Book Review: Founding Rivals by Chris DeRose

Founding Rivals by Chris DeRose
Unabridged, 9 hr. 41 min.
Tantor Audio
Adam Verner (Narrator)
April 23, 2012
★★★★☆

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Source: Downloaded audiobook from Audible

“In 1789, James Madison and James Monroe ran against each other for Congress—the only time that two future presidents have contested a congressional seat.

But what was at stake, as author Chris DeRose reveals in Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election That Saved a Nation, was more than personal ambition. This was a race that determined the future of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the very definition of the United States of America.

Friends and political allies for most of their lives, Madison was the Constitution’s principal author, Monroe one of its leading opponents. Monroe thought the Constitution gave the federal government too much power and failed to guarantee fundamental rights. Madison believed that without the Constitution, the United States would not survive.

It was the most important congressional race in American history, more important than all but a few presidential elections, and yet it is one that historians have virtually ignored. In Founding Rivals, DeRose, himself a political strategist who has fought campaigns in Madison and Monroe’s district, relives the campaign, retraces the candidates’ footsteps, and offers the first insightful, comprehensive history of this high-stakes political battle.”

While I know a lot about James Madison, I know comparatively virtually nothing about James Monroe prior to his presidency. In Founding Rivals, DeRose takes a look at these two figures in the lead up to their presidencies and how they truly became rivals in politics. These two men were Founding Fathers of the Constitution and the formation of the early government of the United States.

These men were not always rivals; early on they were colleagues until their political ideologies began to differ. This would ultimately lead to their competition with each other for the same Congressional seat. It was interesting to get into the mindset of politics of the time and see how different politicking is today.

This book just barely touches upon their presidencies – the primary focus is their early days in politics and military. It is designed to give you a build up to their Congressional competition and place these men in their respective situations. While not a presidential biography, read in association with a strict presidential biography this book lends a lot to the discussion and understanding of these men.

★★★★☆

This wasn’t a poorly produced audio production, but it was a book that probably would have worked better in print. There were stretches that were a little boring to listen to, tedious details and such. There were two very interesting scenes that stood out in the audio – a stormy night when the Virginia delegates were hearing and discussing the Constitution as well as the campaigning for the Congressional seat.

Author Chris DeRose also has written two other presidential themed books: Congressman Lincoln and The Presidents’ War: Six American Presidents and the Civil War that Divided Them. You can visit the author’s blog for additional information about the books.

It might be interesting to note, there was a little scandal surrounding the publishing of this book. Apparently the author failed to attribute some statistical data to another author who had previously published a similar book. Attributions have since been made, but it made for an interesting read, since we discuss plagiarism in the blog world all the time.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Presidential History Geeks
• The Federalist

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

James Madison’s Montpelier Tour App

When I saw this app I knew that I just had to share it with you all – it would have been awesome if 1) I had an iphone and 2) if this had come out back it May when I was on vacation.

There is now an app for Montpelier! It is called the James Madison’s Montpelier Tour App. Here is the description of what this app has to offer:

“The app offers estate and virtual visitors a lot of interesting and helpful features, such as detailed information about objects they see in the mansion (such as a chess set like the one James Madison and his best friend, Thomas Jefferson, used in their epic chess duels). An interactive map show attractions, such as the Gilmore Cabin and the Children’s Getaway Room. It gives the locations and information about buildings that were part of the estate during Madison’s time, too. The app is packed with photos, audio and video files, including a special greeting from James and Dolley. It’s an in-depth experience visitors can enjoy at or away from Montpelier.” (From the James Madison’s Montpelier blog)

If you are planning on making a trip to Montpelier or just want a more in-depth virtual tour, check this app out! They are working on making an Android app and if you go and don’t have an iphone they have ipods that you can borrow that are loaded with the app.  I plan on taking a look at this app when it becomes available for the Android.

I hope that more historic attractions come out with content like this.

You can get this app through itunes – it’s free!  On itunes you can also see many more screenshots.

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Visiting Montpelier–A Virtual Tour

I know I have said this many times before, but one of my most desired historical places to visit is Montpelier, the home of President James and First Lady Dolley Madison. I finally had the opportunity to visit on an absolutely gorgeous Virginia day in May. I couldn’t have asked for better weather and my boyfriend was a great sport through the whole thing. Below I will attempt to give you a little bit of a tour of our trip. I’m going to warn you up front that this post may take on the tendency to ramble because I’m still having trouble composing coherent thoughts about this trip even after a month of being home.

