James Madison
Thinker · 1751-1836 · Politics, stage 3: Meet the thinkers
Designed a constitution on the assumption that officials pursue their own interests, and argued that ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Overview
James Madison took a leading part in drafting the United States Constitution and, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, wrote the newspaper essays later collected as The Federalist to argue for its ratification. Two contributions are distinctively his. Federalist 10 argues that faction, meaning groups pursuing their interest against the common good, cannot be eliminated without destroying liberty, and that a large republic containing many competing interests is safer than a small one, reversing the received view that republics must be small to survive. Federalist 51 argues that a constitution must not rely on the virtue of officeholders: powers should be separated, and each branch given both the means and the motive to resist encroachment by the others. Madison also drafted the amendments that became the Bill of Rights. He owned slaves throughout his life, and the constitutional design he defended accommodated slavery.
Where to start reading
The Federalist Papers 1788
Eighty-five essays written with Hamilton and Jay in support of ratification; numbers 10 and 51 are the standard place to start.
Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments 1785
A petition against a Virginia tax to support Christian teachers, arguing that religion lies outside the reach of civil authority.
Part of
Sources
- The Federalist Papers The Avalon Project, Yale Law SchoolThe full text of all eighty-five essays, one page per number.
- James Madison Wikipedia
- The Federalist No. 10 The Avalon Project, Yale Law School
