4. James Madison
James Madison was born March 16, 1751, at his maternal grandparents’ plantation, Belle Grove, located in King George County, Virginia. When Nellie Madison and her new-born son were strong enough, they rejoined James Madison, Sr. at the family’s tobacco plantation in Orange County. The Madisons were a prominent family in a region that was one generation removed from frontier status, and James Madison grew up during the tumultuous years of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) and the subsequent colonial resistance to British rule. Madison’s first childhood home was likely a simple wooden structure built by his paternal grandparents, but around 1760 this house was replaced by the famous structure that still stands today in a picturesque wooded knoll at Montpelier.
-Andrew B. Leiter
Madison's birthplace was long ago lost to a fire. The historic marker stands at the side of a busy road, much as Jefferson's, but even less aesthetically interesting. There is the sign, a road, and some fields, but not much else. I tried some shots of the surrounding fields, the sky, and tree silhouettes, but nothing was really all that inspiring. Then, out of the tree-line walked a momma turkey and two little poults! On went the zoom lens before they scurried back into the thicket. I recalled hearing that Ben Franklin lobbied for the American Turkey to be our National bird instead of the Bald Eagle. As it turns out, this is a bit of a myth. However Franklin does say in a letter to his daughter that ". . . the Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. . . " I also took the opportunity to photograph at Madison's much better known home, Montpelier. What struck me most about this home was that just steps outside the residence--within earshot of where much of our Constitution was conceived-- are the remains of slave quarters. 12 of the first 18 presidents owned slaves. When walking the grounds of these sites this fact strikes you in a visceral way. After photographing the house, I walked down to the plantation's slave graveyard and made the image in the gallery above of the tree and shadow decisively dividing the frame in half.