"The Argument"

"The Argument"; that is what Joseph Ellis evidently portrays in his wonderfully written third chapter of his book American Creation. From the end of the War for Independence to the birth of the government that has held our country together since its creation, Smith makes no mistakes in explaining every detail in between.

The war had ended, and we had gained independence from Britain's reign, however, keeping a nation together is seemingly impossible without some form of dominion over the people. The poorly made government constructed under the Articles of Confederation did very little to successfully guide our nation. Ellis explains, "It was, in effect, designed to be weak, and lacked altogether the authority to manage a burgeoning empire." Adding to that was the fact that the delegates didn't even show up to important meetings, simply because they didn't care. In fact, that attitude was ridden throughout the whole country. People just simply didn't care about being united, but rather saw themselves as separate nations. Washington realized that what America needed was a more unifying, stronger government, however, this posed many challenges as "such a national government contradicted the most cherished political values the American Revolution claimed to stand for."

Three years pass and America is on the brink of anarchy. Luckily for Washington though, he was not alone in his revolutionary thinking. Even more boisterous in thought than Washington, James Madison had seen America's pandemic in the same light. Comically described by Ellis as "an inordinately shy man, the kind who drifted to the dark corners of a room on most social occasions," as well as being one "who stood about five foot four and weighed 130 pounds," Madison grew to be one of the loudest voices in the reforming of America and its government. A little too loud for Washington however, for, although agreeing with Madison in his thinking, he was opposed to partaking in his campaign. Yet seemingly unphased by Washington's remarks, Madison virtually forced him into his cause, which proved to be a vital point in his plan.

Although quiet and reserved, Madison's argument style was strikingly effective. "His style, in effect, was not to have one. As a result, his arguments during debates tended to arrive without rhetorical frills or partisan edges, but rather with the naked power of pure thought." Ellis further explains that he was "the kind of frustrating opponent who always had more relevant information at his fingertips and who also somehow understood the logical implications of your argument better than you did." This proved to be true as Madison left his opponents speechless with his never before heard concepts. From dividing the government into three branches to stating that a larger republic actually created equality amongst power, Madison's opponents had nothing to argue his points. Things were going perfectly and "events were flowing in a perfect pattern." However, Madison wasn't indestructible. Once recollected, the anti-federalists did not take lightly to Madison's Virginia Plan, and, in fact, countered it with a plan of their own known as the New Jersey Plan. Eventually agreeing on a solution known as "The Great Compromise", neither parties were left happy, for this solution wasn't a solution at all, but rather a statement saying that "the only workable solution was to leave the sovereignty question unclear." Washington and Madison took this to heart, "interpreting the compromise as a devastating defeat."

Although shaken, Madison did not give up. He knew that the real task was still ahead of him; ten months to be exact when the ratification debates would take place. Different from past events, these debates were "open to the public and covered by the press." Madison knew that all hope in making his great idea for a new government work landed on winning these arguments. As great as Madison was, he still wasn't the best. This proved true when, a wild card, Patrick Henry appeared, quickly becoming one of Madison's most formidable opponents. Both having distinctively different arguing styles as put by John Marshal, "Mr. Henry had without a doubt the greatest power to persuade," and "Mr. Madison had the greatest power to convince." Henry was determined to not give up, however, in the end, Madison's shear knowledge proved stronger. The final votes were in (89-79) and the debates were over. Madison had succeeded.

Ellis' writing is both simplistic and impactful. Although the constitution was largely of Madison's accord, Ellis writes in a way that invites all aspects forward, making this chapter focus on "The Argument" as it relates to how our constitution is defined; an argument that will never cease to invoke question, yet still making clear that "no man was better equipped to understand the irony of it all than James Madison."