Amidst the whirlwind of Revolution and nation-making, Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, and Madison, father of the Constitution, engaged in a series of intellectual discussions on the nature of the American experiment. In this thought-provoking study, Lance Banning revisits the intellectual friendship between the two founders and pursues the lines of their debate in the light of two centuries of history.

Banning examines Jefferson's and Madison's reflections on the purpose and need for a bill of rights, their discussion of the nature and necessity of "public spirit" in a republic, the usefulness of political rebellion, and upon Jefferson's reminder that "the earth belongs ... to the living." The author adds selected primary documents to enhance each chapter.

This interchange of ideas between two of America's greatest thinkers spanned many years and reveals the way in which Jefferson and Madison thought about democracy, public debt, the ownership of property, and the relationship between the present and future generations. Banning provides a glimpse into the intellectual world of Jefferson and Madison, as well as insight into our own.