Although the friendship between George Washington and James
Madison was eclipsed in the early 1790s by the alliances of Madison
with Jefferson and Washington with Hamilton, their collaboration
remains central to the constitutional revolution that launched the
American experiment in republican government. Washington relied
heavily on Madison's advice, pen, and legislative skill, while
Madison found Washington's prestige indispensable for achieving his
goals for the new nation. Together, Stuart Leibiger argues,
Washington and Madison struggled to conceptualize a political
framework that would respond to the majority without violating
minority rights. Stubbornly refusing to sacrifice either of these
objectives, they cooperated in helping to build and implement a
powerful, extremely republican constitution.
Observing Washington and Madison in light of their special
relationship, Leibiger argues against a series of misconceptions
about the two men. Madison emerges as neither a strong nationalist
of the Hamiltonian variety nor a political consolidationist; he did
not retreat from nationalism to states' rights in the 1790s, as
other historians have charged. Washington, far from being a
majestic figurehead, exhibits a strong constitutional vision and
firm control of his administration.
By examining closely Washington and Madison's correspondence and
personal visits, Leibiger shows how a marriage of political
convenience between two members of the Chesapeake elite grew into a
genuine companionship fostered by historical events and a mutual
interest in agriculture and science. The development of their
friendship, and eventual estrangement, mirrors in fascinating ways
the political development of the early Republic.
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