Your Invitation to Madison's Montpelier: An Unprecedented Public Seminar Experience

For the first time in over 20 years, James Madison's Montpelier is opening its transformational constitutional seminars to the general public. Join host Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey and Center Director Patrick Campbell as they extend a personal invitation to an extraordinary three-day immersive experience.

Imagine sleeping on the same grounds where Madison wrestled with the ideas that became our Constitution, spending intimate classroom time with renowned Madison scholar Dr. Lynn Ell, and watching sunsets from the same portico where the Father of the Constitution once stood. This isn't just a typical educational program—it's a chance to engage with the philosophical foundations of American democracy in the most authentic setting possible.

With only 30 spots available and registration already halfway full, this September 18-20 seminar promises to be unlike anything offered before. Whether you're a longtime podcast listener curious about experiencing these ideas in person, or someone seeking deeper understanding of how Madison's vision speaks to today's challenges, this conversation reveals what makes this opportunity so special.

Listen in for all the details about this rare chance to join a "nerd camp" that just might change how you think about our democratic experiment.

Register: https://www.montpelier.org/events/public-seminar-james-madison/

Transcript

Katie Crawford-Lackey (00:03):

Welcome back to Consider the Constitution. I'm your host, Dr. Katie Crawford Lackey at James Madison's Montpelier, and today I'm joined by Patrick Campbell, who many of you will remember from our conversation about the work here at the Center for the Constitution. Patrick, since we spoke last, you've been promoted to director of the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution. So congratulations,

Patrick Campbell (00:30):

Katie. Thank you. It's been such a great journey. I feel like I was your wing man as we brought this place back from COVID where the center was kind of dormant for a couple years, and it's just been so much fun to do that with you. And learning from you as a public historian has been a real pleasure for me.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (00:45):

Now, we are here today talking to our listeners because something unprecedented is happening at Montpelier for over 20 years at the Center for the Constitution has been hosting what can only be described as transformational seminars, but they've been exclusively for educators, law enforcement, international groups, and scholars. Now, however, for the first time we're opening up this experience to the general public. So Patrick, can you tell us a little bit about that decision and how you're leading this forward?

Patrick Campbell (01:18):

Katie, for the first time ever, we've got a chance to bring the public here. First time ever at the Center for the Constitution, we're going to have a seminar just for the public. If you're listening, this is an invitation for you, Katie. Our listeners know there's so many angles to democracy, to self-government, and the center has been a place to just continually bring in scholars, historians, practitioners, to explore our miracle in Philadelphia, to take deep dives into a specific aspects of our institutions and practices, and really in the end, to empower civic leaders to think about how we continue to strive to be a more perfect union. Well, we realize we've been keeping some of these powerful ideas to a limited audience. So educators and law enforcement and international groups continually tell us how energized they are to take these ideas of government by the people back to their communities and how eager they are to return to this academic retreat. Some of my teachers call it a nerd camp with a grin, but of course, it's really important to consider how we embrace the pitfalls and the incredible potential of our republic of self-government, of a democracy. So multi-day seminars at Montpelier really allow people to immerse themselves in often a madisonian exercise of how government by the people actually works or might be improved and importantly be sustained.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (02:44):

Now, Patrick, when you say immersive, what exactly does that mean? Paint a picture for our listeners if they come and join us for this experience.

Patrick Campbell (02:55):

Imagine they arrive at Montpelier on a Thursday afternoon, and they're not just visiting for a couple hours. They're staying overnight on the grounds where Madison lived and work. You'll sleep on the same landscape where he wrestled with the ideas that became our constitution. And over three days, you'll spend about 10 hours in a small group of disparate Americans who are united in their desire to learn about the way James Madison struggled with both the concept and the practice of government by the people. And when Dr. Lynn Uzzell, one of the nation's foremost, Madison Scholars told me she would come lead this seminar, I was ecstatic.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (03:35):

This sounds like an unparalleled experience, just knowing what it's like in the morning here when the sun rises in the evening as the sun sets, just being in this really quiet, reflective space. That's something I've never even done. I've never had the opportunity to spend the night here. Now, you mentioned Dr. Lynn Uzzell. She was a scholar in residence here for years, and I should mention to our listeners that she's been featured on our podcast before and her episodes are among our most popular.

Patrick Campbell (04:04):

Exactly, Katie. Lynn Uzzell brings Madison to life in a way. Textbooks just can't. And so there's going to be hours in the classroom with Lynn, but there's much more than that. Seminar attendees will have guided tours of Madison's home of the grounds, including what so many describe as a powerful experience of standing and thinking in the old library where Madison did so much of his work when he was in his thirties.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (04:30):

Ah, yes, the room where he spent much of 1786 preparing for the constitutional convention. You shared that story about the naturalized citizen from Argentina who was so moved by standing in that space when you gave a tour one time,

Patrick Campbell (04:46):

Right, Katie? Every guest, every scholar, every staff member interacts with Montpelier a little bit differently. So we want to offer that full range of experiences from the house tour, the classroom, the mere distinction of color exhibits, the DuPont Garden, the landmark Forest. Hopefully we'll see a little bit of the current archeology dig during this seminar In September and last month, we confirmed three very special guests who are joining us for dinner on Friday night, as if we could make this weekend any more special.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (05:16):

What will Dr. Lynn Uzzell be covering in those classroom sessions?

