WEBVTT

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Prof: Coming in to the
home stretch.

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We're moving towards the
Constitution;

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it's kind of amazing,
kind of weird.

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And so, as a matter of fact,
that's what we're going to be

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doing with today's lecture,
which is going to get us on the

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road to the Federal Convention.

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Now just a quick review before
we plunge down the road.

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On Thursday,
as I hope you all remember,

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I talked about some of the
problems of the Articles of

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Confederation and I talked about
things that caused confusion or

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complications like boundaries
between states;

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I talked about Vermont;
I talked about the state of

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Franklin;
I talked about Shays'

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Rebellion, toward the end of the
lecture.

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And throughout that lecture,
from time to time,

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I talked about some people who
were strong advocates for a

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stronger central government for
the Confederation--

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and I mentioned a few names in
passing.

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I think I mentioned James
Madison, and I mentioned

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Alexander Hamilton,
and I mentioned George

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Washington.

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Obviously, there are others.

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Those are just three big-name
contenders.

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There are others.

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Though at first,
we're not talking about a

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massive group of people here.

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We're talking about a select
group of people who really

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believe that there has to be a
stronger national government.

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Now these men saw a host of
problems with the Articles of

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Confederation.

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I mentioned some of them on
Thursday.

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One of them you'll actually see
a couple of times in the course

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of today's lecture.

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So these nationalists--they saw
problems with things like

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currency,
congressional indecision,

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the fact that Congress was
powerless to enforce things,

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obviously boundary
complications between states,

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and a host of other problems
that, at least to them,

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signaled the really obvious
need for some kind of

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wide-ranging national political
reform that would put more power

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at the center.

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And for years and years and
years these people kept calling

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for some kind of a national
convention to reform the

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government.

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Now, as I mentioned just a
minute ago when I said sort of a

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select group,
it's important to note that

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this drive for a stronger
national government was not

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initially widespread,
and as a matter of fact,

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there were any number of
reasons for people really to

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fear the idea of strengthening
the national government.

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And you're going to get a sense
of some of these reasons next

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week when you look at some of
the Federalist essays,

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because part of what the
Federalist essays are

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doing is explaining and
promoting the new Constitution,

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or hopefully,
what will be the new

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Constitution.

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But the other thing that the
Federalist essays are

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doing is they're actually trying
to calm people's fears down.

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Like: 'okay,
you think that if you approve

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of this new Constitution,
horrible things will happen,

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but here's yet another way in
which horrible things won't

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happen.'

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So you'll see that kind of as a
running subtheme in the

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Federalist essays too,
when you read them next week.

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And, as I suggested in the
lecture,

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I think on Thursday's lecture,
obviously after you'd fought a

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Revolution against what you
perceived to be as a tyrannical

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centralized power--
right?--the British

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monarchy--it would make perfect
sense in general to be a little

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worried about centralized power.

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Plus, many people assumed that
America was just bound to drift

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back into what it had been
before.

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And this fear goes actually
even into the 1790s.

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People assumed that because
people in America were so used

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to one way of things,
it was kind of a nifty little

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experiment they were undertaking
now,

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but as a matter of fact,
over time,

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when push came to shove,
everything would sort of drift

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back to where it had been.

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So the assumption is:
waiting out there in the wings

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somewhere there is an
aristocracy that's going to leap

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up and take over as soon as they
have an opportunity and then

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suddenly--
poof--we'll have an aristocracy

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and maybe a monarchy and
everything will go back to the

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way it was before.

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So it makes sense that people
were nervous about centralized

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power,
and it makes sense that the

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states would be nervous too
about centralized power,

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because they'd be nervous about
giving up power to whatever this

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stronger centralized government
was going to be.

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So what today's lecture is
going to do is look at how

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things evolved over the course
of just a few years,

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so that by 1787,
which is where we're going to

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be on Thursday,
there actually was a call for a

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national convention to reform or
amend the government,

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and then ultimately,
the new nation really did end

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up strengthening the national
government significantly,

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which is all in all pretty
remarkable.

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When you think about some of
what I've just been talking

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about,
it is pretty remarkable that

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there was that much change
over--

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in the end--what isn't that
huge an expanse of time.

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And, as you'll see,
part of what's important to

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think about--
and I'll mention it a couple

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times in the course of today's
lecture--

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is the way in which America
found its way into strengthening

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the government because,
as you're going to see,

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there's a series of individual
events or individual meetings.

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None of them really focused on
centralizing,

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strengthening,
the central national

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government,
although over time each one of

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these decisions,
as you're going to see today,

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pushed things in that
direction.

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So in a sense what you're going
to see in today's lecture

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particularly,
is how the new nation backed

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its way into a stronger central
government,

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one decision at a time.

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They didn't leap into a new
stronger government.

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They backed their way in,
aided of course by some really

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strong nationalists in the
background trying to push things

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in that direction like Madison,
Hamilton, Washington,

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and the other crew of really
firm nationalists.

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So basically that's kind of the
subtheme, or one of them at

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least, of today's lecture.

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It's how the new nation backed
its way in to a new stronger

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central government,
one decision at a time.

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And in a sense,
it shouldn't be surprising that

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one of the main issues that
pushed this series of events

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into operation was commence,
the question of commerce.

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With thirteen different states,
each with its own arrangement

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of commerce, there were bound to
be complications.

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And obviously,
commerce is a big deal.

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Right? Commerce matters.

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Commerce is prosperity.

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Commerce is livelihoods.

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Commerce is going to make or
break individual states and make

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or break the new nation.

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If you think back to the
Revolution,

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and think back to some of the
things that people were upset

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about,
again, you're going to realize

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commerce is underlying a lot of
what we're talking about here.

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Right?

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Rights are intermingled with
these thoughts about

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commerce--but we talked about
taxation, direct taxes,

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imports, exports,
shipping.

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All of these kinds of things
and more were among the many

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central components that were
also helping to fuel the

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Revolution.

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So it shouldn't be a really big
surprise that they continued to

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play a major role in the
development of the new nation.

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And so what we're going to see
in today's lecture is that the

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strong nationalists pushing for
a stronger national government

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would find that problems of
commerce sometimes opened little

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doors of opportunity for
political reform in ways that

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might not have been expected.

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Okay.

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So that's what I want to do.

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I want to sort of show the
little process of reform,

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or, the process of change over
time and action.

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And one major moment of
opportunity that I'm going to

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start by talking about here for
these nationalists took place in

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1785 because of a local
complication between Virginia

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and Maryland about navigating
the Potomac River.

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Okay.

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So this is--It's local and it
also has to do with shipping,

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again more commerce.

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So in response to this
question, both Virginia and

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Maryland named commissioners to
meet in Alexandria,

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Virginia, to discuss the issue
and work out some kind of a

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policy.

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So it doesn't seem necessarily
like a really big deal.

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There were a total of seven men
named to be at this meeting.

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There were three from Maryland.

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There were four from Virginia,
including James Madison.

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Unfortunately,
Virginia Governor Patrick Henry

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somehow or other managed to
fumble something,

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so he basically didn't tell the
four Virginia delegates when the

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meeting was happening and where
the meeting was happening.

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It's one of those
administrative mistakes that you

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don't realize when you make it,
it will be remembered forever.

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[laughs]
Sorry, Governor Henry,

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but you goofed.

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So the Virginia delegation is
never told about where or when

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the meeting is.

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The Maryland delegates arrive
in Alexandria and find nobody

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waiting for them.

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It's like: 'we're here.'

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And ultimately,
two Virginia delegates,

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the ones who lived closest to
Alexandria,

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managed to make their way there
as soon as they found out they

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were supposed to be there.

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Madison was not one of the
people who ended up being there.

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So now you have five people,
three from Maryland,

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two from Virginia,
meeting in Alexandria and now

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they begin talking about the
problem and maybe entering into

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some kind of negotiation.

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Now meanwhile,
George Washington knew about

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this conference.

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And given that Mount Vernon is
not that far away--

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just down the road from the
town of Alexandria--

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he invited the commissioners
out to Mount Vernon to meet

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there.

