sposal to ensure that the document would pass as fully intact as possible. He succeeded in great measure, for though he lost ground on some of the technicalities and specific details, the main points eventually became the foundation of the Constitution. The finished document was then proposed to the states, where Madison's work at its approval would continue. Perhaps one of the most critical steps Madison took to ensure the ratification of the Constitution by the state of Virginia would be his letter to Thomas Jefferson, then residing in Paris, on the points of the document. Jefferson was widely recognized in Virginia and was a major influence over the decisions of other members of the Virginia convention. Jefferson's support, or at least lack of opposition, was critical for the ratification of the Constitution in Virginia. If Jefferson had opposed it, Madison would have had to contend with Jefferson, George Mason, Patrick Henry, and James Monroe to secure Virginia's support. Madison and Jefferson had been friends for some time prior to Madison's letter; indeed, it was Jefferson who had supplied Madison with the books on the history of governments before the Constitutional Convention. Madison met Jefferson in 1776 in the Virginia Legislature, and later became close friends with him when they were in similar positions in Council. From then, Madison says, "Our acquaintance became more intimate, and a friendship was formed which was for life, and which was never interrupted in the slightest degree for a single moment" (Fendall, 1865). Even with the strong bond of friendship, however, Jefferson's support was not a given in any sense. Jefferson had not been upset with Shay's rebellion before the Constitutional Congress met, and he strongly felt that a Bill of Rights was necessary in the formation of the Constitution. It is very possible that Jefferson might have opposed its ratification, and that Madison would have failed in convincing the ...
