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This book contains James Madison's notes on the debates which provide a first-hand view of the drafting of the nation's fundamental charter. An introduction by Solberg places the origins of the Constitution in the broader historical perspective of the development of political theory and constitutional practice in Western civilization. The book also links the formation of the Constitution to the events of the American Revolution from the Stamp Act Crisis to the Bill of Rights. Solberg provides background on the ratification of the Constitution, biographical sketches of each participant in the Philadelphia Convention, and population figures on which representation was to be based. - Back cover.