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Now Washington wasn't just
being hospitable.

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He actually had a really keen
interest in having a canal built

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on the Potomac,
partly to promote its use and

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hopefully thus to make
Alexandria an important link to

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the West and thus a big center
of shipping in the United

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States.

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So Washington's thinking about
promoting the importance of

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Alexandria through doing
something with the Potomac.

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And he had been interested in
this idea of building a canal

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for a while.

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And he had met with engineers,
and he had served in various

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committees,
and this was really something

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that he felt very strongly
about--

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enough so that apparently
during a certain period of time,

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anyone who went to visit him at
Mount Vernon ended up just

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getting talked to about canals.

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Right?

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You just knew in that phase of
Washington's life,

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if you visit him at Mount
Vernon, you're going to hear

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about canals.

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So, as one visitor to Mount
Vernon put it at the time,

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"Hearing little else for
two days ...

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I confess completely infected
me with canal mania."

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Okay.

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So Washington is suffering from
canal mania too.

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So he invites these
commissioners to meet at his

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home at Mount Vernon,
knowing that there he can wine

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and dine them and hopefully
encourage some kind of

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compromise,
and maybe even promote the

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development of the Potomac.

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The meeting at Mount Vernon was
ultimately known as,

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logically enough,
the Mount Vernon Conference.

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Surprise, surprise.

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This should be an easy one to
remember, the Mount Vernon

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Conference.

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It took place on March 25,1785,
and continued for three days.

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Mount Vernon Conference,
March 25,1785.

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In the end, the Mount Vernon
Conference not only settled some

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matters of navigation,
but it also dealt with things

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like customs duties between the
two states,

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trade regulations between the
two states,

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and made recommendations about
somehow or other coordinating

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one state's currency with the
other state's currency.

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And the delegates also
recommended that they meet

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annually to keep channels of
cooperation and communication

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open.

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There's the key to the Mount
Vernon Conference:

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let's meet annually to talk
about this.

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So although it wasn't intended
to set any kind of a precedent,

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that conference ends up being a
step in the direction of some

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kind of regular interstate
cooperation apart from the

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Confederation Congress.

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It's not just a local
conference about the Potomac and

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two states.

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Now it's proposing some kind of
long-term something in which two

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states get together and sort of
figure out how to cooperate

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amongst themselves.

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And a little side note that
actually won't really play a

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role in today's lecture but
it'll sort of echo something in

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Thursday's lecture:
In a sense,

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the Mount Vernon Conference
ended up kind of violating

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Virginia's instructions to its
commissioners,

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because the Virginia assembly,
in appointing the

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commissioners,
had said, 'Okay.

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So for you to approve of
something, three out of the four

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of you have to approve of
it--right?--but only two guys

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actually showed up.

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So even though the two guys
were there and voted and things

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happened, three out of four of
them didn't vote on anything.

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Right?

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So officially,
formally speaking,

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they weren't abiding by the
mandate that they had gotten

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from their home state,
and I only mention this now

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because this will echo with some
of things that happen in

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conjunction with the Federal
Convention,

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the Constitutional Convention,
on Thursday too.

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Okay.

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So let's pause here for a
minute just to note how these

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people backed their way into
this agreement,

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because the Mount Vernon
Conference didn't consist of

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five really ardent nationalists
just trying to find a sneaky way

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to do something that'll push
people towards being more

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organized in a centralized way.

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The conference wasn't branded
as anything other than a meeting

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for commissioners from Maryland
and Virginia to discuss

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navigation.

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That led into a conversation
about interstate trade.

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That led into a decision to
maybe meet regularly and talk

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about this more broadly.

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So in a sense,
what begins this chain of

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events--a somewhat significant
interstate agreement--is kind of

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unintentional.

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It's something really practical
that gets it going.

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We've seen this a lot in this
course--

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right?--something very
practical that moves people to

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take action,
and then there are really

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interesting outcomes from that
response to something,

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some really practical need.

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And as we'll see,
given all of the fears about

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centralized power,
in some ways it's this kind of

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informal,
indirect way of proceeding

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that's maybe the best way for
people to move towards

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centralizing or to move towards
giving a central government more

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power.

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We're going to see that again
and again today.

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Okay.

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So it's informal,
it's indirect in a sense,

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but the Mount Vernon Conference
did have the support of some

14:36.148 --> 14:37.978
eager nationalists.

14:37.980 --> 14:40.060
So certainly James Madison was
in favor of it,

14:40.056 --> 14:42.776
even though he didn't make
it--but he was in favor of it.

14:42.779 --> 14:46.019
He should have been there,
and of course George Washington

14:46.023 --> 14:48.983
is the host--so yet another
strong nationalist who is

14:48.982 --> 14:50.522
clearly in favor of it.

14:50.519 --> 14:53.979
Both men certainly would have
done their best to usher the

14:53.984 --> 14:56.724
agreement through the Virginia
legislature.

14:56.720 --> 15:01.030
It also passed the Maryland
legislature as well.

15:01.028 --> 15:05.748
Even more significant,
Maryland proposed bringing

15:05.753 --> 15:08.273
Delaware in,
the next time they

15:08.274 --> 15:11.474
met--inviting them to attend the
next year's meeting--

15:11.470 --> 15:14.320
and the commissioners
themselves when they were at

15:14.318 --> 15:17.368
Mount Vernon,
they thought maybe they should

15:17.365 --> 15:19.125
invite Pennsylvania too.

15:19.129 --> 15:19.499
Okay.

15:19.498 --> 15:23.918
So now we potentially have four
states maybe agreeing to meet

15:23.922 --> 15:27.832
every year to talk about
interstate trade matters.

15:27.830 --> 15:31.180
Now James Madison,
who's thinking nationally,

15:31.178 --> 15:34.958
hoped that the Virginia
legislature would agree to

15:34.957 --> 15:39.197
submit this agreement to the
Confederation Congress,

15:39.200 --> 15:42.160
and then maybe all of the
states would agree to meet in

15:42.162 --> 15:43.372
this way every year.

15:43.370 --> 15:46.080
And of course that idea did not
happen;

15:46.080 --> 15:46.970
it failed.

15:46.965 --> 15:50.765
Instead, the Virginia
legislature proposed a

15:50.770 --> 15:55.370
resolution that called on the
other states to appoint

15:55.373 --> 15:57.823
delegates,
and to deliberately sit back

15:57.817 --> 16:00.467
and consider,
quote, "the trade of the

16:00.470 --> 16:02.860
United States"
as a group,

16:02.860 --> 16:06.610
and to propose some kind of an
act regarding the issue that

16:06.605 --> 16:09.575
could be sent to the
Confederation Congress for

16:09.575 --> 16:10.345
passage.

16:10.350 --> 16:14.600
So clearly, amidst fears about
centralized power at the time,

16:14.604 --> 16:18.654
this is a pretty significant
suggestion on the part of the

16:18.647 --> 16:20.417
Virginia legislature.

16:20.418 --> 16:24.338
And it's worth noting that even
the mere suggestion of something

16:24.342 --> 16:28.142
like this had to be helped along
in its passage by some really

16:28.142 --> 16:29.452
careful strategy.

16:29.450 --> 16:33.070
So although Madison really
clearly wanted this proposal to

16:33.066 --> 16:36.346
go through the legislature,
Madison is not the guy who

16:36.346 --> 16:38.026
proposed it,
because if Madison,

16:38.034 --> 16:39.944
Mr. Nationalist,
stood up and said,

16:39.941 --> 16:42.321
'Hey, I really think that we
should all meet,

16:42.320 --> 16:44.710
all of the states together,
and consider the trade of the

16:44.711 --> 16:46.591
United States,' everyone would
have said,

16:46.590 --> 16:48.010
'Oh, it's Mr. Nationalist
speaking.

16:48.009 --> 16:48.759
I'm sorry.

16:48.759 --> 16:49.919
We don't trust you.'

