Customer Reviews (31)

The Research Man
James Madison was the man who did research and wrote for the politicians of his era.He was the brains behind the speaker (John Adams), the warrior (George Washington), and the diplomat (Thomas Jefferson).He held true to the republican principles, to a fault, literally.

This book can be tedious.It is dense.But it is the very best explanation of the circumstances leading to the War of 1812 I have ever found.

Plan on having another book going at the same time you are reading this one.Or, plan on some good naps along the way because it is complex reading.

Essential reading for understanding James Madison
I will start this review by saying that this book is not for the casual reader. To enjoy this book, you have to have a serious interest in the life and political thought of James Madison. The writing style, while certainly not as bad as other reviews have stated, is a straightforward academic presentation that at times can be a bit tedious. That being said, in terms of content this is as excellent a one volume biography as I believe you will find. Ketcham manages to present a full portrait of James Madison with thoughtful and excellent analysis in a surprisingly short amount of text. After reading this volume, I came away with a much better understanding of, and appreciation for, James Madison. Unlike other biographers, who sometimes waste more text than necessary on their own analyses, Ketcham interjects his analysis sparingly but brilliantly.

My minor criticisms are similar to others. The beginning of the book is the most difficult part to read and reflects Ketcham's main weakness as an author - narrative biography. This is especially pronounced in one instance, where he tells the story of Madison's first trip to Princeton, admitting that the story is based on his own best construction of what probably happened since no records are available, and then proceeds with the most boring narrative imaginable. If you are going to tell a conjectural story, at least make it interesting. Ketcham also overuses to annoyance the term "bilious" and frequently uses the word "insure" incorrectly where "ensure" should be used.

Ultimately, my criticisms of this volume are more for providing a two sided review than real detractions. Ketchams volume, while not lively reading, is a superb biography and undoubtedly the best one volume biography of James Madison currently available. Indeed, this biography is perfectly in line with the personality of Madison - while not exciting for its own sake, thoroughly well researched and executed, and ultimately essential.

Mentally draining bio of 4th President
I read this book working toward my goal of reading a biography of each President. I'm now nearly half way though and this was by FAR the toughest one to finish.

I read Stephen Ambrose's entire three-part, 18000 page series on Nixon faster than I read this nearly 700 page book on Madison. I can't say I wasn't warned because all the reviews said it was deep and detailed but I didn't want to take the easy way out because the experts say this is by far the book to read on Madison.

It was truly a very well researched and informative book. However, there were chunks of the book that were too detailed and moved too slowly. For instance, I don't care what Dolley Madison wore to balls or how the decorations looked or what political couples attended and what the other wives were wearing. I also don't care how tough the trip was for everyone to get everywhere and how Madison got sick everytime the wind blew the wrong way on the Potomac.

What I do care about is how Madison worked with Jefferson and others to shape our form of government. I care about his time in congress, how he handled his duties during the revolution, the circumstances that lead to his Presidency, how he managed the war of 1812, what role he played in critical issues such as the development of the national bank and the treatment of American sailors by the British navy. I also really wanted to know about his relationship with other well known historical figures.

All of that information is in there but it is buried amongst stuff that to be honest I just didn't care about.

Ketcham is obviously "The Man" when it comes to James Madison and I'm quite sure in historical circles this book is highly respected because it is such a complete bio of him. But, it definitely isn't for your average reader.

For those new bio readers interested in Presidents I would suggest Robert Dallek's book on JFK or Jead Edward Smith's bio of Grant. Those are detailed but they are told with the backdrop of better known periods - Civil War/Reconstruction and WWII/Cold War. Those are more interesting periods I think and those bios seemed to move faster.

This book was good but you've got to be ready to get into it and pay attention because the details and stuff that you really care about can be hidden and very laborious at times to get to.

A medicore biography
James Madison might be the worst president in history when his life is laid out as Ketcham has done here.The administration was a complete failure from the loss of the capital to economic problems.Despite this Madison's contributions to the constitution and the bill of rights are impressive. Unfortunately this biography was not very well written and although the information was good I found myself slow to get through it. It does not hold in the tradition of many other biographies on people from these times that are real page turners.If you are truly interested in Madison this biography will do the job otherwise I would only rate it as mediocre for those who have an interest in the American Revolution.

