Chapter One: From Subject to Citizen, 1751-76

Describe some of the experiences and people that shaped Madison’s early years.

1. Studying at Princeton under John Witherspoon with exposure to the Scottish Enlightenment (the fundamental importance of human reason combined with a rejection of any authority that could not be justified by reason. They held to an optimistic belief in the ability of humanity to effect changes for the better in society and nature, guided only by reason. This latter feature gave the Scottish Enlightenment its special flavour, distinguishing it from its continental European counterpart. In Scotland, the Enlightenment was characterised by a thoroughgoing empiricism and practicality where the chief virtues were improvement, virtue, and practical benefit for the individual and society as a whole).  Hume as an inspiration for Federalist #10.
2. Lord Dunmore’s War & Western expansion, the VA aggressive nature toward England (similar to Boston), Madison’s Piedmont economy less bound to tobacco & slavery and more westward looking (does this tie to land-speculation/an elite class that was willing to break with the King since he wanted to restrict westward expansion?)
1. How did the The VA Convention of 1776, drafting the VA Constitution and Declaration of Rights, Partnering with James Madison, Patrick Henry, Jefferson and others etc. set the framework for the discussions in Philadelphia months later? It seems as if the VA convention was a rehearsal for the discussions surrounding the Declaration of Independence, how did this contribute to 4 of the first 5 U.S. Presidents being from Virginia?
2. At the age of 22, Madison stated that he believed that “the frequent assaults on America (by the British) will in the end prove of real advantage.” What did Madison mean by this? Do you think it was an accurate statement?

Chapter Two: Winning the Revolution, 1776-87

1. Describe the early years of Madison’s political career.  How did these events shape his political outlook and governing style?
   1. Governing in committee work, having to do the “in the trenches” work of establishing borders, resolving Indian affairs, raising money, raising and fielding an army, etc.
   2. Governing w/out the Articles of Confederation and under it.  Living under British military incursions and negotiating with Spain.
2. What was Madison’s concerns with the Articles of Confederation? How were these concerns analogous with other leaders of the time? How about in the early years under the Constitution?
   1. The articles were clearly too weak to have a functioning central government. Madison’s concerns focused around the control of finances.
3. Describe Madisons support (or lack of) regarding government intervention in religious issues? From where did Madison draw his positions? How did Madison elucidate his argument in Memorial and Remonstrance? Why was this so important for the future of the American Republic?
   1. Madison’s advocacy in support of a secular government was both detailed and comprehensive. He rooted his opinions of how the court of law could never neutrally decide what religion was. In this case he argued which version of the Old Testament “the Hebrew, the Septuagint Greek or the Latin was to be preferred? In which translation?”  His argument was well understood that issues of religion should be left between a person and their God.

Chapter Three: The Philadelphia Convention

1. How would you concisely describe the twelve “vices” of the political system that Madison aimed to address during the Philadelphia Convention?
   1. The 12 vices as Madison described them, were simply concepts that Madison viewed as flaws preventing the achievement of a successful government. He identified weaknesses both from the side of the federal government, and from the states. He felt that by addressing each of the vices systematically during the creation of the Constitution, he would be able to establish a blueprint for further governmental success.
2. How did Shays Rebellion effect the discussion during the Convention?
   1. Shays rebellion displayed a weakness in the federal government to employ military forces to suppress internal rebellion. The consequence of the rebellion was the identification for a need of a stronger federal system with control over a centralized military.
3. Why do you think Madison and the Virginia delegation were able to have such influence in setting the agenda? How important is that for our Republic today?
   1. Governor Randolph of Virginia kicked off the convention with an opening speech essentially framing the work the convention was to do. He had clearly been influenced by Madison’s “Vices,” and consequently the narrative created by Randolph was the launch point for further discussion on the creation of the Constitution.
4. This chapter is completely filled with important arguments regarding the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the subsequent American experiment.. Which do you find most important? Consider the “Great Fault line of the Convention” between power to the national government and the federalized system vindicated by the revolution. What about the debate surrounding standing armies? The VA Plan vs. the NJ Plan?
   1. There is no real clear answer to this question, but the federal versus state divide and the authorities that reside within each is a conflict that carries on to this day. Conflict within the federalized system is the source of volumes of literature and discussion.

Chapter Four: Ratifying the Constitution Part One: The Federalist

1. Why did Madison see the federal government, opposed to the state governments, as better protectors of individual rights? Looking at American history, do you think Madison was correct?
   1. During the convention Madison was a minority opinion on this matter. But he makes a very interesting discussion, and it appears that in certain key instances, he was accurate that the federal government was better suited to defend individual liberties. Although the discussion is nuanced, Madison sees that the federal government is able to protect my Nordie from being oppressed from a majority. If individual liberties are determined by the states, by that logic we would have multiple definitions of individual liberties.
2. What is the problem and the arguments laid out by Madison and Federalist Number 10?
   1. The modern day interpretation of Madison’s “factions” is partially the political party, but more so, special interest groups with undue influence on political parties. Madison describes factions as “a selfish group seeking unpatriotically to have what it wants in violation of either individuals or societies just expectations.”  He identifies the sources of factions as the various and unequal distribution of property. This inequality of wealth and possessions is what Madison described as a concern that must be addressed through a just central government. His prescription to this problem is the expansion of the electorate. By his logic the greater the number of participants in the electoral system, will result in diluting any “special interest” or factions as Madison calls them.
3. The remainder of this chapter is a systematic dissection of Madisons Federalist papers. Of note: Federalist number 39 which demarcates between the federal and the national government. The federal government “Operating on the states composing the Federation, and the national government operating on the citizens directly.” This is an interesting separation, which clearly defines federalism.

