Americans had been designing state and local governments since 1776. The
American experience included a long period of British colonial
domination and a Revolutionary War. It had taken some time for the
Continental Congress to propose and implement the Articles of
Confederation (1781). John Jay, Henry Know and Rufus King provided ideas
about a new form of government. Congress adopted a resolution that
endorsed a convention ""for the sole and express purpose of revising the
Articles of Confederation."" What these pages contain are the
""unplugged"" goings-on recorded by James Madison, a key participant in
the convention, that took place May-September 1787. At last, a simple,
handy guide to the making of the American Constitution.