Murder on the James is a cinematic, historically grounded true-crime episode that explores a violent death along Virginia’s most important Revolutionary-era waterway. Set against the backdrop of plantations, river commerce, and early American courts, the episode examines how justice operated when the law was young, evidence was fragile, and power shaped outcomes.

Inspired by real locations, period court practices, and documented social conditions, this episode blends careful research with restrained dramatization to illuminate how crime—and accountability—functioned in Revolutionary Virginia.

Historical Disclaimer (included in episode):

This episode is a historically grounded reconstruction inspired by real events, locations, and court practices of Revolutionary-era Virginia. Some characters and details have been dramatized where records are incomplete.

Before she became one of the most sought-after dressmakers in Washington, D.C., Elizabeth Keckley lived in bondage in Central Virginia. In this opening episode, we trace Keckley’s time in Lynchburg—where her extraordinary skill as a seamstress became a quiet form of resistance. Through relentless work, strategic saving, and unshakable resolve, she purchased freedom for herself and her son. This episode grounds a national story in a local place, revealing how courage often unfolds far from the spotlight.

What You’ll Hear

• Lynchburg in the 1840s: a growing tobacco town built on enslaved labor
• The practice of hiring out and why Keckley’s skill mattered
• How sewing became leverage—and survival
• The true cost of purchasing freedom
• Why Keckley’s Lynchburg years shaped everything that followed

Why This Story Matters

Keckley’s journey reminds us that heroism isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s disciplined, patient, and painstaking—stitched together late at night, one careful seam at a time. Her story reframes freedom as something earned under impossible odds and rooted in place.

Key Themes

• Quiet resistance
• Skill as power
• Faith and perseverance
• Local history shaping national outcomes

Suggested Listening

Perfect for listeners interested in Virginia history, African American history, women’s stories, and the lived realities behind the American founding.

Next Episode

We turn to words that sparked action—how revolutionary ideas crossed the mountains and changed Central Virginia forever.

Before independence had a declaration, it had a voice.

In this episode of Rooted in Revolution, we step into the charged atmosphere of colonial Virginia to explore the life and legacy of Patrick Henry—the fiery orator whose words ignited resistance and helped push a reluctant colony toward rebellion.

From the courtrooms and assembly halls of Virginia to the echoing chambers of St. John’s Church, Henry’s speeches did more than persuade—they awakened a people. His famous cry, “Give me liberty, or give me death,” was not theatrical bravado, but a calculated challenge delivered at a moment when loyalty to the Crown still carried real consequences.

This episode examines the cost of that courage: the political backlash, the personal risk, and the burden of being a man whose words moved history forward before most were ready to follow. We explore Henry not just as a symbol of revolution, but as a Virginian shaped by faith, family, land, and an unshakable belief that liberty was worth everything.

Rooted in Revolution pulls back the curtain on the man behind the legend—and asks what it truly meant to stand up and speak when silence was safer.