rk (he studied ancient constitutions and civilizations for over a year in preparation for the Convention) attacked from every side, he had to change his strategy and give up almost half of what he wanted. Out of 70 proposals, he only won 29. What is amazing is that he not only persevered, but that he eventually helped write the Federalist Papers to try to convince the states to adopt a Constitution which he believed was far inferior to the original vision of the national government he had designed in the Virginia Plan. He was both a "Drafter" of the original blueprint and a "Designer" of what the Constitution ended up becoming. Hence, he is known as the "Father of the Constitution."
In the afternoon, we had a discussion section where we examined Madison's "Vices of the Political System of the United States," and worked in groups to see if we could see where Madison had fixed or addressed these Vices in the Virginia Plan. Then after dinner we heard a fabulous lecture by Beth Taylor, who used to be the Education Coordinator at Montpelier and is now an independent scholar. She told us the story of Paul Jennings, one of Madison's most trusted slaves. She is almost done writing a book about the life of Paul Jennings and I can't wait to buy it when it's published. I sat rapt as she wove the amazing story of his life and showed us fascinating pictures on a PowerPoint. Paul Jennings's life was the story of the "pursuit to rise." Dolley Madison broke her promise to free him after James Madison's death. Daniel Webster paid the purchase price for his freedom. Jennings also played a role in leading 70 of George Washington's slaves to freedom. He also lived in an integrated community in Washington, DC.
Paul Jennings was with James Madison when he died. TODAY, June 28, is actually the 174th anniversary of James Madison's death. Today, when I toured the house, I was in the very room in which he died 174 years ago. He died in 1836 at the age of 85. If he had hung on for 6 more days and died on July 4th, he would have shared a July 4th death date with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. But Madison was young at the time of the Declaration of Independence, so I think the Constitution was more important to him than the Declaration and July 4th. Sadly but interestingly enough, Senator Robert Byrd also died this morning, June 28th. Senator Byrd was the longest serving Senator in U.S. history. He was elected for a record 9 terms (remember Senators' term lengths are 6 years long!!). Senator Byrd also played a key role in establishing Constitution Day on September 17th every year. He was a big supporter of educating citizens about the Constitution. Beth Taylor, who lectured about Paul Jennings, said that had he known he was going to die today, she thinks Robert Byrd would have gotten a kick out of dying on the same day as James Madison, Father of the Constitution.
Posted by JENNIFER MITNICK at 6/27/2010 10:00:00 PM
I am now at Montpelier! It has been a very long day, but I wanted to be sure to write a short blog entry so you (my students) can stay up-to-date with what I've already begun learning here. My drive down to Virginia from Pittsburgh was long, but easy. On the way I passed two roads named "Lover's Lane" and "Dirt Road" (I'm not making this up!). I thought you'd find that funny. The whole drive down I had bright, sunny weather. Literally, the moment I turned into the drive of Montpelier, the rain began and a huge summer downpour commenced. Before the rain, it was 96 degrees outside and then the rain brought the temperature down into the 80s. Montpelier, the name of James Madison's house and estate, is located in Orange County, Virginia. Orange County was named after Prince William III of Orange, a famous Protestant King of Great Britain and Ireland. However, the name is quite appropriate because the soil here has a distinctly bright orange color (almost like the color of rust, but bright orange). I'll try to take a picture of it to show you tomorrow if it's sunny. After dinner, we heard two short lectures - one by Will Harri