Who Wrote The Constitution?

The Founding Father of the US Constitution

Introduction

To ask who wrote the Constitution is similar to asking who wrote the Christian Bible. Yes, each book had a particular author, but they were inspired and dictated by God and historical events. The most straightforward answer to this question is James Madison penned the Constitution in May of 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Perhaps the best thing about that man was that he refused to take credit for composing the US Constitution, insisting that although he wrote such an important historical document, it collected several different ideas and beliefs on democracy.

Early Life

Born on March 16 in 1751, James Madison was the eldest of twelve children who were given a privileged life filled with love and education on a 2600 acre plantation in Port Conway, Virginia. At the age of 18, Madison went straightway to the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University. Upon graduating from college, James discovered a profound interest in political matters. His brief attempt at a military career began when he was appointed as a colonel in his local militia during the American Revolutionary War. However, because he was small and in poor health, he left his position three years later and switched to a political career. He was elected to be the youngest delegate in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia during the year 1780 but left on his own accord in 1780 to focus his entire being on furthering the call for religious freedom and passing such a statute in his home state Virginia. During his time in the Continental Congress, he was highly influential. During that time, Madison drafted and passed the Virginia Plan, which would be utilized in years to come for composing the original Constitution, as it outlined the three distinct branches of the central government: executive, legislative, and judicial. It also introduced the notion of having a House and Senate forming the national government.

Demanding Change

Upon leaving the Continental Congress, Congress passed the Articles of Confederation in 1777, which served as the unofficial first form of an American Constitution. Unfortunately, as helpful as the document was, the Articles of Confederation were full of flaws and needed reconstructed. James Madison, along with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, composed what came to be known as the Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers were a radical series of thoughts and demands that boldly called for the revision of the Articles of Confederation, printed in the newspaper for all to read.

Writing the Constitution

Finally, in 1787, James Madison was called back to the Continental Congress, where he joined 56 other state delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where it was determined that they would rectify the Articles of Confederation once and for all. At the Constitutional Convention on September 17th, 1787, what we know as the US Constitution was formatted and penned by James Madison himself. All fifty-six delegates signed it, giving their unyielding approval. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the new Constitution, which at that time over half of the nation and as such was enough to make the Constitution the law of the land officially. Not long thereafter, upon creating the US House of Representatives, James Madison was among its first members.

Later Career

Not only was James Madison monumental in the creation of the Constitution, but he also was allowed to compose much of the Bill of Rights. He became influential in writing a particular essay on the importance of the separation of church and state. From there, Madison served as Vice President to Thomas Jefferson, then United States President, in the year 1808. James Madison was the first United States President to officially decade war against Britain with the approval of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, starting the War of 1812. In fighting that war, Madison firmly believed that war emergencies were tests to adhere to the United States Constitution rather than ignore it altogether. When the War of 1812 ended in February of 1815 with The Treaty of Ghent, it showed the rest of the world that America was a unified nation worthy of respect. James Madison ended up serving two presidential terms as Commander in Chief of America. While his presidential career had both highs and lows, he was ultimately viewed as a good president who served America well and made her stronger in the end. In the end, he achieved everything he had originally set out to accomplish: established a national banking system, a successful taxation system, and a functional weaponized military. The vision he had for America, written within the United States Constitution’s pages, was finally coming together beautifully.

End of Life

James Madison retired from Washington DC in 1817 with his beloved wife, Dolley, and lived out his days at the same plantation he grew up at. He was respected by all and known for his knowledge. He died peacefully over breakfast in his home on June 28th of the year 1836 from congestive heart failure. He was buried in the family cemetery, where his wife eventually joined him.

Conclusion

Perhaps one of James Madison’s most famous quotes was one penned within the Federalist Papers:

“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

The amazing character that was James Madison was incredibly influential in bringing about a free America, and we owe him our gratitude. As a nation, we must never forget where we came from and how hard our Founding Fathers fought to create a free nation. We now have a day called Constitution Day, which is on September 17th.

So now, let us be proud of this man who wrote the US Constitution and strive to be more like him.