James Madison may have been small in stature, almost frail, and physically the least imposing person in the room throughout most of his life, but he was also an intellectual giant who was instrumental in enabling the founding of the United States of America. For a nation recently born through revolution out of the depths of tyrannical rule, Madison’s leadership was intrinsic to the creation of a sustainable governmental structure in which individual liberty was the most treasured asset and minority rights were protected. … Notwithstanding Madison’s extensive contributions to the founding, however he remains a challenging individual to evaluate. … Madison was a fervent believer in what he believed at the moment, justifying those positions with historical references and well-crafted logical formulations. But these positions would often be entirely undone when circumstances changed, as he would apply those same earnest techniques to develop completely counter conclusions on virtually the same topic. Madison wasn’t just inconsistent in his beliefs; he was outright contrarian. … In the end, it is clear that the tiny man from Virginia had an outsized impact on the founding of the United States … even though he often wandered through a variety of conflicting paths throughout his lifelong journey of trying to determine how to effectively establish and maintain his republican principles.