Isabella Carter
James Madison (1751–1836) played a central role in drafting, explaining, and ratifying the Constitution. He was dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, so he helped organise the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. Madison's Virginia Plan was the basis for the convention's deliberations. He also worked with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to author The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that remain prominent in American political science. After the Constitution was ratified, Madison sought to reassure its critics by adding guarantees of fundamental liberties.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Role in ratification | Madison played a central role in drafting, explaining, and ratifying the Constitution |
| Actions after ratification | Madison sought to reassure critics of the Constitution by adding guarantees of fundamental liberties |
| Other actions | Madison worked with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to author a series of letters defending the Constitution, known as the Federalist Papers |
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What You'll Learn
Madison's role in drafting the Constitution
James Madison (1751–1836) played a central role in drafting, explaining, and ratifying the Constitution. He was dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, so he helped organise the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. Madison's Virginia Plan was the basis for the convention's deliberations.
Madison was a leader in the movement to ratify the Constitution and joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that remain prominent in American political science. He also worked with Hamilton and Jay to author a series of letters defending the Constitution, which were published in newspapers across the country.
After the Constitution was ratified, Madison sought to reassure its critics by adding guarantees of fundamental liberties. He was the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus of the First Amendment, championing religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.
Benjamin Franklin's Role in Ratifying the Constitution
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Madison's work to convince delegates to ratify the Constitution
James Madison played a central role in drafting, explaining and ratifying the Constitution. He was dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, so he helped organise the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. Madison's Virginia Plan was the basis for the convention's deliberations.
Madison worked to convince delegates to create a new government with more authority and centralised power, rather than simply revising the Articles of Confederation. He then joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that remain prominent in American political science. These letters were published in newspapers across the country.
Madison also opposed making the inclusion of a bill of rights a precondition for ratification of the Constitution. He doubted that mere 'paper barriers' against violating basic rights were sufficient protection. However, a combination of electoral politics and a change in Madison's own thinking turned him into an active proponent of a federal bill of rights. In June 1789, he introduced a series of proposed amendments that formed the core of what became the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
The Process of Ratifying the US Constitution
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Madison's opposition to a bill of rights as a precondition for ratification
James Madison played a central role in drafting, explaining, and ratifying the Constitution. He was also the chief author of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.
Despite his commitment to individual liberties, Madison opposed making the inclusion of a bill of rights a precondition for ratification of the Constitution. He doubted that mere "paper barriers" against violating basic rights were sufficient protection. Madison's early opposition was connected not to any misgivings he had about bills of rights per se, but to his concerns about other matters. He wanted to ensure ratification and maintain the fundamentally new structure embodied in the Constitution. Madison's strategy was a conscious one, as he explained in a January 1789 letter:
> [W]hilst [the Constitution] remained unratified, and it was necessary to unite the States in some one plan, I opposed all previous alterations as calculated to throw the States into dangerous contentions, and to furnish the secret enemies of the Union with an opportunity of promoting its dissolution. ... Circumstances are now changed: The Constitution is established...and amendments pursued with a proper moderation and in a proper mode, will be not only safe, but may serve the double purpose of satisfying the minds of well-meaning opponents, and of providing additional grounds in favor of liberty.
A combination of electoral politics and a change in Madison's own thinking turned him into an active proponent of a federal bill of rights. In a hard-fought 1788 campaign for a seat in the First Congress against James Monroe, Madison promised to support a bill of rights. In June 1789, he introduced in Congress a series of proposed amendments that formed the core of what became the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
The Evolution of Constitutional Ratification
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Madison's work with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
James Madison played a central role in drafting, explaining and ratifying the Constitution. After it was ratified, he sought to reassure critics by adding guarantees of fundamental liberties.
Madison was dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, so he helped organise the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. Madison's Virginia Plan was the basis for the convention's deliberations. He became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution and joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that remain prominent among works of political science in American history. These letters were published in newspapers throughout the country.
Madison, Hamilton and Jay's collaboration on The Federalist Papers was not their only work together. The three men also worked together to convince delegates to create a new government with more authority and centralised power, rather than simply revising the Articles of Confederation. Madison played a central role in this effort, and after the delegates completed the Constitution, they submitted it to the states for ratification.
Despite his commitment to individual liberties, Madison opposed making the inclusion of a bill of rights a precondition for ratification of the Constitution. He doubted that mere "paper barriers" against violating basic rights were sufficient protection. However, a combination of electoral politics and a change in Madison's own thinking turned him into an active proponent of a federal bill of rights. In a hard-fought 1788 campaign for a seat in the First Congress against James Monroe, Madison promised to support a bill of rights, and in June 1789 he introduced in Congress a series of proposed amendments that formed the core of what became the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
The Power to Ratify Treaties
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Madison's role in the Federalist Papers
James Madison played a central role in drafting, explaining and ratifying the Constitution. After it was ratified, he sought to reassure its critics by adding guarantees of fundamental liberties. He was the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus the First Amendment. He was also the foremost champion of religious liberty, freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the Founding Era.
Madison was dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation. He helped organise the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. Madison's Virginia Plan was the basis for the convention's deliberations. He became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution and joined Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that remain prominent among works of political science in American history. These letters were published in newspapers throughout the country.
Madison was born into a prominent slave-owning planter family in Virginia. In 1774, strongly opposed to British taxation, Madison joined the Patriots. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. Over several months, Madison played a central role in convincing the delegates to create a new government with more authority and centralised power rather than simply revising the Articles of Confederation.
Despite his commitment to individual liberties, Madison opposed making inclusion of a bill of rights a precondition for ratification of the Constitution. He also doubted that mere “paper barriers” against violating basic rights were sufficient protection. A combination of electoral politics and a change in Madison’s own thinking, however, turned him into an active proponent of a federal bill of rights. In a hard-fought 1788 campaign for a seat in the First Congress against James Monroe, Madison promised to support a bill of rights, and in June 1789 he introduced in Congress a series of proposed amendments that formed the core of what became the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
Federalists and the Constitution: Support and Ratification
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Frequently asked questions
No, Madison played a central role in drafting, explaining and ratifying the Constitution, but he did not ratify it himself.
Madison was one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution. He worked with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to author a series of letters defending the Constitution, known as the Federalist Papers.
Madison was opposed to making the inclusion of a bill of rights a precondition for ratification. He doubted that "paper barriers" against violating basic rights were sufficient protection. However, he later became an active proponent of a federal bill of rights.
Madison was the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus of the First Amendment. He was a champion of religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.
