Category — James Madison

James Madison wrote the following letter in the interval between Constitutional Convention and its ratification by the States. It's interesting for a number of reasons. Historically, it provides insight into Madison's perspective on The Bill of Rights, why it was not included in the Constitution to start with, and his motivation for championing it after the Convention. By the time the Constitution was ratified, and the first Congress was in session, much of the political impetus behind it had dissipated. Madison persisted and mostly thanks to his efforts, the Amendments became part of the Constitution.   Read the rest of this entry »

Today is the 261st anniversary of the birth of James Madison. Madison was the Father of the Constitution, the Father of the Bill of Rights, and our fourth president. He was a small man. In fact, a contemporary claimed he was “no bigger than half a piece of soap.” Despite a soft voice, he successfully debated Patrick Henry, who at the time was considered the best orator in the United States. His voice might have been low and a bit high, but his words were powerful. It seems fitting that on his birthday that we allow Madison to speak for himself.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Founders distrusted overly strong governments. That’s why they engineered a limited republic. Today, Americans seem to turn to their government to validate and protect real and presumed rights, and increasingly rely on government to guarantee the substance of life. Many modern Americans embrace national authority and fight to enlarge governmental powers. The Founders would be appalled. What would the Founders think about growing government power? Here is what they said in their own words.   Read the rest of this entry »

This has not been a particularly joyful season inside the beltway. All we’ve seen is a lot of clamoring, to little effect. In the hinterlands, we hear the echoes of the politicians' raucous debate about government spending, government borrowing, and government intrusion into our homes and business. One side yells that the only solution is to tax the rich until they squeal, while the other side of the aisle insists we must reform entitlements or go the way of Greece. What would the Founders think about all this? Here is what they said in their own words.   Read the rest of this entry »

Madison was involved in every major event of early American history, before, during and after the Founding. Richard Brookhiser's serious, if too brief, biography of James Madison, is delightfully written, and replete with insights about the man and his time.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Founders feared an overly powerful government. Governments govern ... which means they exercise power. George Washington may have said it best, “Government is not reason: It is not eloquence, it is Force, like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” James Madison chimed in by adding, “The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.”   Read the rest of this entry »

The Enlightenment concepts of first principles and natural rights were important to the Founders. They served as the basis for the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and many other founding documents.   Read the rest of this entry »

Our forefathers bequeathed to us more than a republic. They willed to us an enduring constitution that incorporates more thought and brainpower than any document ever written by man. After fifty-five convention delegates worked ceaselessly for four months, three million people argued about it for up to two years, then it was ratified by conventions of the people, and after it was put in force, Congress immediately acceded to popular demand by proposing ten amendments that restricted the government from abridging the rights of the governed.   Read the rest of this entry »

An incredibly prescient letter from Madison to Jefferson, in which Madison offers his observations on the dangers of a tyrannical majority in a democratic system. Madison explains his views on the proposed Bill of Rights and one of the reasons for his reticence was simply because he didn't care for all those who supported it! "At the same time I have never thought the omission [of a Bill of Rights] a material defect, nor been anxious to supply it even by subsequent amendment, for any other reason than that it is anxiously desired by others."   Read the rest of this entry »

In 1812 the United States was ill-prepared for war, let alone war with the most powerful nation on the planet, and President Madison knew it. But the country was sick and tired of being disrespected, thousands of its sailors impressed, and its trade restricted. The hawks in Congress, in spite of the Federalists' attempts to stop them, would not be denied. Henry Clay was one of those war hawks.   Read the rest of this entry »