John Gullion

John Gullion

America started as local news. Local newspapers delivered it.

Two hundred fifty years ago, the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia. But America did not become a country only in that room. It became a country as the news moved from community to community. Most colonists did not witness the debates of the Continental Congress. They learned about independence through the newspapers that served their towns and colonies.

America’s 250th: The Presidents: James Madison

A Virginian with a mighty pen, Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution for his role in advocating for and writing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Madison followed his friend and fellow Democratic Republican Thomas Jefferson to the presidency, serving from 1809 to 1817. He was president for the entirety of the War of 1812, which lasted to 1815.