[Benjamin]

Hello all.

I've been digging into the founding and infancy of the republic. I'm a touch confused about some aspects of Madison, and hope that someone here may help clarify things.

Madison was basically the architect of the constitution - everyone was working off of his notes.

He went from writing the Federalist papers with Hamilton and Jay in 1788 to voting against the central provisions of Hamilton's report on manufacture in 1789, wrote the Bill of Rights... and then started up the Democratic-Republican party with Jefferson a few years later.

To my way of thinking that is a rather large change of position.

1. Did I miss something incredibly important in there?

2. Why do his views change? Do they change?

Was it that he wanted a third path -- a government stronger than the Articles of Confederation, but never adopted Hamilton's quasi-monarchist views?

Other thoughts?

Thanks all.

[Baba Louie]

Wasn't Hamilton an avowed Federalist and Jefferson his counterpoint?

While the Constitution was being convened and drafted, where was Jefferson? In Paris, having taken Franklins place.

Several of Jefferson's letters to Madison might have helped further formulate Madison's way of thinking. Once Jefferson came back, the two Virginians worked hand in glove.

Madison was the detail man, quiet, but one to sway others to his line of thinking and may have decided that Jefferson was partially correct in thinking that all of the events listed in the Declaration and reason for Independence would come true again under a Federalist oriented gov't (hasn't it?), but he also knew (I'm guessing here) that Jefferson was a Utopian dreamer and some method of keeping the New Founded Republic together involved compromise between the two opposite poles that formed our Republican form of government.

The liberal/conservative labels we bandy about today were always present, just known by other names with maybe a little different slant on things such as taxation, entitlements, etc... they were more worried about the Republic surviving in those days. Wise men knew when to allow their earlier thoughts to evolve (read compromise) to keep the beast alive.

Just me guessing after reading various tomes over the years and I don't have any references handy, but it is worthy of a little research or thoughts from others more learned than I.

Adios

[Fuzzy]

Yes, Hamilton led the Federalist Party and Jefferson led the Republicans. Hamilton was pretty underhanded (he wanted to be king, if you recall) but Jefferson wasn't all that clean either. Both paid publishers to libel one another. Since Adams refused to join a political party, or even to campaign for office, and he was often at odds with the Republicans he was labeled a Federalist and, sometimes, a Monarchist. He definitely wasn't a Federalist and I don't think he ever did anything to make me believe that he was a Monarchist. The Federalists didn't like him either and since he kept Washington's cabinet, all Federalists, they were a bigger problem for him. The only advisor he could trust was his wife.

At the time the constitution was written and adopted, both Jeferson and Adams were in Europe acting as ambassadors. Adams generally doesn't get enough credit and Jefferson gets too much, in my opinion. While Adams didn't directly participate in the writing of the U.S. constitution, he had already written the Massachusetts constitution and that, no doubt, had great influence on the writers of the U.S. constitution.

And yes, Jefferson did write the Declaration of Independence, he was more of a draftsman than an author. He was rather young at the time but had a gift for flowerly speech. The members of the Continental Congress were responsible for its content with Adams and Hancock being major contributors. Adams recalled that Jefferson hardly said a thing during the meetings of the Congress.

What Jefferson said and what Jefferson did were generally two different things. For example, he often spoke against slavery but never once freed one of his slaves, even in his will.

Can you guess which Founding Father I just read a book on?

Sorry for going off subject,