Examining Racist Policy through Plantation Landscapes at Montpelier

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Race, Racism, and Montpelier" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

For decades, archaeologists have examined the design and orientation of plantation landscapes to understand the way plantation owners use space to shape and manipulate dynamics of power between enslaved and free people. At Montpelier, archaeological excavations and survey has revealed a great deal of evidence relating to the arrangement of domestic and agricultural work buildings, and the homes of the enslaved black and free white people who lived on the plantation. This paper will examine these landscapes within the context of Ibram X. Kendi’s discussion of racist policy, looking at how the Madison’s supported racist policy through the intentional design of plantation landscapes, and how these landscapes perpetuated racial inequality through their practice.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Race, Racism, and Montpelier   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology