Madison joined the Continental Congress in 1779 at the age of twenty-nine. He argued for a stronger central government in much of his legislative work. He proposed that representatives from different states meet in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss how to improve the existing constitution of the United States—the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles of Confederation provided much power to the states but provided for a weak central government that could not regulate commerce between the states. Madison later supported the call for a new convention in Philadelphia to discuss how to improve the Articles of Confederation.