Completely Exhausting
Although I found this book very interesting, I thought it was way too detailed to the point of exhaustion in certain areas of Madison's life.However, if you want to know everything there is to know about James Madison, this is the book.I am an avid reader of presidential biographies, however, I almost dreaded returning to this book night after night to plow thru tedious and repetitive details in order to learn about this great man.This is why only 3 stars. ... Read more

Book Description
The essays in this volume use Madison to engage such contemporary issues as multiculturalism, federalism, the emerging democracies, the scope of international law, and faith-based policy and politics. This book speaks to both the past and present of the American republic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good Book, a must read
This is a must read for anyone that believes that taking our rights away is "good for the common good" and "protects" us from terrorism.

This is a good read for all the second admendment haters that believe that it was a "different time" and tyranny could never come to the U.S.

Foedus respublica! Madison and the Future of Limited Government
~James Madison and the Future of Limited Government~ is a perceptive anthology of essays on Madison political thought and its relevance today. The legacy of James Madison, the constitutionalist, the federalist, and the republican is celebrated in this succinct little book from the libertarian Cato Institute.Madison's legacy was as an advocate of constitutionally limited-government which was to be effectuated by dividing and separating powers with a horizontal system of checks and balances amongst the legislative, executive and judiciary while concurrently setting the various institutions of government against one another. Likewise, there was vertical check as a true federal republican system is one of dual sovereignty, and all powers not expressly delegated to the federal government were reserved to the states.Madison was a profoundly reflective political thinker with no rosy delusions about the goodness of human nature. His political theory as espoused in the Federalist Papers, his letters, and in the somewhat shrouded constitutional debates manifest his desire for a representative republic and a classical liberal civil society.Madison was practical, appreciative of ordered liberty, and cognizant that human frailty and sinfulness cannot be transcended by perfecting the mechanics and science of government."But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself," avowed Madison in Federalist #51. Therefore, the very institutions of government must be mistrusted, and must be set against one another. Power must be made to counter power. Thus "ambition would counter ambition" in the Madisonian equation of federalism.What the founding fathers sought to do at the Constitutional Convention was produce an energetic general government exercising powers best performed at the national level such as foreign affairs, national defense, regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, et al. while preserving to the States all powers not expressly delegated.

Madison favored a federal government confined to expressed "enumerated objects" of power.In Federalist #45, Madison declared that the federal government's "jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects." True Madisonians cannot adhere to the notion of general legislative power vested in the Federal Congress.Madison readily acknowledged that sovereignty emanated from the people, but found its political expression in representative government. He was keenly perceptive of the limitations of democracy, and was mistrustful of it.Like Jefferson, he recognized that democracy works best when localized and is hardly practical beyond the limits of a town.Moreover, democracy like the power of government itself was something to be checked in Madisonian political theory. The tumultuous popular will of the people must not be allowed to facilitate the plunder of property or spoliation of wealth.James Madison's Federalist Paper #10 proclaims: "Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives, as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of Government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions and their passions."

**Roger Pilon, the Cato Institute's resident constitutional scholar, addresses Madison's Constitutional Vision: The Legacy of Enumerated Powers, and perceptively elaborates upon the legacy of limited government as envisioned by Madison, and how that vision can be recovered.

**Joyce Lee Malcolm shrewdly explains The Novelty of James Madison's Constitutionalism in a succinct little essay. Malcolm compares American innovations to the former English constitution. Likewise, he explores Madisonian conceptions of popular sovereignty and judicial review.

**Tom Palmer offers an insightful perspective on the group rights dementia in light of Madisonian federalism, in the essay Madison and Multiculturalism: Group Representation, Group Rights, and Constitutionalism.He makes it clear that such concepts as group rights are conducive to factionalism, and destructive and incompatible with a federal polity. Palmer appeals to some astute Madisonian logic to refute the erroneous concept of group rights.

**Robert McDonald offers an interesting take on the Madisonian legacy from a Jeffersonian perspective.The very essay raises questions since Madison was not all that dissimilar from Jefferson in his political thought, and they joined in unison in rejected the usurpations of Hamilton who interpreted the Constitution with such latitude so as to render the notion of "enumerated powers" superfluous.

**Jacob Levy offers a seldom discussed topic about the relation of the federal government to the tribal sovereignties, in a remarkable essay entitled Indians in Madison's Constitutional Order.

**John Samples surmises the implications of unraveling the federal system in favor of a direct democracy in his keen essay Madison and the Revival of Pure Democracy.He makes it abundantly clear that this was not the intent of the framers and dismisses the simpletons who advocate such an incredulous idea in light of Madison's reflective political thought.

