James Madison's Contributions To The Constitution

1. A) James Madison was given the title “Father of the Constitution” because of his success in creating and writing the constitution. However he was not the sole creator of the constitution, but he was one of the main contributors to the document. He is widely known for the Virginia Plan, which brought forth many ideas that would be used in the Constitution. James Madison was such a huge contributor that in The Summer of 1787, it says “Never missing a day of the convention, never leaving chamber for more than ‘a casual fraction of an hour,’ Madison worked on his notes every evening throughout the sultry summer” (Stewart 48). In addition to his as his incredible strive for excellence, Madison was also the first delegate to arrive at the Convention
He then went to represent Virginia. For example, in The Summer of 1787 it says “They agreed on the solution. Power must be taken from the states and given to a national government. To achieve that solution, the delegates would have to navigate through state jealousies, competing economic interests, and the clashing egos of individual delegates” (Stewart 25). This statement demonstrates Madison’s very real concern for the country because he took the time to concentrate on how the conflict in the nation needed to be resolved before going to the Convention.

B) These people that are also deserving of recognition for their contributions to the Constitution were James Wilson and John Rutledge. John Rutledge was truly a great asset the creation of the Constitution.
A) The three-fifths compromise made by James Wilson was to help the southern states maintain slavery. This was only as long as the southern states fought for the Northwest Ordinance, and proportional representation. The three-fifths compromise is one of the most well-known compromises. This compromise had the notion that slaves would count as three fifths of a person. This compromise would settle the debated issue over whether slaves were to be considered a human or property. In addition, it allowed the southern states to have a more proportional representation of their population. In The Summer of 1787, it states “Wilson’s new resolution required the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives on the basis of an equitable ratio of representation in proportion to the whole number of white & other free citizens & inhabitants . . . and three-fifths of all other persons not comprehended in the foregoing description, except Indians not paying taxes. . .” (Stewart 78). The compromise created an alliance with the large states and the south. This alliance not only assisted Wilson with his votes, but protected slavery for the south. Lastly, the Northwest Ordinance prohibited slavery in the new western territories. The new western territories were starting to become more popular, and a choice would have to be made on the issue of slavery laws would be. When Congressman Nathan Dane proposed the prohibition of slavery in these territories, many slave states agreed to the