An up-close view of ratification

Home ยป James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights

G. Burnett @ 2010-02-15

James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights

$11.95
The best take-aways from the book are that [1:] the Constitution didn't just happen and that [2:] the Bill of Rights certainly didn't just happen. The worst involve Labunski's fixation on 18th Century travel, James Madison's weak speaking voice, and Madison's problems with his bowels. Labunski begins with the dissolution of the Articles of Confederation as the representatives sent to amend that ailing document end up concocting an entirely new Constitution. Calls for amendments to the Constitution arose immediately and continued through the ratification process.

Labunski traces the major arguments surrounding the Constitution and potential amendments. He highlights the philosophical positions of major characters such as Madison, Patrick Henry, James Monroe, and Edmund Randolph. Labunski views Virginia as the hotspot for ratification controversy, so most of the book is dedicated to Virginia and Virginians.

"James Madison and the Struggle..." plods along slowly, gets repetitive, and begins to feel like a dull civics lecture. It does capture the ideas and political machinations of the era, however, and present plenty of good information. Ultimately it demonstrates that the acceptance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were not foregone conclusions or inevitable events.