James Madison

Includes index

Presents 197 essays, addresses, speeches, private memoranda, and letters written by American founding father James Madison between 1772 and 1836, including documents that highlight his role in the creation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and writings from his term as president.

Being a collection of essays written in support of the Constitution agreed upon September 17, 1787, by the Federal Convention.

The Federalist Papers serve as a primary source for interpretation of the Constitution, as they outline the philosophy and motivation of the proposed system of government. The authors of the Federalist Papers wanted to both influence the vote in favor of ratification and shape future interpretations of the Constitution. According to historian Richard B. Morris, they are an "incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science...

Three early American statesmen defend the political principles and ideologies set forth in the Constitution of the United States, in a new edition of the classic, which is accompanied by a selected bibliography, historical glossary, new introduction, andother resource material.

A wide-ranging treasury of presidential writings is comprised of history-shaping and lesser-known speeches, excerpts, and personal notes, from Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and FDR's "Infamy" speech to JFK's "Profiles in Courage" and Barack Obama's "Dreams of My Father."