My major misgiving about this book are efforts by some of the contributors to graft Madison's political theory onto the emerging internationalism as if a world federalism is tenable.The idea of an "extended republic" on an international scale runs contrary to the spirit of the Federalist and it is absurd to think the founders would lend credence to delegating away powers to an international body.That Madison desired a "universal peace" does not by implication mean he favored supra-national institutions of governance (i.e. world government) to mediate and effectuate that peace.Like Washington, Jefferson and Adams itinerated-the founding fathers recognized the value of a foreign policy based on non-intervention, avoidance of entangling political alliances and overseas obligations while embracing open commerce with the nations of the world.Both John Samples and John Tomasi pander to the internationalist rhetoric which I found disconcerting.

In summing up, John Samples has edited an overall worthwhile product which a must for any gumshue jurist interested in constitutional law from a Madisonian perspective. One might not agree with the essayists in whole, but there are some very keen insights on Madisonian political thought. This is vital to the political dialogue today as Tenth Amendment issues still resound and there is popular cry for restoration of states' rights and a limited federal government. Rediscovering the statesmanship and proverbial wisdom of James Madison is a must for all freedom-loving citizens.

Doesn't Quite Do It For Me.
Let me start by saying that I am a libertarian, firmly committed to most of the ideas represented in this book. In a way, then, it feels strange to have come away from this book with the dry feeling that I did. Here's why I did.

First, on television and radio, I am always skeptical of endorsement deals. "Hi, I'm [insert hot-shot sports star] and I use [insert hot-shot product]. You should too." Well, this book is what i call a 'political endorsement' book of the type where the endorser, Madison, is conveniently dead. "Madison believed [insert policy]. Therefore you should too."

Now, I guess that the title of the book alone should've indicated to me that this was what to expect,and i guess in some sense I did. With essay titles like, "Madison and Multi-culturalism," one expects that the goal is to take Madison's writings and apply them to contemporary situations. Maybe i just didn't expect so much of the, "...since Madison said x, x must be right," bit.

Before I go into my one MAJOR problem with the book, I did give it 3 out of 5 stars. Here's why. Whereas about half of the essays are 'endorsement deal' essays, about half are legitimately not. Of course, as the book is on Madison, they might mention him in passing, but most of the 'non-endorsement deal' essays do something like this: "Madison thought x to be a problem. I think x is a problem too. I will argue my own case and I might mention Madison only in passing." The best essays in the book (about a good half of them) do exactly this. They argue on their, not Madison's, merits.

The only thing funny about that is that for all practical purposes, those essays needn't be in a book on Madison at all. In fact, if one took the 'endorsement deal' essays out of the book and left only the others, one could safely take Madison's name from the title. In fairness, my simultaneous criticism of 'endorsement deal' essays relying too much, and other essays relying not enough, on Madison, seem to have me wanting it both ways. I guess I wanted (a) a book that was more about history and less about polemical advocacy; and (b) just a little bit more substance than "Madison believed it, therefore, so should we."

Now for my big criticism. A few authors claim for Madison views seemingly more extreme than Madison seemed to hold. Some authors say that Madison was a big defender of laissez-faire. I've read much Madison and i've yet to see the essay he wrote on private economic activity. Sure, he writes on strictly limiting the NATIONAL govt.'s powers, but he, as Jefferson, believed in things like public education, wrote nasty words about the unequal relationship of creditors and debtors, and generally did not write against states ability to regulate economic behavior. Was Madison a federalist? Yes. Did he believe in limited government? On the NATIONAL level, yes. Does that mean he supported laiseez-faire economics? Not exactly. And the CATO writers did a poor job showing he did. They do things like point to Madison's position on contracts BETWEEN THE STATES or his non-interventionist approach to dealing with other nations and jump to the conclusion that he supported free-market economics. They must do better than that.

Lest I get on too much of a diatribe, I have to say that, for all that, the book was decent. I gave it three stars for the 'non-endorsement deal' essays, and as they are about half of the book, the book is worth getting. I simply expected better for the other half.

Classical Liberals Unite!
As a classical liberal my beliefs have become an anachronism in America.I belong to a philosophical social club so small that when books like this come along we are given hope that the masses will wake up to the tyranny.Alas, hope is quickly dashed upon the realization that the Fabian socialists have dumbed down the masses over the last forty years to the point that the arguments presented in this book are far beyond most Americans' comprehension, let alone their ability to affect change.

