What surprised me the most was how Mary Cabel, the original mistress of many of the slaves who were separated, helped keep the slaves families in communication. In her distance from her family she seemed to understand the need for the slave's families to communicate and I find it ironic in a way, that the only people to surround her in her old age were the slaves who remained and not her own children.

In today's news I am often appalled at the violence that man or woman perpetrate upon their fellow man and often wonder what is wrong with our world today. The fights that are described in "Gouge, Bite, Pull Hair and Scratch" by Elliot Gorn, describe the world of the Virginia and Kentucky frontier as a brutal place of eye plucking and maiming that was used to prove a man's honor. Even taking into consideration exaggeration, the records show violence that surprises me

After reading these accounts I realize that violence in different forms has always been a part of our neighborhoods. We can compare the gangs in the ghettos today to the gang attitudes of the back country of the late 1700's and early 1800's. Local boys who witness hard work and poverty can only gain honor with violence amongst their peers. In the low country they faced loss of eyes, nose and ears. Today gang members easily face death by guns and knives a different kind of brotherhood of men, but honor remains the coveted prize.

To me these brawls represent our new nation as it fought with England to be recognized as a new identity in the world. The rough and tough fighting in Congress and between politicians to be the man on top was more subtle (in most cases) than the middle to lower class brawls, but these farmers and men who worked with their hands fought with their hands to cover the fear and insecurity of being part of the new experiment and of wondering where they fit into it all. Their honor was tied up with their neighbors' opinion of them and any slight offense resulted in a violent outcome. Was this the aftermath of life during the Revolution when many lived hand to mouth or was it an unknown future and a feeling of powerlessness to change their own lives?

I had previously visited the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia with my husband a few years ago. This visit was a much more meaningful one and the article by Ann Smart Martin, "Buying into the World of Goods," and viewing and discussing the English, Irish, German and American homes allowed me to picture life in the new frontier with a better understanding. The original buildings that were moved from Europe and rebuilt at the Frontier Culture Museum and the interpreters, helped bring to life the peasants and how they lived in Europe before they ventured to western Virginia.

Whether is was bad harvest, land enclosure, being a second or third son who wouldn't inherit a fathers trade or whether it was because of men like William Penn offering free land to Protestants, people began to leave their homes in Europe and travel to the unknown western frontier.

Once here they usually built one room log cabins which were often enlarged in later years. Hard work and sacrifice was a part of their daily lives and the Ulster forge is a good example of the long days and hard work that it took to build a new community in Staunton and other places.

The American farm (1850's) and the Bowman House (1820's) show the success of many and how the settlers combined their old traditions with the new way of life they chose. These houses were larger in size and offered decorated fireplaces and comforts that the earlier settlers didn't have. As goods arrived, merchants like Hook in the article, supplied his neighbors with ceramics in the form of dishes, bowls, storage pots, furniture and other items that would improve their lives.

The idea for the grand house at Rosewell was conceived of by Mann Page I, and started in 1725. Page died before it was completed, so his son, Mann Page II took over and completed work on the house in 1732. Physically, Rosewell represents one of the largest colonial houses. It was three stories high with four rooms on each floor and had twelve fireplaces. Intentionally missing bricks on either side indicate that it may have connected to outbuildings by a passageway, though archeological evidence is conflicting here. It was symmetrical on the outside, but not on the inside, reflecting the era in which it was built – it sits on the cusp of a new architectural style, and the Pages obviously wanted to demonstrate their observance of the latest trends where people could see it, but areas where they actually were built for comfort, and reflected the older style of a great hall and parlor. The original structure had a flat roof and cupolas, but this was altered later on because of chronic leaking from the roof. Overall, Rosewell was big, impressive and imposing, but really didn't work very well and seems to never have been quite satisfactory for its owners.

Rosewell was built partly thanks to a marriage between the Carter and Page families. Wealth was accumulated en mass by the great families, but only upon dissemination of this wealth (i.e., via death or dowries) was it readily used to built large structures. In the case of Rosewell, Robert "King" Carter's daughter married into the Page family, and brought with her a large dowry, which Mann Page the II turned towards building Rosewell. Carter and Page may have collaborated on the project – Carter certainly approved of it – and Carter may have even sent over a team of slaves skilled in construction (there is a theory, based on minute similarities in style and building technique that many of the region's buildings of this period may have been built by the same slaves).

At any rate, Rosewell turned out to be so large and long to build that it succeeded in slowly ruining the Page family and Rosewell only remained in the family for three generations. It is a testament to the decadence and overt interest in display of wealth and prestige that is representative of 18th century Virginia values. Today, this material display of value at Rosewell is only a hollow shell of brick – the house itself burned down in 1916, and all that remains today are parts of the brick walls and chimneys.

Unlike Rosewell, the Carter's Christ Church still remains in most of its glory today. Also unlike Rosewell, Christ Church is not a house, but a church. Originally a wooden church built by John Carter in 1670, the brick church that stands today was built by King Carter in 1730, on his own land and with his own money. Like a large house, this church stands as public testament to the wealth and worth of the builder. As a church, there is the added bonus of pious insinuations. There are many similarities between it and the home of the Page family – both have triangles over the entranceways, arched windows and lay stones. The brick work of Christ Church is highly skilled, and the outside three-part brick entablature and other details match interior wood entablature. Unlike Rosewell, though, Christ Church is fairly symmetrical on the inside as well as the outside.

King Carter probably had a big hand in how Christ Church would look. We know that he was very interested in architecture, though he does not appear to have had any formal training. He was in London as a young man during the rebuilding after the great fire, and this may have largely influenced him. It is not known, though, just how much say exactly he had on the construction of the church, but it is likely that he had a pretty good idea that he detailed to the builders.

Another important building associated to King Carter is his home at Corotoman. Corotoman would have been an impressive brick house overlooking Carter's Creek. Unfortunately, it burned down shortly after it was completed. All we have today are the excavated foundations of the house, but little else. These foundations tell us that it was a very symmetrical structure, inside and out – fully into the Georgian style. Corotoman was a good deal smaller than the Page's home, but Carter built it to be equally impressive. Upon entering, a guest would have been led into a central hallway of white stone, and left there to wait. The stark white with no chairs succeeded in intimidating all of Carter's visitors, and producing exactly what he wanted – awe. On either side of the hall were matching rooms with large fireplaces, and cupboards behind the fireplaces where Carter might have drunk with friends. After Corotoman burned down, Carter continued to live in a wooden house next to the ruins, even though he had numerous other plantations.

The grandeur, superfluity, and size of these three structures represent the colonial Virginian emphasis on wealth and social standing above all else. Life was still relatively shorter during this time, so age was not a factor in how important one was. Rather, how much money these men had, and how impressively they could display it, was of greatest interest. As Rosewell, Christ Church, and Corotoman testify, Mann Page and Robert Carter certainly did the best job of showing their wealth off to the rest of the Virginian elite.

This beautiful picture that Monticello represents sitting on a mountain top, doesn't reflect a beautiful life for many that lived upon that mountain. Those men, women, and children that lived on Mulberry Row were slaves. Jefferson's "family" that lived on Mulberry Row, some of which were his children by Sally Hemmings, did not live secure lives. Boys as young as ten years old were put to work in the nailery. Young females were put to work in the making of textiles. A slave's day was from sun up to sunset with only Sunday as a day of rest and little time to pursue earning extra money for themselves.

I had always idolized Thomas Jefferson for his contributions to this country but now I feel those contributions are overshadowed by the "handling" of the people that were forced to depend upon him. He would use the family ties that he fostered as a way to control his slaves, knowing that they would want to stay together and not want be sold to another owner. Teenagers were often separated from their families and eventually because of the poor management of his own money and estate, and because of his ego which allowed him to live beyond his means, his slaves were sold and separated. The debt that no one dare collect from Jefferson while he was alive, burdened his children and slaves after his death as the "collectors" soon pursued his family for their money. The scene on the beautiful mountain top, which was the largest non commercial slave sale during that period, was one of heartfelt sorrow as families were sold and separated. If Jefferson hadn't taken these slaves from productive jobs to help build his beautiful home, his financial situation may have been different.

Jefferson owned 600 people during his life. As much as Jefferson didn't believe in whipping his slaves, they were often in the hands of a white overseer many of whom had reputations for being cruel task masters. He spoke through both sides of his mouth. People can make excuses for him and say he was a man of his time, but I feel that a man, who could envision a free country for whites and proceed to help create a new country, could have done more for his own "family."

Jefferson acquired an expensive taste after his time in France, brought back many expensive pieces for his home, and indulged in expensive wine which he often ordered from France. His love of French style is reflected in many areas of his home. His use of dumb waiters in his dining room allowed for a hot buffet to be served and wine to be brought up from below which also allowed guests to help themselves, thus creating a gossip free area to dine. He spent additional money in remodeling and adding to the already beautiful Monticello with French style and flair. Jefferson was indeed a man of genius as his inventions of a copy machine, clock, drawing machine and others are displayed in his house along with his large collection of books.

The accomplishments that Thomas Jefferson made during his lifetime as one of the founders of a new country, signer of the Declaration of Independence, President, diplomat, and designer of many important buildings, will always be tainted for me because of the hypocrisy of his owning and treatment of his slaves and his own slave children. His statement, "I consider the labor of a breeding woman as no object, and that a child raised every 2 years is of more profit than the crop of the best laboring man," to be a good representation of his attitude toward his slaves. In the end they may have been his "family" but a family used for his own personal gain.

I believe that Jefferson himself claimed his children by Sally Hemmings as the five slaves that were freed upon Jefferson's death were all Sally Hemming's children. Earlier in his life he had allowed two of Sally's daughters, Harriet and Beverly (who could pass for white), to run away and gave them stage fair to Philadelphia.

Whereas Jefferson hated women in politics, James Madison and James Monroe had very visible women during their terms as president and in Madison's case, all through his life. In her article "Washington Women in Politics," Catherine Allgor again gives us a look at the role women played in politics. The network that Dolly Madison had and the power of Bayard Smith to use her position to obtain jobs for many, showed that "patronage" is not just modern day politics. As socializing increased during the Monroe years, Elizabeth Monroe was an exception to this rule. She announced to her father that she would not be receiving nor paying social visits. This changed the focus from the President's family, to the congressional and cabinet families.

As Congress was the real power in Washington at this time there were many requests for positions in the government. From their appearances at the inaugurations of Jefferson, Madison and Monroe and with their new mode of dress, women were having an influence and some who realized their power would remain in Washington City.

The boarding houses of Washington, where visiting and upcoming politicians fraternized during meals and in discussions, allowed women to enter into these discussions and their influence would greatly affect the relationships and changes in Congressional politics. Women began making their own rules of attitude and dress. Women often attended Congressional hearings and were so bold as to speak out and in some cases take seats on the floor. I find it strange that with all this "campaigning" going on, the President of the country came last in their loyalty. With women's intervention, the patronage of the past that had been hated by the new Republic had become a part of the new government.

James Monroe 1799-1823

Monroe, whose father was an indentured servant, was an important man to this country. He was the Secretary of State and Secretary of War under Madison and at that time the Secretary of State had the power to make decisions without consulting the President. James Monroe's (1709-1823) home, Highland/Ash Lawn , was a contrast to Jefferson's home. Ash Lawn was a working farm with crops of rye, tobacco, chicken, pigs and horses. Even though his house was larger than average, he lived on a smaller scale than his friend and neighbor, Mr. Jefferson. His achievements were many. After the Revolutionary War, Colonel Monroe moved to Albemarle County with his wife and daughter. Monroe held more high offices in the new government than any of his peers. He was elected President of the United States in 1816 and 1820, acquired Florida from Spain and authored the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, but some feel that his greatest achievement was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Monroe spent fifty years of his life in public service and didn't quit while he was President and go home to work on his property, as Jefferson did. He believed in the Republic, and when his Monroe Doctrine warned European powers to stay out of American affairs, he strengthened the image of the new country in the eyes of the old established world.

