James Madison

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• SOURCE: Virginia Mercury
  6/2/2022
  

  Why the Voices of the Enslaved's Descendants Matter at Montpelier and Other Historic Sites

  by Stephen P. Hanna, Amy Potter and Derek H. Alderman

  Descendant communities have put themselves front and center in discussions of how to discuss slavery at public monuments to the nation's founders, which is vital to ensuring that the significance of slavery is not minimized. 

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• 6/5/2022
  

  What Would Madison Think of Originalism? Depends When You Asked Him

  by Don Fraser

  James Madison moved away from a strict constructionist position based on public necessity and acceptance of legislation based in implied powers. Whatever one can say about the originalist legal theory behind the leaked Dobbs opinion, it's not Madisonian. 

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• SOURCE: Washington Post
  5/16/2022
  

  Inside the Reversal of the Montpelier Board

  The board approved the appointment of 11 members nominated by the Montpelier Descendants Committee, and the resignation of the board chair who led the resistance to the appointments is pending. 

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• SOURCE: Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
  3/16/2022
  

  Montpelier Board Appoints 11 Members from Descendants Committee

  The move may finally deliver on the board's promise to grant parity in the governance of the James Madison estate to the descendants of persons enslaved at Montpelier. 

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• SOURCE: James Madison's Montpelier
  4/27/2022
  

  Montpelier Board Pushes Back Against Accusation they Excluded Descendants' Committee Leadership

  The Montpelier Foundation board argues that the organization representing the descendants of those enslaved at James Madison's estate has rejected good faith cooperation in order to score political points in the latest escalation of the battle over how the Founder's relationship to slavery should be portrayed. 

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• SOURCE: Richmond Times-Dispatch
  4/19/2022
  

  Reversal on Power-Sharing Shows Montpelier Really Wants to Stop Talking About Slavery

  by Michael Paul Williams

  “They wanted to yank the narrative of Montpelier away from slavery, despite all of their protestations to the contrary,” said board member James French, chair of the Montpelier Descendants Committee.

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• SOURCE: NPR
  4/20/2022
  

  Montpelier Descendants Call Foul on Board over Firings

  The firing of three senior staff members who support the involvement of the Montpelier Descendants Committee in the public presentation of James Madison's estate, and the slavery practiced there, has raised questions about whether Montpelier is committed to historical honesty. 

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• SOURCE: Washington Post
  4/18/2022
  

  Montpelier Staffers: We Were Fired for Backing Descendants' Group

  The firings suggest that there is a backlash by members of the Montpelier board against recent changes in the presentation of James Madison's participation in slavery. 

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• SOURCE: National Trust for Historic Preservation
  4/18/2022
  

  National Trust Condemns Actions Against Staff at Montpelier

  "The National Trust strongly condemns these actions against highly regarded and nationally recognized professionals, which will impede the effective stewardship of Montpelier and diminish important public programming at this highly significant historic site."  

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• SOURCE: Washington Post
  4/5/2022
  

  WaPo Editorial: Montpelier Estate Board Shredding Agreement to Include Descendants of Enslaved in Decisionmaking

  The Post Editorial Board says "Montpelier has a problem. It has gone from being a model for other such sites nationwide to being an embarrassment."

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• SOURCE: Washington Post
  3/25/2022
  

  Madison's Montpelier Board Strips Power from Enslaved Descendants' Group

  "Matt Reeves, the director of archaeology said he fears the effort to cut off the committee is aimed at undoing years of progress in conveying a more honest and complete view of history. 'They really want a narrative that’s restricted to nothing that’s negative about James Madison'.”

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• SOURCE: Cultural Heritage Partners
  3/25/2022
  

  Montpelier Board Abandons Promises to Descendants of Enslaved

  by Montpelier Descendants Committee

  Montpelier Descendants' Committee founder James French contends that the group "will not be deterred from our mission to contribute to uniting the country by telling a more complete and truthful history of our founding, including the full role of its indispensable ‘invisible founders'.”

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• SOURCE: Washington Post
  3/13/2022
  

  What if the Constitution is the Source of Democratic Erosion?

  by Noah Feldman

  James Madison feared from the beginning that the design of the US Senate was contrary to the core principles of a democratic republic. A Harvard Law professor says that if the nation can survive with a fundamentally undemocratic institution at the heart of the government, partisan gerrymandering might not be too bad. 

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• SOURCE: New York Times
  11/12/2021
  

  Bouie: Let's Remember the "Guarantee" Clause

  by Jamelle Bouie

  Article IV requires the federal government to guarantee a republican form of government in every state; James Madison's writings in the Federalist and John Marshall Harlan's dissent in Plessy should be touchstones for reviving the influence of the clause.

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• 3/7/2021
  

  Was Madison Mistaken?

  by Carl Pletsch

  The divisive Trump years have called the wisdom of the Framers into question, but the author contends that James Madison in particular anticipated how a republic would be challenged by partisanship and designed one that could withstand that challenge (he just never claimed it would be easy). 

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• SOURCE: Esquire
  9/1/2020
  

  The Reckoning With Our History Is Not Just About Smashed Statues

  by Charles P. Pierce

  Political commentator Charles Pierce reflects on efforts to update the visiting experience at James Madison's Montpelier estate to better address the work and lives of enslaved people there. 

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• 8/23/2020
  

  James Madison’s Last Stand: Are We Witnessing the End of Liberal Democracy?

  by Richard Matthews

  The Trump presidency is a stern test of James Madison's design for a government that could govern without becoming tyrannical. The people and the ballot may be the last of Madison's checks and balances left. 

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• Madison’s Sorrow Goes Beyond Pompeo's Dinners

  by Kevin C. O'Leary

  We are stuck with two major parties and when one party abandons the broad liberal-conservative center, the system stops working.

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• 4/26/2020
  

  Historic Houses Turn to Technology Amid COVID-19 Closures

  by Hana Hancock

  Historic home sites have responded to the COVID crisis by developing online exhibits. More work remains to be done, and many cultural and historical institutions are in financial peril from the crisis, reports HNN's Social Media Editor. 

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• 4/21/19
  

  Slavery and the Electoral College: One Last Response to Sean Wilentz

  by Alan Singer

  As historians and public figures, we have an obligation to defend democratic institutions and expose vestigial anti-democratic elements like the Electoral College that threaten democracy, which includes a careful examination of their origin and history.