Book Review Of Jack N. Rakoves James Madison And The Creation Of The American Republic
Jack N. Rakove's James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic, Second Edition (2002), describes and explains the fourth president's rise to political power through a detailed history of the establishment of the governing principles that one observes today. In general, this book is chronologically organized; thus, enabling the reader to appreciate the many levels on which Madison was involved and to better understand the order of events that so profoundly shaped the young American nation. Rakove also reveals several important themes in the early chapters that he continually revisits throughout the book's entirety. Eventually, these ideas provide one with an alternate, but complementary mechanism for comprehending and analyzing the subject matter. Despite the author's efforts to systematize the contents, there are several sections within the book that do little to advance the reader's desire to continue. As one might infer, these unbearably mind-numbing passages represent the weakest points of this novel and the basis for all improvement to be had. With rewriting, the most progression could be achieved by invigorating or completely eliminating the otherwise tedious details of early political processes, in addition to, providing more accounts of Madison's private history.
Rakove's book is divided into seventeen main chapters, each following James Madison and his involvement in the creation of both the Virginian and the American republics in the given time frame. The author begins by discussing Madison's birth into the elite Virginia planter system—a gift of fate that would ultimately bring endless opportunity. Nonetheless, as a young man, Madison was not satisfied with the simplicities of plantation life, and instead looked toward politics as a vocation. The Revolution catapulted Madison into the public scene, where by age twenty-five, he suddenly found himself holding titles, such as, colonel of the county militia and delegate to the Virginia...
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