Rom the gaithersburg book festival, now a look l. A. Of James Madison. Michael signer is the author. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] good morning. Welcome to the sixth annual gaithersburg book festival. I am the gaithersburg city attorney. Gaithersburg is a wonderful city that proudly support the arts and humanities. We are pleased to bring you the fabulous event as part of a generous support of our sponsors and volunteers. When you seasons please say thanks. A few announcements. For everyones consideration this morning please silence all of your devices. If you are tweeting today please use the hash tag cbs15. We need your feedback and surveys are available outside the table in the back. Also on our web site and our mobile apps by submitting the survey you are entered into a drawing for an ipad so please participate. Michael signer, the author today will sign books immediately after his presentation and copies of his book are for sale in the politics and prose tent. A quick word about buying the books. Even though this is a free event and we want to keep it that way it does tell book festival by buying public. The more books we sell more publishers will want to send their authors here to speak with us. Purchasing a book to my partner politics and prose does benefit the local economy supports local jobs and supports the book festival. Please enjoy the program. If you are in a position to buy a book please do so. The book we are talking about today becoming madison, the extraordinary origins of the least likely founding father, is Michael Signers second book. His first book, demagogue, the fight to save democracy from its worst enemies focus on the importance of constitutionalism, becoming madison examines concepts of leadership and statesmanship. Michael signer is a practicing attorney in virginia as well as an author advocate and the arrest. Here is his undergraduate degree from princeton university. He has a phd in Political Science from the university of california and a doctorate degree from the university of Virginia School of law. He has taught political theory and government at the university of virginia, Virginia Tech and also the university of california. In addition he was council to Virginia Governor mark warner. Senior policy adviser at the center for American Progress and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of regina in 2009. If that is not enough in addition to that his writings have appeared in the washington post, the new republic, usa today, and a book for the daily beast. For this book Michael Signer was inspired by what seemed like a loss of leadership in our current Political Climate and in examining this, he was drawn to the story of our fourth president , James Madison. Madisons role in crafting the u. S. Constitution advocating for adoption. And madison a man who was uncomfortable on the public stage, also on man who was brilliant and powerful be driven. At madisons true passion as a true statesman. And as a lawyer and public servant, found this a terrific, if those of us who aspire to serve in public office. Madison advocated what he thought was right and was best and not his selfserving interests. The message was a lot of politicians today need to hear an is an Important Message so please welcome Michael Signer. [applause] thank you for that kind introduction, thank you for being here and thanks to the gaithersburg book festival for this Public Service about books. It is wonderful to see so many people out celebrating books and i wholeheartedly agree with the injunction to buy them. Okay. I started this book off with a hypothesis. Many people have this picture of James Madison as the cool and calculating and somewhat removed character, may be more like a calculator than a live flesh and blood human beings. One book along those lines was titled James Madison and the hardness empire of reason. I started off with hypophysis. I think i thought James Madison just must have been more fierce and tenacious and passionate to have achieved his stunning impact on history and forged the very tight, warm friendships and the lionss that he did and i thought by examining his youth in close detail in the story of his coming of age we might at last be able to discover the of flesh and blood and beneath the myth. One early title of the book that i used was the passion of James Madison but i quickly was replaced by a much better title that my wife came up with which was becoming madison. As often happens in Book Research in the process of exploring that hypophysis i stumbled onto one hell of a story. The story goes back to the simplest archetype we have of stories which is an underdog phasing down and overboard or more simply than that david versus goliath. The story of James Madisons confrontation with Patrick Henry, david versus goliath of revolutionary and constitutional america also contains clues for the most classic problem leaders anywhere have in any organization not just politics how can reason defeat prejudice . How can complex longterm solutions effort retail over shortterm fiers . In a democracy how can the statesman defeat the demagogue . Beckoning back to my first book. Lets start in the new academy on richmond in 1788, this was the scene of vas convention called to ratify the constitution that emerged from philadelphia the year before. The new academy is the new building its cornerstone had been laid two years