James Madison was a complex man of many identities: he was a founding father (and often considered the “Father of the United States Constitution”), an author of the Federalist Papers, Secretary of State, the fourth President of the United States (1809-1817), diplomat, and slave owner. While much of his professional life revolved around politics that took him away from his plantation, Madison enjoyed many years in solitude and reflection at his beloved Montpelier. Today, his historic house is preserved and offers visitors an opportunity to catch a glimpse into the life of James Madison, the inner workings of his plantation, and the daily lives of the men and women that were enslaved at Montpelier.
History
Prominently sitting at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains is a plantation centered around a beautiful brick mansion- this is known as Montpelier. Although the exact origin of the name “Montpelier” is unknown, current research shows that it was first used by James Madison in a 1781 letter. What is now known as “James Madison’s Montpelier” began in 1723, when his grandfather, Ambrose Madison, and Thomas Chew (Ambrose’s brother-in-law) received a patent for nearly 5,000 acres of land in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Ambrose and his family established a plantation on this land in 1732, which was then known as Mount Pleasant (it was located near where the Madison Family Cemetery is today). A few months later, Ambrose died, likely from being poisoned by some of his slaves. After Ambrose’s death, his wife Frances and her son, James Madison Sr., managed the plantation.
Madison Sr. made numerous additions and expansions to the plantation, which included the purchase of additional slaves to work the fields. On March 16, 1751, Madison Sr. and his wife, Nelly Conway, had a son: James Madison Jr. Although born at Belle Grove (the family estate of his mother), the young Madison was largely raised at the Mount Pleasant Plantation. Around 1764, Madison Sr. constructed a new brick house on the property, which was the beginnings of today’s Montpelier (while the exact origins of the name “Montpelier” are unknown, the first known reference of the property being called by this name comes from a 1781 letter written by James Madison).
At around 20-years-old, James Madison graduated from the College of New Jersey (today’s Princeton University) and returned to Virginia in 1771. When the American Revolutionary War began, the well-educated Madison became involved in state politics as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He went on to serve on the Second Continental Congress and the Confederation Congress. Of course, Madison is perhaps best known for his masterful work before, during, and after the Constitutional Convention in 1787 (he is often referred to as the “Father of the United States Constitution”).
In 1797, James Madison and his new wife, Dolley Madison, moved to Montpelier. After his father, James Madison Sr., died in February 1801, Madison officially took control of the estate (his mother still lived in the house). This included his inheritance of 108 slaves, the main house, and all of the plantation property. Madison proceeded to make multiple alterations to the main house, to include an extension and the addition of a Tuscan portico. Shortly thereafter, on March 5, 1801, Madison learned that he was chosen to be Secretary of State by President Thomas Jefferson. This position required Madison, Dolley, and some of their slaves to move to Washington D.C.
From 1809 until 1817, Madison served as the Fourth President of the United States of America, which also largely kept him away from his beloved Montpelier. But even during those early years as president, Madison ensured his house was improved to his liking. From 1809 – 1812, a drawing room and wings were added to the house, as he dreamed of his retirement years at his estate in Virginia.
After his two terms as president, Madison returned home with Dolley to retire at Montpelier. From 1818 – 1836, the house was restored, which was also the longest period of time that the Madison’s lived there. During this nearly 20-year stretch, James Madison lived out his remaining years peacefully at Montpelier, reading, writing, and reflecting on the American Revolution and where the United States was headed. During those years, the Madison’s welcomed numerous visitors, who they often entertained in their drawing room.
Of course, one of the biggest issues that gripped the nation during the early to mid-1800s was the issue of slavery, which was personal to the Madison Family, since their lives were largely centered around slave labor.
Slavery was the crucial aspect to the success of the Montpelier Plantation. Over the years, the plantation was home to up to six generations of African Americans and the Madison Family owned nearly 300 slaves. On the 1820 US Federal Census, 119 enslaved people are listed within the Madison household, while 97 are listed on the 1830 census. These men and women worked outside the fields and carried out domestic work within the household, catering to the needs of the Madison Family. At Montpelier, the slaves worked dawn to dusk, 6 days a week (Sunday was a day off), but still found personal time for relationships, entertainment, and socializing.