Nonetheless, this is an outstanding group of expertly written essays that are well presented by editor John Samples.Samples also writes one of the essays and an excellent introduction.Some of the topics presented are:Federalism, abuse of the general welfare clause, multiculturalism, democracy, and the essence of representative government, pure democracy, rule of law, and foreign policy.Using historical documents each author is able to help us understand the brilliant mind of Madison and that the abuses of government we are experiencing were foreseen not just by the Anti-Federalists but by Madison as well.These brave men gave us a system that, while less then perfect, is the most advanced in human history.

However, as the editor notes, there is an implicit understanding for this design to work.That understanding is that there is virtue among us.Madison once asked, 'is there no virtue among us?If there be not, we are in a wretched situation.No theoretical checks -no form of government can render us secure.To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.'Do Americans possess enough virtue to maintain a limited government?To do so we need to be well educated, remain skeptical of government, and act on that skepticism.We must reject statements from family and friends like "they should do something about that."No they shouldn't, we should.Keep the government out of it.

I, like one of the contributing authors James Buchanan, am less optimistic about our future.I think the socialists are winning and have created a society where individual liberty has been cast aside as an old conservative idea and replaced with an environment "where everyone seeks to take wealth from someone else."Sadly I have tended to give up on the dream that liberty, free thought, speech, and economic markets can once again be a reality in America.I vote now for total gridlock so as to hopefully stop all new legislation, taxes, and pork.

This wonderful book renews my love of our experiment even if it has gone awry.It offers me solace in these tough times of ever increasing government abuse.This book has renewed my vigor to keep up the fight for what is right and not just settle for government gridlock. ... Read more

Book Description
Today we hold the Constitution in such high regard that we can hardly imagine how hotly contested was its adoption. In fact, many of the thirteen states saw fierce debate over the document, and ratification was by no means certain. Virginia, the largest and most influential state, approved the Constitution by the barest of margins, and only after an epic political battle between James Madison and Patrick Henry. Now Richard Labunski offers a dramatic account of a time when the entire American experiment hung in the balance, only to be saved by the most unlikely of heroes--the diminutive and exceedingly shy Madison. Here is a vividly written account of not one but several major political struggles which changed the course of American history. Labunski takes us inside the sweltering converted theater in Richmond, where for three grueling weeks, the soft-spoken Madison and the charismatic Patrick Henry fought over whether Virginia should ratify the Constitution. The stakes were enormous.If Virginia voted no, George Washington could not become president, New York might follow suit and reject the Constitution, and the young nation would be thrust into political chaos. But Madison won the day by a handful of votes, mollifying Anti-Federalist fears by promising to add a bill of rights to the Constitution. To do this, Madison would have to win a seat in the First Congress. Labunski shows how the vengeful Henry prevented Madison's appointment to the Senate and then used his political power to ensure that Madison would run against his good friend, Revolutionary War hero James Monroe, in a House district teeming with political enemies. Overcoming great odds, Madison won by a few hundred votes, allowing him to attend the First Congress and sponsor the Bill of Rights. Packed with colorful details about life in early America, this compelling and important narrative is the first serious book about Madison written in many years. It will return this under-appreciated patriot to his rightful place among the Founding Fathers and shed new light on a key turning point in our nation's history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Tedious recounting of events without much analysis or perspective
I hate saying bad things about other people's books because I know how much hard work goes into each one, though I have to advise the reader of this review to find another book if you're interested in the creation of the Bill of Rights.If it weren't for this book being on audio disc I would never have finished it.It's very boring and flat.The material is doubtlessly interesting, and I imagine that depending upon the author's take on the subject, this book could come out in many different, yet equally interesting, permutations.

My strong criticism it that it is the book has no incisive analysis of the subject, nothing to make it read, no sense of perspective,...how this subject played out in the bigger scheme of things and over time.The epilogue was equally disappointing, offering the scantiest description of how the ideas contained in the Bill of Rights affected future generations.In fact, I was eagerly looking forward to reading the epilogue, it was the only thing keeping me going, and I was disappointed.

So, what we get is just a simply recounting of the events, without much to make the writing interesting.It really gets tedious and boring, sounding like a straight reading of an official transcript or diary especially when the author describes the proceedings of the Virginia Constitutional ratifying Convention and other similar events, which is what a lion's share of the book is.

