James Madison's Montpelier We the People Fall 2013 | Page 6

We The People
6

Exploring the

mind of madison

from montpelier emerged

a more perfect union
Every nation has its origin story and its heroes. In America we tend to point to the
Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War as our national birth. That is how
origin stories usually go: bold words and valiant warriors. Rarely does a great patriotic story
begin with the hero quietly reading a book. Yet, such is the story of our nation—from the
chrysalis of confederation into a fully formed, popularly ratified federal republic. The
often-forgotten hero of this story is James Madison, Father of the Constitution.