Monroe Hill is a richly layered documentary that traces the early years of James Monroe in Charlottesville, Virginia—years that preceded and ultimately helped shape the founding of the University of Virginia. Through immersive narration, dramatized broadcasts, and expert commentary, the film explores Monroe’s time on his first Albemarle County farm, a modest property that predates Jefferson’s university but foreshadows its ideals.

 

From the law office he built in 1790 to the evolving architectural landscape of the hilltop, the film uncovers a story of political ambition, personal struggle, and agricultural experimentation. It also confronts Monroe’s complicated legacy as a Founding Father and slaveholder, weaving in the voices of enslaved individuals such as Theia and Peter, whose presence at Monroe Hill is slowly being unearthed through archival research and archaeology.

 

Monroe Hill captures a moment when the young republic was still an experiment, and Monroe—a man without a Monticello or Mount Vernon—was striving for permanence, identity, and belonging. His journey from soldier to senator, from farmer to foreign minister, reveals the intimate intersections of personal land, public service, and the birth of American ideals. Ultimately, the hill where Monroe once lived became the foundation for Jefferson’s vision of public education, rooting the University of Virginia in the very soil Monroe first cultivated. Available on Kanopy Streaming. ​​ HD | 60 minutes

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HERITAGE FILM PROJECT presents MONROE HILL

a film by Eduardo MONTES-BRADLEY

made possible through an award from The Jefferson Trust

in collaboration with Brown Residential College

Curry School of Education | James Monroe Highland

 

with the support of

The Office of the Provost & Vice Provost of the Arts

at the University of Virginia | David SHEPARD 

The Papers of JAMES MONROE Washington PAPER

The James Monroe Museum and Library | The Presidential Precinct

 

Historical consultant Dan PRESTON additional consultants

William FERRARO & Scott HARRIS

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featuring interviews with

Dan PRESTON Scott HARRIS Sara BON-HARPER Benjamin FORD

Kat IMHOFF William FERRARO Louis NELSON

Kyle EDWARDS Carl O. TRINDLE Erik MIDELFORT

Anne McKEITHEN and Richard Guy WILSON 

 

sound mixer Kathleen MUELLER 

 

executive producers

Stephen PLASKON Eduardo MONTES-BRADLEY 

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producer Soledad LIENDO

 

director

Eduardo MONTES-BRADLEY