earlier. The auditorium still smells of freshly cut would and whig is and sweat and horses. Everything had a feeling of newness in this location in richmond. The auditoriums at a couple blocks away from vas new Capital Building which is under construction at this time. 170 delegates were roaming the womb. They fell into two camps, the federalist and anti federalist and they had the feel of armies preparing for battle. The federalists were led by an unlikely figure. James madison, who stood 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds. I recently on a speech at James Madison university stood next to a lifesize statue of James Madison cast in bronze. I am bitterly twice his size. Madison had a week speaking police and a nervous and feverish manner but he had a quick sense of humor and surprising warmth that in deer him quickly to allies and friends, people he wanted to know him. Politics out of all professions and the young man could have chosen was the least likely. A close friend of his head once subjected to a plan Thomas Jefferson had cooked up for madison to run for governor of virginia, madisons soul was replete with good gentleness, humanity and every social virtue end he was too amiable in his dispositions to bear against the torrents of abuse. Madison was also raised by a father of strong but repressed emotions would describe vanity once as a vice i have always despised. His paternal grandfather was a slave master and a quite enterprising one and he was later at the height of his career setting of a realestate empire in a plantation empire, he was murdered by a three slave, two of whom he owned in a conspiracy of poisoning scheme. In punishment for that plot the two slaves his grandfather owned were not put to death. I argue in the book i suggest that that may have been the joy shall systems recognition of the brutality of his grandfather. This is part of what madison was raised in, recognize the brutality and inhumanity of some systems that came before him that he lived in. His mother was nurturing and smothering and left him with his grandmother to be raised for two of his earliest years. He was the eldest of seven siblings two of whom died from dysentery after madison returned home from college which madison feared would also kill him as well. This makes of experiences made madison despite his small stature and introversion and emotionally us to and strong leader with an intuitive grasp of the suffering of others. I was fascinated by an episode when he was serving as the new congressman in philadelphia in congress and he was financially dependent on his father and ran out of money and his father wasnt giving him more. He needed to resort to the services of the jewish moneylender and philadelphia at the time. Madisons friend Edmund Randolph and many others to use the services of solomon resorted to crude antisemitic stereotypes to talking about him but madison pointedly took the track to made friends with solomon, they be printed each other, he talked about him as his little friend. You wonder how little he was. It was interesting that he would have empathized with somebody who was really at the bottom of Philadelphia Society at the time. To the new academy the anti federalists looking at a federalists are generally a older and grayer. Patrick henry they included George Mason Benjamin harrison the governor of virginia, Patrick Henry, their leader was a robust 52 years old, lantern jaw and heavy brow and 6 feet tall and imposing. He walked with kind of a pronouncedst as if bearing a heavy load that he wanted everyone to know about. He had been famous for at least 13 years, probably longer, since he first made his mark in the debate in the virginia General Assembly about whether or not va should support more independence to the colony of jamaica. That somewhat obscure topic the year before the declaration of independence, then delegate Patrick Henry saw an opportunity to advance a more militant version of colonial freedom. He is sitting in the General Assembly and directly stands and introduces a resolutions declaring the right of virginians to a regulated militia and asking the conventions of the va to an immediate state of defense. Those resolutions sparked a firestorm in the chamber among the other delegates. The tory delegates rose and shouted that henrys ideas were too provocative for the british. Heroes in response and sarcastically asked, listen to this what have we to oppose them . Shall we try arguments . We have been trying that for the last ten years. So in that breath henry is attacking recent itself in politics. That is important for what comes later with madison. Gentleman may cry peace, peace but there is no peace. I know not what course others may take but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. That statement and the fame that would follow earned henry the title of the father of the american revolution. The question sitting at vas ratifying convention in 1788 was whether he could be father of the constitution as well. Many people were deeply concerned about how the revolutionary country could become a constitutional nation and they were worried about Patrick Henrys role in that quest. Thomas jefferson for instance, a great fan of america making this transition did not like Patrick Henry. The two men had been opposing lawyers in Central Virginia courts for several years, he knew him well and when the courts adjourned for winter