ABSTRACT
This chapter tries to correct the undue concentration on Madison's criticism of republican vices and the Confederation's "mortal diseases"; the partial misunderstanding of his "puzzling shift" from Federalism to Republicanism; and the misreading of his alleged states' rights philosophy. For Madison a republic was a government which derived "all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people,' and which rested "on the capacity of mankind for self-government". Madison's hatred of anti- and pseudo-republicanism was as natural as his first conscious and perhaps overzealous thought and action in the turmoil of the Revolution'. Certain of his basic premises were eloquently stated as early as 1785, in his protest against a Virginia bill requiring payments by all for the support of Christian religion. The danger here was that the dominant legislative majority would not respect the republican principle of religious liberty (as Madison understood that concept) as an unalienable right.