16:49.918 --> 16:52.848
So instead another
man--actually John Tyler,

16:52.850 --> 16:55.680
who is the father of a future
President Tyler--

16:55.678 --> 16:59.018
is not particularly known for
his nationalist sentiments,

16:59.019 --> 17:01.379
so his motives wouldn't be held
suspect,

17:01.379 --> 17:03.919
and he's the guy who actually
makes this proposal.

17:03.918 --> 17:06.948
So even just to recommend
something along these lines,

17:06.952 --> 17:08.902
people are being very
strategic.

17:08.900 --> 17:12.420
So ultimately there is a
decision to hold a meeting about

17:12.417 --> 17:15.117
American trade,
a meeting that supposedly is

17:15.118 --> 17:17.568
going to include all of the
states.

17:17.568 --> 17:22.628
It's agreed to by the Virginia
legislature and it's scheduled

17:22.631 --> 17:26.431
to meet in Annapolis,
Maryland, the next year,

17:26.426 --> 17:28.026
September 1786.

17:28.028 --> 17:28.418
Okay.

17:28.423 --> 17:31.423
So that's been going on in the
South.

17:31.420 --> 17:33.080
We have Virginia,
we have Maryland,

17:33.075 --> 17:34.725
maybe Delaware and
Pennsylvania.

17:34.730 --> 17:37.790
But it's not as though none of
this sort of activity or none of

17:37.789 --> 17:40.159
these fears have been happening
in the North,

17:40.160 --> 17:42.750
and they had been,
also involving trade.

17:42.750 --> 17:45.410
So at roughly the same time
that all of this is going on in

17:45.413 --> 17:48.123
the South,
the Massachusetts legislature

17:48.119 --> 17:52.489
ended up proposing their own
resolution to think more broadly

17:52.486 --> 17:56.526
about the national government,
again, spurred by trade

17:56.532 --> 17:57.562
complications.

17:57.558 --> 18:01.888
Basically, Northerners,
and in particular merchants in

18:01.892 --> 18:04.012
Boston,
found themselves affected by

18:04.008 --> 18:06.558
British trade restrictions in
some ways that they really

18:06.557 --> 18:08.097
didn't like,
and they wanted the

18:08.095 --> 18:10.185
Confederation Congress to do
something about it,

18:10.190 --> 18:13.170
and they also realized the
Confederation Congress probably

18:13.171 --> 18:15.841
didn't have enough power to do
anything about it.

18:15.838 --> 18:18.498
So the Massachusetts
legislature, thinking along

18:18.500 --> 18:21.160
these lines, proposed something
more broadly.

18:21.160 --> 18:24.470
So instead of just saying,
'Well, let's get together and

18:24.474 --> 18:27.614
talk about trade,' the
Massachusetts state government

18:27.608 --> 18:30.798
asked the Massachusetts
delegates in the Confederation

18:30.804 --> 18:34.484
Congress to suggest calling a
general convention of all of the

18:34.480 --> 18:38.460
states to revise the Articles of
Confederation as a whole.

18:38.460 --> 18:40.590
Okay. That's a big suggestion.

18:40.588 --> 18:43.468
So the Massachusetts
legislature basically asks its

18:43.465 --> 18:45.935
delegates in the Confederation
Congress,

18:45.940 --> 18:48.510
'Hey, would you--here's a
proposal for us to call some

18:48.510 --> 18:51.180
kind of meeting for all of the
states just to revise the

18:51.179 --> 18:51.809
Articles.

18:51.808 --> 18:54.068
Would you present it to the
Confederation Congress?'

18:54.068 --> 18:57.868
And the response of the three
Massachusetts delegates in the

18:57.868 --> 19:00.958
Confederation Congress is really
interesting,

19:00.960 --> 19:04.630
because it shows you why it
seemingly took things happening

19:04.633 --> 19:08.503
outside of official channels,
like the Mount Vernon

19:08.496 --> 19:13.216
Conference, for there to be
broad interstate changes.

19:13.220 --> 19:16.120
Because basically,
in short, the Massachusetts

19:16.121 --> 19:19.671
delegates responded by just
refusing to submit the whole

19:19.666 --> 19:22.436
proposal to the Confederation
Congress.

19:22.440 --> 19:24.670
And their written response is
really interesting.

19:24.670 --> 19:26.260
I'm going to quote just a
couple sentences from it here--

19:26.259 --> 19:29.639
and this is what the delegates
in the Confederation Congress

19:29.635 --> 19:32.435
responded to the people back in
Massachusetts:

19:32.440 --> 19:35.750
"Many are of opinion,
the States have not yet had

19:35.749 --> 19:39.069
experience sufficient to
determine the extent of powers

19:39.067 --> 19:41.707
vested in Congress by the
Confederation;

19:41.710 --> 19:44.500
& therefore that every
measure at this time,

19:44.498 --> 19:46.988
proposing an alteration is
premature ...

19:46.990 --> 19:50.510
The present Confederation with
all its inconveniences is

19:50.510 --> 19:53.840
preferable to the risque of
general dissentions &

19:53.840 --> 19:56.710
animosities,
which may approach to Anarchy

19:56.713 --> 19:59.363
& prepare the way to a
ruinous system of

19:59.358 --> 20:00.588
Government."

20:00.588 --> 20:03.518
And what specifically did these
guys think when they said

20:03.516 --> 20:06.126
"general dissentions and
animosities"?

20:06.130 --> 20:11.080
Well, in part they meant the
following, again their words:

20:11.078 --> 20:13.818
"We are apprehensive &
it is our duty,

20:13.818 --> 20:15.968
to declare it,
that such a measure"--

20:15.970 --> 20:18.350
reforming the
Articles--"would produce

20:18.345 --> 20:21.205
thro'out the Union,
an exertion of the friends of

20:21.211 --> 20:24.511
an Aristocracy to Send members
who would promote a change of

20:24.512 --> 20:27.032
Government: &
we can form some judgment of

20:27.029 --> 20:29.739
the plan,
which Such members would report

20:29.741 --> 20:30.891
to Congress."

20:30.890 --> 20:31.150
Okay.

20:31.152 --> 20:33.672
So essentially the
Massachusetts delegates to the

20:33.671 --> 20:35.561
Confederation Congress say:
'No,

20:35.558 --> 20:38.428
we're not even going to
consider this idea of revising

20:38.425 --> 20:41.555
the Articles because it's going
to result in what they call

20:41.564 --> 20:43.624
"baleful
aristocracies."

20:43.619 --> 20:45.309
Right? This is dangerous.

20:45.308 --> 20:47.358
It's opening things up so that
it's going to get more

20:47.357 --> 20:47.907
centralized.

20:47.910 --> 20:50.190
Scary aristocratic types are
going to take over.

20:50.190 --> 20:51.180
Bad things will happen.

20:51.180 --> 20:53.920
"Poof"--spirit of the
Revolution all gone.

20:53.920 --> 20:58.860
So here in 1785,
we have Maryland,

20:58.858 --> 21:01.698
we have Virginia,
we have Pennsylvania,

21:01.700 --> 21:05.960
we have Delaware trying to do
something centralizing about

21:05.957 --> 21:08.457
trade,
and Massachusetts also

21:08.455 --> 21:13.265
suggesting some pretty bold
reform because of problems with

21:13.271 --> 21:14.021
trade.

21:14.019 --> 21:18.199
What was still pending at this
time was the meeting that had

21:18.203 --> 21:22.393
been scheduled to meet in
Annapolis in September of 1786.

21:22.390 --> 21:27.640
Now, Madison for one was not
overly optimistic about whatever

21:27.640 --> 21:30.790
was going to happen at
Annapolis,

21:30.788 --> 21:32.888
because he basically
assumed--and he probably was

21:32.894 --> 21:35.424
smart to assume it--
as soon as you ask all of the

21:35.424 --> 21:37.914
states to agree to meet and
decide anything,

21:37.910 --> 21:39.830
it's not going to work, right?

21:39.829 --> 21:41.469
You're just bound to fail.

