Evening Courses at Montpelier
Evening Courses at Montpelier
James and Dolley Madison and the Founding of Our Nation
We have not set our fall dates or registration, but please contact Susan Simpson at ssimpson@montpelier.org if you want information when the program is set.
The Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier offers evening seminars to all members of the general public. These seminars focus on the lives of James and Dolley Madison and their enormous contributions to the founding of our nation. The seminar typically meets every Wednesday from from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in Lewis Hall, the Center’s teaching facilities on the grounds of Montpelier.
Jim Walker, an experienced guide at Montpelier and regular instructor in various adult education programs, teaches the core of the seminar. The content of the seminars include:
• the founding of our nation;
• who the founders were and what roles they played;
• the role of slavery in the founding;
• the tumultuous years following the Declaration of Independence;
• the Constitution and the ratification debates;
• Madison’s executive years as secretary of state and president;
• the Madisons’ retirement years at Montpelier;
• and the legacy they have left to us.
The program includes private tours of the house and grounds of Montpelier led by Montpelier’s professional staff. Jim Walker leads a tour of James Madison’s home, which recently underwent a $24-million architectural restoration. Mark Trickett, Ph.D., Field Director of Archaeology at Montpelier, leads a tour and discussion of the archaeological research that continues to shape our understanding of the Montpelier plantation. The house tours are conducted after regular visitation hours; the archaeological tour has been created especially for this course and is not offered outside of this course.
Participants also receive a special copy of the U.S. Constitution and a copy of An Introduction to Archaeology at James Madison’s Montpelier, an in-depth guide to understanding the archaeological research being conducted at James Madison’s Montpelier.
Outline of Course Content
We have not set our fall dates or registration, but please contact Susan Simpson at ssimpson@montpelier.org if you want information when the program is set.
(All sessions meet in Lewis Hall on the grounds of Montpelier at 4:00 PM)
Session 1. Founding Beginnings
Founding Events, The Founders, About Montpelier, James' Early Life, Dolley’s Early Life
Session 2. Touring Montpelier
Private House and Archaeological Sites Tour
Session 3. Founding Unfolding
Slavery at Montpelier, Madison and Religious Freedom, The Approach to Revolution, Constitutions and Protections of Rights, Approach to the Federal Convention
Session 4. The Founding of Our Nation
The Constitutional Convention, The Virginia Plan, The Constitution, The Heady Days of Ratification
Session 5. Founding Fulfilled
The United States of America Begins, Dolley Madison, “Presidentess," Montpelier and Dolley’s Last Days, A Memorial to James Madison
