April 27, 2016 Mysteries of Madison's Notes on the Convention to Be Subject of Book Discussion

The dramatic story of how our nation’s Constitution came to be can be found in “Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 as Reported by James Madison,” more familiarly called “Madison’s Notes.” But how accurate are those notes?

The book, some 600 pages, was not published until 1836, after Madison’s death and after all the other delegates had also died. Thus, no one present at the convention was alive to challenge his account.

Drawing on digital technologies and textual analysis, Mary Sarah Bilder shows that Madison revised the notes much more extensively than previously recognized.

Bilder develops her case in her new book, “Madison’s Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention” (Harvard University Press, 2015). Bilder will discuss and sign her book at the Library of Congress on Tuesday, May 3, at noon in the Montpelier Room, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. This Books & Beyond event is co-sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Library’s Manuscript Division. It is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

Bilder’s research suggests that Madison made significant changes, placing him in a more favorable light. “Madison’s Hand” challenges many long-held notions about the Constitutional Convention and the motives of its participants.

Bilder is a professor of law and the Michael and Helen Lee Distinguished Scholar at Boston College Law School.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions.

The Library’s Center for the Book, established by Congress in 1977 to "stimulate public interest in books and reading," is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated state centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading-promotion partners and through the Young Readers Center and the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit Read.gov.