This lecture shows how Madison brought the spirit of practical success to the philosophy of liberty and the realm of politics. He did so by blending the close study of political theory and history with extraordinary persuasiveness and persistence, all of it dedicated to protecting the liberties of his countrymen. Not only was he Jefferson's Secretary of State and personal friend, and the fourth President of the United States, but he was, as John Quincy Adams described him, "the Father of the Constitution."