Any suggestions??

Democracy in Action
"James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights" was a very enjoyable read, and one that I would definitely enjoy reading again.It is full of detail, but doesn't lack on readability either.Unlike some of the reviewers, I enjoyed the details of weather conditions and felt that this information was important to telling the struggle for the Bill of Rights as weather was a huge obstacle to travel in that time.I also was able to better picture what it would be like to sit in a hot, sultry, building with no ventilation (as when the windows had to be closed due to the noisy streets) and spend hours discussing how much power the constitution would grant the federal government or if it indeed would greatly infringe on individual liberties.

Lets go out on a limb, and say that James Madison probably wouldn't make it in politics today.He was 5'4", shy, soft spoken, and portrayed by the author as extremely timid when speaking in front of a large group.He also "flip-flopped" on his stance on the Bill of Rights, which at that time seemed to be democracy working (Today he would probably be eaten alive); Madison seems to not only believe passionately about the importance of a strong federal government, but evolves to believe just as passionately about the protection of the people's individual rights (Thus- A Bill of Rights). OK, it could be argued that he had to compromise and promise support of a Bill of Rights to get elected, but the author seems to feel that Madison truly believed in their importance.The story of Madison is very interesting and even for his time he seems to be somewhat of an underdog whose passion, intellect, and love for his country allowed him to prevail over his short-comings.His election to the House is nothing but fascinating as once again the cards were stacked against him (Thanks to Patrick Henry who gerrymandered his district so that he would likely lose).

The story of Virginia's constitutional congress was every bit as fascinating, and it can be said that human nature and the psychology of politics had many similarities then as it does now.Many people had passionately different philosophical views of what government should and shouldn't be.As could be argued today, both sides had some good points.It was interesting how fear seemed to perpetuate both sides passion. The Anti-Federalists being fearful of a monarchal type of government invading on individual liberty, and the Federalists fearful that individual states wouldn't have economic power or the ability to defend themselves.The author portrays the high-stakes decision of Virginia ratifying the constitution without a Bill of Rights.He points out that if this hadn't happened, George Washington wouldn't have even been eligible to serve in the new government.Anyways, the story of our founders verbally battling it out in a theater in Shocco-Bottom in Richmond is also well portrayed.For anyone interested in American history and politics, I would recommend this book as a must read.

A fascinating piece of history
The Bill of Rights was always just there at the end of the Constitution -- a list of unalienable rights to be interpreted, argued over and used to browbeat opponents in political discussions. I, for one, never gave much thought to how those 10 constitutional amendments came to exist within four years of the ratification of the Constitution in 1788.

Now that I know what a narrow thing ratification of the Constitution was (Virginia and New York sought to make adoption conditional upon the adoption of amendments; North Carolina and Rhode Island refused to ratify until the Bill of Rights passed Congress) and how difficult the adoption of amendments so soon after ratification, I'll certainly never take them for granted again. Anti-federalist opposition to the Constitution, particularly without a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties, was very strong in Virginia, led as it was by the able orator Patrick Henry, who dominated the Virginia Legislature during the late 1780s.

On one point the book is clear: the amendments would not have been proposed and adopted without the guidance of James Madison, first as a member of the Virginia Constitutional Ratifying Convention and then as a member of the US House of Representatives. The story of his battle is a fascinating one, from the first use of gerrymandering to prevent him from being elected to the US House (this was Patrick Henry's idea and it didn't work), to the final triumph in 1791 when Virginia finally ratified the amendments.

If you thought dirty politics was born in the current era, think again. I was struck by how much political maneuvering, both explicit and behind the scenes, existed at a time most Americans think of in mythological terms. Our cherished heroes were politicians all, attempting to satisfy local demands while at the same time doing justice to the larger, longer term issues. They didn't always succeed, but this time they did, thanks to Madison's persistence.

I strongly recommend this book for the light it sheds on a period in US history that is rarely discussed. However, I have only given the unabridged audio edition of this book 4 stars because I thought the narrator read too fast. I found I had to listen to many passages two and three times follow them completely. It's one thing to read fiction at a fast clip, and another when you attempt to speed through historical narrative.

A little more than necessary
When listening to books on cd or I-Pod, particularly when non-fiction, I try to make sure I get unabridged versions so I don't feel slighted.With this cd, I could have used a little slighting.

