Father of the Constitution

James Madison arrived quietly in Philadelphia on May 3, 1787, to attend the Constitutional Convention, convened to discuss the structure of the U.S. government. When the work was done, Madison's name resounded throughout the country, as he was given the title "Father of the Constitution" by his colleagues.

Madison was only 36 years old, but already with an enviable reputation. He had gained attention while serving on the committees that drafted the first Constitution of Virginia and the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776. He also had served as an elected representative to the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress. All this was to lead up to his memorable performance at the Constitutional Convention.

In the 1780s, as the battles of the Revolutionary War gave way to an uneasy peace in a new nation, the 13 colonies/states found themselves dealing with the difficult question, "What do we do now?"

Madison Does His Homework

The first try at government under the Articles of Confederation (1781-1788) was riddled with problems from the beginning. The individual states had their own interests and found it difficult to hand over power to a national authority. Under the Articles, the United States found itself unable to stabilize the currency, regulate commerce among the states, levy taxes, make capital improvements, pay off war debts, and effectively deal with individual rights issues such as religious freedom.

James Madison was among the first to recognize that a stronger central government was critical to the new nation's survival. Always the scholar, Madison undertook an exhaustive study of government structures in world history. Madison researched and compiled a study of ancient and modern confederacies, outlining reasons why earlier attempts at democracy and representative government had failed. Madison's research convinced him that the Articles would not withstand the onslaughts of petty state interests. Madison's ideas eventually crystallized into "the Virginia Plan," where the interests of individuals, states, and the national authority were balanced and mixed into "an extended republic." He also sought the counsel of influential Americans whose support was vital if any changes in the government were to take place. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Edmund Randolph were among the prominent politicians Madison convinced.

Constitutional Convention

When the Convention finally began in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, many feared that the young country was near collapse. During the long, hot summer that followed, the 55 men who participated in the Convention hammered out a new framework of government. Madison lobbied strongly for his positions, proposed compromises, took copious notes and, in general, served as a principal participant. In the end, many of Madison's proposals were incorporated into the Constitution, including representation in Congress according to population, support for a strong national executive, the need for checks and balances among the three branches of government, and the idea of a federal system that assigned certain powers to the national government and reserved others for the states.

Madison's work, however, was not complete since the Constitution still faced challenges with the state ratification conventions. Along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, Madison wrote a series of essays, "The Federalist Papers," that argued for ratification. The Constitution faced stiff opposition, even in Madison's home state. Virginia's support was absolutely critical, so he lobbied his fellow Virginians hard for its passage. His efforts were rewarded in June 1788, when New Hampshire and Virginia ratified the Constitution, and it became the law of the land.