21:41.470 --> 21:44.170
And indeed, he gets to
Annapolis and things just don't

21:44.165 --> 21:44.975
look too good.

21:44.980 --> 21:48.150
As he wrote to his brother:
"I came to this place a

21:48.154 --> 21:50.814
day or two ago,
where I found two commissioners

21:50.809 --> 21:51.329
only.

21:51.328 --> 21:53.888
A few more have since come in,
but the prospect of a

21:53.894 --> 21:54.704
sufficient no.

21:54.700 --> 21:58.040
to make the meeting respectable
is not flattering."

21:58.038 --> 22:01.648
And sure enough,
ultimately only five states

22:01.653 --> 22:06.113
sent delegates who arrived in
time for the meeting.

22:06.108 --> 22:08.218
Even Maryland,
the host state,

22:08.224 --> 22:12.534
did not send delegates to the
Annapolis Convention--okay;

22:12.528 --> 22:16.558
that's a real snub--out of fear
that it transcended the power of

22:16.563 --> 22:18.423
the Confederation Congress.

22:18.420 --> 22:20.900
So the host state wasn't
represented at the

22:20.901 --> 22:22.971
Annapolis--Maryl
and--convention.

22:22.970 --> 22:26.120
Three other states besides
Maryland also chose not to send

22:26.117 --> 22:30.447
delegates: South Carolina,
Georgia, and Connecticut--yay,

22:30.453 --> 22:33.713
Connecticut--
all decided they would not send

22:33.708 --> 22:34.408
delegates.

22:34.410 --> 22:38.010
And then delegates from some of
the states that were at the

22:38.010 --> 22:40.340
outer edges of the Union--
Massachusetts,

22:40.337 --> 22:41.597
New Hampshire,
Rhode Island,

22:41.598 --> 22:46.108
North Carolina--they arrived
too late to take part.

22:46.108 --> 22:47.978
[laughs]
All these people having these

22:47.978 --> 22:50.148
sort of weird administrative bad
moments.

22:50.150 --> 22:52.160
Sorry, guys,
you didn't take place in the

22:52.155 --> 22:55.205
historic convention in Annapolis
because you left home late or

22:55.214 --> 22:58.224
whatever it is they did;
they didn't plan well.

22:58.220 --> 23:01.140
So all of those states are not
represented at the Annapolis

23:01.144 --> 23:01.804
Convention.

23:01.798 --> 23:03.858
But so, they had all this
fanfare.

23:03.858 --> 23:05.828
All these nationalists were
like: 'wow, we really need to

23:05.830 --> 23:06.500
meet about this.'

23:06.500 --> 23:07.560
They finally get a meeting.

23:07.558 --> 23:11.408
It's scheduled for Annapolis,
and now it seems like nobody's

23:11.413 --> 23:12.593
going to attend.

23:12.588 --> 23:15.118
So as one Delaware delegate
wrote to a friend:

23:15.122 --> 23:17.882
Should half of the states fail
to participate,

23:17.880 --> 23:21.390
quote, "How ridiculous
will all this parade

23:21.388 --> 23:22.508
appear?"

23:22.509 --> 23:24.929
So they're getting ready in
Annapolis to be mortified.

23:24.930 --> 23:29.180
That after all their efforts:
big deal, nobody cares.

23:29.180 --> 23:31.950
Now, before we see what
actually transpired in the

23:31.945 --> 23:34.765
Annapolis Convention,
I want to have a little brief

23:34.768 --> 23:36.178
James Madison moment.

23:36.180 --> 23:37.760
This is kind of a James Madison
lecture.

23:37.759 --> 23:38.519
He's going to shine.

23:38.519 --> 23:41.699
But I want to have a little
moment for him here,

23:41.700 --> 23:44.150
because, as you're going to see
throughout the rest of this

23:44.154 --> 23:47.244
lecture and also on Thursday,
he does a number of really

23:47.244 --> 23:50.854
interesting things and
ultimately some really important

23:50.849 --> 23:53.829
things in 1786 and 1787,
all of them in one way or

23:53.833 --> 23:56.153
another bound up with
strengthening the government.

23:56.150 --> 23:58.850
And I brought a very
sophisticated visual aid.

23:58.849 --> 24:02.599


24:02.598 --> 24:03.278
Okay.

24:03.282 --> 24:08.342
So [laughter]
this is James Madison.

24:08.338 --> 24:11.358
I bring this James Madison
because a graduate student gave

24:11.358 --> 24:14.108
this to me years ago,
and what really amuses me about

24:14.114 --> 24:16.184
this--I don't know if you can
tell.

24:16.180 --> 24:19.390
This is a GI Joe body with a
Madison head stuck on top

24:19.387 --> 24:21.507
[laughter]
and you can't see really,

24:21.507 --> 24:24.107
because of the lace covering
his hands.

24:24.108 --> 24:26.558
He has the kung fu grip thing
going, [laughter]

24:26.555 --> 24:28.465
like he wants to be holding a
gun.

24:28.470 --> 24:31.310
So this is buff James Madison.

24:31.308 --> 24:33.138
[laughter]
This is a macho Madison.

24:33.140 --> 24:36.360
It is the weirdest-looking
thing with this little,

24:36.355 --> 24:39.175
tiny scholarly head sort of
stuck on top.

24:39.180 --> 24:41.860
[laughter]
This is my high-tech visual

24:41.864 --> 24:42.304
aid.

24:42.298 --> 24:42.448
Here.

24:42.453 --> 24:43.413
We'll stick Madison over here.

24:43.410 --> 24:44.720
He actually has a little--Oh.

24:44.720 --> 24:47.500
Look, he's missing a shoe--his
little stand--[laughter]

24:47.499 --> 24:48.939
this little Madison stand.

24:48.940 --> 24:49.560
Poor guy.

24:49.559 --> 24:50.439
There's no respect.

24:50.440 --> 24:52.630
He's not even getting respect
now in the class during his

24:52.627 --> 24:52.977
moment.

24:52.980 --> 24:54.040
He's shoeless.

24:54.038 --> 24:54.988
[laughter]
Okay.

24:54.987 --> 24:57.257
So we're giving Madison some
love.

24:57.259 --> 24:57.559
Okay.

24:57.557 --> 25:00.817
I do want to look at what
Madison was doing in the month

25:00.824 --> 25:04.334
before the Annapolis Convention
because it's actually really

25:04.328 --> 25:05.338
interesting.

25:05.339 --> 25:06.239
He does this twice.

25:06.240 --> 25:08.630
He does this for two different
summers.

25:08.630 --> 25:10.880
He's think--obviously thinking
to himself: okay,

25:10.884 --> 25:13.674
I don't know what's coming down
the road but there might be

25:13.665 --> 25:16.125
actual reform happening;
this is very exciting.

25:16.130 --> 25:19.260
So I'd better prepare myself
for the possibility of

25:19.258 --> 25:20.508
government reform.

25:20.509 --> 25:24.479
So in this summer of 1786,
he basically does a little

25:24.478 --> 25:27.908
research project,
and he decides he's going to

25:27.912 --> 25:30.662
study confederacies of all time.

25:30.660 --> 25:30.820
Right?

25:30.816 --> 25:31.776
He's going to look at ancient
times.

25:31.778 --> 25:33.028
He's going to look at modern
times.

25:33.029 --> 25:36.529
He's going to look at every
confederacy that ever existed,

25:36.529 --> 25:40.089
and then list in some way their
virtues and their vices.

25:40.088 --> 25:42.998
So in essence,
Madison is going to look over

25:42.998 --> 25:47.258
all time and then come up with
these rules of confederacies,

25:47.259 --> 25:49.179
right?--what works,
what doesn't,

25:49.175 --> 25:52.345
and then hopefully once he
figures that out somehow or

25:52.349 --> 25:55.939
other maybe it'll help him in
making suggestions to create or

25:55.942 --> 25:57.742
improve the present one.

25:57.740 --> 26:01.180
Now this is real--This is age
of reason thinking,

26:01.180 --> 26:05.860
this idea that if you can
figure out the patterns of the

26:05.858 --> 26:08.118
past,
you can figure out the laws of

26:08.123 --> 26:10.923
nature and the way that things
are supposed to work.

