James Madison's Radical Agenda Essay

Madison’s Radical Agenda
In Madison’s Radical Agenda by Joseph Ellis the thesis was how James Madison shaped the Constitutional Convention and formed the national government through the Virginia plan to what it now is today, and why he was successful. “Although James Madison was considered a wee man, he thought more profoundly about political problems than any other American,” (80). Many of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention only though they were there to make a few changes to the Articles of Confederation. Like the moderates, but Madison had something else in mind. He knew that the Articles would not be able to sustain, and they would lose everything they fought for. Madison desired to replace the Articles of Confederation as

There were two key things that helped him do this. One was that the lead member of the Virginia delegation was George Washington. This helped with other people backing his ideas because George Washington stood behind him, and he was much respected in politics at the time. Secondly, that the Virginia delegation arrived at the convention before other states. This allowed him to influence the other delegates with his ideas. (80). An example of this would be how he persuaded the moderates to approve of his plans. Madison knew many of the concerns America faced when it came to shaping the government. One example of the problems face was, “The inability of the Confederation congress to raise enough money to pay off war debuts.” (80). He came up with a plan to counteract these problems. This was known as the Virginia Plan. The Virginia Plan was, “fifteen point plan that stood for a strong central government. It consists of 3 branches executive, legislative, and judicial,” (80). From this you can see that the government would consist of much expanded powers. This basis of government still stands strong today. “Madison’s astonishing persistence allowed the Virginia Delegation to seize the initiative,” (80). From this quote you can see that his effort made a great impact on the convention. Also, another thing that helped Madison win over the people at the convention was that he used the term “We the people,” (81). That is how