James Madison was indeed important for passing the Bill of Rights.It couldn't have been more amazing since Madison originally believed that a bill of rights was not needed: since Congress was not granted the powers to infringe on basic it rights, so the argument went, there was no need for a bill to protect those rights.Alas, he changed.And this point should serve as a reminder for how difficult it is to rely on supposedly original principles in the Constitution.(Rakove, in Original Meanings, makes that point best.)

The book looks at three or so important points: the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Constitutional ratification convention, and the First Congress's effort at passing the amendments that would form the Bill of Rights.The first part, the miracle in Philly, has been covered so much elsewhere that yet another treatment wasn't really so necessary.The Virginia ratification convention was fine, but the arguments were very much the same.The First Congress section was the most interesting.Tidbit of interest: Madison wanted the amendments to appear in the main body of the text.Imagine that!What we now know famously as the first ten amendments could have been scatter shot throughout the original document.Shortsightedness on that point by Madison, though he was forward thinking in most other regards.

Labunski did a fine job and it is perfect for those unfamiliar with the Philly stuff.Otherwise it is still fine.

Lots of struggle, not much of what it was over
First of all, I do want to say that author Richard Labunski did a fine job detailing the trials and travails of the road to the first Congress travelled by James Madison, one of our most indispensable Founders. Labunski reminds us that history was, while in the making, not nearly as foregone as it seems this far removed. Madison could have lost his election to the First session of the House of Representatives after the new government was formed causing the Constitution to perhaps lose the addition of the Bill of Rights and that would have been calamitous, indeed.

I enjoyed the story of Madison's road as told by Labunski. Madison has been one of those founders who's position as a great Founder has been rocky. Up one decade and down another. Sometimes he has been considered a far lesser light than he deserves to be considered. Currently, he seems to be up which is fortunate. I think he should remain there. He is by far one of the most brilliant Founders we had and it is good that Labunski treats Madison with the respect he deserves.

Here is where I feel the book was lacking, though. Why was the Bill of Rights so important? What were the philosophies, the influences, the reasons the amendments were fought over? Labunski does not take much time to delve further under the surface to ferret out those reasons. He briefly mentions things here and there as the book moves along those lines, but I think his book would have been more complete with a bit more of it.

I found myself wondering what all the fuss was over far too much while reading the book and feel Labunski shorted the reader a fuller explanation.

Still, I give the book a pretty good rating. It is a good tale that is not often told (which is why I think he should have gone deeper, by the way).

It come recommended by me, anyway. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent biography for kids
This brief biography of the third President of the United States is well-written and very informative for young people.The book looks at Madison's childhood, his formative years at college, his primary involvement as writer of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, his years as President including the War of 1812, and his last years of retirement at Montpelier, his Virginia plantation.The author does a good job of presenting Madison's friendships with Joseph Ross, Edmund Randolph, and Thomas Jefferson.There are also a good number of sidebars with interesting facts around subjects touched up on in the text.There are plenty of illustrations and photos to keep young learners' interested.Included at the back of the book are a glossary (individual terms have been bolded in the chapters), a chronology of Madison's life, a brief time line of the Revolutionary War, a bibliography for further reading, and an index.This is indeed a good book that will offer information on Madison's life and influence to all readers. ... Read more

Book Description
Presents a biography of James Madison ... Read more

Book Description
"Select the most deserving only for your friendships, and before this becomes intimate, weigh their dispositions and character well. True friendship is a plant of slow growth; to be sincere, there must be a congeniality of temper and pursuits." --George Washington

Although the friendship between George Washington and James Madison was eclipsed in the early 1790s by the alliances of Madison with Jefferson and Washington with Hamilton, their collaboration remains central to the constitutional revolution that launched the American experiment in republican government. Washington relied heavily on Madison's advice, pen, and legislative skill, while Madison found Washington's prestige indispensable for achieving his goals for the new nation. Together, Stuart Leibiger argues, Washington and Madison struggled to conceptualize a political framework that would respond to the majority without violating minority rights. Stubbornly refusing to sacrifice either of these objectives, they cooperated in helping to build and implement a powerful, extremely republican constitution.

Observing Washington and Madison in light of their special relationship, Leibiger argues against a series of misconceptions about the two men. Madison emerges as neither a strong nationalist of the Hamiltonian variety nor a political consolidationist; he did not retreat from nationalism to states' rights in the 1790s, as other historians have charged. Washington, far from being a majestic figurehead, exhibits a strong constitutional vision and firm control of his administration.

