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This is a collection of letters from Edmund Pendleton, one of the leading figures of Revolutionary Virginia, to James Madison, Sr., and James Madison, Jr., later fourth President of the United States. The papers consist of documents and letters written by Edmund Pendleton: 156 autograph items (plus one by his nephew Edmund Pendleton, Jr.), consisting of 104 letters from Pendleton to James Madison, Jr., 34 letters from Pendleton to James Madison, Sr., 3 other letters by Pendleton, 11 legal documents, 2 briefs of legal cases by Pendleton, and one letter by Edmund Pendleton, Jr. Various places, but mostly Caroline County, Virginia, 1752-1795. The letters and documents in the Pendleton-Madison correspondence constitute about 20% of all the extant material surviving written by Edmund Pendleton. The collection includes the account of the important constitutional case Caton v. Commonwealth. The bulk of the Pendleton-Madison papers is the correspondence from Pendleton in Virginia to James Madison, Jr., during the period in which the latter served as a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, eighty letters in all from August 27, 1780 until Oct. 20, 1783. Virtually all of Pendleton's side of the exchange is present here. This spans the period of the climax of the Revolution, with the British invasion of Virginia in the spring of 1781, after harassing raids the previous fall, the Yorktown campaign, the uncertain period of quasi-peace which followed, with war still flaring in the Carolinas, the negotiations for peace, and finally the resolution of the war and evacuation of the British from their last strongholds. Not until 1787 and the Constitutional Convention did the correspondence begin again in earnest. Twelve letters date from this critical period of 1787-89, centering around Pendleton's ideas of government and the role of the Constitution. By far the most important of these is Pendleton's long letter of Oct. 8, 1787. It was Pendleton's work as President of the Constitutional Convention in Virginia which brought about the narrow passage of the Constitution there, and clinched the document's acceptance as the Supreme Law of the Land. Washington, writing to Madison, said that Pendleton's support was vital, "there being few better judges of such subjects." Only a few fragments of this tremendously important Constitutional correspondence have been published prior to 1992. The Revolutionary and Constitutional letters have been published in Pendleton's correspondence (Mays, Ed.) and the Papers of James Madison, various vols. and vol. 17, p. 481 ff. Word processed inventory with background available.
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Show/hide Pendleton Ed. Edmundebury April the 7.th 1787. My Dear Sir I should not have availed my self of y.r kind Indulgence, called a Stipulation, but sooner acknowledged the rec.t of y.r fav.r of Feb.y 24th; had not the March Winds disorded my crazy Constitution, & rendered writing rather disagreable. I was made happy in finding that the Main body of the Eastern Insurgents were dispersed, had repented & were restored to the body of Orderly Citizens - I wish to hear that the Success of Government was complete, by the Apprehension & cutting off of the leaders, lest, like a species of the jointed Serpentine tribe, they should find means of uniting [inserted: with efrot] the dissevered joints, yet with others of a congruous nature, & revive the disturbance. Strange infatuated man to suppose that man can be happy without the Social benefits, or enjoy those, without Submitting to Government: An Idea w.ch tho' it hath not been carried so far in the Fedral System, seems to have had too much Influence - May the Wisdom of the approaching Convention at Philadelphia, suggest a mode of correcting that Error, & of giving to that Government every power necessary for its great purposes and not an Iota more. I am truly sensible of the benefits w.ch may be expected from the abilities & Integrity of my two worthy Chancery brethren, in this Conventi[inserted: on]al Council, which ought to prevail over Individual or State inconvenience, tho' the former to a - considerable degree will probably happen from a Suspension of that Jurisdiction in the State during their Absence. they intend however, to devote a few days to the May term, in their way to Phil.a, w.ch they purpose to reach the 12.th Many begin to join me in lamenting y.r Absence from our next Assembly, sensible as we are of the importance of y.r services in your present department. Reports are abroad of a long & close Divan held in Prince Edward, at w.ch M. W. R - [d] assisted, and on his return to his County, declared himself a Candidate, tho' he had for some time past- declared his resolution to live retired, & will be elected. The resolutions projected in this meeting may be patriotic and useful, but suspicions are of the contrary, founded on the only part which has transpired, the advocation of a paper emission. It seems the people of P.E. were [2] strenuous Opposers of that measure, & we heard had made it a Conditon of their electing their new Inhabitant, [inserted: Mr. Henry] [strikeout] Candidate, that he should support that Opposition; It now appears that instead of such a promise, he avowed