James Madison attended 1776 Virginia convention
where he wrote Virginia’s constitution to
declare independence from Britain. Madison
was a delegate for the continental congress
for the last 3 years of the revolutionary
war, during which time - from 1780-1783 he
was frustrated with the Confederation Congress
and the State’s unwillingness to work together.
Madison met with 56 other delegated to the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
in May 1787 during which they created a new
constitution. During this Convention, Madison
had helped develop his "Virginia Plan" (based
on Virginia's Constitution 11 years earlier)
- it was this “Virginia Plan”, that served
as the basis for debate in the development
of the U.S. Constitution. Madison argued strongly
for a strong central government that would
unify the country. The Convention delegates
met secretly through the summer and finally
signed the proposed U.S. Constitution on September
17, 1787. Emerging from this Convention was
the process for ratification which required
2/3s of the 13 States to approve of it individually
for the proposed Constitution to be passed
into law. As part of the debate around the
process of ratification and the split between
those who supported the Constitution (the
Federalists) and those who opposed it (the
anti-Federalists), James Madison collaborated
with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to produce
The Federalist Papers (1788), which were a
collection of 85 articles and essays promoting
the ratification of the proposed United States
Constitution - James Madison authored 29 of
the Federalist Papers. Each essay in the Federalist
Papers addressed a particular elements of
concern, acting both as on 'instruction guide'
for the Constitution and a rebuttal of Anti-
Federalist criticisms. In 1789, as a new member
of the newly created U.S House Of Representatives,
Madison introduced the first amendments to
the Constitutions, which was known as the
Bill of Rights. These amendments would reflect
the recommendation of state ratifying conventions.
At the Constitutional convention Madison supported
the Virginia plan for giving real power to
the national government. He guided George
Washington and other Virginia
delegates to support this plan. Madison wanted
the institution of slavery to fade and disappear
from American life. It was due to his contributions
during the Constitutional Convention and the
ratification debates that Madison was known
by many of his contemporaries as the ‘father
of the constitution’. Historian Jack Rackove
described Madison as “The most original,
creative and penetrating political thinker”.
