James Madison
When the video is available, I’ll link to it here! ☝️
In 2026, I’m partnering with Ashland Public Library for a yearlong virtual presidential series. We’re tackling each president chronologically on the second Friday at 10:30 A.M. EST. It’s going to be a lot of fun. To register or see the full schedule, click here.
Additional reading
Dolley Madison: “indeed a queen of hearts”
The Naming Project
Ongoing effort to uncover the stories of the 300+ people who were enslaved at Montpelier.
War of 1812
Watch this Crash Course
Height differences
Some surprises here in the height differences between a few POTUSes and their respective FLOTUSes.
John Payne Todd
Learn more about Dolley’s son — the bad boy.
Madison vs. Monroe
A Field Guide to Jameses, from Plodding Through the Presidents
Women could vote in the 1700s!
Related blog posts
Not at all interchangeable.
The first of three we’re going to talk about this year.
(And he’s not my least favorite!)
Half of these guys were born in April and also died on July 4.
Q & A follow up
[to be filled in after]
Etc.
Watch Lizzo
She got to play Madison’s 200 year old crystal flute!
Flat Madison coloring page
Courtesy of Montpelier!
Sources
Doodles for this presentation were inspired by:
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation, by Cokie Roberts
Heirs of the Founders: Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants, by H. W. Brands
Gallop Toward the Sun: Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison's Struggle for the Destiny of a Nation, by Peter Stark
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness, by Harlow Giles Unger
The Humanity Archive: Recovering the Soul of Black History from a Whitewashed American Myth, by Jermaine Fowler
The Vice President’s Black Wife: The Untold Life of Julia Chinn, by Amrita Chakrabarti Myers
The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, by Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky
Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest, by K. Jack Bauer
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy, by Nathaniel Philbrick
The President Is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond, by Louis L. Picone
499 Facts about Hip-Hop Hamilton and the Rest of America's Founding Fathers, by Stephen Spignesi
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: Strange Stories and Shocking Trivia from Inside the White House, by Cormac O’Brien
The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, by William A. DeGreorio
Check out my bibliography for more.
Next up: James Monroe
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is in collaboration with a multitude of MA and NH libraries.
MA: Amherst, Andover, Chatham, Chelmsford, Cohasset, Cotuit, Falmouth, Groton, Hanover, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Maynard, North Reading, Quincy, Shutesbury, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Wellesley, West Newbury, and Woburn; NH: Amherst, Dover, and Greenfield.
Not the same as James Monroe