VOICE ONE:
The American state of Virginia is sometimes called the Mother ofPresidents. Eight American Presidents were born there. I’m SteveEmber.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Shirley Griffith. The Virginia home of President JamesMadison — Montpelier (mont-PEEL-yer) — is our report today on theVOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
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VOICE ONE:
Montpelier is a huge property in the middle of Virginia’s farmcountry. The property covers more than one-thousand-one-hundredhectares of land. Montpelier is about one-hundred-thirty kilometerssouth of Washington, D-C. The Madison home is a short drive fromVirginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. It also is only about forty-fivekilometers from Monticello, the home of President Thomas Jefferson.
James Madison was the fourth President of the United States. Heis known as the Father of the American Constitution. Mister Madisonwrote the first plan for union of the new nation. He also was mainlyresponsible for the first ten amendments to the Constitution, knownas the Bill of Rights.
VOICE TWO:
This year, Americans are observing the two-hundred-fiftiethanniversary of James Madison’s birth. He was born at Port Conway,Virginia, on March Sixteenth, Seventeen-Fifty-One. Young James grewup in Orange County, on the Madison family home at Montpelier. JamesMadison’s grandfather, Ambrose Madison, first settled the land inSeventeen-Twenty-Three.
James spent the first nine years of his life in a house built byhis grandfather. James Madison’s father built the main house atMontpelier in about Seventeen-Sixty. The family moved there a shorttime later.
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VOICE ONE:
James Madison was the oldest child in a family of twelvechildren. He was educated at home and at schools in Virginia untilhe was eighteen years old. Then he attended the College of NewJersey, now called Princeton University. James completed his collegeeducation in just two years. He stayed in New Jersey almost one yearlonger for independent studies.
James Madison returned to Montpelier in Seventeen-Seventy-Two. Hewas unsure of his future. He considered and then rejected positionsin law, religion or business.
Tensions between Britain and its American colonies increased inthe early Seventeen-Seventies. This is about the time that JamesMadison’s political activism began. He served in local governmentbefore being elected to Virginia’s first House of Delegates. Therehe helped to write a new state constitution.
VOICE TWO:
Mister Madison represented Virginia at the Second ContinentalCongress during the American war of independence. After the war, heattended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniain Seventeen-Eighty-Seven. Mister Madison successfully proposed thecreation of a strong central government. He led efforts in Virginiaand other states to approve the proposal. He helped write TheFederalist, a series of reports explaining the strength of theproposed Constitution.
After the Constitution was approved, Mister Madison continued asa leading member of the new federal government. He was elected tothe first Congress. He led the fight to approve the first tenamendments to the constitution – the Bill of Rights. A few yearslater, he and Thomas Jefferson formed the political party knowntoday as the Democratic Party.
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VOICE ONE:
While in Congress, James Madison met a young woman named DolleyPayne Todd. Her husband had died from yellow fever the year before.Mister Madison proposed marriage to the young woman a short timeafter they met. They were married on September fifteenth,Seventeen-Ninety-Four.
Dolley Madison often seemed larger in life than her famoushusband. James was a small, quiet man. His wife was best known forher friendliness and for organizing large parties. Their marriagelasted forty-one years. But they had no children. James Madison leftCongress in Seventeen-Ninety-Seven. He and Dolly retired toMontpelier. The retirement did not last long, however. ThomasJefferson became President in Eighteen-Oh-One. Mister Jeffersonappointed his friend James Madison as Secretary of State. MisterMadison served as America’s top diplomat for eight years.
VOICE TWO:
The Jefferson presidency was a period of growth for the newnation. In Eighteen-Oh-Three, the American government agreed to payFrance about fifteen-million dollars for a huge piece of land. Thisagreement was called the Louisiana Purchase. It increased the areaof the United States by one-hundred percent.
However, there were some problems. Secretary of State Madisonfailed to force France and Great Britain to honor the rights ofAmericans on the high seas. Trade relations with these nations wasthe government’s biggest problem when James Madison became Presidentin Eighteen-Oh-Nine.
President Madison served for eight years. He led the UnitedStates through the War of Eighteen-Twelve. British troops invadedthe country and burned Washington. The war ended in Eighteen-Fifteenwith an American victory.
VOICE ONE:
President Madison’s second term in office ended inEighteen-Seventeen. He and Dolley returned home to Montpelier. Theformer President remained active and interested in politics. Hefounded a group to help free slaves and transport them to Africa. Healso took part in Virginia’s constitutional convention inEighteen-Twenty-Nine.
James Madison died at Montpelier on June twenty-eighth,Eighteen-Thirty-Six. He was eighty-five. His wife Dolley diedthirteen years later. They are buried on the property.
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VOICE TWO:
Today, Montpelier is a peaceful place. However, it hasexperienced many changes over the years. Two hundred years ago, theMadisons had about one-hundred slaves. Some worked in the fields oron the grounds. Others did housework.
In Seventeen-Sixty, Montpelier’s main building started as aneight-room home. It had four rooms on the first floor, and four onthe second floor. James Madison made two major additions andstructural changes to his father’s home. He built private areas forfamily use. He also united existing rooms to create larger, publicspaces for dinners and parties.
VOICE ONE:
Dolley Madison sold Montpelier to a friend inEighteen-Forty-Four, eight years after her husband died. Theproperty had five other owners before it was bought by William andAnnie duPont in Nineteen-Oh-One.
The duPonts enlarged the main building to its present size. Theirdaughter, Marion duPont Scott, added two large tracks for horseracing. The home remained in the duPont family untilNineteen-Eighty-Three. Then it was given to the National Trust forHistoric Preservation. Montpelier was opened to the public inNineteen-Eighty-Seven. Last year, an independent group called theMontpelier Foundation accepted responsibility for the property.
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VOICE TWO:
This music was recorded at Montpelier a few years ago. One of theinstruments, the crystal flute, belonged to President Madison.
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VOICE ONE:
Today, James Madison’s Montpelier includes more thanone-hundred-thirty buildings, a large flower garden and farmland.Some trees on the grounds were alive when James Madison was alive.The James Madison Landmark Forest includes eighty hectares of woodedland near the back of the property. It is recognized as the bestexample of an old-growth forest in central Virginia.
In March, Montpelier launched a year-long celebration of the lifeof James Madison. The main building now has two rooms with furnitureused by the Madisons and other objects from the period. In anotherroom, visitors can see a film about the President’s life.
In April, family members of slaves who once worked at Montpeliergathered for their first meeting ever. The visitors could see wherethe former slaves are buried. Plans are currently being made for theobservance of Constitution Day, a national holiday in September.Officials are inviting members of the United States armed forces toMontpelier to honor the Father of the Constitution.
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written and produced by George Grow. Our studioengineer was Keith Holmes. I’m Shirley Griffith.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.