jefferson satirically recalled that henry would make up a party of 4 hunters of his neighborhood and go off with them to declining woods and has weeks hunting deer of which he was passionately fond, sleeping under a tent before a fire wearing the same shirt the whole time and covering all the dirt of his dress with a hunting shirt. Jefferson found this everyman populist posed in authentic and egregiously so. Henry was deeply familiar with the lead Virginia Society even if he chose not to join it. Henrys father was a prosperous plantation owner and a colonel in the local militia beat tutored his son at home in latin, shakespeare, ancient history and mythology henry read vergil in latin when he was 15 years old, decades later he could read nero in his speeches wishy gradually adopted a severe persona. Contemporary describe his appearance as grave, penetrating and mark klystron liniments of deep reflection, one biographer said he had a rogan cast with piercing blue eyes that could change to a d gray, a high straight forehead, heavy brow long black eyelashes that made his eyes seem especially penetrating. He had the ability to hone in on peoples passions he could talk a jury into anything. One friend describes perfect command of a strong and musical voice which he raised or lowered at pleasure and modulated so as to fall with any given court of the human heart. Madison actually talked one time about how when henry would appear he would adjust his eyeglasses, cleared his throat and in that moment he had half of the room. Once a man watching henrys performance from an upper gallery became so much in shanty with his eloquence he accidentally spurted tobacco juice on the heads of the members of the house below. After henrys death jefferson would say i think he was the best humored man in society i almost ever knew and the greatest orator that ever lived and jeffersons view was henrys consummate knowledge of the human heart that about and to attain a degree of popularity with the people at the large never perhaps equal but even after death jefferson, this is conflicted, derided henry as avaricious and rotten hearted and possessed of two great passions the love of money and the love of fame. So the adversaries of this formidable american character in the new academy was James Madison who all said to be fair at this point was a celebrity in his own right. She achieved prominence in National Politics that was shocking considering the abilities he faced. Part of that stemmed from the extraordinary power of conscience that he unleashed in his home life in Public Service and parts of that went back to john witherspoon. John witherspoon was president of princeton, madison was a student there which is a key part of my book. You cant really tell , Asheville Green you can still the story of revolutionary america without talking about this man who was a scottish cleric who was a presbyterian and recruited across the atlantic to serve as president of princeton at this king motion in the notions history. One of the most bold decisions James Madisons father did was sending madison away to famously free thinking princeton as opposed to going to the Anglican College of william and mary. I argue in the book that that was really an investment because his parents saw madisons gift at a very wikipedia and wanted him to be a free thinker as well. The fifth president set about witherspoon, he had more of a quality presence he quality powerfully felt but not to be described in any other individual with whom the writer has ever known, washington accepted. As a young student witherspoon was described as having a disagreeable temper and awkward manner but also very sensible and shrewd. Also as a young cleric in scotland he despised bonnie prince charlies attempt to restore the monarchy in scotland and raised a militia of his known and tried once but failed to fight a battle. The next year he tried again and was awarded with imprisonment. There was an escape attempt at the castle where he and his helper four putin successfully climbed a row of knotted blankets to the ground. The fifth fell 70 feet and died. With this in remain in the castle, probably the right choice but was tortured and. She had severe anxiety attacks for years afterward and felt the need to keep the strictest check on himself. Another commonality with his Young Students of madison studied with with this unjust after arriving, tells witherspoon he wants to finish the standard three year curriculum in two years which would require taking early exams. He needed to hire horse, cicero, and passes the exam that approach is another student with a plan, they would Work Together to compress all that study. Witherspoon approved this plan and they begin to work over ten hours a day together studying. This was the first sign of madisons signal intensity. His ability to disappear totally in a task before him. 60 years later when he is writing an autobiography he recounted the experience in almost masochistic terms. His indiscrete experiment of the minimum of sleep and a maximum of application was a test of which the constitution, meaning his, would bear. He was always sleeping five hours a night for several weeks on end and the result was very in term health. What did madison actually learn while he was in the aging in this unique kind of study . The first was the passion. He taught his students the difference the twin selfish and benevolent passion. The