Tag Archives: New England

Extra: Economic Sanctions in the Early Nineteenth Century

To Recap:   Some Events Leading to the War of 1812 Congress passed Macon’s Bill Number 2 in May 1810.  Americans resumed trade with Britain and France.  The bill stipulated the United States would re-instate its embargo against the enemy of the … Continue reading

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How Jefferson’s Attempt to End Impressment Led to Talk of Secession

On June 21, 1807, the British frigate Leopard fired on the USS Chesapeake near Norfolk, Virginia, after the commander of the American vessel refused to let the British board it.   The British killed three sailors and injured another eighteen.  They … Continue reading

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What Hamilton Thought About Disunion and Why He Challenged Burr to a Duel

In a formal document, Hamilton explained his reason for challenging Burr to a duel.  It was, he said, to save his influence in politics.[1] The day before his duel, he wrote to Theodore Sedgwick, an influential Federalist in Massachusetts: “Dismemberment … Continue reading

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What Happened in Rufus King’s Library

Most rank and file Federalists disagreed with Hamilton, who opposed Burr’s nomination for governor of New York.  Nevertheless, in the name of disunion, Pickering and Griswold were locked in a battle to secure leadership of the party in New York.  … Continue reading

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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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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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