Driving up the driveway I was so excited because this is the place I had always wanted to go and the home is so beautiful and set on an amazing landscape. The views from this place can really take you breath away as you look out toward the mountains. As you enter the property you drive past a horse racetrack which I was very confused by. But apparently the Dupont’s, particularly daughter, Marion DuPont Scott, who later owned the house after the Madison family sold it, used to own racehorses. That was a kind of cool piece of trivia. Each year the Montpelier Hunt Race is held there at the property. I also found that there is a small, secluded cemetery for 3 of the DuPont’s favorite racehorses (Battleship, Annapolis, and Accra) – that you won’t find on the Montpelier map anywhere! You can learn more about the DuPont/Montpelier horse connection here.

When you arrive you first go to the Visitor Center where you can view the Madison Exhibit and the DuPont Exhibit. You can also take in a short introductory film about the Madison’s and their estate. As you exit the theatre you begin the short walk up to the home. Guided tours of the main floor of the home are scheduled to coincide with the departure of each group from the theatre. I was a little surprised by the state of the home – however I didn’t realize how much renovation it is still going through.

When the DuPont’s made their home at Montpelier they added 50 (that’s right, 50!) additional rooms on to this house. Once the historical society was granted the property they decided that they would be able to pull down all of these additional rooms and restore the home to its original state as it would be when the Madison’s lived there around the time of his presidency. Amazingly so much of the original structure was preserved and features that had been taken down had been put into storage on the property and were able to be salvaged. So while the physical construction work is complete, they are now currently undergoing a major search for the furniture and decorations that would have graced these rooms. You can read more about the exterior restoration here and the ongoing interior restoration here.

So, the inside leaves a little bit to be desired in some places. Dolley’s entertaining room is beautifully refurbished just as it would have been, even down to the placing of the paintings. It was a little weird to see cardboard cutouts of Dolley, James, Thomas Jefferson, et al at the dining table; it felt a little out of place. As you move upstairs there is still much unfurnished. They are primarily using this space for special exhibitions right now. We went at just the wrong time as there wasn’t currently an exhibition. The day before they had taken down the Dolley Madison fashion exhibit (I was SO disappointed when they said that – by one day!) and were working on setting up the bicentennial exhibition for the War of 1812.
Beyond the house there are many other fascinating stops if you have the time. Right out the back is a bronze statue of James and Dolley. You can also take a walk through the DuPont’s garden – they redesigned the original Madison gardens. Right near the entry to the garden is the Cedar of Lebanon tree that was one of the seedlings that Lafayette gave to Madison upon his return trip to the US. This tree is absolutely massive; my photos do not do it justice. You can also walk down to Madison’s Temple. Apparently beneath this temple is the icehouse. It overlooks a beautiful pond, the front grounds of Montpelier and off to the side is the aforementioned horse cemetery.

After we got our fill of the house and the immediate grounds we headed off on a walk toward the front of the property. First we encountered an active archeological dig site. There is the archaeology lab toward the rear of the property where you can look at some of the million or so artifacts that have been found on the property that belonged to the Madison’s. Most of the artifacts have come from the slave quarters or an area known as “Dolley’s Midden” or trash heap. There are five archaeological sites on the property: the mansion and yard, Mount Pleasant site (more on that in a minute), work complex, Gilmore Cabin Freedman’s Farm, and Confederate winter camp sites. They were currently working on the field slave quarters when we were there. You can keep up with the archaeological progress at their blog.

After passing the active site you come to the Mount Pleasant site. This is where the original Madison family home had been built by James’ grandfather, Ambrose. There are not any buildings above the ground, they buried over them to protect the site while they are waiting to have more of a chance for excavation. It is just nicely mown grass with a few signs right now. You can check out this aerial photograph of what the site looked like when some of it was excavated and the locations of the buildings.

The most poignant moment of the visit for me was the time we spent at the Madison cemetery. Beyond James and Dolley, his siblings and their descendants, his parents, and grandparents are buried here – although many are in unmarked graves. We were the only ones visiting the cemetery at the time at it was quiet and respectful. James’ gravestone you cannot miss – it is a giant obelisk, however it is very reserved. There is just the word, Madison, on it. Dolley’s grave, also marked by an obelisk but smaller, is directly behind James’. After we left the Madison cemetery we walked over to the slave cemetery. Located at the edge of the woods it is non-descript. The graves are only marked by infrequent head and foot field stones and the grave depressions.

That essentially rounded out our trip. It was so beautiful and enjoyable. I recommend you drop by it if you ever get the chance. You won’t be disappointed. I have linked to many of the interesting resource pages from the Montpelier website but certainly feel free to check it out yourself as there is SO much information to explore.

All the photos on this page were taken by me during our visit.


Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court