26:10.920 --> 26:12.520
And there's a great example.

26:12.519 --> 26:14.829
When I was in grad school,
I guess,

26:14.828 --> 26:17.238
I read a book that at the time
I thought was really

26:17.237 --> 26:19.057
fascinating,
which I guess means I'm

26:19.061 --> 26:21.701
destined to be a professor of
early American history,

26:21.700 --> 26:23.810
because I am the only one who
finds it fascinating.

26:23.808 --> 26:25.108
But--and I thought it was
really fascinating.

26:25.109 --> 26:27.179
It's actually by Adam Smith.

26:27.180 --> 26:28.910
It's called A Theory of
Moral Sentiments,

26:28.910 --> 26:30.710
and what amazed me about it
was,

26:30.710 --> 26:35.100
it's Adam Smith coming up with
a sort of theory for patterns of

26:35.104 --> 26:37.164
human emotion and morality.

26:37.160 --> 26:40.330
So that's, again,
"Age of Reason"

26:40.328 --> 26:41.158
thinking.

26:41.160 --> 26:43.700
Adam Smith is like:
'okay, I'm going to come up

26:43.702 --> 26:46.582
with a theory of moral
sentiments and then present it

26:46.578 --> 26:49.508
to you as to how morality works
in human nature.'

26:49.509 --> 26:51.609
What I found really interesting
about it was just,

26:51.608 --> 26:54.798
if you're trying to figure out
the mindset of people in the

26:54.798 --> 26:56.698
eighteenth--
late eighteenth century,

26:56.695 --> 26:57.725
that book is helpful.

26:57.730 --> 27:00.580
It may not present the all-time
tried and true theory,

27:00.575 --> 27:02.235
but it is really interesting.

27:02.240 --> 27:03.940
It says all kinds of sort of
quirky,

27:03.940 --> 27:06.830
interesting things in there
that--even if some people felt

27:06.830 --> 27:08.910
that way,
that's really interesting,

27:08.913 --> 27:12.093
really--because another time
period is really a different

27:12.086 --> 27:12.706
mindset.

27:12.710 --> 27:16.240
So the Smith book is kind of in
the same spirit as Madison's

27:16.240 --> 27:19.230
efforts to study all
confederacies and then come up

27:19.233 --> 27:21.153
with these amazing patterns.

27:21.150 --> 27:23.320
So he's reading through book
after book after book.

27:23.318 --> 27:26.108
He's keeping record--keeping
little notes about various

27:26.105 --> 27:29.195
confederations and what he likes
and what he doesn't like and

27:29.200 --> 27:31.160
what worked and what didn't
work--

27:31.160 --> 27:34.840
really, really trying to figure
out some kind of pattern that's

27:34.840 --> 27:36.860
going to help the United States.

27:36.858 --> 27:40.738
And supposedly he recorded his
notes in a little notebook that

27:40.738 --> 27:44.358
was about forty pages long,
that maybe he intended to have

27:44.363 --> 27:48.043
with him during debate;
maybe he intended to have it

27:48.035 --> 27:50.895
with him as a sort of writing
reference.

27:50.900 --> 27:55.060
I love just the whole system
and operation of this.

27:55.058 --> 27:55.368
Right?

27:55.368 --> 27:58.158
I will figure it all out and
then I will carry it in my

27:58.157 --> 28:00.947
pocket, my knowledge about all
confederacies over time,

28:00.946 --> 28:02.596
well, let me look in--Yeah.

28:02.598 --> 28:04.658
So this is very Madison,
very typical Madison.

28:04.660 --> 28:06.410
And actually,
little bits of that end up

28:06.413 --> 28:08.533
appearing in the
Federalist essays,

28:08.528 --> 28:10.338
so if he was thinking it was
going to be a help in his

28:10.335 --> 28:11.815
writing,
he was right;

28:11.819 --> 28:13.489
he actually does draw on it.

28:13.490 --> 28:15.860
And so he looks at all these
confederacies,

28:15.864 --> 28:17.734
and so it's not a big surprise.

28:17.730 --> 28:20.230
What does Madison discover?

28:20.230 --> 28:23.560
Well, basically everywhere he
looks he finds jealousies and

28:23.561 --> 28:26.781
animosities between member
states of whatever confederacy

28:26.779 --> 28:28.159
we're talking about.

28:28.160 --> 28:30.970
He sees domestic turmoil.

28:30.970 --> 28:33.380
He sees international
humiliation.

28:33.380 --> 28:37.850
He sees basically weak unions
or problem unions.

28:37.848 --> 28:41.048
That's the lesson he draws from
his little survey.

28:41.049 --> 28:43.279
So this is on his mind.

28:43.279 --> 28:43.669
Right?

28:43.670 --> 28:47.450
He does this little studying
project, and then he heads out

28:47.450 --> 28:51.360
to Annapolis to join the
Convention in September of 1786.

28:51.358 --> 28:54.798
Only five states were
represented: New York,

28:54.804 --> 28:58.894
New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and Virginia.

28:58.890 --> 29:01.370
I'll repeat that for you:
New York, New Jersey,

29:01.367 --> 29:03.467
Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and Virginia.

29:03.470 --> 29:06.870
A total of twelve delegates,
so we're not talking about

29:06.871 --> 29:08.951
massive numbers of people here.

29:08.950 --> 29:11.680
And logically enough you get
the twelve guys there from the

29:11.682 --> 29:14.382
five states,
and the first thing they do is,

29:14.382 --> 29:17.792
they compare what their home
states told them to do.

29:17.788 --> 29:18.078
Okay.

29:18.077 --> 29:20.087
'Why did your state send you
here?

29:20.088 --> 29:21.888
Why did your state send you
here?

29:21.890 --> 29:24.020
Is there actually anything that
we have in common?'

29:24.019 --> 29:27.869
What they discovered was that
four of the five states had

29:27.865 --> 29:31.985
instructions from their home
states confining their attention

29:31.988 --> 29:33.978
to just matters of trade.

29:33.980 --> 29:34.390
Right?

29:34.385 --> 29:34.715
Okay.

29:34.724 --> 29:37.914
Go to Annapolis and talk about
trade, period.

29:37.910 --> 29:39.910
But we're going to have a New
Jersey moment.

29:39.910 --> 29:42.790
Is there--Are there New Jersey
people--Oh, we've got New Jersey

29:42.790 --> 29:43.210
people.

29:43.210 --> 29:44.250
Yes. Okay.

29:44.250 --> 29:46.430
This is a New Jersey--a shining
New Jersey moment.

29:46.430 --> 29:50.010
So four of the five just said,
'Just consider trade.'

29:50.009 --> 29:54.119
New Jersey--New Jersey has
three magical words in their

29:54.117 --> 29:56.017
instructions from home.

29:56.019 --> 29:59.519
And the New Jersey instructions
say: yeah, go ahead,

29:59.519 --> 30:02.739
consider trade and,
quote, "other important

30:02.743 --> 30:03.983
matters."

30:03.980 --> 30:04.730
[laughs]
Okay.

30:04.726 --> 30:06.906
That's the only opening they
needed.

30:06.910 --> 30:08.520
It's like: 'oh,
other important matters.'

30:08.519 --> 30:11.019
[laughs]
In that case we can think more

30:11.018 --> 30:12.858
broadly than trade,
right?

30:12.858 --> 30:16.408
So New Jersey has the little,
tiny key that lets these people

30:16.409 --> 30:19.899
meeting at Annapolis at least
think about moving beyond just

30:19.900 --> 30:21.320
talking about trade.

30:21.318 --> 30:24.208
They talk for three days about
whether they should really

30:24.207 --> 30:27.247
proceed along any line because
of the magical three words in

30:27.249 --> 30:28.899
the New Jersey instructions.

30:28.900 --> 30:32.030
They finally decide that yes,
they will take advantage of

30:32.032 --> 30:35.392
that little opening to talk
about other important matters.

