Although most people know that James Madison was the fourth president of the United States of America and the Father of the Constitution, they may not appreciate the force of this man who seems in retrospect to be almost indispensable to our early history.

Madison's commitment to the oneness of America began early, but not until he was elected to the Continental Congress did he have a chance to do much about his ideas of government. But then what could he really do? His voice was so weak, he could hardly be heard, and he was, as one delegate observed, "no bigger than half a piece of soap." Even in social scenes, strangers thought he was a "gloomy stiff creature," introverted and unapproachable.

How could such a little, unimpressive man influence the future of America? How could he get anyone to listen and to hear him? Yet he so identified his life with his country's that he flung his whole soul, all his passion, all his will into that hot room in Philadelphia where the future of the country lay in the hands of fifty-five unpredictable men. And once the Constitution was signed, he devoted the rest of his hardworking life to trying to make it work.

Jean Fritz's scintillating account delves into Madison's personal relationships as deeply as his political achievements: clashes with Patrick Henry, romance will Dolley Payne Todd, friendship with Thomas Jefferson. The paradox of Madison's unimposing stature and the great impact he made on America is fully revealed in this book as we come to know exactly why he came to be known as "the Great Little Madison."

From the dust jacket