 The third chapter, "The Argument", details James Madison's efforts to secure a strong federal government at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Madison fails to win approval for a national government that can veto state laws, and initially considers the convention a failure. Instead the Constitution creates a political system in which sovereignty is shared and "blurred", providing a framework for ongoing debate. Madison emphasizes this advantage, as well as the weakness of the prior Articles of Confederation government during the Revolutionary War, to defeat Anti-Federalist orator Patrick Henry in a debate over Virginia's ratification of the Constitution. Chapter Four, "The Treaty", considers Washington's failure as president to reach an equitable settlement with Native Americans, with particular consideration to his treaty with Creek leader Alexander McGillivray. Though Washington declares the issue one of his highest priorities and successfully negotiates a treaty, it proves worthless in the face of the relentless expansion of white settlers into Creek territory, the intransigence of the Georgian legislature, and McGillivray's attempts to ally with Spain. Ellis calls the inability to make a fair peace with Native Americans "the greatest failure of the revolutionary generation", second only to their failure to end slavery.
