Montpelier 
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SOURCE: Christian Science Monitor
9/1/2022
New Approach at Montpelier: Let All Voices Rise
After a controversial battle over how to incorporate the descendants of people enslaved by James Madison, Montpelier is beginning to highlight artifacts—and the process of discovering them—related to the lives of enslaved people at the estate.
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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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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: 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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SOURCE: CBS News
10-29-17
James Madison's Montpelier explores its history of slaves
Montpelier was the Virginia home of James Madison, father of the Constitution and architect of the Bill of Rights. The plantation was also home to generations of slaves. Now, descendants have a chance to get in touch with their roots.
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SOURCE: The Washington Post
6-20-17
At James Madison’s home, slaves’ lives matter as much as the man who owned them
With the help of a $10 million gift from philanthropist David Rubenstein, the Montpelier staff has devoted new attention and resources to tell their story.
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SOURCE: ArtDaily
8-3-13
New evidence contributes to unprecedented portrait of enslaved life at James Madison's Montpelier
ORANGE, VA.- The Montpelier Foundation today announced findings from new archaeological excavations at the lifelong home of James Madison – Father of the Constitution, Architect of the Bill of Rights, and Fourth President of the United States. Discovered by teams of professional archaeology staff, students and visitors participating in special “Archaeology Expeditions,” two newly revealed subfloor pits provide an initial footprint for field slave quarters on the Montpelier landscape.“Montpelier is unique among archaeological sites in the United States with regards to our ability to recreate and visualize the experience of enslaved life,” said Matthew Reeves, Ph.D., Director of Archaeology and Landscape Restoration at James Madison’s Montpelier. “Because the fields have lain fallow since Madison’s time, the sites we are discovering are virtually undisturbed. We are meticulously documenting available evidence from the sites so we can begin to reconstruct the farm in a way that will authentically represent the complexity of life on the plantation.”...
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