his Opinion, Argued them into warm friends of the distinctive Bauble, & will be chosen upon his own terms. the Elections we have yet heard of, do not seem to decide this great Point either way. In Spotsa they left out M.r Page & their two Delegates Monroe & Dawson, it is supposed will be divided, tho' perhaps without good ground, as the Suspicions of the latter arise from his being somewhat involved. the like division is Surmised Henrico between Marshall & Wilkenson, & in Hanover between Goodall & young Mr. Macon. We suppose in Carolina we shall send two Negatives, whether it be in the two - former Members, or M.r John Page with one of them, w.ch is yet in Suspense Whilst Speculative men are thus Alarmed by evil prognostics of Political mischief, the good old women are terrified by one Pronounced by a Speaking Cow, which common fame has made to have articulated in Gloucester, that the coming summer would prove a dry, bloody & fatal one. I suppose started among the usual hum bugs the 1.st Instant and circulated from thence. What have you and the Spanish Minister done respecting the mutual seisures on the Mississippi? Is it true that Lord Dorchester's Aid de camp, has visited you in Character of Embassador Is there to be an Indian War on the Ohio, as we are told the Inhabitants there expect? you know in those have Enquiries, I do not desire, much less expect Congressional Secrets. In reflecting on the Stipulated fedral Power every man must be convinced of their Imbecility on the Subject of finance: To enable Congress to pay the Public dept (and preserve our National faith), is the most speedy manner the circumstances of individuals will admit of, they ought to be vested with independant, coercive powers to levy it, as well as the annual expence of their Civil Government. To depend upon - requisitions for adjusted Quotas annually, [strikeout] [inserted: & those strikeout] upon the various Sentiments & Whims of 13 different Assemblies, has proved as unproductive in practice, as it is futile in reason to guard this Power, so as to secure a just contribution from each State, and that [inserted: it] may prove as little as burthersome to any, as an Actual payment will admit of, seems necessary, and for these I always thought the impost Plan well calculated. [3] Other necessary Powers, experience has no doubt suggested which I have not leisure to examine, & I am sure it is unnecessary. That for regulating trade you Possess my Apprehensions of w.th my crude thoughts on the Subject, to which I will only add that in the direction of Peace & War, in making foreign Alliances & treaties, commercial as well others, which is exclusively given to Congress, they possess the Power of Interdicting our trade with inimical foreigners; [strikeout] of making partial or total restrictions with nations who have adopted them respecting Our trade, which I confess seems to me to be all the Regulations of trade they ought to - meddle with. however I cheerfully submit it to those better Judges who are to discuss the Subject, & cordially hope their Wisdom may discover some effectual means of Preserving the Union in its present Republican form, as I shudder at the Idea of such a free domain as either of the Alternatives talked of, a Monarchy General or Partial, or a division of the States into three or more Commonwealths. I own my reading & Observations on the History of mankind long agoe fixed me in an Opinion that a limited Monarchy was in general a Government best calculated to produce the happiness of Societies [struck: in General], as their peace & security depended upon fixed Laws, & not on the one hand on the mere will of a despot, or on the other on the decision of a Multitude, oft directed by the harrangue of a designing popular Orator, to serve his own, & not the Public purposes. But tho' this was my General Opinion, yet reflecting on the Subject at the Revolution, and weighing all circumstances respecting the People for whose benefit Government was to be established, I could not hesitate to determine that he would be a Mad man indeed who would think of any other than a Republican form of Government. I recording[inserted: ly] joined very cordially in adopting it, I have sworn & am stedfastly purposed to do all in my small power to preserve it. Part of the states would, as [struck: Shakespeare] [inserted: Mr. Addison] has it "Brook the Eternal Devil to keep his State in America as easily as [inserted: a] King -" And it was & is in [inserted: a] Union of the whole that our Strength & happiness must exist: An Idea that must also reprobate [struck: a divide] partial Monarchys or divided Republics, which would introduce so many contending powers instead of a United Bulwark. Let us not by Insurections, Parties or Factions, which are Tumors that will arise in the [struck: Public] Political Body, be [4] buried into dangerous Amputations, but endeavour by Emolients & Corrosives where necessary, to reduce the Swollen Part, & restore soundness to the part affected, & health to the whole body. I fear you will have reason to command my Silence in y.r next, & therefore I will transgress no further than to repeat a sacred truth that I am with much esteem & regard [illegible] Yr. Affecte friend Edmd Pendleton Honble M.r Madison
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