In the past when I learned about the Louisiana Purchase territory, I truly believed that no one lived there. I found during this class that there were people living in the territory and they had established their own way of life dependent upon slave labor. In the lower Louisiana, from New Orleans to Memphis, they were producing cotton, sugar and rice which were labor intensive and required slaves.

As Virginian's were worried about slave rebellions due to an excess amount of slaves in their state, they thought the Louisiana Territory would be a solution to this problem. Thus again, the issue of slavery in the United States became a major issue. People in Louisiana wouldn't join if they couldn't keep their slaves and it seemed would divide the country east to west. During this time (1800-1820), the strength of this country was still threatened by the close proximity of English, Spanish and French. The Louisiana Purchase was yet another test to see if the government of the new nation would survive, and we did for a while.

"Those Who Labor for My Happiness" Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves by Lucia Stanton
'"Washington Women in Public" by Catherine Allgor
"They Are Very Much Interested in Obtaining an Unlimited Slavery" by John Craig Hammond

The home Arthur Allen immediately began construction on is known today as "Bacon's Castle" and is the only 17th century residence still standing in Virginia. It was constructed from bricks and stands two-stories high. Most Virginian planters of the time were living in small, one-story wood houses, so Allen's home was impressive and showed off his apparent wealth. When Allen arrived in Virginia, the "prominent families" were already established, but he hoped, despite his location away from Jamestown, that he could nudge his way into that inner circle of Virginian government and prestige. Arthur Allen's plan did work and he became quick friends with the Governor at the time.

The house passed to Arthur Allen's son, Major Arthur Allen, in 1669 when Arthur Allen Sr. died. It was during Bacon's Rebellion of 1676 that the Allen's home received the name "Bacon's Castle." Nathaniel Bacon led a revolt against the governor and his supporters invaded the Allen's home and used it as a headquarters for approximately four months. Reports from the Allen family indicate that this invasion of their home was one giant, four-month-long party for Bacon's troops. The Allen's family food stocks were severely depleted, the soldiers left all kinds of trash and debris laying about the estate, and completely drained the large wine cellar in the basement. The house was given back to the Allens after the rebellion was over.

The house continued to be passed through the Allen family (to Arthur Allen III and his wife Elizabeth Bray who was able to keep it within the family despite subsequent marriages) until the 19th century when the house was purchased by John Hankins. Hankins expanded the house, adding connecting hallways between the old and new buildings, and constructed a large slave quarter for his favored slaves out back. It was larger than most found at the time and had a raised floor and several windows. The windows allowed for Hankins to always be able to view his slaves and whatever they might be doing. The raised floor was an obvious obstacle to constructing subterranean pits (places that items could be keep away from the eyes of the master). The slave quarter still stands out back.

Like many of the historical sites we have visited, the APVA also owns Bacon's Castle. They have spent many years attempting to preserve and maintain the 17th century home, including furnishing some rooms in accordance with an inventory from Major Arthur Allen's time.

Berkeley was the Governor of Virginia during Bacon's Rebellion. Governors back then were like ambassadors today in that they were the representatives of England and by extention, the King. So when Bacon commensed his rebellion against Berkeley, he was, by extension leading a rebellion against the Crown. He was able to gather people together and motivate them, despite their class by playing to their emotions. Bacon blamed Berkeley for everything from taxes to trade with the indigenous people. His overpowering persausion and motivation feuled the fire of the rebellion His powers of persausion and motivation were what also kept the fire burning. Once he died, however, the fire of fueling the rebelling was doused with the water of the govenors forces. Many of Bacons followers surrendored, and the Kings iron fist restored order to the colony.

Even though order was restored, Bacon's rebellion showed that the Crown's powers were limited. The colonists needed a strong central governmrnt, but the people living in the colony saw the seat of power and order in England, not in the colonies, thus the rebellion was quick;ly put down. The same themes would come up during the Revolutionary War- taxes, ignoance of peoples rights and one more thing-freedom. Thus we can say that Bacon's rebellion was a precurser to the Revolutionary war and that those living in the colonies saw trade with the indigenous peopole as disgracful Many history books gloss over the role of the Anglo-Indigenous trade in favor of focusing on the asspect of a strong central government. This accomplishes two things. First, it justifies the reasons for going to war, by showing the profound weakness of the central government. Second, it reinforces the stereotype that a land without a strong central government is overrun by savages. This will be used in the future, by Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Polk and even Lincoln to justify white settlement in what was considered "Indian country".

As a planter-merchant who was able to claim at least 200 acres in head rights upon his arrival in Virginia, Allen entered immediately into the upper echelons of Virginia Society. Like his peers, he desperately wished to know the right people, show off his wealth and prestige with his home and grounds, and enter into Virginia politics. The only problem was that he arrived rather later in the game, and the best land (that is the land closest to the water ways and to Jamestown) was already claimed. He was forced to settle out in Surry County, on land (though almost directly across from Jamestown) that was blocked from the river by a previous claim. This put him at a slight disadvantage as it made transporting his crops (mainly tobacco) to the river more difficult, and he was further away from the Governor. Despite these obstacles, however, Allen had no intention of being left out. He constructed probably the nicest house in the area – at a time when even wealthy Virginia planters were building their houses fairly small and out of wood, Allen's house was two-stories and made out of brick. Eventually his architectural ambitions paid off, and the Allen's became close friends of Governor Berkeley and one of the more powerful families in the region.

