In this penetrating biography, eminent historian Brookhiser presents a vivid portrait of the "Father of the Constitution," an accomplished yet humble statesman who nourished Americans' fledgling liberty and vigorously defended the laws that have preserved it to this day.

Chronicles the life and political career of James Madison and examines the factors which lead to his ineffectiveness as president, despite his successful pre- and post-war careers.

This is the first full-length biography, in over a decade, of James Madison, our fourth President and icon of the conservative movement. In it, the author, a historian looks beyond Madison's traditional moniker, "The Father of the Constitution", to find a more complex and realistic portrait of this influential Founding Father. Instead of an idealized portrait of Madison, the author treats readers to the story of a man who often performed his founding...

"Using newly uncovered troves of letters at the University of Virginia, Chadwick has been able to reconstruct the details of the Madisons' personal and political lives. Based on this archive, the author argues that our fourth president--the architect of the Constitution--owed much of his success to the political savvy of his wife. And Dolley, through her many social skills, created the dynamic role of First Lady that we know today"--