Primary sourceNewspaper article1792

Property

James Madison · 1792

A 1792 National Gazette essay by James Madison defining property broadly to include rights, opinions, and personal liberty.

Madison's own essay articulating his influential, expansive definition of property and rights.

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About this source

What it is

This essay, titled Property, was written by James Madison and published in the National Gazette in 1792. It defines property not only as land or money but also as a person's opinions, religious beliefs, and personal liberty.

Why it matters

This is one of Madison's most quoted political essays, expanding the idea of property into a foundation for individual rights. It reflects his central concern, shared with other founders, about protecting both property and liberty from government excess, a theme closely tied to his work on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Look closer

Why might Madison want to broaden the meaning of "property" beyond land and money?
How does this essay connect to Madison's later work protecting rights in the Constitution?
What might Madison mean by having a "property in his rights"?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Madison on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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