Category Archives: From The Desk

How Hamilton Learned About Roger Griswold’s Remarks on Burr

On March 11, 1804, Griswold tried to persuade Federalists that secession was necessary.  He wrote to Oliver Wolcott, Jr.  Wolcott was a prominent Connecticut Federalist.  Griswold promoted the idea that Aaron Burr was the right person to lead the North … Continue reading

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How Alexander Hamilton Reacted to Pickering and Griswold’s Scheme

At first Hamilton simply opposed the whole disunion scheme.  He agreed with George Cabot.  The time was not right to secede.  Most of New York’s Federalists helped to nominate Burr as a candidate for governor, despite Hamilton’s efforts to dissuade … Continue reading

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What Happened When Pickering and Griswold Tried to Engage New York’s Federalists

If the Federalist Party had trouble with solidarity in Massachusetts, the problem was far worse in New York State.  As Timothy Pickering and Roger Griswold looked to New Yorkers to support their scheme for disunion, they walked into a hornet’s … Continue reading

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Pickering and Griswold Promote A Scheme for Secession

Secessionist schemes were slow to gain popular support.  While they had been the topic of conversation in Massachusetts since 1786, they did not gain traction until 1804.[1]  After Jefferson purchased Louisiana Federalists in both houses of Congress agreed that a … Continue reading

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What Other New Englanders Wrote About Disunion between the East and West

In private correspondence to Noah Webster and Cyrus King respectively, Thomas Dawes and Ephraim Lock promoted a return of the government to the original thirteen states.  They wanted to remove the three-fifths clause.  They suggested permission from all states was needed … Continue reading

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Why John Lowell, Jr. Advocated Uniting North and South Against the West

Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans imagined a nation of farmers boldly opening the frontier of the Louisiana Territory.  Massachusetts Federalists were tied to the Atlantic, and its mercantile trade.  They were apprehensive about what was happening in the West.[1] The West, … Continue reading

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How New England’s Federalists Regarded the Union (continued)

New England’s Federalists were concerned about the loss of representation and power.  In 1788, during the Constitutional Convention,  Northerners made a concession to the South.  They gave Southern states the ability to count five slaves as three free white men, … Continue reading

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How New England’s Federalists Regarded the Rest of the United States

Federalists and other New Englanders considered themselves exceptional.  They claimed superiority over other American regions, especially the South.  Their claims were based on religion. A writer for the Columbian Centinel in Boston explained: “The God of nature, in his infinite goodness … Continue reading

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How Mathew Carey Cleverly Avoided Accusation

In December 1799, John Ward Fenno, Junior, editor of the leading Federalist newspaper, Gazette of the United States, published an editorial claiming the United Irishmen in the United States were plotting a rebellion.  He identified the suspected leaders of the organization:  … Continue reading

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How the Federalists Tried to Tamper with the Presidential Election

  The Federalists wanted a victory in the presidential election.  They boldly attempted to tamper with electoral votes. Their proposed bill used a “Grand Committee” selected from the House, Senate, and Supreme Court.  They controlled all three.  The “Grand Committee” … Continue reading

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