From Parchment to Power: How James Madison Used the Bill of Rights to Save the Constitution

by Robert A. Goldwin

Tells the story of how and why Madison went from skeptic to advocate of a bill of rights, how he created the constitution's design , and how he single-handedly maneuvered his amendments through a reluctant Congress. Also discusses Madison's two blocking others' amendments which would have made radical changes to the constitution, and winning support from the masses for his own amendments, which did not disturb any provisions of the original documents. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: Grad School, Nonfiction

213 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Kim Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

There were parts of this that I felt dragged a little bit. However, overall, I thought it was really interesting and I loved his summation at the end.

The more I study the Constitution, the more I am in awe of what the Founders did and how incredible it is.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive but great insights.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book a 4 even though it isn't of general interest, but because it offered interesting insights into the politics behind the Bill of Rights. The Federalists, Madison's party, generally believed that States covered people's rights in their consitutions, so that a Bill of Rights wasn't necessary or desired in the federal constitution. Madison, who was against a bill of rights when the original constitution was drafted, wanted to complete the promise to include a bill of rights that he'd made to his constituents in Virginia. Even more importantly, he came to believe that the people didn't widely accept the Constitution and that a bill of rights would not only win their approval, but also undercut the anti-Federalists desire to add amendments that would infringe on the delicate balance of powers that would change the structure of government. Pretty esoteric stuff, but the book demonstrated how insightful, intuitive, and really quite brilliant Madison was.