The process was, to a surprising degree, James Madison’s achievement. He arguably had done more than Jefferson (or John Adams, for that matter) to create the United States of America. Jefferson had drafted the more affecting Declaration, but Madison played a central role in the more practical Constitution. It was an extraordinary record for a frail, introverted man without much of a public-speaking voice. That he overcame those obstacles indicates the strength of both his will and his intellect, as well as his dedication to discerning the lessons of the ancient world for the new United States.
