“My district is connected to four key figures who helped build and protect our country: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Jack Jouett.”

“Mr. Speaker, Virginia’s Fifth can tell one remarkable founding story through four names. Thomas Jefferson gave the Nation its words in the Declaration of Independence and served as Virginia’s wartime Governor and our third President. He left this district with Monticello and the University of Virginia. James Madison gave those words structure, helping shape the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Though Montpelier now sits just outside today’s Fifth, his work still lives in Charlottesville through the university he helped build and lead. James Monroe was a soldier, diplomat, Governor, and the fifth President. He gave us the Monroe Doctrine, and he carried that work forward from his Albemarle home, Highland. Jack Jouett rode through the night from Louisa to Charlottesville to warn Jefferson and save Virginia’s leadership from capture. Together, these Virginians helped write, defend, and steady the American experiment.”

“My district has a proud history. Important founders like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Jack Jouett all lived and served here.”

“Mr. Speaker, Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District began with Thomas Jefferson. He gave independence its voice as the principal author of the Declaration, then helped secure liberty again through the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and the founding of the University of Virginia. Beside him stood James Madison, Jefferson’s close collaborator and the Nation’s constitutional architect. Known as the father of the Constitution, Madison helped win ratification through the Federalist Papers and then steered the Bill of Rights through Congress. James Monroe carried that Virginia legacy from soldier to statesman. A Continental Army veteran, he later helped to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, presided over the Era of Good Feelings, and gave American diplomacy a landmark win in the Monroe Doctrine. Connecting them all is militia Captain Jack Jouett, whose overnight warning in 1781 helped Jefferson and Virginia leaders escape British capture, protecting the cause these Founders were still building.”