Virginia

Three Friends: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe

Program No. 9113RJ
Dive into history as you explore the legacies of three early American presidents, discovering historic architecture, period music, stunning artwork and a living-history presentation.

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At a Glance

Explore the friendship among three U.S. presidents — Jefferson, Madison, Monroe — as you journey back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the time when these great men lived, worked, laughed and loved. Learn about their personal stories and the historic events that drew them together, explore their views on contemporary issues such as religion and slavery and delve into the lasting contributions each made to our nation.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles per day; some uneven terrain and stairs.

What You'll Learn

  • Visit the historic homes of these American patriarchs — Jefferson's Monticello, Monroe's Highland and Madison's Montpelier.
  • Investigate the connection between Jefferson's educational vision and design of his university while strolling the grounds with an expert.
  • Enjoy an evening of music from the period in which these men lived, and meet one of them in an interactive living-history presentation.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Profile Image
Dennis Bigelow
For more than a decade, Dennis Bigelow has interpreted the character of President James Monroe for the College of William & Mary at Highland, Monroe's home in Albemarle County, Virginia. He has performed at the White House, Colonial Williamsburg, the Virginia State House, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and other venues. He shares ancestral grandparents with Thomas Jefferson through the Randolph family as well as Chief Justice John Marshall, a great friend of Monroe and a maternal ancestral uncle.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Dennis Bigelow
Dennis Bigelow View biography
For more than a decade, Dennis Bigelow has interpreted the character of President James Monroe for the College of William & Mary at Highland, Monroe's home in Albemarle County, Virginia. He has performed at the White House, Colonial Williamsburg, the Virginia State House, the National Archives, the Smithsonian, and other venues. He shares ancestral grandparents with Thomas Jefferson through the Randolph family as well as Chief Justice John Marshall, a great friend of Monroe and a maternal ancestral uncle.
Profile Image of Miranda Burnett
Miranda Burnett View biography
Miranda Burnett, research librarian for the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, received an MA in French from the University of South Carolina, and — after teaching high school French and Latin for a few years — earned an MS in library and information science at FSU. She moved to the Charlottesville area in 2008, becoming involved with the Scottsville Museum. She joined JMRL in 2016 as a substitute reference librarian, moving to Northside Library as a reference librarian in 2017 before accepting the position of historical collections librarian.
Profile Image of Gaye Wilson
Gaye S. Wilson View biography
Gaye Wilson is a senior fellow with the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, the academic branch of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello. Over 25 years, she has researched, written, and published papers on Jefferson's America and the times and the people involved in the founding of the early American republic. Her latest book, 'Jefferson on Display: Attire, Etiquette, and the Art of Presentation,' was published by the University of Virginia Press in 2018.
Profile Image of Su Tarr
Su Tarr's musical talents have been obvious from childhood when she won a concerto competition at the age of 9 and played with the Cleveland Symphony. As an adult, she has played in the Charleston, Huntington (WVA), and Richmond Symphonies. Su has been a balladeer in Colonial Williamsburg since 1997. She is well known in Virginia as a singer and fiddler for Southern Horizon, a group which performs music of the American Civil War. Altogether, Su has been performing for over 42 years.
Profile Image of Bethany McGlyn
Bethany McGlyn View biography
Bethany McGlyn is a Ph.D. student and Jefferson Scholars Foundation Fellow at the University of Virginia studying slavery, craft labor, and material culture in the 18th-century American South and Atlantic World. She holds an M.A. from the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program in American Material Culture and has worked in curatorial departments at Historic Rock Ford, Historic Annapolis, the National Parks Service, and Winterthur.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
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4 days
3 nights
8 meals
3 B 2 L 3 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Three Presidents
Charlottesville
D
Hyatt Place Charlottesville

Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:00-5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any up-updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Your program materials will be sent to you a few days before the program, digitally, through your roadscholar.org account. This includes your program itinerary, any related handouts, and restaurant/free time suggestions. Please plan to print them out and bring along to the program, utilize the hotel’s business center to access them, or view them on your own personal electronic device. Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions you may have. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: In a private dining room at the hotel.

Evening: With a local expert, we will get a lively and detailed introduction to three Presidents from Virginia: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. We’ll learn fascinating details of their public and private lives as well as their friendships and their world. We’ll also examine the activities and contributions of the “Founding Fathers” to America from the colonial era through the Revolutionary War, and development of the young republic from the Constitution to the Monroe Doctrine.

