In the decades following the American Revolution, James Monroe and other leaders set out to define and expand the new nation. At Highland, the intersecting lives of political elites, enslaved workers, overseers, family and relations, and artisans show what this meant in practice and how they all contributed to a larger national story. Monroe's plantation also raises questions about the story of agriculture in Virginia, how his home was lost and found to history, and the challenges and choices America faced after the Revolution.