From the moment the convention began, Madison kept careful records of everything everyone said. He never stopped writing. If it were not for James Madison, we would know little of what happened at that historic meeting in Philadelphia in 1787.

Later, Madison explained how he did it. He wrote:

"I sat in front of the president of the convention. All the other delegates were on my right and on my left. I could hear everything the president said. I could hear all the words of every delegate. I made notes only I could understand. Then, at night in my room, I wrote out completely all the speeches and acts. I attended the convention every day. I was there as long as the delegates were meeting and talking."

James Madison's full records of the convention were not published until thirty years later.

The Constitutional Convention will be our story next week.

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You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and pictures at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember, inviting you to join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.