Title: Myth Busting: What was Madison Trembling about?
Original CoS Document (slug): myth-busting-madison-trembles-at-the-thought
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Created: 2022-07-09 14:11:11
Updated: 2022-07-11 10:38:02
Published: 2022-07-10 01:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T20:28:38.545519011
Myth
Madison was terrified of having an Article V convention based on his experience at Philadelphia.
Having witnessed the difficulties and dangers experienced by the first Convention which assembled under every propitious circumstance, I should tremble for the result of a Second
- Madison to George Lee Turberville, 1788
https:%%//%%founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-11-02-0243
Fact
Madison was afraid of having another Philadelphia convention. He's not even talking about the convention in Article V in this letter.
At the time Madison was writing this letter to Turberville, **New York was pushing** for a second general convention before the new Constitution had been ratified. This convention would be Philadelphia, part II - an anything goes convention.