30:35.390 --> 30:38.870
So they prepared an address to
their own states and to all the

30:38.865 --> 30:41.425
other states that had decided
not to come,

30:41.430 --> 30:44.850
or that hadn't made it on time,
that are rushing somewhere from

30:44.846 --> 30:48.046
North Carolina--
and the address was prepared by

30:48.045 --> 30:50.625
Alexander Hamilton,
obviously yet another one of

30:50.634 --> 30:51.694
these strong nationalists.

30:51.690 --> 30:54.040
He's trying,
I think as early as 1780:

30:54.038 --> 30:56.068
we need a stronger government.

30:56.068 --> 31:01.088
So Hamilton's address asked the
states to name delegates to meet

31:01.085 --> 31:04.345
in Philadelphia the following
year to,

31:04.348 --> 31:07.618
quote, "take into
consideration the situation of

31:07.621 --> 31:10.391
the United States;
to devise such further

31:10.393 --> 31:14.323
provisions as shall appear to
them necessary to render the

31:14.315 --> 31:17.955
Constitution of the Federal
Government adequate to the

31:17.961 --> 31:20.371
exigencies of the Union."

31:20.368 --> 31:20.748
Okay.

31:20.747 --> 31:23.987
So basically,
we need to meet and just think

31:23.991 --> 31:27.921
more broadly about the
government, is what Hamilton's

31:27.915 --> 31:29.345
proposal says.

31:29.348 --> 31:33.728
Now again, look at how almost
accidental what we're looking at

31:33.729 --> 31:37.319
here is, right?--this
significant proposal to alter

31:37.318 --> 31:38.538
the Articles.

31:38.538 --> 31:41.818
With only a handful of men
present at Annapolis,

31:41.818 --> 31:44.338
this suggestion almost is more
a matter of desperation like:

31:44.335 --> 31:46.505
'well we have to come out of
this with something;

31:46.509 --> 31:49.349
thanks to New Jersey we can do
something, so here,

31:49.352 --> 31:52.952
let's make a proposal and send
it out and see what happens.'

31:52.950 --> 31:58.500
And this bold move is grounded
on three words in the New Jersey

31:58.497 --> 31:59.837
instructions.

31:59.838 --> 32:03.948
Again, it's all of these sort
of out-of-formal-channels,

32:03.946 --> 32:08.426
informal ways in which people
are promoting some kind of more

32:08.426 --> 32:10.216
centralizing agenda.

32:10.220 --> 32:13.060
So once the move is taken,
they send this out--the address

32:13.060 --> 32:13.760
is sent out.

32:13.759 --> 32:17.969
Nationalists like Hamilton and
Madison and others throughout

32:17.965 --> 32:21.955
the states take full advantage
of it and really push,

32:21.960 --> 32:24.600
so that something will come of
this;

32:24.598 --> 32:26.968
there'll be some kind of an
attempt to actually strengthen

32:26.969 --> 32:28.049
the national government.

32:28.048 --> 32:31.988
In eight states nationalists
managed to get their state

32:31.987 --> 32:36.647
legislatures to pass resolutions
suggesting precisely the kind of

32:36.654 --> 32:40.594
broad agenda for a conference
that the Annapolis people

32:40.592 --> 32:41.542
wanted.

32:41.538 --> 32:43.338
So eight states are like:
'yeah, okay,

32:43.335 --> 32:45.705
we could get behind a
conference to reconsider the

32:45.712 --> 32:46.492
government.'

32:46.490 --> 32:49.550
Which brings us to Shays'
Rebellion momentarily,

32:49.548 --> 32:52.278
because in a really handy
stroke of timing,

32:52.279 --> 32:54.659
Shays' Rebellion happens right
in the middle of what we're

32:54.655 --> 32:55.735
talking about right now.

32:55.740 --> 32:55.960
Right?

32:55.959 --> 32:57.569
So they're like:
'well, let's push to try and

32:57.568 --> 32:58.738
make the government stronger.

32:58.740 --> 33:00.370
Oh, Shays' Rebellion.'

33:00.368 --> 33:00.728
Right?

33:00.734 --> 33:03.604
So the nationalists are like:
'we hate this but,

33:03.602 --> 33:04.092
yes.'

33:04.088 --> 33:05.688
[laughs]
It's like: 'this is really bad

33:05.692 --> 33:07.972
but wow, this is a handy PR
tool'--because now they can

33:07.971 --> 33:09.871
point to Shays' Rebellion and
say, 'Look.

33:09.869 --> 33:12.539
We're collapsing into chaos.

33:12.538 --> 33:12.788
Wow.

33:12.788 --> 33:15.518
Do we need a stronger national
government.'

33:15.519 --> 33:18.209
So the timing of it,
if you're a guy who really

33:18.211 --> 33:21.201
wants a stronger national
government in this period,

33:21.198 --> 33:23.128
was a good stroke of fortune.

33:23.130 --> 33:26.710
So again, as we're looking at
ultimately what's going to

33:26.711 --> 33:29.971
become the Constitutional
Convention or the Federal

33:29.968 --> 33:33.018
Convention,
you can see here some of the

33:33.019 --> 33:37.039
problems of having a central
government with such diffuse

33:37.039 --> 33:39.189
powers,
because even now,

33:39.190 --> 33:40.950
someone says,
'Well,

33:40.950 --> 33:42.700
let's strengthen the
government'--and then Congress

33:42.700 --> 33:44.940
takes a long time to think about
the possibility of strengthening

33:44.940 --> 33:46.910
the government,
surprise, surprise.

33:46.910 --> 33:51.960
So a committee is appointed to
consider this idea in October of

33:51.962 --> 33:56.772
1786, and in February of 1787
the committee finally issues a

33:56.772 --> 33:57.672
report.

33:57.670 --> 34:02.160
And the report says:
well, revising the Articles

34:02.156 --> 34:03.586
maybe, right?

34:03.588 --> 34:05.188
None of this,
let's review everything.

34:05.190 --> 34:08.230
Revising the Articles,
okay, maybe we can go along

34:08.228 --> 34:11.888
with that and the states should
name delegates to attend the

34:11.887 --> 34:14.677
conference to just improve the
Articles,

34:14.679 --> 34:16.999
not to just evaluate the needs
of the Union.

34:17.000 --> 34:22.870
So four states ultimately
follow that formula.

34:22.869 --> 34:23.339
Right?

34:23.335 --> 34:25.735
They say, 'Okay,
only revise.'

34:25.739 --> 34:28.469
Other states follow the
Annapolis formula and say,

34:28.471 --> 34:29.141
'Oh, okay.

34:29.139 --> 34:31.289
Let's actually reconsider the
government.'

34:31.289 --> 34:33.779
So the meeting at
Philadelphia--what ends up being

34:33.775 --> 34:37.775
the Constitutional Convention--
starts out with a confused,

34:37.779 --> 34:41.259
contradictory mandate,
because there's no general

34:41.262 --> 34:43.992
agreement about number one,
what the meeting is really

34:43.989 --> 34:45.759
supposed to accomplish and
number two,

34:45.760 --> 34:48.010
how it's even supposed to be
planned.

34:48.010 --> 34:52.240
So eight states get the call
from Annapolis and respond.

34:52.239 --> 34:55.229
The other states are--A number
of the other states wait until

34:55.231 --> 34:58.321
the Confederation Congress says
something and then they respond

34:58.324 --> 35:00.424
to the Confederation Congress
instead.

35:00.420 --> 35:02.760
So ironically,
in a meeting that's supposed to

35:02.757 --> 35:05.507
repair shortcomings of the
Confederation Congress,

35:05.510 --> 35:08.680
that meeting itself is being
complicated by shortcomings of

35:08.675 --> 35:10.255
the Confederation Congress.

35:10.260 --> 35:14.880
You can see how it's very hard
to do anything in a really

35:14.884 --> 35:18.274
national manner with all of the
states.

