James Madison at the Constitutional Convention, by Professor Jack Rakove

James Madison at the Constitutional Convention, by Professor Jack N. Rakove. This short video focuses on James Madison’s efforts to shape deliberation at the Constitutional Convention. His major goal was to replace the system of voluntary compliance of the states under the Article of Confederation with a system of law to compel compliance under the federal Constitution. Professor Jack Rakove explains Madison’s perspective that without such a system, the different interests within each state, coupled with diverse interests among the states, precluded effective governance.

Professor Jack N. Rakove, William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies, Stanford University.