The Founding Fathers

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James madison was one of the few founding fathers to actually attend every session of the convention. He wrote what becomes known as the virginia plan, a template for the discussions in philadelphia. His ideas on the virginiaPlan became kind of the nucleus of that that other guys built on and e kno, that they talked about. The articles were radically democratic; many states had lowered their property requirements so up to 80% of white voters could cast ballots.

In the summer of 1787, fifty-five men got together in Philadelphia to write a new Constitution for the United States, replacing the new nation’s original blueprint, the Articles of Confederation. But why, exactly? What problems were the framers trying to solve? Was the Constitution designed to advance democracy, or to rein it in? And how can the answers to those questions inform our crises of democracy today?

By producer/host John Biewen with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with Woody Holton, Dan Bullen, and Price Thomas. The series editor is Loretta Williams.