James Madison (1751-1836) - 'the Father of the American Constitution' - was a legal and political thinker of great originality and range. The essays by eminent scholars reprinted in this volume explore various facets and aspects of Madison's legal, constitutional and political thought.

Contents: Introduction; Part I Life and Times: James Madison, Douglass Adair. Part II Human Nature and Politics: Madison's analysis of the sources of political authority, Robert J. Morgan; Madison, The Federalist, and the constitutional order: human nature and the institutional structure, Joseph F. Kobylka and Bradley Kent Carter. Part III The (In)famous 10th Federalist: The constitution as an economic document, Charles A. Beard; The 10th Federalist revisited, Douglass Adair; 'That politics may be reduced to a science': David Hume, James Madison and the 10th Federalist, Douglass Adair; Safety in numbers: Madison, Hume and the 10th Federalist, Edmund S. Morgan; Impartial representation and the extended republic: towards a comprehensive and balanced reading of the 10th Federalist paper, Alan Gibson. Part IV Republican or Democrat?: The republicanism of James Madison, Neal Riemer; Democracy and The Federalist: a reconsideration of the framers' intent, Martin Diamond; The commercial republic and the pluralist critique of Marxism: an analysis of Martin Diamond's interpretation of Federalist 10, Alan Gibson; Madisonian democracy, Robert A. Dahl; James Madison: republican or democrat?, Robert A. Dahl. Part V The Federalist and Federalism: Madison and modern federalism, Jean Yarborough. Part VI Madison's Bill of Rights: The Madisonian theory of rights, Jack N. Rakove; James Madison and the Bill of Rights: a reluctant paternity, Paul Finkelman. Part VII Religious Liberty: Madison on the separation of church and state, Irving Brant. Part VIII Political Parties: The Madisonian systems, John Zvesper; Madison v. Madison: the party essays v. The Federalist papers, Douglas W. Jaenicke. Part IX Interpreting the Constitution: What's Wrong with 'Original Intent'?: Constitutional interpretation and conceptual change, Terence Ball; Name Index.