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The Publication of James Madison's Notes from the Constitutional Convention
When James Madison died on 28 June 1836 at his Virginia home, the young country lost the last of its Founding Fathers. The great men who had fought for and established a new government had now officially passed the torch to a new generation. "Filial indeed," lamented one writer,
and grateful, should be the nation's tribute to such a man. Nor let us forget to add that in Madison was seen the last of the Fathers. The last of those great lights which shone upon us when we groped in darkness and tottered in feebleness, and it was expected that we should perish from internal disease after having conquered our external enemies. Washington, Jefferson, Adams, LaFayette, and a host of others . . . had gone to their reward; a new race had assumed their places.1
Tributes and toasts were made throughout the country to the man who had served in the Virginia State Legislature, the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia State Ratifying Convention, as a leader in the House of Representatives, as secretary of state, and then as president. Clearly James Madison had made a place for himself in history. But Madison had one more legacy to contribute to his country - the diligent and thorough notes he had taken during the closed-door sessions of the Constitutional Convention. Although it was no secret that Madison had kept these notes, he had always guarded them closely Other accounts of the proceedings had been published, but they were either incomplete or blatantly biased. The official Journal of the Convention was published in 1819, but it consisted only of scattered notes on proceedings and the details of roll call votes. Not one of the speeches was recorded, and many of the votes that were written down lack a date, subject matter, or an issue. Therefore the journal offered little to those who wanted to know what took place behind the closed doors of the Constitutional Convention.
In addition to the journal, two delegates, Luther Martin of Maryland and Robert Yates of New York, published accounts of the Convention. Martin's version, which appeared in 1788, offered little insight and was incomplete because he had walked out of the...