One of Madison’s most well-document slaves was Paul Jennings, who was only 10-years-old when he accompanied the Madison household to Washington D.C. in 1809 (he initially served as a footman). After Madison’s second term as president ended, Jennings returned with them to Montpelier and served as Madison’s personal valet. In that role, Jennings spent a remarkable amount of personal time with Madison, and in his own words, “shaved him every other day for sixteen years.” During those years, Jennings married an enslaved woman named Fanny, who was at a nearby plantation. The two even managed to raise a family together, despite the distance and severe difficulties of enslavement.
Despite being Madison’s personal valet and undoubtedly gaining the trust and appreciation of his master, Jennings was not freed during his service to the former president, nor was he freed in Madison’s will. In fact, Jennings did not gain his freedom until 1847, when Senator Daniel Webster purchased Jennings’ freedom.
Despite owning approximately 100 slaves throughout his retirement, Madison often wrote about his opposition to slavery (as did many of the slave owning southerners of the founding generation). While Madison called for eventual emancipation, one of his solutions was forced colonization outside of the United States. Ultimately, when Madison died on June 28, 1836, slavery still flourished in the American south, to include at Montpelier (Madison made no stipulations in his will to free his slaves, as George Washington did). On the 1840 US Federal census, the widowed Dolley is listed with 105 slaves in the household.
In 1844, Dolley sold the estate to Henry W. Moncure, which was then owned by six different owners until 1901, when it was purchased by the William and Annie Rogers DuPont. The DuPont Family loved horses and accordingly, had numerous barns and stables built on the property. Eventually, their daughter Marion DuPont inherited the house. In 1934, she and her brother founded the Montpelier Hunt Races, which were held right there on the property.
When Marion died in 1983, she gave the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, along with a $10 million endowment (they acquired the property in 1984). Since then, restorations have been carried out to restore the house and property to how it was when the Madison Family lived there (circa 1820).
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Our Visit to James Madison’s Montpelier
Our visit to Jame Madison’s Montpelier felt very different than our visits to the other Presidential homes in Virginia, namely Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello. While all three are magnificent and offer amazing experiences to visitors, Montpelier still maintains the pastoral solitude of a country estate. We arrived at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center early in the morning and were blown away by the vast open fields, rolling hills, and distant mountains- it is easy to see why the Madison Family settled this beautiful land.
We took the “Highlights of Montpelier” tour, which is 1 hour long and includes access to the grounds and a guided tour of three rooms of the house. For more information on the tours available and updated pricing, please visit their website here.
Before our tour began, which meets just outside the Visitor Center, we explored the wonderful gift shop and chatted with the staff about the property (of course, I bought some books and a miniature bust of Madison). Once we met with our guide, she provided a brief history of the family before we set out on a peaceful walk towards the house. Although we saw the house from a distance when we drove in, walking up to it was a whole other experience!
The tour took us to the front of the house, which provided a perfect view of the entire structure (this is a great photo op too). As we approached the portico, we paused near the front steps to learn more about the architecture of the house and the many additions completed over the years.
After entering the house, the first room on the tour was the stunning Drawing Room. This space is known for its striking red walls and curtains, detailed busts, and numerous paintings (it appears to be more of a museum than anything). This room, which was once two rooms until Madison had a wall removed during his first term as president, was used as a formal waiting room and also to entertain guests (today, it is renovated to how it looked in 1809).
The opulent decor of the Drawing Room includes French furniture, red wallpaper (which research and analysis has confirmed is how it was when the Madison’s lived there), paintings, busts of famous founding fathers, and other unique items. My favorite pieces were the chairs, which have a fascinating back story. While in Philadelphia in the 1790s, Dolley Madison purchased six French chairs from George & Martha Washington. Remarkably, these chairs are on display in the Drawing Room and are accented with red cushions, to match the walls and drapes.
