Commentary
Forrest McDonald, perhaps the 20th century’s greatest constitutional historian, observed in his book “Novus Ordo Seclorum” that the framers produced a Constitution very different from the one James Madison sought.
Detail, engraved portrait of James Madison, seated at a writing desk, circa 1800. Lawrence Thornton/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor who is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver, authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025). He is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