Allen died in 1669 and the house and plantation passed to his son, Major Arthur Allen. At his death, a detailed inventory of each room was taken, which the APVA has used to furnish some of the rooms that you can visit today. Major Allen continued to plant tobacco on the lands, and increased the numbers of servants and slaves. He also was very interested in the beatification of the grounds and took much care in the upkeep of his six gardens – for which he had English loam imported, presumably just because he could. It was also during Arthur Allen's tenure in the house that the house gained its name Bacon's Castle. During Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, Nathaniel Bacon's army resided for some time at Allen's house – though without his permission. It is unsure whether Bacon himself was ever actually at "Bacon's Castle," but from archeological evidence, historians have concluded that the house mainly served as a party-house for the rebels. Scattered around the grounds are remains of barbecues, broken pipes and liquor bottles, and according to Major Allen, the rebels completely cleaned out his wine cellar. Whatever the purpose the house served the rebels, it was restored to Major Allen after the rebellion was quelled.

After Allen's death, the house passed his son Arthur Allen III and his wife Elizabeth Bray. She was a shrewd businesswoman, and managed to retain and expand the property and the house through a series of later marriages. In 1730, intent upon keeping up with the latest styles to promote her place in society (just as Arthur Allen had done back in 1665 by initially building the house), Elizabeth decided to remodel. She added walls, windows and symmetry in the Georgian architectural style, and made the house even grander than it had been when it was first built. Symmetry was a crucial element of the Georgian style, and though she essentially achieved this on the outside of the house, the structural support beams visible on the inside ceiling somewhat competed with her efforts for perfect symmetry. The lower stories of the house today are decorated in a manner similar to what she would have done.

The house remained with her descendants until the 19th century when it was purchased by John Henry Hankins. He added another wing to the house, moved the front door and completely destroyed Elizabeth Bray's symmetry. Sometime also in the 19th century slave quarters located very near the main house were built that you can still see today. These are interesting to mention for several reasons: first, they are far nicer than any slave quarters that you would usually see. Second, they are raised off the ground and have two chimneys and four fireplaces and several windows. They likely accommodated at least three families, and possibly up to four. Though these seem like generous accommodations for 19th century slaves, there was probably a purpose to all of this. The windows look directly at the master's house, and the location of the slave house is very visible from the hall/sitting room of the great house. This meant their master could never be far from their minds, and they could always be watched by their master. The raised floor meant that they would be warmer, but also prevented subterranean pit construction. The fireplaces and overall comfort of the building likely indicates a sort of agreement, or reward for the slaves for "buying into" the system, or to possibly separate them from their field hand neighbors in an attempt and disrupting slave unity.

Though representative of only the small elite class of 17th century Virginia, Bacon's Castle was still a very useful excursion. It was very representative of the efforts of the wealthy planters to appear as wealthy and powerful as they possibly could, and instructive in the architectural capacities of the day. The preservation of the house by repairing sections of it only using 17th century methods is a very interesting method. I would hope that in the future more of the rooms get to be furnished, and that more of the outbuildings are opened to the public.

The house is built in the Georgian architecture style. His wife Dolley added Phase II of the changes for the house in 1797, and created a duplex where Dolly and James lived in one side of the house and James's mother lived in the other. There were no doorways within the houses that would allow passage between the two. This was the home of the Madison's retirement years.

James Madison died in 1836. Dolly was penniless when she died and sold the house. The Dupont's bought the house and changed it dramatically even stuccoing over the brick and painting it pink. Marion Dupont Scott, wife of actor Randolph Scott, died in 1983 and left the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She donated twenty million dollars to have the house restored to it's original state when the Madisons were in residence.

The restoration revealed a few "ghosts" (architectural ghosts), pocket windows (a Jefferson trick to allow air to flow through the house), a mouse nest that still held a small piece of letter in Madison's handwriting, a scrap of wallpaper from the period and some red fabric from curtains that hung in the house at the time the Madison's lived there. The restoration also revealed original fireplaces, molding, doors that have been recycled within the house, and much more of the former residence.

Even though he was of short stature and ill health Madison was a patriot and a public servant. He was called "The Father of the Constitution" because of his persistence for a bill of rights which gave us the Constitution that we have today. Madison didn't really believe in a bill of rights, but North Carolina's refusal to ratify without any amendments helped change Madison's mind. He did believe in keeping his word to the people.

In the first decades of the US Government, Congress determined the candidates. The state legislature was not filled with ordinary voters but with family members and colleagues of government officials including congressmen. Elections woud be decided in the House of Representatives giving congressmen direct control over those elections. At that time the character of the candidate was the most important trait, and not family money. The candidate should have a good reputation and be an honest man. In 1780 Madison was one of the five new delegates that went to the Convention.

During this time they fought violently amongst themselves with distrust and suspicion characterizing them. Federalists didn't consider time spent on amendments to the constitution very important and a waste of time. Without Madison's commitment there would have been no Bill of Rights in 1791. Anti-federalists were hoping that a new Constitution would have to be written if the first one didn't get ratified, and then the Anti-federalists would be in charge.

The states started adding amendments to the constitution and wouldn't ratify until these amendments were accepted. Different states had some different amendments. They then proposed the Virginia Bill of Rights written by George Mason which was the first bill to be integrated. When Madison defeated Monroe for the seat in the House of Representatives, he stated that he would support amendments. On a hot day in August debates became so "heated" that many duals were challenged. Madison stated that Americans had parted with their freedoms out of patriotism relying on future amendments by Congress to restore those rights and the anti-federalists couldn't argue with that statement.

The constitution was ratified in 1789 and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. The Anti-federalist party soon would die. Virginia became the tenth state to ratify and with that ratification the Bill of Rights became legal and part of the Constitution.

Madison was a bachelor but when Aaron Burr introduced him to Molly Payne Todd, he fell in love and within five months they were married. Madison not only acquired a wife, but eventually a campaign manager. They were married in 1794.

Madison was named Secretary of State (1801 – 1809) under Jefferson and in Jefferson's second term, when he basically resigned eighteen months before his term ended, Madison took over running the country.