By examining closely Washington and Madison's correspondence and personal visits, Leibiger shows how a marriage of political convenience between two members of the Chesapeake elite grew into a genuine companionship fostered by historical events and a mutual interest in agriculture and science. The development of their friendship, and eventual estrangement, mirrors in fascinating ways the political development of the early Republic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An informative examination of the two key founders
Few books have treated this topic, Madison and Washington's collaboration, and this is an excellent treatment. Unravelling the waxing and waning of this relationship serves well those interested in the Federalist Era. The scholarship is obvious, and the presentaion is good. Those interested in the unfoldings of the Republic must pay attention to the Father of the Country, and his relationship to the Father of the Constituion. Liebiger allows an enormous view of Washington's dignity as a statesman, and Madison's erudition in the realm of Constituion building, amongst other federalist era realtionships, this collaboration was as crucial as any, and a topic long overdue. ... Read more

Book Description
For students of the early American republic, James Madison has long been something of a riddle, the member of the founding generation whose actions and thought most stubbornly resist easy summary. The staunchest of Federalists in the 1780s, Madison would turn on his former allies shortly thereafter, renouncing their expansive nationalism as a threat to the Constitution and to popular government.In a study that combines penetrating textual analysis with deep historical awareness, Gary Rosen stakes out important new ground by showing the philosophical consistency in Madison's long and controversial public life. The key, he argues, is Madison's profound originality as a student of the social compact, the venerable liberal idea into which he introduced several novel, and seemingly illiberal, principles.Foremost among these was the need for founding to be the work of an elite few. For Madison, prior accounts of the social compact, in their eagerness to establish the proper ends of government, provided a hopelessly naive account of its origin. As he saw it, the Federal Convention of 1787 was an opportunity for those of outstanding prudence (understood in its fullest Aristotelian sense) to do for the people what they could not do for themselves. This troublesome reliance on the few was balanced, Rosen contends, by Madison's commitment to republicanism as an end in itself, a conclusion that he likewise drew from the social compact, accommodating the proud political claims that his philosophical predecessors had failed to recognize.Rosen goes on to show how Madison's idiosyncratic understanding of the social compact illuminates his differences not only with Hamilton but with Jefferson as well. Both men, Madison feared, were too ready to resort to original principles in coming to terms with the Constitution, putting at risk the fragile achievement of the founding in their determination to invoke, respectively, the claims of the few and the many.As American Compact persuasively concludes, Madison's ideas on the origin and aims of the Constitution are not just of historical interest. They carry crucial lessons for our own day, and speak directly to current disputes over diversity, constitutional interpretation, the fate of federalism, and the possibilities and limits of American citizenship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Consistency in Madison's Constitutional Thinking
Excerpted from The Independent Review (Summer 2001) by Hans Eicholz

Rosen presents one point of view, which puts in practice a fairly pure version of what is generally called the "Straussian" interpretive approach. As a historian, I have some strong reservations about his method. Nonetheless, Rosen has made some significant contributions in this monograph.

Rosen correctly notes that scholars have usually ignored Madison's actions as president. They tend to stop with his service in the first federal Congress, as if only his transition from nationalist Publius to state's rights Republican needed to be explained. Rosen's work seeks to fill an important gap in the literature. A nice example is his treatment of the Bank of the United States.

Because Rosen relies almost entirely on Madison's own accounts, we get little sense of the historical context in which Madison was operating. Rather, we get a very streamlined theoretical account of Hobbes, Locke, and Aristotle, and caricatures of Jefferson and Hamilton. The effect is to produce a truncated picture of Madison's intellectual world.

Rosen has made some useful suggestions for approaching Madison's constitutional thought, but he has not adequately developed them, primarily because of his inattention to history.

