What can 500 pounds of slag reveal about the American Revolution? In this episode, Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey talks with Dr. Matt Reeves, Montpelier's Director of Archaeology, about the blacksmith shop that powered James Madison Sr.'s plantation during the Revolutionary War. Through archaeological evidence and surviving ledger books, they uncover a regional network of production, the expertise of enslaved artisans like Moses, and how this industrial operation supplied the Continental Army—while transforming the economic and social landscape of Revolutionary Virginia.

This episode launches a special five-part miniseries examining James Madison's role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Part of Montpelier's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, this series is funded by a grant from the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission in partnership with Virginia Humanities.

Dr. Katie Crawford Lackey talks with Dr. Lynn Uzzell about Madison's formative years—from his education at the College of New Jersey (Princeton) under John Witherspoon to his early political activism in 1770s Virginia. The conversation explores how Madison's exposure to Scottish Enlightenment philosophy and religious diversity shaped his lifelong commitment to freedom of conscience. At just 25 years old, Madison contributed critical language to Virginia's 1776 Declaration of Rights, replacing "toleration" with "free exercise of religion"—phrasing that would later appear in the First Amendment. The episode traces Madison's service during the Revolutionary War through the Continental Congress and his growing recognition of the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, setting the stage for his pivotal role at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

In this special year-end episode, Dr. Katie Crawford Lackey looks back at 19 conversations from 2025 with historians, lawyers, constitutional experts, and public servants.