selfish passion stemmed from gratification whereas the benevolent one came from the happiness of others. This went back to with distinction drawn thousands of years ago by aristotle between the general good and the private good which aristotle used to distinguish between pure and perverse regimes, an example being if you had the rule of the few, and aristocracy if they cared about the common good that would be an aristocracy, if they care about themselves that would be an oligarchy. He talked about the difference between public versus private passion, the public ones where fame, power and pleasure, private ones were family, friendship and patriotism. He taught that the noblest passions were those that were benevolent and public. That meant he wanted his students to and join up, grand ambition to the common good and for those brave souls had been willing to sacrifice their life. Was no clinton and almost all of his students went on to become revolutionary soldiers. With madison also learning about moral philosophy from witherspoon, he taught the students that conscience was a field which it was a real thing in the souls of men and he said it was much founded in the moral principle. He talked that those who neglected their conscience in life with great harm. They risk to misery and shameless madison also learned the crucial importance of government by studying its converse or the vacuum of it the state of nature. Agree topic if you take political theory classes. Witherspoon, this was amazing to me he taught that men could use no other weapons in the state of nature, this comes before people form a government that did in those furnished by nature meaning there arms, teeth, fists and feet furious their only guide, he taught. Most chilling of all the said to would endeavor to destroy, exterminate and even devour one another, exterminate and devouring. It is incredible. This is a much darker vision of the state of nature than even you finding Thomas Hobbes and this is what madison was learning. Finally learned about the idea of a nexus, with this and taught his students that every Good Government must be complex so that one principle or one part may check the other. He said they must be some balance that everyone to his own interests or inclination and plays upon the hole. That idea, nexus means to tie, blind or weve something together. Imperial means power and the binding of power something to make one necessary to each other, what came to mind to me was ropes tied together. That was the idea of government. Wait for the train. After returning home from all this education madison was stuck in life as a tutor. His father forced him to come home through the power of Purse Strings and made them become a tutor to his younger childrens. Great revolutionary movements were a foot and Patrick Henry is that the head of them. 1775, madison is 24 years old and at home, henry meanwhile leads a mission by his local and of from alisha to seize the colonial gun power, madison and his brother tried to join Patrick Henry in this confrontation but they were too late, he was so excited by this that he got a commendation wishes father ran commending Patrick Henrys and bravery. Madison himself began practicing firing his musket. He wanted to be a soldier. In 1775 he boasted to his College FriendWilliam Bradford he was doing such a good job at muscat practice that he should not miss the target at 150 yards. His lifelong battle with anxiety got the better of him. As his father and the men looked on in the first firing drills with other men madison collapsed and had to be removed from the field. This was something that would happen periodically for the rest of his life and it is a major interest in this book. Because buffets that he experience, epileptic fits, lynne cheney wrote a book a year ago called James Madison where she concludes the experience of madison was organic, he basically had epilepsy he had a physical ailment. I totally disagree. Based on a careful reading of evidence that pieced together tells a different story. The modern diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder contains nine criteria for diagnosing panic attacks. A patient who experiences four has panic attacks, madison routinely experience seven during all of these, palpitations, trembling choking chest pain, abdominal distress, painting and fear of going crazy. These are cited jenna and on epileptic seizures. Once psychology professor at the university of virginia said humiliation is the key risk factor for developing this disorder. You isolate yourself in order to avoid humiliating displays of panic. The cost of isolation is extreme loneliness its own kind of emotional hell. Many people suffer this agoraphobia, afraid to go in public. Madison overcame this anxiety to engage in politics. A lesson in courage. And next year madison, 25 years old, became a delegate to virginia and independence convention. Patrick henry was there, the great hero of a revolution and in a letter to john adams, the quality of leaders in the room, he wrote to adams i cannot count on one coadjutor of talent equal to the task. Madison the young and small and shy was making himself known. A draft of the constitutions religious freedom claus was introduced by george mason famously later of the bill of rights. Madison stood to object and suggest a replacement. This was his first real impact on public life. Nations clause stated all men should