Patrick Campbell (05:20):

Katie, as you know the challenges, having Lynn Uzzell channel her vast scholarship into just about 10 hours, she planning on leading sessions on the Declaration of Independence, the philosophical foundations of American democracy. So Madison's going to take these philosophical foundations and then he's going to earn that moniker of Father the Constitution and architect of the Bill of Rights, and Lynn's really going to attest those concepts. She's going to take you through the drama of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. She's going to examine Madison's record on enslavement, and she's going to discuss his consistent advocacy for religious freedom, which a lot of people don't know that much about.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (05:59):

Patrick, I know from our previous conversations how important the physical space of Montpelier is to your work. How does staying overnight here change the experience?

Patrick Campbell (06:10):

Katie? Walking the solitude of these grounds and watching a sunrise can be really special, sharing a meal as we're talking about the concepts we considered in the classroom, the paradoxes of government by the people, the principles of government, by the people. If we're really fortunate, we might get to watch a sunset over the Blue Ridge mountains from the same portico that James Madison and the people who made his life possible watch that sunset. So I hope people come for the beauty and the paradox of this plantation, and I really expect them to leave energized by the blessings of liberty and the challenge of how to ensure it for ourselves and for our posterity.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (06:52):

This sounds incredible, and I imagine that space is quite limited. I imagine we have to cap this at some number. So can you talk a little bit about what you're expecting in terms of attendance?

Patrick Campbell (07:05):

Katie? We're capping it at an enrollment of just 30 people. That's intentional. We want this to really feel intimate, more like a reunion with new relatives than a lecture hall. That small size will allow everyone the opportunity to ask questions, to engage in dialogue, to really wrestle with these ideas together. Katie, registration's been open and we're about half full. So 15 spots are going to go quickly, and if folks want to come, this is less than two months away, Thursday to Saturday in September, folks who listen to this podcast, this may really be an incredible weekend for them. So I would say don't daddle. Those 15 spots could go really quickly, and I'd love to be your host here for that weekend.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (07:50):

Let's talk about Dr. Lynn Uzzell for a moment. What makes her perspective so unique?

Patrick Campbell (07:55):

Lynn specializes in the constitutional convention of 1787 and Madison's political thought. She's done groundbreaking work on the integrity of Madison's notes from the convention and his understanding of religious freedom. But what I think our participants will really appreciate is her passion for teaching civil communication as an antidote to today's divisive partisanship. She embodies the Madisonian spirit of engaging with difficult ideas and finding common ground.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (08:26):

When you think about people who might be interested in this experience, who do you envision?

Patrick Campbell (08:32):

Well, Katie, anyone who's curious about where our democratic ideals came from, anyone who wants to understand how Madison's vision still speaks to our challenges today. Maybe you've been following our podcast and thinking, I'd love to experience this in person. That's what this seminar is designed for.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (08:50):

Now, Patrick, I have to ask, and I think I know the answer based on the Center's mission, but this isn't going to be a partisan or political experience, is it

Patrick Campbell (08:59):

Katie at the center? We work very hard to be a site of nonpartisan civic engagement, so we try to live out some Madisonian principles of dialogue and getting a variety of voices in the conversation. And of course, Dolly Madison left a legacy of bringing people together across the political divides of the time. So the approach for this experience is to engage with primary sources, to understand the historical context and to let people draw their own conclusions. Dr. Yael is masterful at creating space for different perspectives while keeping the focus on understanding Madison and his era in their own terms.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (09:36):

Let's talk logistics. So when exactly is this seminar being held and how much does it cost?

Patrick Campbell (09:43):

The seminar is Thursday, September 18th, the Saturday the 20th. If you stay on site for two nights, the cost is $1,100, and that includes six meals. If you prefer to stay offsite or share a room with a spouse or a partner, it's $800 and all Montpelier members receive a 10% discount from those prices.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (10:04):

And how do people register?

Patrick Campbell (10:06):

They can visit montpelier.org and look for the public seminar information. They can contact me directly at pCampbell@montpelier.org. But again, don't daddle. If you're interested, I expect this will fill up very quickly.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (10:19):

Patrick, you've been doing this work for years. What do you hope people take away from this experience?

Patrick Campbell (10:26):

Katie, we've sometimes discussed the quote attributed to Ben Franklin, a Republic, if you can keep it. I want people to leave here with a deeper understanding of what it means to keep this republic and to maintain this democratic experiment. I want them to understand that the messiness, the complexity, the need for compromise, as others have said, they are not bugs in the system. They're features these difficult aspects.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (10:52):

Patrick Campbell, director of the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution, thank you for sharing this exciting opportunity with our listeners.

Patrick Campbell (11:00):

Thanks for having me, Katie. I hope we'll see some of our podcasts listeners here at Montpelier in September.

Katie Crawford-Lackey (11:05):

I do too. I look forward to it. And to all of you listening, if you've been inspired by our conversations on this podcast, this is your chance to experience the ideas and ideals we discussed in the most immersive way possible. Visit montpelier.org for more information about the public seminar, or you can contact Patrick directly at pCampbell@montpelier.org. This has been a special episode of Consider the Constitution. I'm Dr. Katie Crawford Lackey. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you next time as we continue to consider the Constitution.