Chapter Five: Ratifying the Constitution Part Two: The Richmond Convention

1. The debate among still beats in Virginia was splitting into three groups what were they?
   1. The three groups were those who would ratify, those who would ratify with amendments, and those who opposed. Leading the group in opposition was the famous Patrick Henry.
2. How did Madison use the debate with Spain over rights of the Mississippi River to support his argument to ratify the constitution in Virginia? Was the counter argument to this?
   1. A strong central government would be much more likely to pursue strong centralized interests vis-à-vis a foreign power. The Mississippi River would ultimately become vital to Virginias strength as westward expansion inevitably will occur. William Grayson countered by stating that northern states would not want free navigation of the Mississippi River, as it would dilute their influence and in effect monopoly on access to foreign trade.
3. The state of Virginia ultimately ratifies the constitution. However many of the states leading man were still in opposition. They would continue to raise issues with concerns of a centralized authority. Brought down to its simplest form what was the ultimate question when many of the delegates decided to ratify?
   1. The decision boiled down to either ratify the constitution and then advocate strongly for amendments at a later date, or face disunion which promised a dark future for the nation.

Chapter Six: Inaugurating the Constitution; 178801800

1. What was the compromise of 1790?
   1. This was a compromise were Alexander Hamilton was able to get the federal government to pay all of the war debts. In exchange the capital of the nation would be located somewhere along the Potomac River ultimately establishing Washington D.C.
2. What was the key issues surrounding the debate on the application of the necessary and proper clause? How did Alexander Hamilton’s actions concern people?
   1. Opponents were concerned that it gave unlimited discretion to Congress. Madison argued on the contrary that the powers of the Congress would be limited to specific issues. Hamilton on the other hand said the powers of the Congress would be implicit, meaning that there was more flexibility in the Congress to raise revenue for issues that the Congress alone determined or worthwhile. This was a great concern to many and a beginning of the split between Republicans and the Federalists.
3. What is the significance and importance of the strong resistance to the alien and sedition acts?
   1. Opposed to much of the work that had taken place over the past 12 years the resistance to the alien and sedition acts was a major move that reversed this trend of centralizing strengths, and push that power back into the states. It was a direct check on executive overreach, and assisted the Republican wave of the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800.

Chapter Seven: Secretary of State; Then President, 1800-1817

1. Explain Thomas Jefferson’s mixed reactions to the purchase of the Louisiana territory from France? What concerns did he have?
   1. Clearly the Louisiana purchase, an opportunity to double the size of the United States for only $15 million was a blessing for Jefferson. But he ran into a problem, the purchase was constitutionally illegal and Jefferson knew it. This may have not been a problem for a Federalist, but as a Republican and one who ran as a strict constructivist of the Constitution itself,  there was some personal hypocrisy with the purchase.
2. Why did Jefferson favor an embargo opposed to war with the British as a result of the attack on the Chesapeake and the illegal impressment of American sailors?
   1. The answer to this question is a significant part of the Jeffersonian legacy with regards to foreign policy. Jefferson was the opinion that a strong centralized military pushed out to fight in foreign lands would force the American people to pay taxes to a centralized government therefore weakening the states vis-à-vis an empowered executive branch. As a consequence, Jefferson decided to embargo British goods from American shores. The result of this was ultimate weakening of the American economy.
3. Madison was one of the masterminds behind the constitution of the United States. He played an integral role in the development of the country from the late 1780s up until he assumed the presidency in 1809. Despite his robust resume why was Madison not the president that mean he thought he could have been?
   1. This question leads us to the importance of oratory skills and public persona of American presidents. Even in the area era prior to television and radio, the ability of an American president to command attention and to deliver powerful messages cannot and should not be underestimated. In Madison’s defense he did adopt a country that was facing economic ruin due to a horribly mismanaged embargo on the British and would shortly face a war against a vastly superior enemy and a weakly committed country.
4. How did Madison’s opinion about the strength and the necessity of a centralized bank namely the bank of the United States shift while he was serving as president?
   1. The War off 1812 against the British displayed all of the weakness of the American federalized system, from lack of military preparedness, to inability to raise funds. This was exploited by the oncoming British and he result of this was the burning of Washington D.C

Chapter Eight: An Active Retirement, 1817-1836

1. How did Madison view the Missouri compromise? What was his view about the ability of the federal government to make a decision about slavery in a territory or a state?
   1. Madison felt it was not in the authority of the central government to determine whether or not the territory and ultimately a state would adopt slavery or not therefore this would give Pres. Monroe the authority to veto the Missouri Compromise on constitutional grounds alone.
2. During the first term of Andrew Jackson, what was James Madison’s position on nullification?
   1. Madison thought that nullification had the potential to ultimately result in disunion. Madison gave an academic and Constitutional foundation for his opposition, basing his position on Federalist number 39, which he, conveniently enough, wrote.  Federalist number 39 outlined how the Supreme Court would be the arbiter of disputes between the federal government and the states. This authority given to the Supreme Court was directly given by the constitution however, the roots of legitimacy existed in the state conventions, which gave the Constitution “the validity and authority that it possesses.”