When Madison ran for President against Clinton (both Republican candidates), his wife Dolley Madison became his campaign manager and it is said won the election for him. As candidates couldn't acknowledge running during that time, she invited congressmen to their home on F Street, in Philadelphia, and entertained both Anti-federalists and Federalists winning some of the opposition over to support her husband. Both Madison and his Dolley were the victims of mean gossip and slurs. Madison was ridiculed for his short stature and for not fathering any children and Dolley was insulted to the point of being called a prostitute.

The division of the Federalist Party with the Federalists identifying with England and the Republicans identifying with France caused much dissention. There were too many Republicans and too few Federalists to keep them under control. Many Republican's rose to challenge James Madison's succession to the presidency. Clinton and Monroe were put up against Madison for the presidency but Madison won and served two terms from 1809-1817.

Montpelier with its restoration back to the Madison period is a statement of the integrity and dependability of the man. I hope with this restoration, the people of the United States will be reminded of Madison's great contributions to this country.
James Madison's home, Montpelier, now restored to the Madison years, was the home for three generations of the Madison family. It was in this house that James Madison's mother taught him to read. It was also in this house, that he had a large library and it is said that in this library he wrote some of his most famous documents, like the Constitution. During Madison's Presidency 1809-1817 he worked in this room constructing many documents for the people of his country.

The house is built in the Georgian architecture style. His wife Dolley added Phase II of the changes for the house in 1797, and created a duplex where Dolly and James lived in one side of the house and James's mother lived in the other. There were no doorways within the houses that would allow passage between the two. This was the home of the Madison's retirement years.

James Madison died in 1836. Dolly was penniless when she died and sold the house. The Dupont's bought the house and changed it dramatically even stuccoing over the brick and painting it pink. Marion Dupont Scott, wife of actor Randolph Scott, died in 1983 and left the home to the National Trust for Historic Preservation . She donated twenty million dollars to have the house restored to it's original state when the Madisons were in residence.

The restoration revealed a few "ghosts" (architectural ghosts), pocket windows (a Jefferson trick to allow air to flow through the house), a mouse nest that still held a small piece of letter in Madison's handwriting, a scrap of wallpaper from the period and some red fabric from curtains that hung in the house at the time the Madison's lived there. The restoration also revealed original fireplaces, molding, doors that have been recycled within the house, and much more of the former residence.

Even though he was of short stature and ill health Madison was a patriot and a public servant. He was called "The Father of the Constitution" because of his persistence for a bill of rights which gave us the Constitution that we have today. Madison didn't really believe in a bill of rights, but North Carolina's refusal to ratify without any amendments helped change Madison's mind. He did believe in keeping his word to the people.

In the first decades of the US Government, Congress determined the candidates. The state legislature was not filled with ordinary voters but with family members and colleagues of government officials including congressmen. Elections woud be decided in the House of Representatives giving congressmen direct control over those elections. At that time the character of the candidate was the most important trait, and not family money. The candidate should have a good reputation and be an honest man. In 1780 Madison was one of the five new delegates that went to the Convention.

During this time they fought violently amongst themselves with distrust and suspicion characterizing them. Federalists didn't consider time spent on amendments to the constitution very important and a waste of time. Without Madison's commitment there would have been no Bill of Rights in 1791. Anti-federalists were hoping that a new Constitution would have to be written if the first one didn't get ratified, and then the Anti-federalists would be in charge.

The states started adding amendments to the constitution and wouldn't ratify until these amendments were accepted. Different states had some different amendments. They then proposed the Virginia Bill of Rights written by George Mason which was the first bill to be integrated. When Madison defeated Monroe for the seat in the House of Representatives, he stated that he would support amendments. On a hot day in August debates became so "heated" that many duals were challenged. Madison stated that Americans had parted with their freedoms out of patriotism relying on future amendments by Congress to restore those rights and the anti-federalists couldn't argue with that statement.

The constitution was ratified in 1789 and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. The Anti-federalist party soon would die. Virginia became the tenth state to ratify and with that ratification the Bill of Rights became legal and part of the Constitution.

Madison was a bachelor but when Aaron Burr introduced him to Molly Payne Todd, he fell in love and within five months they were married. Madison not only acquired a wife, but eventually a campaign manager. They were married in 1794.

Madison was named Secretary of State (1801 – 1809) under Jefferson and in Jefferson's second term, when he basically resigned eighteen months before his term ended, Madison took over running the country.

When Madison ran for President against Clinton (both Republican candidates), his wife Dolley Madison became his campaign manager and it is said won the election for him. As candidates couldn't acknowledge running during that time, she invited congressmen to their home on F Street, in Philadelphia, and entertained both Anti-federalists and Federalists winning some of the opposition over to support her husband. Both Madison and his Dolley were the victims of mean gossip and slurs. Madison was ridiculed for his short stature and for not fathering any children and Dolley was insulted to the point of being called a prostitute.

The division of the Federalist party with the Federalists identifying with England and the Republicans identifying with France, caused much dissention. There were too many Republicans and too few Federalists to keep them under control. Many Republican's rose to challenge James Madison's succession to the presidency. Clinton and Monroe were put up against Madison for the presidency but Madison won and served two terms from 1809-1817.

Montpelier with it's restoration back to the Madison period, is a statement of the integrity and dependibility of the man. I hope with this restoration, the people of the United States will be reminded of Madison's great contributions to this country.

The men who were already in Virginia had no intention of staying there for the long-term, and the nature of tobacco farming also encouraged this impermanent style of living. They cared nothing for the soil that was quickly ruined by the crop and knew they would be moving on to a different area soon. The short life of the soil when growing tobacco led to the necessity of moving around to find more land. This meant people would have little interest in forming friendships with those in their area. Knowing that they would be leaving in a matter of years, they didn't make much of an effort to get to know their neighbors.

Because everyone was so independent, the mentality of every man for himself arose. The men did not willingly join the militia and those that were part of the militia did not follow instructions well. They had to be bribed and some just left during a fight. There was not sense of camaraderie among the group and no loyalty to the leader. Plus, most would rather be monitoring the growth of their tobacco than fighting. The lack of churches also removed another connection that the men could have had to each other and religion does help to form a unique community. Similar to our experiences on Godiah Spray's plantation, they were not quick to convert us.

