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Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 15:47:40 -0700
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From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: Madison's Notes on the Debates in the Federal Convention
Now Online (Fwd)
<snip>
>
>Madison's Notes
>Introduction by Jon Roland
>
>James Madison is usually credited with being the principal author of the
>U.S. Constitution at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia,
>but, while he was an active participant in the debates and in the
>drafting of the document, he also managed to take the most complete set
>of notes on the debates in that convention, capturing the essence, if
>not the exact words, of the participants, and giving us a definitive
>insight into the intent of the Framers.
>
>His were not the only notes taken, and several of the other participants
>wrote of their recollections of the Convention, including the official
>recording secretary, William Jackson, but none are nearly as complete,
>nor do they differ from Madison's Notes, as they are often called, in
>any significant details. Jackson's notes are mere recordings of the
>resolutions and votes on them, with little on the content of the
>debates.
>
>Madison's Notes were not published until about 1840, perhaps to fulfill
>an early decision by the original convention forbidding disclosure of
>the proceedings, to which Madison may have felt himself bound while the
>other participants lived, and it was after all the rest of them had died
>that he did finally publish them. The original manuscript is in somewhat
>rough form, evidently the original state in which he wrote it in haste
>during or shortly after the Convention itself. One must suppose he intended
>an editor to clean it up and expand on his many abbreviations, but scholars
>have rather chosen to present editions that reflect that original rough
>state, with misspellings, inconsistent abbreviations and numberings
>preserved for our edification. That can cause some pause for people when
>they first try to read it, until they figure out the abbreviations, but
>it is worth the effort, for one gains an important sense of the energy,
>the intensity, and sometimes the frustrations of the delegates to that
>historic meeting as the hammered out a truly innovative experiment in
>self-government.
>
>To the best of my knowledge this is the first online edition of the Notes.
>I have had the benefit of both an "official" 1900 edition and later
>editions with the footnotes of editors. I have also included Madison's
>Preface to the Notes, which provides additional insight into the Convention
>and its role in history.
>
>For persons interested in resolving issues of constitutional intent and
>interpretation, this is an essential reference. It makes clear what some
>of the terms mean that are used in the Constitution, words that are not
>commonly heard today, or whose meanings have changed.
>
>Any errors in this edition are my responsibility, and I ask that anyone
>finding such errors communicate them to me for correction.
>
>===================================================================
>Constitution Society, 1731 Howe Av #370, Sacramento, CA 95825
>916/568-1022, 916/450-7941VM Date: 05/20/97 Time: 08:46:38
>http://www.constitution.org/ mailto:jon.roland@the-spa.com
>===================================================================
========================================================================
Paul Andrew, Mitchell, B.A., M.S. : Counselor at Law, federal witness
email: [address in tool bar] : Eudora Pro 3.0.1 on Intel 586 CPU
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========================================================================
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