Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Reported by James Madison (Paperback)

by United States Constitutional Convention (Author), James Madison (Author), Adrienne Koch (Author) "Monday May 14th 1787 was the day fixed for the meeting of the deputies in Convention for revising the federal system of Government..." (more)
Key Phrases: transcript the vote, transcript italicizes, legislature ineligible, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 695 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (April 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393304051
• ISBN-13: 978-0393304053
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,851 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect summary of the thought of the Founding Fathers, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

In this period of seeming upheaval in the American government, constitutional questions are thick on the ground and the least-used clause in that document is again being exercised. We'd do well to examine what actually happened so many years ago. Familiarity with the Constitution itself is not enough--indeed, it's never enough. To borrow a page from "Star Trek," we should know the thoughts of those 55 men as well if we are to truly understand what they intended for the United States.

"Notes on Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787" is the perfect source for beginning that exploration. If you want the information and the arguments advanced for each section of the Constitution, here they are. This volume is the actual journal of the Constitutional Convention, kept by James Madison (later the 4th President under that document). Preserved after the convention approved their work, it was later published. It still exists as an excellent source of political thought from the age of the Enlightenment; though the Declaration of Independence is more of a proof of those philosophies (based on the contract theory of David Hume), the Constitution was also influenced by these ideas, and represents a distillation of 18th-Century political theory.

It's not an easy read; it is, after all, a product of its time, written in a dense style, with antique language and grammar (to 20th century minds), by one of the best educated men in the Colonies. But even a leaping study of the highlights, the famous debates over the plans for how to establish the Congress, etc., repay the reader. Just an examination of the opening days shows that the representatives came prepared to essentially flout their instructions, throw out instead of revise the defective Articles of Confederation, and start afresh. Several members came prepared with draft proposals, and none appeared overly embarrassed to offer them. Seeing how many differences there are between the first drafts and the final Constitution is quite interesting.

Highly recommended, and all encourgement to the person who chooses this book.

January 27, 1999

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read, but needs background on the participants, April 2, 2005

By	Howard Schulman (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In a biography on Madison I read that every day of his life after the Consitutional Convention he was asked to reveal the notes he had taken of the debates, and not until well after he and every one else present at the convention died, in 1840, did Madison allow these notes to become public. Others had surrepticiuosly taken notes of the procedings, but none were substantial. Everyone knew Madison's notes would reveal the truth about what happened during the Constitutional debates.

I actually didn't have that hard a time reading the text, as I was expecting the worst. Admittedly, I only read the first two hundred pages and scattered sections. The text is over 600 pages long, though it is nicely broken up by days during the four month long marathon.

The text of the debates does have its entertaining moments. It was fascinating to hear the leading men of the day discuss the plusses and minuses of various rules for structuring their nation to be.

My major criticism of this particular edition is that there is no background information given on each of the "combatants" at the debates or explanatory footnotes within the text. The more I read on the founding of the United States, the more I realize that there were many politicians besides Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, etc. These lesser-known men's lives are very relevent and interesting, too, and I felt that I would have gotten more out of the reading if I had known more about the characters and the local background of the issues at that time. I do plan on returning to the Notes of the Debates in the future.

Othewise, the text can only be rated at 5 stars.

add (2/12/06): I would highly suggest reading "Decision in Philadelphia" by Collier and Collier if you are unfamiliar with the participants and issues in the 1787 Consitutional Convention. It is an excellent book and an extremely easy read.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to Understanding the Consitition, August 19, 2001

By	C. Baker "[e-mail]" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Notes Of Debates: In The Federal Convention Of 1787 (Hardcover)

This is not only fascinating reading, but is a critical primary source for understanding our Constitution. This is Madison's first hand account of the secret proceedings of the Constitutional Convention. You'll see how the debate unfolds and understand more fully the difficulty of creating a governing document for our nation.

Most importantly you'll see the difficulty in divining the original intent of our founders. There were many intents and many "founders" of this important document. It is not surprising that many involved in the creation of our constitution could afterwards disagree on the substance of what different articles "meant." That is why the argument over original intent can never be resolved, and why, for better or worse, the Constitution remains open to interpretation.