35:18.268 --> 35:21.918
So obviously the nationalists
are really hoping things are

35:21.916 --> 35:24.536
going to follow the Annapolis
formula,

35:24.539 --> 35:26.239
as Washington put it,
revising the--

35:26.239 --> 35:29.219
not just revising the Articles,
but probing "the defects

35:29.221 --> 35:31.061
of the Constitution to the
bottom,

35:31.059 --> 35:32.999
and providing radical
cures."

35:33.000 --> 35:35.130
So that's what the nationalists
want.

35:35.130 --> 35:38.300
As we're going to see on
Thursday,

35:38.300 --> 35:41.590
strong nationalists were really
active in the month before the

35:41.585 --> 35:44.135
Convention,
planning and preparing to push

35:44.139 --> 35:45.459
forward their agenda.

35:45.460 --> 35:48.220
And here we have James Madison,
shoeless [laughs]

35:48.217 --> 35:51.657
James Madison--where did his
shoe go?--shoeless James Madison

35:51.664 --> 35:52.934
moment number two.

35:52.929 --> 35:54.699
Well, see, I guess that he
makes professors happy,

35:54.699 --> 35:56.979
because he liked studying,
all by himself,

35:56.980 --> 35:58.570
like: I'll do a summer study
project,

35:58.570 --> 36:00.330
which--He's a scholarly founder.

36:00.329 --> 36:02.099
Scholars like James Madison.

36:02.099 --> 36:06.299
So scholarly project number
two: He decides that now--

36:06.300 --> 36:08.710
just like before he was looking
for virtues and vices of

36:08.706 --> 36:12.206
confederacies over time--
now he's going to look at vices

36:12.206 --> 36:15.956
in the American confederacy,
and he actually titles this

36:15.956 --> 36:18.746
document "Vices of the
Political System of the

36:18.748 --> 36:21.148
U.***States,"
or the United States.

36:21.150 --> 36:23.990
So he again comes up with a
list of vices,

36:23.985 --> 36:27.855
problems in the American
system, and he lists things like

36:27.858 --> 36:31.038
states trespassing on each
other's rights;

36:31.039 --> 36:35.379
like a lack of unity between
states even when unity is

36:35.376 --> 36:39.776
desperately required;
like the fact that states can

36:39.775 --> 36:44.715
encroach on federal authority
without any repercussions;

36:44.719 --> 36:48.829
states violate treaties and
again--well, who's going to do

36:48.827 --> 36:50.267
anything about it?

36:50.268 --> 36:54.108
So he's making a list of all
these vices and some of them,

36:54.110 --> 36:57.420
again, ultimately end up being
talked about in the essays that

36:57.420 --> 36:59.810
he contributes to the
Federalist.

36:59.809 --> 37:03.859
So Madison basically has this
long-term study project in

37:03.860 --> 37:08.200
preparation for what comes to be
known as the Constitutional

37:08.204 --> 37:09.314
Convention.

37:09.309 --> 37:12.749
As we'll talk about on
Thursday, he also arrives--

37:12.750 --> 37:14.520
in addition to all of his
studying--

37:14.518 --> 37:17.148
with a draft plan of
government, so in case he hasn't

37:17.153 --> 37:19.793
done enough: now I will arrive
with the draft plan of

37:19.789 --> 37:20.549
government.

37:20.550 --> 37:24.850
And we will talk more about
what his plan suggests for an

37:24.849 --> 37:27.919
entirely new Constitution on
Thursday.

37:27.920 --> 37:33.670
In the last bit of the course
of today's class,

37:33.670 --> 37:35.930
I want to mention one other
thing I think just because I

37:35.927 --> 37:38.107
don't think I'm going to have
time to talk about it on

37:38.105 --> 37:39.685
Thursday,
but I don't want to go without

37:39.690 --> 37:41.690
mentioning it,
because it's yet another one of

37:41.693 --> 37:44.213
the sort of weird,
interesting things that Madison

37:44.208 --> 37:46.888
does associated with the
Constitutional Convention and

37:46.891 --> 37:49.731
it'll have more meaning after
Thursday's lecture but I'll

37:49.726 --> 37:50.736
mention it now.

37:50.739 --> 37:53.179
And some of you may already
know this,

37:53.179 --> 37:55.969
because you may have used this
in papers or things for classes,

37:55.969 --> 37:59.509
but Madison took notes and he
didn't just take notes;

37:59.510 --> 38:00.650
he really took notes.

38:00.650 --> 38:05.040
He noted almost all of the
proceedings of the Convention.

38:05.039 --> 38:08.449
Of all of the delegates,
he ended up taking the most

38:08.452 --> 38:10.942
careful,
the most consistent,

38:10.940 --> 38:14.640
not quite minute by minute,
not quite comprehensive,

38:14.641 --> 38:17.691
but really thorough notes of
what went on at that Convention,

38:17.690 --> 38:20.190
of what people said,
of how they argued,

38:20.190 --> 38:22.530
about what they argued about,
about what was done.

38:22.530 --> 38:23.640
His notes are really amazing.

38:23.639 --> 38:24.399
They're published.

38:24.400 --> 38:25.050
They're easy to find.

38:25.050 --> 38:26.440
They're even on the Internet.

38:26.440 --> 38:29.810
The Library of Congress has--I
think they're called

38:29.809 --> 38:33.919
Farrand's Notes of Debate
or something but they're--you

38:33.922 --> 38:37.392
can see Madison's notes;
you can read Madison's notes.

38:37.389 --> 38:39.779
He actually invented some kind
of a little shorthand,

38:39.780 --> 38:42.040
so during the day with his
little shorthand he was copying

38:42.041 --> 38:43.471
down everything that people
said,

38:43.469 --> 38:46.319
and then at night he was
transposing that back into real

38:46.320 --> 38:46.840
writing.

38:46.840 --> 38:50.060
And again, this was like his
project of the Constitutional

38:50.056 --> 38:50.786
Convention.

38:50.789 --> 38:53.549
And his notes--They're
published and they're easy to

38:53.554 --> 38:56.764
find, but the fact is his actual
notes are at the Library of

38:56.755 --> 38:57.455
Congress.

38:57.460 --> 39:01.530
And, a million years ago--I'm
not going to say how many years

39:01.534 --> 39:02.864
ago--
many years ago,

39:02.856 --> 39:04.996
I worked at the Library of
Congress,

39:05.000 --> 39:07.580
and I worked on exhibits at the
Library of Congress,

39:07.579 --> 39:09.799
museum exhibits, curating them.

39:09.800 --> 39:11.740
And the Library of Congress is
an amazing place to do that

39:11.744 --> 39:13.834
because,
how much fun is it to be able

39:13.833 --> 39:17.563
to pick stuff from the Library
of Congress to put in exhibits?

39:17.559 --> 39:18.759
They have everything.

39:18.760 --> 39:19.710
They have amazing stuff.

39:19.710 --> 39:22.680
They have the contents of
Abraham Lincoln's pockets on the

39:22.677 --> 39:23.507
night he died.

39:23.510 --> 39:26.720
They have drafts of the
Gettysburg Address and the

39:26.722 --> 39:30.332
Declaration of--and it's just
amazing, amazing stuff.

39:30.329 --> 39:34.439
I remember one exhibit I worked
on, on the Bicentennial of

39:34.436 --> 39:35.226
Congress.

39:35.230 --> 39:38.890
We had a little room where we
were stacking stuff for the

39:38.889 --> 39:40.829
exhibit,
and it was like well,

39:40.827 --> 39:44.307
it's space instruments from the
first voyage into space and a

39:44.309 --> 39:48.179
draft of the Gettysburg Address,
and here is--it was like aah,

39:48.184 --> 39:50.714
[laughter]
like waves of history emanating

39:50.710 --> 39:51.880
out of the room.

39:51.880 --> 39:57.800
So they have Madison's notes
there and the Library,

39:57.800 --> 39:59.630
and--I don't know if the same
thing exists now--

39:59.630 --> 40:01.210
but I know that a million years
ago,

40:01.210 --> 40:04.410
when I worked at the library,
they had the top treasures--

40:04.409 --> 40:06.409
I think it was the top twelve
treasures of the Library of

40:06.411 --> 40:08.131
Congress,
and they kept them in a vault.