Madison Revealed
American Compact merits serious consideration by those of legitimateconcern with the evolvement of the American Ethic. Self described as arehabilitation of Madison as a statesman and politician, Rosen's effortgreatly exceeds his goal. Tracing the chronicles of Madison's intellect,enlightenment, and experience the myths of this Virginian are dismantled ina scholarly, and prudent fashion. From the claim of Madison's apostacy tohis own nationalistic principles in the 1790s ,his demotion to a lieutenantof Jefferson's, or a 'trimmer' Rosen convincingly destroys those myths, andfrees Madison from the framework of being considered only in light of hisfriend Jefferson, and, or, his protagonist Hamilton. In the spirit ofBanning and McCoy a fresh view of the Father of the Constitution isafforded those who read the book, to those who study it, a conduit to theallusive Original Intent is possible. The greatest lessons that emerge arethe veracity of Madison's claim of consistancy throughout his career, and aclear view of Madison's working to construct a document of national power,which he realized the average man could not accomplish, and then turning itback over to the citizenry not only for ratification, but for theparticipation Madison saw as required by the principles of the revolution. ... Read more

Book Description
A bestselling historian examines the life of a Founding Father.Renowned historian and social commentator Garry Wills takes a fresh look at the life of James Madison, from his rise to prominence in the colonies through his role in the creation of the Articles of Confederation and the first Constitutional Congress. Madison oversaw the first foreign war under the constitution, and was forced to adjust some expectations he had formed while drafting that document. Not temperamentally suited to be a wartime President, Madison nonetheless confronted issues such as public morale, internal security, relations with Congress, and the independence of the military. Wills traces Madison's later life during which, like many recent Presidents, he enjoyed greater popularity than while in office. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Another Wills Gem
Garry Wills is fast becoming a favorite Historian and Author to me.

As is his habit, he brings his pithy and rich style to an examination of Madison's Presidency which in many ways was decidedly less successful than his stellar legislative and constitutional achievements.Rather than stating surprise at this, as many historians do, Wills outlines why this outcome was somewhat predictable when the skills of Madison early on are examined dispassionately.Madison was a superb legislator and a thorough academic well equipped to study and digest history and come to a reasonable conclusion.These skills made him indispensible in the work done upon the American Constitution.As an administrator, however, he lacked the drive and focus that others brought.

Make no mistake, Wills does not fail to give credit where credit is due and as an 8 year president who left office more popular than he came in, there is much to say positively.

There are good biographies that go into far greater detail in many areas.However, if you want a short overview which will leave you with a good understanding of the Madison presidency and how it ties into the themes of the day, you will be hard pressed to find a better one than this.

Well worth the read.

5 stars.

Bart Breen

Little President, little book
Garry Willis's biography is a short, brilliant biography of a short and brilliant man. It covers the breadth of his career and conveys a great sense of the man's personality and his place in American history, and at the same time avoids the pitfall of hagiography; it does not hesitate to point out Madison's flaws, and one can read it and come away with a sense of having learned something new, even if one is already familiar with the era. Any reader of early American history will find his time well-spent with Willis's biography.

informative, but seemingly partisan
After reading this book I came away with more information about Madison than I expected, which is a good thing. With that being said, however, I felt as I was reading that the author was not only pointing out some of the failures that Madison had (which were numerous), but also took the opportunity to bash Jefferson as well. It is interesting to see the author praise Madison for his early work (when he was more of a federalist) and then criticize him for nearly everything after he started thinking more like a republican. I don't think the author had to be so critical of Madison to get the point across that Madison was a much better legislature than an executor.

Hard to like
It was hard for me to like a consummate politician like James Madison, and hard to like the way this book was written, although it was informative.

James Madison was more of a politician than a president according to author Garry Wills. From the accounts of this book, everything he did had political motives. The author, in fact, found very little to admire personally in the man as president except that he navigated with the country through the War of 1812, and the country came out victorious and intact.The book by the way covers the periods before and after his presidency, but concentrates mostly on when he was president.

The book's style was a little too academic, dry, and distilled for me, with information that seems more like data than historical facts; it made you feel like you were back in college preparing to be tested. I prefer the way Joseph Ellis or Stephen Ambrose does early U.S history, giving it more personality and spice with a lot of anecdotes and quotes. I would have liked to have known more about Dolly Madison, for example, and the president's relationship with her.For once, I would have rather had a longer, more leisurely walk through someone's life.

In short, Madison was a mediocre president but a great politician (if such a thing exists)and this account of it was informative but fairly uninspired, like a history text book. Three stars are the very best I could do for it.

Worth the money
I've read over 10 of the American President Series bios (and bios on 15 other Presidents) and this was a pleasant surpise. In addition to Madison, Gary Willis offers some great insight to Jefferson, Monroe and the war of 1812 without getting bogged down in an area. I appreciated the chapter subdivisions that allowed me to pick it up and put it down easily. I throughly enjoyed reading this book. ... Read more