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James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government. By Colleen A. Sheehan. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. xx, 204 pp. Cloth. $80.00, isbn 978-0521-89874-4. Paper, $22.99, isbn 978-0-52172733-4.)
Although James Madison has received less scholarly interest than most of the other American founders, most notably George Washington, lhomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, there has been a modest shift in attention paid to him lately. In the past, academic attention usuali}· focused on Madison's activities surrounding the drafting and ratifying ol the Constitution of 1787, his contributions co Thi Federalist, and his subsequent push for adoption of the Bill ol Rights. With the publication of Colleen A. Sheehans exceptional study, James Madison and the Spirit of Republican ScIfGovernment, that scholarly notice may begin to change.
Sheehan begins by quickly bui thoughtfully reviewing the state of the interpretative literature on Madison and situating her own understanding of...