James Madison and the Role of Public Opinion, by Professor William Allen

James Madison and the Role of Public Opinion, by Professor William B. Allen. This short video highlights James Madison’s underlying commitment to the value of public opinion. Whether expressed through elections themselves or through the press, Madison believed that public opinion about constitutional matters was always authoritative in a democratic republic. Professor William B. Allen notes that in the Virginia Resolutions, Madison even affirmed a role for constitutional interpretation at the state level, though he did not countenance nullification. Professor William B. Allen is an emeritus professor Political Philosophy and the former Dean of the James Madison College at Michigan State University. He was a member of the National Council on the Humanities 1984–87, and Chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1988 to 1989. American History Videos are sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. These videos are offered to help teachers, students and the gen