The Last of the Fathers
James Madison and the Republican Legacy

This is a prizewinning highly personal biography of James Madison, father of the United States Constitution.

Drew R. McCoy (Author)

9780521407724, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 May 1991

408 pages
22.5 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.542 kg

'This inquiry into a complex mind and fascinating personality will please any reader looking for a rigorous but perfectly accessible treatment of Madison's accomplishments and contributions.' Book List

Born in the middle of the eighteenth century as a subject of King George II, James Madison, father of the United States Constitution, lived until 1836, dying as a citizen of Andrew Jackson's republic. For over forty years he played a pivotal role in the creation and defence of a new political order but he also lived long enough to see the system of government he had nurtured threatened by disruptive forces that would ultimately lead to civil war. In this book, Drew McCoy tells the poignant story of Madison's reckoning of his generation's spectacular political achievement.

List of illustrations
Preface
Prologue
1. The character of the good statesman
2. The character of the good republic: justice, stability, and the constitution
3. Retrospect and prospect: Congress and the perils of popular government
4. Memory and meaning: nullification and the lost world of the founding
5. The republic transformed: population, economy, and society
6. Accommodation: the old dominion
7. Despair: the peculiar institution
8. Legacy: the strange career of William Cebell Rives
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Index.

Subject Areas: Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], History of the Americas [HBJK]