Notes Of Debates In The Federal Convention Of 1787 - Hardcover

Madison, James

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9780821407776: Notes Of Debates In The Federal Convention Of 1787

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0821407775 ISBN 13: 9780821407776

Publisher: Ohio University Press, 1966

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James Madison’s record of the Constitutional Convention traces day by day the debates held from May to September 1787 and presents the only complete picture we have of the strategy, interests, and ideas of the founding fathers at the Convention itself.

In this indispensable primary document, Madison not only provides detailed insights into one of the great events of our history, but clearly sets forth his own position on such issues as the balance of powers, the separation of functions, and the general role of the federal government. More than in the Federalist, which shows the carefully formalized conclusions of his political thought, we see in the Debates his philosophy in action, evolving in daily tension with the viewpoints of the other delegates. It is for this reason that the Debates are invaluable for placing in perspective the incomplete records of such well-known figures as Rufus King and Alexander Hamilton, and the constitutional plans of such men as Edmund Randolph and Charles Pinckney.

Madison’s contemporaries regarded him as the chief statesmen at the Philadelphia Convention; in addition to this, his record outranks in importance all the other writings of the founders of the American Republic. He is thus identified, as not other man is, with the making of the Constitution and the correct interpretation of the intentions of its drafters.

New to this edition of the Debates is a thorough, scholarly index of some two thousand entries.

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About the Author:

The Constitution of the United States of America was drafted chiefly by James Madison, considered to be The Father of the Constitution for his major contributions to the document.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third president of the United States, left a vast literary legacy in the form of
journal entries, notes, addresses, and seventy thousand letters. Jefferson remains one of the country's most extraordinary figures;
as well as president he was a brilliant statesman, architect, scientist, naturalist, educator, and public servant. At a dinner for Nobel Prize recipients, John F. Kennedy said that his guests were "the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.
This volume of his works, edited by Adrienne Koch and William Peden, represents many of Jefferson's most important contributions to American political thought. It includes the Autobiography, which contains the original and revised version of the Declaration of Independence; the Anas, or Notes (1791-1809); Biographical Sketches; selections from Notes on Virginia, the Travel Journals, and Essay on Anglo-Saxon; a portion of his public papers, including his first and second inaugural addresses, and over two hundred letters. The editors have provided a general introduction and introductory notes that precede the major works.

Review:

"The one invaluable source for the Federal Convention is, of course, James Madison's Notes of Debates. ... essential for all libraries."

-- Harvard Law Review

"An important book. ... Certainly this volume should be added to the collection of every library."

-- Choice

"In our day when the constitution is often interpreted out of context, or even in an alien context, all who truly revere the Constitution should be conversant with Madison's Notes, in which are set forth the purposes of the Founding Fathers."

-- Journal of Southern History

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