James+Madison

Play me for a little background music. media type="file" key="Shot_Caller_(prod._Harry_Fraud)_INSTRUMENTAL (2).mp3" width="240" height="20" James Madison arrived quietly in Philadelphia on May 3, 1787, to attend the Constitutional Convention, convened to discuss the structure of the U.S. government. When the work was done, Madison's name had become popular throughout the country, as he was given the title "Father of the Constitution" by his colleagues. Madison was only 36 years old, but already with an enviable reputation. He had gained attention while serving on the committees that drafted the first Constitution of Virginia and the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776. He also had served as an elected representative to the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress. All this was to lead up to his memorable performance at the Constitutional Convention. In the 1780s, as the battles of the Revolutionary War gave way to an uneasy peace in a new nation, the 13 colonies/states found themselves dealing with the difficult question, "What do we do now?" James Madison was among the first to recognize that a stronger central government was critical to the new nation's surviv al. [] This is a picture of the Pennsylvania State House and a map of Old Pennsylvania. Timeline- []