DAY
2
Noble Triumvirate, Montpelier, Highland, Enslaved Families
Charlottesville
B,L,D
Hyatt Place Charlottesville

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 70 miles, approximately 2 hours riding time. Walking up to 1 mile and standing for considerable periods; second floor of Montpelier reachable only by stairs.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will gather for a lecture by a published expert on the social order and lifestyles of Virginia’s landed gentry — including our three Presidents — and “a society to our taste.” We’ll learn about life on plantations and estates far from the colonial hub of Williamsburg, Jefferson’s conceptions of the ideal society, and how he encouraged and supported his friends in joining that rare circle. Next, we will board our motorcoach and ride to Montpelier, home of James and Dolly Madison. Our field trip will include a special presentation on highlights of Montpelier and an expert-led walk of about an hour with a lot of standing time through select rooms of the restored mansion and grounds. Montpelier was owned by the Madison family for more than 120 years. We will learn about the three stages of construction during their tenure as well as various renovations completed by succeeding owners, including the du Pont family. The restoration of the house itself took place from 2003 to 2008, and efforts are now underway to furnish it to reflect its occupation by James and Dolly Madison after his retirement from the Presidency. As the second floor is reachable only by stairs, the Education Center provides an alternative for those preferring something less physically demanding.

Lunch: At the Visitor Center’s Courtyard Café adjacent to the du Pont Gallery, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will have free time for a self-guided exploration of the Education Center, grounds and Visitor Center. Next, we will drive through the Piedmont countryside to Highland, home of James Monroe. This small dwelling is an interesting contrast to the stately mansions of Monroe's friends and neighbors. Recent archaeology has determined that the current structure was a guest residence and that Monroe's home was a much larger nearby building that no longer exists. Information on these finds will be provided during the visit. Discover how the existing house has evolved through the centuries with different owners. Explore the elegantly furnished rooms of this guest cottage, including the study and children's room added during the tenure of the Monroes on the plantation from 1799-1828. Stroll the grounds to see the gardens, reconstructed slave quarters, and original Overseer's Cottage while taking in the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: With the Albemarle County Historical Society, we'll take a closer look at the lives of the enslaved families who labored on James Monroe's Highland estate, their eventual sale and forced relocation to Casa Bianca in central Florida, and the two communities which sprang from their descendants.

DAY
3
Plantation Community, UVA, Monticello, Period Music
Charlottesville
B,L,D
Hyatt Place Charlottesville

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 16 miles, approximately 45 minutes riding time. Walking up to 2 miles; paved walkways, dirt paths, stairs.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will gather for a lecture on the self-contained world of plantation life, where a few lived in comfort supported by the many who labored in the fields and homes under the yoke of slavery. To separate fact from fiction, romanticized mythology from reality, a local expert will discuss issues such as family life, education, leisure, and other aspects of the parallel cultures on the plantation. We will also gain a sense of the contrasts between this elaborate and complicated lifestyle and the much simpler homesteads maintained by the vast majority of early American farmers. We will also have an illustrated overview of the University of Virginia (UVA), which, along with Monticello, is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. Next, we will board a motorcoach for a field trip to UVA, founded by Jefferson in 1819. He considered the creation of this “academical village” one of his greatest achievements. Led by an expert, we’ll walk through the grounds to observe the impressive Rotunda and Lawn, both designed by Jefferson. We’ll grasp Jefferson’s vision of higher education as it unfolds in the layout of the classroom and residential buildings, student housing on the Lawn and Ranges, still in use today. We’ll also take in the gardens, serpentine wall, and pavilions, all part of Jefferson’s design and a model for university design throughout the country. The UVA field trip includes an extended walk on the grounds that are terraced with steps between levels. Participants who do not want to negotiate the steps can explore the top terrace around the Rotunda until the walk concludes. At the conclusion of our exploration, we will ride to Monticello.

Lunch: At Monticello, we will have box lunches. You may sit indoors or outdoors (weather permitting) with views of the surrounding forest.

Afternoon: If you knew nothing else about Jefferson and then visited Monticello, you would recognize the man as a genius. The house and gardens were designed, redesigned, built, and rebuilt over more than 40 years. Today, it is considered an “autobiographical masterpiece.” Led by an expert, we will walk through this exceptional mansion and see the architecture Jefferson favored as well as some of the many innovative contrivances he devised. The furnishings, art, books, gadgets, and objects such as the 7-day clock and the alcove bed, reveal Jefferson’s unique and inquiring mind. It is astonishing to comprehend that one man conceived all of this. Leaving the house, we will have some time for independent exploration to walk through the extensive kitchen and ornamental gardens as well as experience the Mulberry Row tour where you can hear about the lives of some of the enslaved peoples and families. On the way back down from the hilltop, you will be able to observe the Jefferson family cemetery where we can see what he had carved onto his memorial stone. Upon return to the hotel via motorcoach, we will delight in a lively performance featuring "Violins and Fiddles". A talented musician will not only demonstrate the differing personalities of this single instrument, but will provide an informative commentary on music of the eighteenth century.

Dinner: At a restaurant a short walk from the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: At leisure.

DAY
4
Silent Voices: Women, Slaves, Free Blacks, Meet Col. Monroe
Charlottesville
B

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We have libraries full of information on the Founding Fathers, but society could not have functioned without those about whom early American history is largely silent. We’ll learn about women whose support was crucial to the social structure, slaves whose labor built an agrarian society, and free people of color who struggled to establish their place in a new nation that had declared “all men are created equal.” Rounding out our experience, we will “meet” Colonel Monroe himself during a unique, interactive conversation with a knowledgeable and talented historical interpreter as James Monroe. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






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