James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government

In the first study that combines an in-depth examination of Madison's National Gazette essays of 1791-92 with a study of The Federalist, Colleen Sheehan traces the evolution of Madison's conception of the politics of communication and public opinion throughout the Founding period, demonstrating how "the sovereign public" would form and rule in America. Contrary to those scholars who claim that Madison dispensed with the need to form an active and virtuous citizenry, Sheehan argues that Madison's vision for the new nation was informed by the idea of republican self-government, whose manifestation he sought to bring about in the spirit and way of life of the American people. Madison's story is "the story of an idea" - the idea of America.

"Colleen Sheehan's Madison is driven by an overarching concern: What would it take for this American population to become - and remain - a self-governing people? More was at stake than survival and prosperity. For Madison, the new national community could flourish only if the people had good reasons for respecting themselves. Sheehan's engaging account of America's beginnings enlarges our understanding of the hopes and fears, successes and failures, not only of a notable man but of a generation of founders." -Ralph Lerner, University of Chicago Colleen A. Sheehan is Professor of Political Science at Villanova University and has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.