James Madison says it all.
It is an established maxim that birth is a criterion of allegiance. Birth however derives its force sometimes from place and sometimes from parentage, but in general place is the most certain criterion; it is what applies in the United States; it will therefore be unnecessary to investigate any other. - James Madison
James Madison's Contribution to the Constitution
When James Madison and the other 56 delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May 1787, they intended to amend the Articles of Confederation. They ended up creating a new constitution, and Madison, representing Virginia, became the chief recorder of information (he took a lot of notes).
Madison had helped develop Virginia's Constitution 11 years earlier, and it was his "Virginia Plan" that served as the basis for debate in the development of the U.S. Constitution. Madison argued strongly for a strong central government that would unify the country. The Convention delegates met secretly through the summer and finally signed the proposed U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Did this mean that the Constitution automatically became the law of the land?
In order for the Constitution to become the law by which all Americans abided, two-thirds of the 13 states had to ratify (approve) it individually, and it was sent to them for this purpose on September 28. Madison campaigned for the ratification of the Constitution by co-authoring a series of essays with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton that appeared in various New York newspapers and then circulated around the states. There were 85 essays in all (Madison wrote 29), and they were known as the Federalist Papers.
Madison's important contribution to the overall creation of the Constitution earned him the nickname "Father of the Constitution" later in life. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the new Constitution, and that was enough to make the Constitution the law of the land. But that wasn't all. ... Madison went on to strengthen the Constitution even further. Do you know how?
In 1789, as a member of the newly created U.S. House of Representatives, James Madison introduced the first amendments (additions) to the Constitution, which are now known as the Bill of Rights. Ratification of the Constitution by some states was based on the expectation that the Constitution would be changed by amendments such as these. Madison originally drafted 19 amendments, 12 of which his congressional colleagues passed on to the states for their approval. On December 15, 1791, 10 had been ratified by enough states to become part of the Constitution.
These amendments guarantee our individual rights as citizens, such as the freedom of speech, religion and the press (in the First Amendment). Seen here is a copy of Madison's notes for his speech introducing the Bill of Rights on the floor of the House of Representatives. In 1785, Madison had written one of the most significant essays regarding separation of religion and government (often referred to as the separation of church and state), which no doubt gave him inspiration for some of the Bill of Rights.
Library Of Congress
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