DeRose tells the never before told story of the 1789 congressional election in Virginia s 5th district and of the two men who fought it: James Madison and James Monroe. They were friends and political allies for most of their lives, but their paths diverged when they found themselves at odds with each other in the battle over the Constitution. In 1789 James Madison and James Monroe ran against each other for Congress, the only time that two future presidents have contested a congressional seat. But what was at stake? As author Chris DeRose reveals in Founding Rivals: Madison vs Monroe, The Bill of Rights and the Election That Saved a Nation was more than personal ambition. This was a race that determined the future of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the very definition of the United States of America.

Explores how the 1789 congressional election between two future presidents with differing views on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights influenced the destiny of the United States.