Category — James Madison

This is a good time for a new book about First Ladies. They are the forgotten heroes (or is it heroines) of American history, largely eclipsed by the brighter light cast by famous husbands. Their stories have not received the attention they deserve.   Read the rest of this entry »

Having just finished David Mamet’s The Secret Knowledge, I found I had a lot to think about, in fact much more than could be covered adequately within the scope of a review. It’s book that deserves a close reading and consideration within the scope of its subject — the dismantling of America’s culture.   Read the rest of this entry »

Federalist 39 is pretty interesting. Madison doesn't mince his words, explaining where the proposed Constitution consolidates power - even over individuals - and where it is limited and must share authority with the states. What follows in our attempt to put it in more modern prose - and understand it ourselves.   Read the rest of this entry »

Here's a quick little crossword for your Friday. The words are taken from a speech delivered by Madison to the Congress, in which he introduced the Bill of Rights.   Read the rest of this entry »

In this essay, Madison lays waste the arguments of the anti-Federalists. He uses powerful analogies to point out the inconsistent and incongruent logic used by those opposed to ratification. He explains that it might be one thing if the opponents of the proposed plan had a plan of their own and were in accord with one another. But they were not in agreement amongst themselves and some even denied the necessity of addressing the problems that nearly everyone saw as obvious.   Read the rest of this entry »

WWTFT was launched as a means of chronicling its founders exploration of American history. Along the way, it has provided a soapbox upon which he and other writers have stood to proclaim what we view as grave dangers to the republic. As the first Obama administration wore on, our readers undoubtedly detected an increase in the stridency of our commentary. Some might say vitriol. Well, we would say, that is what comes from seeing what seems obvious to us - America is on the wrong track, politically, economically, and most importantly, culturally. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we have now spent close to a decade in man years studying the founding of America. (And this estimate is probably on the low side, when one considers the 7 years Jim spent researching for Tempest at Dawn.) But we will continue to share what we learn and hope that it sparks an interest in someone somewhere to do their own investigation. Today's article is an examination of this writer's conclusions about American exceptionalism.   Read the rest of this entry »

James Madison and The Making of America is not really a biography. It is exactly what its title suggests, the story of the making of America, or at least its government. Kevin R. C. Gutzman’s book takes the reader on a chronological journey of Madison’s involvement in that process. It mirrors some aspects of Labunski’s James Madison and The Struggle For The Bill of Rights, but is broader in scope and less biographical than that excellent book.   Read the rest of this entry »

Greg Weiner, author of Madison's Metronome, was kind enough to spend some time answering my questions about his fascinating study of the Madisonian system of government.   Read the rest of this entry »

Madison's Metronome is an extremely honest and thorough assessment of Madison's political theories as they relate to the construction of the United States federal system. The book is a "chips fall where they may" look at a remarkable mind.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Winter 2011/2012 issue of the Claremont Review of Books was packed full of interesting reviews and essays (as they all are.) One of these provided the inspiration for this article, which examines the efficacy of international tribunals in changing the hearts and minds of those under their jurisdiction.   Read the rest of this entry »