carolina and Virginia, and he also encourages staffers to pass out the
Republican Standard and "These Patriots Are Liars" to every single person that would read them.
In February's second week, he visited every town he could in the western sections of SC (as he visited the coast in the first week), while bringing his anti-Patriot message and pamphlets with him, he additionally started positive campaigning too, with his message of "see what the Republicans can do for you, what they can do for the South", a message he repeated in later speeches and in later pamphlets. He again canvassed with volunteers and candidates, getting the message of the Republicans to every Southerner possible (he additionally was noted as holding his multiple pairs of worn out shoes to the citizens, to show his commitment to fight for them as he did during this campaign, also the inspiration for his pamphlet "We're Not Stopping").
In the third week, he entered Georgia, where he hammered against Gunn and Jackson, especially in Augusta, where he mentioned Gunn's flip flops and minimal campaigning in the area. He showed his commitment to voters again through his visual depiction with his shoes and his pamphlet, "We're Not Stopping". He additionally carried his positive message of "what the Republicans can do for you" when he went canvassing and recruiting for volunteers.
In the fourth and final week of February, he spent a few final days in Georgia, before returning for an encore in South Carolina. He continued his previous messaging to Southerners and remained vigilant with his attacks toward the Patriots, and he reintroduced his attacks against the Hamiltonians, the Tories, and the Samuelites. Journalists were remarked as saying after a Madison rally that "we're not sure if he can pull this off, but if he does, it's his shoes that won it."
MarchHe continued his resolve campaigning throughout North Carolina, and he visited with voters telling very similar messaging and rallying the base as he went through, for the week it took him to clear the area. As he has not done it before, he passed out copies of "We're Not Stopping" and told the voters that one clear difference between him and the other campaigns was this: only he was willing to take the time to get out of his stagecoach and talk to the voters, to fight for their votes. Only he would fight for them in government.
In his second week, he finally made it to the tip of Maryland, where he started relentless attacks against the Samuelites, the Hamiltonians, the Tories, and the Radicals, all calling them "elitists" who will not truly fight for the citizens. He displayed how most did not conduct a national, tiring campaign like he did, and only he was willing to put in the effort to fight. Additionally, he attacked on policy as he campaigned for Republicans in Maryland and Delaware, calling the Tories and the Hamiltonians "British Monarchists", and calling the Samuelites "intolerant of the views of Americans".
In his third week, which he spent briefly touring parts of Pennsylvania and lower New York, he carried his anti-Samuelite and anti-British message to their shores, touting the Republicans as the only party that will fight for Americans. He also said to beware of regionalism, as he said that it would tear America apart into to pieces. He noted that the Republicans were effectively the only national party, and the only one that could be fit for government to lead a unified nation (also corresponds with the pamphlet "Beware of Regionalism" that he passed out along with "We're Not Stopping").
In his fourth and final week, he quickly made a non-stop return to Virginia, only saying hello to voters out his window as he passed by. However, when he waved, he would also stick out a pair of his worn shoes out the window, to remind voters of his commitment to them. He would hammer all of his opposition (though primarily the Patriots, the Monarchists, and the Samuelites) when he returned for the first few days of April in Virginia, shoring up his base. He rested with his family for election night.
