The American Cyclopædia: Madison, James

What it is

This is an entry on James Madison from The American Cyclopædia, a reference work published in 1879, decades after Madison's death. It summarizes his life, including his birth, his home at Montpelier, and his political writing, and includes his own description of a republic and his view of the Constitution as part national and part federal.

Why it matters

Because this encyclopedia entry was written long after Madison's life, it is a secondary source that reflects how later writers understood and summarized his ideas. It is useful for seeing how Madison's definitions and arguments about government were passed down and explained to readers in the 19th century.

Look closer

• How might a summary written decades after Madison's death differ from Madison's own writings?
• What parts of Madison's ideas does the encyclopedia choose to highlight?
• Why is it useful to compare secondary sources like this with Madison's primary writings, such as the Federalist Papers?