40:08.130 --> 40:11.670
And it was like,
the Gutenberg Bible,

40:11.666 --> 40:15.596
Madison's notes,
Jefferson's draft of the

40:15.597 --> 40:17.167
declaration.

40:17.170 --> 40:19.600
What else?

40:19.599 --> 40:22.879
George Mason's Virginia
Declaration of Rights,

40:22.876 --> 40:26.076
just like: aah,
sort of objects in this vault

40:26.081 --> 40:28.341
in the Library of Congress.

40:28.340 --> 40:30.990
And supposedly,
when these items come out of

40:30.994 --> 40:34.514
the vault, they are supposed to
be accompanied by an armed

40:34.512 --> 40:35.132
guard.

40:35.130 --> 40:38.290
Okay, which I thought was a
rule, but like,

40:38.289 --> 40:39.779
'ha, ha, sure,
armed guard,

40:39.777 --> 40:42.057
okay, high security'--
but lo and behold,

40:42.063 --> 40:45.013
when I wanted to get some of
George Mason's notes to put in

40:45.007 --> 40:47.297
the exhibit,
there was a guy with a gun

40:47.295 --> 40:48.425
walking next to me.

40:48.429 --> 40:49.689
[laughter]
It was like:

40:49.686 --> 40:52.436
George Mason,
we're protecting George Mason

40:52.443 --> 40:53.863
from--
I don't know who is going to

40:53.855 --> 40:55.815
come running down the halls of
the Library of Congress--

40:55.820 --> 40:57.960
but anyway they really meant it
with the armed guard.

40:57.960 --> 41:01.450
But so, for that same exhibit,
I got to look through Madison's

41:01.452 --> 41:01.912
notes.

41:01.909 --> 41:05.109
I got to pick a page from
Madison's notes to put in the

41:05.106 --> 41:05.696
exhibit.

41:05.699 --> 41:08.299
And it's just amazing to see
them because--

41:08.300 --> 41:10.810
okay, they're the notes from
the moment,

41:10.809 --> 41:13.639
so there's the guy basically
recording how the Constitution's

41:13.643 --> 41:14.403
being created.

41:14.400 --> 41:17.380
And Madison--[laughs]
I was about to say something

41:17.382 --> 41:19.332
which this doesn't illustrate.

41:19.329 --> 41:20.929
He's actually a little guy.

41:20.929 --> 41:24.039
[laughs/laughter]
He's not GI Joe.

41:24.039 --> 41:26.369
He's a small man,
a quiet man,

41:26.373 --> 41:30.563
sort of bookish kind of a guy,
so he has this little,

41:30.556 --> 41:33.206
tiny, bookish,
perfect, meticulous

41:33.210 --> 41:34.660
handwriting.

41:34.659 --> 41:36.869
His handwriting was just like
you think James Madison's

41:36.867 --> 41:37.927
handwriting ought to be.

41:37.929 --> 41:40.719
You look at it and you're like,
'that must be James Madison.'

41:40.719 --> 41:44.559
And so, there is this box of
these little slips of paper with

41:44.563 --> 41:48.223
his little, meticulous Madison
notes of what he saw at the

41:48.215 --> 41:49.685
Federal Convention.

41:49.690 --> 41:52.880
For some magical reason--I
think it was long enough ago

41:52.876 --> 41:56.826
that nobody will get fired by my
saying this--there was no guard.

41:56.829 --> 41:58.709
[laughs]
They just left me with the box,

41:58.710 --> 42:03.310
so I was sort of like:
aah, Madison's notes,

42:03.309 --> 42:05.699
this is so exciting--like,
yeah, I think it'll take me an

42:05.704 --> 42:07.824
hour to find a page,
so that I could leaf through

42:07.820 --> 42:08.630
and see everything.

42:08.630 --> 42:10.940
It's kind of an amazing
artifact.

42:10.940 --> 42:14.870
And the fact of the matter is,
Madison was doing that for a

42:14.871 --> 42:16.431
very specific reason.

42:16.429 --> 42:20.419
Madison--This whole generation
tends to think about posterity.

42:20.420 --> 42:23.630
I'll talk about that a little
bit in the last lecture as well,

42:23.630 --> 42:26.770
but they're very posterity
minded so part of the reason why

42:26.768 --> 42:30.118
Madison goes through all of this
trouble to record what's going

42:30.123 --> 42:32.643
on at the Convention--
although I think he actually

42:32.637 --> 42:33.507
doesn't record jokes.

42:33.510 --> 42:36.160
I think some other people's
notes--

42:36.159 --> 42:38.279
now that I'm thinking about
it--some other people's notes

42:38.280 --> 42:40.440
suggest that Madison did not
think constitution-making was

42:40.440 --> 42:40.820
funny.

42:40.820 --> 42:42.790
[laughter]
There will be no jokes in

42:42.786 --> 42:43.796
Madison's notes.

42:43.800 --> 42:45.340
They're pretty sad jokes.

42:45.340 --> 42:47.820
Eighteenth-century jokes often
are not like:

42:47.820 --> 42:49.610
ha, ha--and it's like
[laughter]

42:49.610 --> 42:50.130
okay.

42:50.130 --> 42:52.420
[laughs] It's kind of sad.

42:52.420 --> 42:54.820
There is a book called
something like George

42:54.824 --> 42:57.814
Washington Laughing,
but it's George Washington

42:57.806 --> 43:00.416
laughing at other people's jokes
because [laughter]

43:00.420 --> 43:02.200
I guess he didn't tell them.

43:02.199 --> 43:05.319
Anyway, so I think Madison
expunged the humor out of the

43:05.320 --> 43:07.510
whole situation,
but he's thinking about

43:07.510 --> 43:10.070
posterity--not necessarily by
taking out the jokes--

43:10.070 --> 43:13.120
but he's really thinking about
the fact that somewhere down the

43:13.115 --> 43:14.745
road,
if this actually works,

43:14.748 --> 43:18.198
if this Constitution actually
survives and actually functions,

43:18.199 --> 43:20.179
it's going to be this amazing
thing.

43:20.179 --> 43:22.679
It's going to be a room of
people that deliberated and

43:22.677 --> 43:25.127
thought about government and
then created it based on

43:25.128 --> 43:27.248
deliberating in a really
purposeful way,

43:27.250 --> 43:29.700
which almost never happens when
you're creating a government,

43:29.699 --> 43:32.549
and then they created what
Madison hoped would be a fair,

43:32.550 --> 43:35.780
just, small "r"
republican government.

43:35.780 --> 43:37.800
So he's thinking:
well, if I take all of these

43:37.804 --> 43:39.734
notes,
and I record this whole process

43:39.726 --> 43:41.376
down,
it's almost like a little

43:41.376 --> 43:44.096
guidebook to future countries
that might want to make

43:44.097 --> 43:47.047
republican governments--
like: here's how we did it.

43:47.050 --> 43:49.960
And that was the idea behind
what he was doing--was,

43:49.963 --> 43:53.393
he really did want to preserve
the process, and that's pretty

43:53.391 --> 43:55.451
much what he did with his notes.

43:55.449 --> 43:57.729
So those of you who are
interested, again they're kind

43:57.733 --> 43:59.463
of easy to find;
they're all over the place.

43:59.460 --> 44:00.960
F-a-r-r-a-n-d,
Max Farrand,

44:00.960 --> 44:03.390
I think is the most famous
version of them,

44:03.385 --> 44:05.345
but they're very easy to find.

44:05.349 --> 44:08.609
I think I will end there;
I will not move on to talk

44:08.614 --> 44:09.544
about Madison's plan.

44:09.539 --> 44:13.369
I will talk about the plan and
the Constitution on Thursday.

44:13.369 --> 44:16.939
Those of you have not yet
handed in papers should be

44:16.940 --> 44:20.580
handing in papers--and I will
see you on Thursday.

44:20.579 --> 44:25.999