James Madison

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• 3/7/2021
  

  Was Madison Mistaken?

  by Carl Pletsch

  The divisive Trump years have called the wisdom of the Framers into question, but the author contends that James Madison in particular anticipated how a republic would be challenged by partisanship and designed one that could withstand that challenge (he just never claimed it would be easy). 

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• SOURCE: Esquire
  9/1/2020
  

  The Reckoning With Our History Is Not Just About Smashed Statues

  by Charles P. Pierce

  Political commentator Charles Pierce reflects on efforts to update the visiting experience at James Madison's Montpelier estate to better address the work and lives of enslaved people there. 

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• 8/23/2020
  

  James Madison’s Last Stand: Are We Witnessing the End of Liberal Democracy?

  by Richard Matthews

  The Trump presidency is a stern test of James Madison's design for a government that could govern without becoming tyrannical. The people and the ballot may be the last of Madison's checks and balances left. 

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• Madison’s Sorrow Goes Beyond Pompeo's Dinners

  by Kevin C. O'Leary

  We are stuck with two major parties and when one party abandons the broad liberal-conservative center, the system stops working.

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• 4/26/2020
  

  Historic Houses Turn to Technology Amid COVID-19 Closures

  by Hana Hancock

  Historic home sites have responded to the COVID crisis by developing online exhibits. More work remains to be done, and many cultural and historical institutions are in financial peril from the crisis, reports HNN's Social Media Editor. 

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• 4/21/19
  

  Slavery and the Electoral College: One Last Response to Sean Wilentz

  by Alan Singer

  As historians and public figures, we have an obligation to defend democratic institutions and expose vestigial anti-democratic elements like the Electoral College that threaten democracy, which includes a careful examination of their origin and history. 

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• 4/14/19
  

  The Electoral College and the Myth of a Proslavery Ploy

  by Sean Wilentz

  A Reply to Akhil Reed Amar.

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• SOURCE: CNN
  3/20/19
  

  Electoral College is a hot topic again: Calling James Madison

  The Electoral College has been "targeted for reform or abolition some 700 times" over the course of our republic-- more than any other part of the Constitution.

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• SOURCE: The Guardian
  1/31/19
  

  Voter suppression carries slavery's three-fifths clause into the present

  by Imani Perry

  The Georgia governor’s election was the latest example of how James Madison’s words continue to shape our views on race.

• 
• SOURCE: The Atlantic
  9-16-18 (accessed)
  

  America Is Living James Madison’s Nightmare

  by Jeffrey Rosen

  The Founders designed a government that would resist mob rule. They didn’t anticipate how strong the mob could become.

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• SOURCE: Harvard Gazette
  7-19-18
  

  Are there holes in the Constitution?

  by Michael Klarman

  A Congress controlled by Republican majorities has done almost nothing to check the president’s transgressive behavior. That's a problem that suggests the Constitution's not working as intended.

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• SOURCE: Bloomberg
  3-5-18
  

  James Madison Would Like a Few Words on Trade Wars

  by Noah Feldman

  The fourth president tried all kinds of sanctions to open markets, but still ended up in the War of 1812.

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• SOURCE: CBS News
  10-29-17
  

  James Madison's Montpelier explores its history of slaves

  Montpelier was the Virginia home of James Madison, father of the Constitution and architect of the Bill of Rights. The plantation was also home to generations of slaves. Now, descendants have a chance to get in touch with their roots.

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• SOURCE: PBS
  8-9-17
  

  Descendant of slaves rewrites the history of James Madison

  “We assume that president Madison and his family would not have achieved what they did if it were not for the enslaved individuals who lived there. The average American doesn’t understand that.” – Leontyne Peck

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• SOURCE: The Washington Post
  6-20-17
  

  At James Madison’s home, slaves’ lives matter as much as the man who owned them

  With the help of a $10 million gift from philanthropist David Rubenstein, the Montpelier staff has devoted new attention and resources to tell their story.

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• 4-23-17
  

  Trump Vs. Madison. Madison’s Winning.

  by Donald J. Fraser

  The parchment barriers Madison and the other Founding Fathers installed in the Constitution are helping check Trump’s overreaching.

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• 2-15-15
  

  Why It’s Time for a New Wave of Constitutional Amendments

  by David O. Stewart

  Four waves of amendments have wrought critical changes in the Constitution. The new Congress should commence a fifth.

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• SOURCE: AP
  11-1-14
  

  He helped write the Bill of Rights. Now his slave quarters will be renovated.

  The repairs will be paid for by a donation of $10,000,000 to the home of James Madison.

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• 5-18-14
  

  James Madison’s the Founding Father We Quote on the Constitution, but Which Madison Should We Cite?

  by Ray Raphael

  Was Madison the (chief) architect of the Constitution?

• 
• SOURCE: NYT
  5-1-14
  

  Gordon Wood praises Lynne Cheney's biography of James Madison in the NYT

  by Gordon Wood

  Cheney tells the story well, though skimps on analysis.