After exploring the Drawing Room, we proceeded into the Dining Room. This space was quite the contrast to the drawing room, particularly in color and style. Today, the table is set with life-size cutouts of members of the Madison Family, along with the Marquis de Lafayette. The walls are covered in a reproduction wallpaper known as “Virchaux Drapery,” which is of French design and dates back to 1815 in Philadelphia. This space was carefully furnished to reflect an early 19th-century style that the Madison’s likely would’ve had (or at least, appreciated).
One question I always like to ask is what pieces in the space were owned by James and Dolley Madison. Numerous mahogany pieces in the space were purportedly owned by the Madisons, to include the dinner table, two sideboards, and a drop-leaf table. Standing in this space, I could just imagine guests such as Thomas Jefferson or the Marquis de Lafayette being entertained.
After the Dining Room, our tour proceeded upstairs to explore Madison’s Study (this was my favorite space on the tour). Upon entering, you could almost see Madison sitting at his desk and looking out the window, which overlooks the front lawn. The Study is adorned with what one would expect an 18th/19th-century intellectual to have: full bookshelves, a simple desk, maps, papers, a telescope, and of course, a fireplace.
Though Madison’s Study is not exactly how it was when he lived there, it is the space he used and very much like he would have had it set up. To think that this was the room he longed to be in, reading, learning, studying, and thinking up political ideas. Specifically, this is where Madison spent countless hours studying governments from history (to include Athens and Greece) to prepare himself for the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
This essentially concluded our tour of the house interior, though it continued into the back lawn to discuss the role slavery played at Montpelier. In the South Yard, there are multiple rebuilt structures (based on archaeological and documentary evidence), to include two dwellings and two smokehouses. I thought the guide did a great job providing detailed information on slavery at the plantation, to include the highlighting of individual slaves and families- this gave a deserved identity to those who were enslaved at Montpelier. Additionally, the guide discussed the Madison’s complex relationship with slavery and how the institution was viewed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
As the tour finished, we were encouraged to explore the exhibit “The Mere Distinction of Colour,” which is located in the cellar underneath the house. This exhibit utilizes years of research to tell the story of the many people who were enslaved at Montpelier. It is named after a quote by James Madison, which he wrote on June 6, 1787:
We have seen the mere distinction of colour made in the most enlightened period of time, a ground of the most oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man.”
We spent some time exploring this exhibit, which was an emotional and reflective experience. I think it is important to remember that this exhibit exists in order to bring light to the individual people and families who were enslaved at Montpelier, not to destroy the reputation of Madison (he was, for better or worse, a man of his time). When we finished with this exhibit, we had learned a lot about how an 18th/19th century plantation was managed and more importantly, we learned about the lives and experiences of the men, women, and children who worked for the Madisons.
Madison Family Cemetery
Before you end your visit at Montpelier, be sure to walk down to the Madison Family Cemetery, which is free to visit. In this simple family graveyard rest numerous members of the family, most notable James and Dolley Madison. There are multiple plaques and small monuments within the cemetery, most dedicated to James Madison. We were the only ones visiting at the time, which afforded us a unique and intimate visit.
Not far from the Madison Family Cemetery is a burying ground for slaves from Montpelier; however, there are no grave markers for individuals buried there, just somewhat noticeable changes in the topography that indicate centuries-old graves.
Legacy
James Madison was known for his diminutive stature, seemingly constant sickly nature, and quiet attitude; however, he was best known for his unparalleled political intelligence and persuasive abilities. His contributions to the creation and founding of our modern republic are unmatched. Yet in school courses and textbooks, Madison is often dwarfed by men such as Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and the like. Perhaps that is how he would’ve wanted it- to have a major influence but avoid the lime light. At any rate, Madison deserves the recognition as one of America’s first and most influential political minds (not to mention, he served as one of the nation’s first wartime presidents).