At last! After having had Montpelier on my bucket list for years now, we finally made it there on Monday. In a once sentence summary, it’s a really neat place and highly recommended!
Here’s a confession for you. I’ve always had a hard time keeping James Madison, James Monroe, Ashlawn, and Montpelier straight in my mind for a number of reasons. Here goes:
- Both men have the same first name, James.
- Both men have last names beginning with the letter “M.”
- Both men are from Virginia.
- Both men lived on sizable plantations.
- Both men served as President of the United States.
- Both men came from the same general era.
So which one lived at which place? Which man became president first? Were they back-to-back presidents? And what were their individual legacies?
Needless to say, I ended up learning lots on the visit thanks to our informative docent. Of course, it helped knowing so little going in. When you know nothing, there is nowhere to go but up, right? Montpelier is a gorgeous place, beautifully restored after having had seven different owners since the Madison family. It is located in Orange, one of my favorite areas of Virginia off Route 15.
James Madison grew up at Montpelier, the third generation of his family to live there. After lots of study and reflection back at Montpelier after the American Revolution, he came up with the novel idea of the three branches of government with checks and balances on each other. Thus, he is known as the Father of the Constitution. Way to go, Mr. President! He was a firm believer in a limited federal government.
Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State for his good friend, President Thomas Jefferson, and was instrumental in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. His wife Dolly often served as the “first hostess” at the White House for President Jefferson since he was a widower. Then Mr. Madison became President himself, our fourth, for two terms after the conclusion of Mr. Jefferson’s two terms. He saw the country through the War of 1812, when the British burned down the White House. Thankfully Dolly managed to save some of the most precious artwork before hightailing it out of there. President Madison even rode into battle himself, the only sitting president to ever do so.
For all of you wondering about James Monroe, I still don’t know much. He served as President directly after James Madison. He lived at Ashlawn, right by Monticello in Charlottesville. He is known for the Monroe Doctrine. For more details stay tuned for the next field trip to James Monroe’s Ashlawn!
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