enjoy the full list toleration and exercise of religion. Madisons version said men should be equally entitled to the free exercise of religion. That was a fundamental shift because says the state was on the position of the creeping freedom that said men had freedom for the state had anything to say about it. Pat end ed up becoming our establishment of religion idea that became in the bill of rights many years later. After two months of work on a new constitution Patrick Henry was elected, revolutionary virginia first governor, madison became a delegate. The next spring madison suffered his first, his only of the coral defeat when he stood for reelection. He was a little cocky at this point, he was the head of wind and the custom in Orange County was for politicians to pay for voters to get drunk, to get voters strong, election day. It was hard to travel to votes of people hung out and frank all day and the candidates paid for it. May be something we should try today. Madison decided to buck that custom and not only that but he mocked openly in his campaign the corrupting influence of spirit slickers. Probably not the smartest decision because one of his opponents dont a cavern and madison lost not only to that opponent but another one. He blamed himself decades later he still stunned and criticize his own reserves that after he lost he was criticized for seemed to not care and to be all lou fan said it was respect for voters but instead he was hurt and it was selfdefense but he did decide never to allow a fickle public to control his destiny, never to seem like he was above people again. Later that year, vas delegates still favorably impressed by madison put madison back in office as one of five members of vas powerful council of states. This was a check on the governor set up in virginias constitution. All his major decisions had to be made after consultation and agreement with five other elected councilors. Madison became one of them. Overs the next couple of years he worked so closely with henry that many rumors of henrys words were in fact madisons. 1779 henrys term ended and Thomas Jefferson was elected governor, madison state on but that fall there was an opening in congress, congress was basically a disaster. There was a huge leadership deficit and madison seized on the opportunity to be one of four new congressman in philadelphia but instead of leaving immediately which was the custom to avoid the horrible winter roads madison decided to stay home and work on crafting a solution to vas inflation crisis. Yet gelatin inflation, several kinds of currency and no one figured out what to do with it so he spent several months studying on his own and he wrote a private as a for himself where he concluded the key problem was not the money supply itself but the publics confidence in whether the currency could be redeemed by a central government. He also said attacks on government were disparaging currency itself. He didnt published as a for 12 years, kind of remarkable. Is kind of a private blueprint for how he was going to go about his Public Service entering congress so after arriving in congress he wrote jefferson back immediately, took in the scene that the problem facing the country was, quote defects of that would statesman. That was considered so controversial that it was removed from his official letters until the 20th century. He spent his three year term in congress increasingly agitated by the need for more strong and robust federal government and brought the combined conscience and governing passions and the idea of nexus to a young revolutionary government. He became nationally famous in 1783 at the end of his term when he ran out a passionate speech arguing states must fund the federal government must be forced to through an impost. Through a series of logical fruity demonstrated the status quo where congress had a the states for occasional funds was not sustainable. He put his conscience behind the cause, the pride of the american experiment was the fight for wrights basic teenager. The revolutionary cause with required dignity and lester. The nation would known those favorable influence on the rights of mankind. He did fail to win a majority for the end post but the speech turned the First National audience, a was reprinted and sent to massachusetts, connecticut, new jersey, virginia and abroad in england and france. George washington wrote madison praising the address for so much dignity and energy that no real friend of the honor and dependency can hesitated single moment. With actions like this madison earned the title early during the leader of who would become known as the federalist but there was a dark side to that spring as well. Madison who had been single all this time didnt really have a job. He fills quickly in love with a 15yearold girl named kitty florida, the daughter of another congressman saying that this same boardinghouse where Thomas Jefferson who took a great interest in this romance and became madison and swingman. They were writing poetry backandforth, head and kitty brokawmadison became engaged to her bed kitty broke off the engagement very suddenly and abruptly and shattered madisons heart even when many decades later when he came upon the original letters he blotted out the lines referencing kitty. It was also vulnerable to him. He returns to virginia. He is now thoroughly radicalized on the issue of federal power. The ultimate cause