As we saw on Godiah Spray's plantation, with a big enough family and a few indentured servants, a planter could live comfortably on their own land and away from others. They even had a nice garden in their backyard full of herbs and vegetables. This would make it even easier to stay home instead of trading with others for food they needed. Even the youngest boy was brought up from an early age to learn the way of tobacco farming. This seemed to be the most important area that he was taught to focus on, there was no mention of school by his mother. There were not very many schools in general in the Chesapeake, and it is clear that a child would grow up learning that tobacco should be the first priority. His job was to pick worms off the tobacco plants and he would be punished if this did not happen. Instead of learning responsibility through schoolwork, he learned it by growing his own tobacco. The mother was also excited about her daughter's marriage because she was marrying a tobacco farmer. Their world revolved around this crop because it was the fastest way to become wealthier.

The Ordinaries also show another aspect of the individualistic society that emerged in the Chesapeake. Women could run an Ordinary with approval, as we saw in St. Mary's. She would cook meals for the customers and supply a place to sleep, while at the same time profiting and running her own business. If you think about Puritan New England, they would not have let a woman run her own business, much less a lodging place for travelers. The Ordinaries in St. Mary's help show a distinction between the two areas.

While tobacco seemed to be the miracle crop that made Virginia a destination to go to, there were drawbacks to growing it. There was the chance that there might be a bad season and whole areas would suffer if something happened to the crop because it was the main thing everyone grew. There was no back up crop that people grew in such a large quantity as tobacco. So though tobacco gave people wealth, it also contributed to the nature of the individualistic society and created an unstable environment for those who grew nothing but tobacco.

Breen asserts that religious and political values were highly influential in the shaping of colonial Virginia; however, the way in which these values permeated life and culture in Virginia varied significantly from the neighboring English colony of New England. Anyone who now visits a colonial settlement, such as the one we saw in St. Mary's City, can immediately distinguish several unique differences between the Chesapeake Region and New England. First, since those who settled in New England came to stay indefinitely, homes were built and communities structured with that in mind. In Virginia however, many colonists envisioned either returning to England someday, moving along with the arable land, or owning land after their indenture had expired. We saw examples of the Virginia House and other structures built hastily to fulfill a temporary need. Because Virginia and Southern Maryland were composed of primarily agrarian-based communities, homes were built farther apart and society was less centrally organized as in New England, where a close-knit society revolved around the church. At St. Mary's we also saw examples of another important component of Tidewater society: the ordinary. Ordinaries were small inns built in proximity to courthouses, county seats of government, or other central gathering places of law and business for the colonies. They were more than a convenient place to spend the night; they were a social center and a place to share and gather the latest news. My first impression was that the ordinary we visited seemed quite small to fit such a popular demand, but when compared to the average size of a dwelling during that time period, this inn was actually quite roomy. However, I cannot imagine paying good money to share possibly the tiniest hardest bed in the world with two complete strangers. If I wanted more luxurious accommodations, I would opt for the Van Sweringen House, where a spacious interior, large fireplace, and famous dining would attract Maryland's elite.

Throughout the reading and during our visit to St. Mary's City, I came across three principle characteristics of Virginia's developing cultural identity. The first was a common motive of Virginia's early settlers: wealth. The appeal of wealth drew to the New World the more intrepid and less ingrained members of the British middle classes. There was a disproportionately high number of young men in the colony, and the absence of family may have also contributed to the disjointed and isolated nature of early Virginia. Along with wealth came a persona of rugged individualism and chronic distrust of authority. Not only was there an atmosphere of isolation between plantations but also a separation between two distinctly disparate emerging social classes. There were those who were free and those who were dependent. This helped to fuel distrust of higher authority. Virginians also placed high value on property and individual liberty. Tobacco farming, as we discussed and saw firsthand at the Godiah Spray farm, actually characterized Virginia as having an industrial economy, rather than an agricultural one.
Looking at New England, one does not see the same characteristics, and for a good reason. The Puritans came from a higher social class and were not displaced from their land by the Enclosure Movement. New England communities were commanded by religion and held together by the family. These colonists came to stay for good, unlike their counterparts in Virginia.

In discussing the workings of Virginia society, Breen observes that neither education nor religion was as highly regarded as the military. Organization and protection from an armed body of troops was certainly desirable, yet for a number of reasons, Virginia struggled to raise a suitable militia. To attract potential soldiers, Virginia's leaders tried to make military life profitable-but when juxtaposed with tobacco profits, few bought it. They also had the option of hiring mercenaries or petitioning the king for royal troops, but neither of these options were very practical in the long-term. A fitting example is seen with the mobilization of New England's militias in comparison to Virginia's. Perhaps the strong sense of family and community was the reason why New England militias could effectively respond to the threat of Indian attack.

St. Mary's City bears the distinction of having the first printing press in the Southern Colonies, the first Catholic chapel in the colonies, and the first ordinary in Maryland. Perhaps ironically, the rigid structure of New England society did not allow for the relative gains made by minorities in the Chesapeake. The colony's policy of tolerance cracked opened the door for women and African Americans. Anthony Johnson, a former indentured servant, was able to defend his property in an all-white court. In the case of African Creoles, the association between race and slavery had not yet solidified, and as a result they were able to assimilate into the culture and socio-economic conditions of the European merchant middle class.

In addition, women were allowed limited autonomy to own and run ordinaries and oftentimes take over the family business when their spouse passed away. I am always interested to learn about these rare windows when the disparities between races and social groups become more amorphous.

It may have been a long way to drive, but our visit to St. Mary's City helped create a more encompassing and in-depth picture of the daily life, struggles, and motives of settlers in the Southern Colonies. Seeing history through the eyes of living historians, like Godiah Spray and his wife, and catching a glimpse of the archeological restoration of St. Mary's Chapel really helps make a distant place in time much more vivid and comprehensible.

