ABSTRACT
James Madison's paternity of the Bill of Rights was a reluctant one that he accepted only after political realities forced him to rethink long-held positions. Madison's primary purpose in supporting amendments was twofold: to fulfill promises made to his constituents during his campaign for Congress and to undermine opposition to the Constitution. The amendments Madison introduced in the House of Representatives were rewritten by a committee, amended on the floor, and then altered again by the Senate. On August 20, 1787, Charles Pinckney "submitted sundry propositions" to the Convention. George Mason, Madison's Virginia colleague, then suggested that the entire Constitution be "prefaced with a Bill of Rights." Madison left the Philadelphia Convention hopeful that the Constitution would be ratified. On October 24 Madison sent Jefferson a seventeen page letter, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the Constitution. In mid-November 1787 Madison joined Alexander Hamilton in writing The Federalist.
