Home to History

This weekend my wife and I enjoyed an extended trip to Charlottesville, Virginia where we visited two of the historical sites located in the area, homes to our nation’s earliest leaders. Montpelier is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and was the lifelong home of James Madison, Father of the Constitution and fourth President of the United States. Monticello, the plantation home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, sits on a mountaintop overlooking the city. Both homes feature a state-of-the-art visitor center and engaging guided tours of the respective mansions. While the houses and grounds were certainly intriguing, I was most impressed by the leadership qualities of their respective occupants.

James Madison was intellectually brilliant, well-educated, and versed in multiple languages. His extensive research and thoughtful writings in preparation for debates about the Articles of Confederation led to the eventual adoption of our nation’s first constitution. He helped inspire American citizens to support and ratify the Constitution through the publication of many of his papers on the subject. As a leader in Congress he introduced the Bill of Rights, and ensured it would pass. As president, he guided the young nation through it’s first war, demonstrating that this new form of government could survive.

Thomas Jefferson believed that reason and knowledge could improve the human condition. He studied science, was an art enthusiast, shaped public architecture, and contributed to horticulture, paleontology, archeology, astronomy, and more. In his retirement years he founded and designed the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. His 33 years of public service included serving as a delegate to the Virginia General Assembly and Congress, as governor of Virginia, as minister to France, secretary of state, vice-president, and president for two terms.

The contributions these two men made to the history of our nation is undisputed. Their character and intellect helped shape the debates over how our country would be organized and governed. Yet the things I learned on my visit that were just as important to their leadership identities included the many times they failed in their efforts as plantation farmers, how long it took each of them to build and rebuild their homes, and how conflicted they both were about the enslaved families who helped them to run their homes and farm the land. Both men endured difficult family issues and neither ended up as successful businessmen.

As I stood in the rooms where these leaders studied, entertained, and managed their plantation businesses I couldn’t help but sense a new appreciation for their accomplishments. I wondered what advice they might offer to our current crop of national leaders who have lost touch with the original intent of Jefferson and Madison’s grand design for our nation. Perhaps each of them should spend some time at home with history as I did this weekend. Monticello and Montpelier would be good places to start.