James Madison and the Making of America

"A well-considered and -written biography of this gifted founding father's many contributions to the early republic." — Kirkus Reviews
"Revels in the intrigue of political debate and the intricacies of the political process, fashioning a narrative the re-creates the drama of nation-making and governing." — The Wall Street Journal
In James Madison and the Making of America, historian Kevin Gutzman looks beyond the way James Madison is traditionally seen—as "The Father of the Constitution" —to find a more complex and sometimes contradictory portrait of this influential founding father. Madison's fame rests on his participation in the writing of The Federalist Papers and his role in drafting the Bill of Rights and Constitution. Today, his contribution to those documents is largely misunderstood. He thought that the Bill of Rights was unnecessary and insisted that it not be included in the Constitution, a document he found entirely inadequate and predicted would soon fail. Madison helped to create the first American political party, the first party to call itself "Republican," but only after he had argued that political parties, in general, were harmful. His greatest legacy—the disestablishment of Virginia's state church and adoption of the libertarian Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom—is often omitted from discussion of his career. Yet, understanding the way in which Madison saw the relationship between the church and state is key to understanding the real man. Kevin Gutzman's James Madison and the Making of America promises to become the standard biography of our fourth president.
"Gutzman's meticulous disquisition on the proceedings of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention . . . will most profit scholars. His perspective on an important Founder, and his minute examination of the Federalist Papers, will . . . appeal to serious readers." — Library Journal