James Madison

James Madison is one of the central characters in the book. He is also a central character in American history. Madison, a historian and well read in law, is a graduate of Princeton and an experienced statesman. He participated in the Constitutional Convention, the Continental Congress and the Virginia state assembly. He is also one of the participants in the formulation of the Virginia state constitution. Prior to the onset of the Convention, Madison spends months studying various forms of governments, noting the good and bad points of each. He recognizes the serious flaws in the Articles of Confederation and the resulting deficiencies in the national government and realizes that something drastic must be done to save the Union from splintering.

The national government cannot function under the Confederation. It does not have the authority to compel the states to comply with national policies and treaties, nor...