James Madison was the finest democratic theorist that the United States has ever produced. His was the pivotal philosophical role in framing the Constitution and establishing the principles on which a wholly new form of government was to be based. Yet this widely informed and profoundly original thinker has been considered by most scholars to be an intellectual pragmatist who reacted variably and inconsistently to the changing circumstances of the Revolution and the Confederation. Lance Banning's powerful and persuasive reexamination of Madison's thought at the critical early and central stages of his career now changes that presumption, and provides a new base from which thinking about Madison and the Founding must start. The Sacred Fire of Liberty follows Madison from his appearance on the national stage (in Congress in 1780) through the end of 1792. By the end of this period, he had achieved his mature understanding of the Constitution, and his collision with many of the other Federalists of 1788 had made him a leader of the opposition to the administration of George Washington. Banning convinces the reader, through his meticulous research and deeply contextualized presentation of the shifting issues of the period, that Madison indeed held to consistent principles: he was at once a more committed democrat and a less eager nationalist than usually has been thought. The thinking that had underpinned his actions at the great convention, his numbers of The Federalist, and the supposed reversal of positions represented by his joining with Thomas Jefferson to form the first Republican party had firmed by 1792 into the understandings that would guide the rest of his career.

A "Choice" magazine "Outstanding Academic Book for 1996". Co-winner of the 1997 Merle Curti Award in American Intellectual History from the Organization of American Historians.
Reviews
"Brilliant and original. . . . The Sacred Fire of Liberty is a challenging book, bristling with ideas and filled with fine shades of emphasis and meaning. Yet there is . . . no jargon or academic obfuscation, and the attentive reader should have no trouble following the argument."-Evan Cornog, New York Times Book Review
"No one who has followed Banning's account of Madison's development . . . will read The Federalist or plot the trajectory of his career in quite the same way again. This is no small achievement."-Edmund S. Morgan, The New Republic
"Well researched and eloquently rendered. . . . An essential addition to the scholarship on the New Republic."-Library Journal
"The Sacred Fire of Liberty is a work of tremendous erudition; an intellectual biography of James Madison that changes and enriches our understanding of the man, his thought, and the part he played in the Founding. . . . It is safe to say that any future study of Madison will begin with this insightful and well-argued reinterpretation."-Virginia Quarterly Review
"This is quite possibly the best political biography of Madison you will every see, and a wonderful analysis of Madison as both framer and one of the authors of The Federalist."-Byte
"Banning's treatment of James Madison is original and brilliant. His book is a landmark to the scholarship of the American republic and to an essential Founder. The Sacred Fire of Liberty will remain the authority on Madison for years to come."-Rob Edmonds, McCormick Messenger


Awards
Winner of A Choice Magazine "Outstanding Academic Book for 1.



Book Information
ISBN 9780801485244
Author Lance Banning
Format Paperback
Page Count 560
Imprint Cornell University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 907g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 155mm * 30mm