Leonard Calvert founded St. Mary's city in Maryland in 1634. The current St. Mary's is still a thriving town similar to our Colonial Williamsburg – a reconstruction of what scholars believe the city may have looked like in its hay-day, with people hired to act as characters from the time period to help visitors interpret their reconstructed city.

The Statehouse, our first stop, is a crucifix-form popular in many colonial public buildings, particularly churches. The large portico served as a sifting-area for removing those who did not need to be present at the Statehouse or whose business was not the priority of the day. Directly across from the portico on the other side of the main room is the stair case leading to the roof. Therefore, the crucifix form was more of an aesthetic consideration rather than a functional one, but may suggest that the governors of St. Mary's led by divine/ecclesiastical authority.

St. Mary's City was the original colonial capital of Maryland and many visitors would travel to the town for a variety of reasons, mostly business. The Maryland legislature allowed households to set up inns for these travelers. Our next stop was the Garret Van Sweringer Ordinary. An Ordinary was the inns allowed by the Maryland legislature; the name implied that it was for use by ordinary people at ordinary prices. Van Sweringer's Ordinary however was very large and lavish with better food and rooms and more privacy than a typical ordinary – visitors paid the price too, for Van Sweringer's Ordinary was also more expensive than most.

The last stop at St. Mary's was the William Nuthead printing house. William Nuthead was the first printer in Maryland. Nuthead printed governmental documents, such as indentured servant contracts. William died in 1695 and the printing house was taken over by his wife, Dinah. Despite her illiteracy, Dinah Nuthead continued a successful business, even relocating the printing house to the new capital in Annapolis when it was moved from St. Mary's.

From St. Mary's we traveled to the Godiah Spray plantation. The Godiah Spray plantation is actually a reinterpretation of Robert Cole's plantation, but is called Godiah Spray. 'Godiah Spray' was a name equivalent to our 'John Doe' – it referred to unknown persons and the plantation is called such since the plantation also represents that of almost any plantation of the time.

Robert Cole was a Catholic Yeoman who traveled to Maryland with his wife and family in 1652/53. There, he became a successful and wealthy tobacco farmer with plenty of livestock and indentured servants. Robert Cole was certainly not the wealthiest tobacco farmer in Maryland, so why is he so important? In 1662, Cole traveled back to England, but before leaving, he composed a highly detailed inventory of his possessions (servants included) on the Plantation in case he died before he could return. Robert Cole did die in 1663, but the inventory survived and gives scholars an insight into what sort of supplies and manpower it took to run a colonial tobacco plantation. It is for this reason that the plantation is called 'Godiah Spray' instead of 'Robert Cole.'

The first stop we made in St. Mary's was the Statehouse, which served a dual purpose in the 17th century as both court and legislature. It was fairly accurately rebuilt, though not rebuilt with the knowledge of the present day. It is built in the shape of a cruciform, though never used as a church, and its cruciform layout served a different purpose. The wide, longer, central part of the building contained seating and tables, and was where business took place. On either side of this main room is a small area – one stair tower and one porch tower (or lobby) – which apart from serving their own purposes, also added an aesthetic symmetry to the building. The stair tower led to the second floor, while the porch tower served as a place to stand outside of the weather, but also as a way to decide who was to enter or remain outside.

After the statehouse we stopped by a private inn run by a Dutch immigrant named Garret Van Sweringer, which we compared to a public inn, or Ordinary, called Smith's Ordinary. As St. Mary's was the original colonial capitol, many people had to come to town for a variety of reasons, including court days. Because of the necessity of coming to the city, and the often long journey people had to make, the Maryland legislature granted permits to households to put travelers up for the night and set prices for food and beds. In return for this permit, the holders of these houses could not turn any person away from their home, providing they could pay. These inns were called Ordinaries, and they were meant for ordinary people who wanted to pay ordinary prices – at Smith's Ordinary the price of a bed for the night was 4 pounds of tobacco, and for a meal 6 pounds tobacco. Smith's Ordinary was set up to be a prosperous Ordinary with glass windows, furniture, several rooms and beds, but Ordinaries could also be the one room houses of the lowliest of planters. In contrast, Van Sweringer's Inn was private, more expensive, and would have offered more privacy, better food, and better company. Important British officials would have stayed there, though while in more remote parts of the colony they might have also had to stay in Ordinaries similar to Smith's Ordinary.

Our final stop in St. Mary's City was the William Nuthead Printing House. Nuthead set up shot in 1685 as the first printer in Maryland, and for a long time the only one. Printing was somewhat distrusted, as it was seen to facilitate the dissemination of potentially subversive literature. As a consequence to this notion about printing, the Nutheads (like other colonial printers) did not print creative materials or even newspapers, but instead catered to government needs and in doing so, at least partially insuring their survival. The largest portion of the Nuthead's work was printing government documents, such as contracts, where all that needed to be added in by an official was the name and date. After William Nuthead died in 1695, his wife Dinah took over the printing house and eventually moved with the colonial government to Annapolis. Documents left from her tenure as printer indicate that she was not in fact literate and signed her name with an X.

After leaving St. Mary's city, the final portion of our day was devoted to the Godiah Spray Plantation, which is based upon the tobacco plantation of Robert Cole. Robert Cole was a real person, while Godiah Spray was not, and this change in name caused me much grief in trying to figure out the rational before we arrived. In my searching to find out why the plantation was called Godiah Spray and not Robert Cole, I found much information on who Cole was and why he is so important, though not why it was not called Cole's Plantation. Robert Cole was a Catholic yeoman who came to Maryland with his family and wife Rebecca in either 1652 or 1653. He built up a fairly well to do plantation, complete with indentured servants and livestock where he grew tobacco and corn, and would have been a lot better off than most of his neighbors, though not anywhere near the top ten wealthiest Maryland tobacco planters of his day. After living in Maryland for about ten years, he decided to return for a short while to England in 1662. Knowing that the journey was very dangerous and worrying that he might not actually return, he wrote up a very detailed inventory of his possessions and instructions on what to do with his plantation should he die. By 1663, he did in fact die, leaving behind seven orphaned children (sometime before he wrote the inventory his wife had also died).