of statesmanship is to reform the federal government and the next spring he is trying to become a lawyer and once again a very difficult time becoming a lawyer his whole life and never does become one. He gets a surprising letter from none other than Patrick Henry his old boss and henry tells madison he wants and to come back into government. He says the madison deserves some respite, is not the federal government on bad footing . Cell medicine is restless to return to politics and puts his name forward as state delegate. After he arrives in richmond in mid may one of his first orders of business is to sit down for coffee with Patrick Henry so madison has a plan in mind. He wants henry to support and overall virginia constitution that will serve as a precursor to what madison wants to do federalese. This is almost delusional because it is unlikely henry who had been signaling that he was against the new constitution it was unlikely but madison thought maybe he could pull this off so the planned to discuss the dysfunction of congress and the need for reform. Madison thought their minds met and he took a rare leap of faith afterwards telling jefferson that henry seemed strenuous for invigorating the federal government but that is not put him rebounded to end changed his mind. When he signaled madison, that was the first time the two start parting ways but there was a breach that happened between them that fall when Patrick Henry, opportunistic as ever former governor, saw political issue in the disintegration of a glut in churches happening as the economy in virginia was faltering. Henry proposed a new tax that would fund only anglican churches. Madison was appalled by this. It went deep to all his deeply held principles and he made a speech on the for the General Assembly containing 15 separate attacks, on the tax. Him floyd logic, history, studies of the establishment of religion to show that this would be disastrous not to mention grossly against the america he wanted to create. That speech became an anonymous letter meanwhile he did this stratagem where Patrick Henry was reelected governor which took him out of the voting for this and they delay the vote a year meanwhile madison could run a campaign against this idea. Up petition drive was sparked by madisons letter which gathered 10,000 signatures and kill henrys bill. Madisons letter became known as the memorial and bremen stearns against religious assessments, probably the western worlds most famous articulation of low wall between church and state. Madison then began his famous research on history of confederacy in the va plan which together became the intellectual blueprint for the constitution at the constitutional convention. At the convention itself in 1787 he placed himself at the very center of the room of the hall and recorded every word that was said which had the effect of making himself the authority and voice for history of everybody who was speaking there. When the constitution passed in philadelphia that was only the first battle. Patrick henry had boycotted the convention. When madison got to work with Alexander Hamilton in the beginning stage john jay and the federalist papers which were opeds designed to convince voters in new york and around the country to support to ratify the constitution henry van in virginia was fulminating against the constitution. Madison wrote much will depend on mr. Henry. The fall of 1787 looking toward 1788 when the ratifying convention was scheduled, he thought henry might be up in the air because there was difficulty in translation but he turned henry was indeed scheming that ends constitution and even threatening to the rebellion against the new nation if it were passed. Madisons friend Edmund Randolph told a story about running into henry on the street in richmond had become so physically agitated about the constitution the two men could not actually speak. Another front row that henry was so furious that his frame would shake and he was sweating at every pool. 1787, jefferson wrote from paris about henry what we have to do is devoutly pray for his death. Madison delayed his return to virginia not only for weeks but months he was focused on federalist papers and despised campaigning. He had to beg for a seat to the constitutional convention. It infuriated everybody around him but he finally made his way through to richmond to the ratifying convention, but the number of states that past the number remaining, everyone thought the constitution might not become law if virginia did not ratify. By this point the two men lows each other. In the three wee. Virginia, the future of america, henry began the proceedings by describing himself as the servant of the people, of this commonwealth and a sentinel over air rights, liberty and happiness. He then sought to scare the delegates to invoke the terrors of tyranny to called the anti federalists the elitists and reclaim the status quo as safe and the anti federalists as radicals. He said no dangers, known insurrection or tumbled has happened. Everything has been calm and tranquil. He relentlessly exploited his revolutionary reputation. He mocked madisons constitution as having imaginary balances and wrote dancing king rattling ridiculous ideal checks and contrivances. Midway through the Convention Madison became so frustrated by these tactics that he told the delegates George Washington supported the constitution. Henry became