In the pantheon of American founders and framers, James Madison has held a relatively modest position. In recent years, however, that has begun to change thanks to the scholarship of historians and political theorists. James Madison: Philosopher, Founder, and Statesman is a collection of essays that were selected from a 2006 James Madison Jr. conference held at Louisiana State University, Shreveport. While the editors of the volume suggest that the book resembles “the distinctive flavors of spicy Cajun cuisine,” I think someone forgot to add the spice. The editors also claim that the collection “accentuates the diversity of Madison's contribution to political life and the diversity of interpretations that surround his work” (viii). The book's strength is that it does indeed address the multiple roles beyond that of “father of the Constitution” that Madison fulfilled as party leader, President, and elder statesmen. However, it fails to offer much diversity in interpretation since it lacks a single essay that is anything more than mildly critical of Madison.
Among the sixteen essays, several stand out. David Norquest's “Madison and Philosophy” presents a detailed account of Madison's early education by focussing on his years at the College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University. As a diligent student who overworked himself to the point of exhaustion, Madison confronted many of the most important ideas in logic, epistemology, morals, and politics, principally from his studies with John Witherspoon. Here, Madison learned how to think and began what was to become a lifelong love of books, ideas, and study.
For those already versed in Madison scholarship, Alan Gipson's thoughtful “Inventing the Extended Republic” breaks new ground as he offers a detailed and balanced analysis of the ongoing intellectual debate over the significance, or lack thereof, of the concept of an extended republic to the formation and ratification of the Constitution. Gipson traces the arguments of Christopher Wolfe and Michael Zuckert but it is Larry Kramer's 1999 Harvard Law Review article “Madison's Audience” that is the real target. If this new scholarship is correct, claims Gipson, then new interpretations both of the formation of the Constitution of 1787 and of Madison are needed.
Madison scholars will also find Rodney Grune's “James Madison and Religious Freedom” to be a thoughtful essay tracing Madison's consistent thoughts, and sometimes inconsistent actions when in office, in the contentious zone of religious liberty and the separation of church and state. Grune also explores how Supreme Court justices have drawn on Madison to justify their own views of the legal issues surrounding the first amendment. Complementing this essay is that of Steven Brown in “Mirroring Madison,” as he explores the influence Madison has had on the Supreme Court as justices turn to him to legitimize their own thinking and legal opinions.
As an edited volume, this book offers the nonspecialist a solid collection of essays on the multiple roles Madison played as political theorist, President, and statesman. The Madison specialist, unfortunately, will not find much that is new.
