ery barrier that threatened its success. James Madison took every measure possible to ensure the success of the Constitutional Convention. He began by urging the seemingly unenthusiastic Washington to attend the Convention, realizing the importance of his appearance at this meeting. Washington was seen as the hero of the revolution, and his absence would be disastrous to the public approval of any document the Convention might agree on. Madison, understanding the eventual need for public approval as well as the delegates', carefully persuaded the General to attend (Overview, 2000). Having ensured that the meeting itself would meet with approval, Madison set to work to create a proposal that would do the same. He prepared extensively for the Constitutional Convention before it ever convened at Philadelphia, studying the strengths and weaknesses of every historical government he could find information on. His studies were extremely intense; Madison delved into well-known and obscure forms of government alike, from all continents and peoples, searching for the faults and virtues of each. He made extensive notes on all his readings, and compiled his own ideas of how to create a successful government (Kauffmann, 2000). Upon sharing - and defending - his views with his fellow delegates at the Virginia Convention, an extensive proposal was drawn up with his concepts as the main body of the document. The proposition stated first that the Articles of Confederation were insufficient to the needs of the nation, and should be replaced, rather than simply amended. Secondly, that the individual state governments needed a strong central authority to rule over them. Third, that the way to avoid the states abusing their personal power was an extended republic, that would protect the rights of the people within it. This proposal, with Madison as its principal author, was referred to as the Virginia Plan.Madison, fearing that his recent introduction to ...