furious. He said the constitution was irritating the avenging hand of heaven. Henry cut away at madisons allies with barely hidden contempt and is the middle and lower ranks of people laughed at the ideas the wellborn had anti mocked the microscopic eyes of modern states and for obsessing about an abundance of defects in old simpsons. Madison felt ill, isabel saltus stomach was turning, he thought he might go crazy. It was an attack of his old fit and he fled the debate all. He remained in bed. After two days he wrote a friend writing a scarcely practical and very injuries to me, we have not majority as yet but the other party ingenious and indefatigable. Madison the man was in revolt against James Madison the statement. When he returned to the new academy practice what i call in the book madisons method. This was a replacement for what he learned about in school about the socratic movement. Any lawyers will know how frustrating it is. Madison as a student called it factitious and insidious and even fought the socratic method helped kindle the hatred against socrates which put a violent period of his life because it was so condescending. Instead madisons method and nine elements find passion in your conscience focus on the idea, not the man and develop multiple independent lines of attack in greece and haitians, establish a competitive in vantage through corp. Concord bad ideas by dividing them, master your opponent as you master yourself, push the state to the highest version of self and govern the passions. When madison returned in named as is any vague this course as emir sport of fancy and named five grounds by which delegates could determine whether the constitution was in fact needed. And the most powerful and prevailing influence of states would undermine the union. And the amendment process could allow for a fix. Just as the nation would. They had to have faith that the nation could sustain itself. This is one passage in the book that method was maddening at best and infuriating at worst. As physically slight as it was madison seemed indefatigable, almost to burn with the intensity. He always knew more than you, anticipated most of your moves and seemed to plan out everything he would drag his audience through a series of choices, no option to make to the conclusions. If you respond to one point there was countless others to deal with as well. It was a socratic dialogue without a question marks, symphony of preparation, discipline and control. Every attempt to trick him more play to his ego would be avoided by returned to his plan and most importantly if you ever reveal yourself to be combating for any selfish or special interests that fact would become bearish in contrast to his self evident conscience. In contrast to the fact that he did seem to have the common good at heart. On the last day of debate, a man named zack arrive johnson wrote in an obvious reference to Patrick Henry, we never heard from this man again, he condemned the strain construction which was put by the gentleman on the other side on every word and suitable land endeavoring what would never happen. He would attempt to satisfy my conscience and announce my judgment for the safety and propriety of the system. And it was johnson of virginia and the country made the constitution become law. In the aftermath, the cruelest blow delivered to madison, madison designed the senate for legislating by experts which would leave it unchallenged. It is against fickleness and passion and impetuous councils. Might be one reason James Madison somewhat overlooked today. Imagine the career he could have had in the u. S. Senate and his gifts would have been prominent as opposed to secretary of state and the presidency. Why are there some many new books about madison . Is good for James Madison but not if you had one of four books that came out this spring. At the announcement for the ted Kennedy Museum the president barack obama said we did in a time of such great cynicism about all of our institutions we are cynical about government and washington, it is hard for our children to see in the noisy and too often trivial pursuit of todays politics, possibilities of our democracy and capacity to do big things. That corrosive effect of cynicism about leadership is probably one of the greatest dangers we have today but also one of the lessons we learn from James Madison by revisiting this extraordinary story of the obstacles madison overcame to change not only himself but the country and the world and history. We can restore one crucial new thought to democracy which is the leadership against the forces of cynicism and prejudice is actually possible. Madisons method can in the end destroyed bad ideas and build new good ones and statesmen will defeat the demagogue. Thank you very much. [applause]. I wonder if you might cant hear you. Speak a bit speak into the microphone. Microphone open . Can you hear me . Yes. Okay. Can you can you discuss madison and slavery . Sure. Wed be interested in hearing about that. Also you seem so well interested in henry, have you thought about writing a book about him . [laughter] well, theres a theres a great deal in this book about a slavery. I actually well, as i told the story about madisons grandfather and his brutality towards slaves i am fascinated by madisons relationship to the problem of slavery. And i think that it really contained all of his weaknesses and his strengths. So he, one of