The fact that Robert Cole was a fairly prosperous planter is not in of itself so important, but his detailed inventory is. It gave a snapshot into what a planter of Cole's class would have owned, and what sort of hopes he would have for the continuation of his holdings. Based upon these records, the Godiah Spray plantation was built. As we found out during our trip, the plantation was called Godiah Spray, because during the 17th century, a Godiah Spray (such as in court documents) was our equivalent of a John Doe. Therefore, the Godiah Spray plantation is an "everyman's plantation," as what can best be determined from the records of Cole's estate.

However, we learned none of this while on the Spray Plantation. The interpreters there remained entirely in character while they showed us around their house, their garden, the tobacco barn and their four (big) piggies Rosemary, Pumpkin, Maisy and Scarlett. Spray's wife gave us a tour of their house, which she was obviously very proud of, as she had three glass windows and many imported goods from England which not only increased their comfort, but also displayed their status. She also showed us the garden which provided medicines, vegetables and herbs for the family, and their indentured servant showed us their seed tobacco plants which were full of worms and flowers. While telling us about what he had learned of the tobacco trade during his indenture, we also learned of his unhappiness as a servant, his anticipation of once again being a freeman, and his skepticism of the likelihood that he too would be a planter someday and make it rich off of tobacco. The addition of this indentured servant into the portrayal of the Spray plantation served to highlight the contrast between landed planters and their workforce, and at the same time raise the question as to whether the Godiah Spray Plantation was truly the "every-man's plantation," or only that of the lucky few well-to-do planters.

These men, as a group, are the Founding Fathers, though it is the younger generation that would finish the process of shaping and refining the government that was begun by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others. The first generation of the Founding Fathers (Washington, Jefferson, Adams, etc.) represented a subtle shift in the dynamic of leadership, but while they weren't the cream of the gentry class, they were still part of it and in some ways, the Revolution was a kind of dramatic exercise in social climbing. The second generation – Hamilton, Madison, Burr, Marshall – were much more likely to be social leapers than climbers.

The one major exception to this is Aaron Burr, whose background made him a member of the gentry without any caveat and whose attempts to follow the paths of the other "self-made men" of his generation kept him in dire straits. Gordon S. Wood considers Burr's unique position in post-Revolutionary America in "The Real Treason of Aaron Burr," which questions whether Burr's real treason was his defection from his class, rather than any incitement of civil war in the West. Nancy Isenburg explored the evidence for Burr's supposed treason in "Will O' Wisp Treason" from her book Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr (2007) and concluded that the evidence was largely circumstantial and that the treason he was being tried for had more to do with Jefferson's dislike than any real crime.

The treason trial of 1807 was the focus of our visit to Richmond, where John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, lived, and (perhaps more importantly) acquitted Burr of treason, in the face of overwhelming pressure from President Jefferson. John Marshall was a member of the same group of young officers who, following the Revolution, made names for themselves as political leaders in the new national order. Following the Revolution, Marshall began to practice law in Richmond, where he settled with his wife Mary Willis Ambler, a member of an established gentry family. His home, one of the first in the fashionable "Court End" of Richmond, is demonstrative of his rising social and political status, as it expanded and evolved to accommodate the need for more space and some control over the admission of visitors from the street while retaining its down-to-earth proportions and unpretentious styling – much as Marshall did himself.

The other house we visited during our trip to Richmond was the home of John Wickham, lawyer for the defense in the treason trial of Aaron Burr, who once hosted both Burr and Marshall for dinner in his home after Burr had been brought to Richmond to await trial. The home where that dinner was hosted, a respectable, but comparatively modest, wood structure, no longer stands and in its place is an elegant, impressive manor filled with rooms for public entertaining. Each room contains furniture, carpeting, and stylistic wall painting to reinforce Wickham's position as a man of prominence in the new republic. However, despite the fine furnishings, the story of the house's architect stood out to me as one of the most interesting things about the home.

Alexander Parris was not an architect, but was a housewright from Massachusetts, who eventually became a member of the group of influential architects who founded the American Institute of Architects. He had a significant impact on the style of the post-Revolutionary Era, but what are most interesting are the stories our guide described. According to our guide at the Wickham House, Parris' designs, while magnificent and on point with the message John Wickham was seeking to convey to all who passed by or entered, were flawed – before construction, the designs were given to Benjamin Henry Latrobe, one of the most respected architects of time. Latrobe gave the designs a harsh review, pointing out obvious errors in both form and style – from the orientation of the windows in one room to the shape of staircase in the foyer.

Latrobe's criticism of Parris's designs is a reminder that the men who were leading the country following the Revolution were learning to do so "on the job." They may have been trained in law or military strategy, but no studies could have prepared them for the practical application of those skills in the creation of entirely new government for a rapidly expanding country whose social and political systems were constantly in a state of unrest. Instead, they were forced to shape the institutions from what they knew and what they felt was best.

Ultimately, they were able to take the lead. Sheila Phipps paints a portrait of the settling social and political climate in "My Birthday-I Have Spent It Profitably," from her book, Genteel Rebel: The Life of Mary Greenhow Lee (2003). The last part of the article describes the building of Monumental Church in Richmond following a theater fire that claimed the lives of 72 people in 1811. Both Marshall and Wickham played an important role in the construction of the church, which has been preserved by the APVA (Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities). Their role in the church's construction and within the Richmond community is indicative of the position they held and the amount of change that had taken place in transforming them – John Marshall from his humble roots in Fauquier County and John Wickham from his Loyalist sympathies as a lawyer in New York – into the leaders of the new nation.

Maybe the world wasn't completely turned upside down, but it was certainly shaken a bit and then dropped back into place.