Washington and Madison Plan for a New Government

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Washington and Madison Plan for a New Government (us0052)

Letter from James Madison to George Washington, April 16, 1787. Manuscript. George Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (52)
[Digital ID# us0052 — us0052_5]

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In this letter written in 1787 on the eve of the federal Constitutional Convention, James Madison warns George Washington of the dangers from both temporizers and radicals. Madison also sketches his plans for a new federal government and constitution to be formulated in Philadelphia. Proportional representation and a national legislative veto over state laws were just two of Madison’s major proposals.