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THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWER - GLOSSARY ~ (SPOILER THREAD)
Marquis de Lafayette:
Born September 6, 1757, at Chavaniac, France, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette was the son of Michel du Motier and Marie de La Rivière. A colonel in the French Army, Michel was killed at the Battle of Minden in August 1759. Raised by his mother and grandparents, the young marquis was sent to Paris for education at the Collège du Plessis and the Versailles Academy. Gaining military training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Musketeers of the Guard on April 9, 1771. Three years later he married Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles on April 11, 1774.
Through Adrienne's dowry he received a promotion to captain in the Noailles Dragoons Regiment. While training at Metz in 1775, Lafayette met the Comte de Broglie, commander of the Army of the East. Taking a liking to the young man, de Broglie invited him to join the Freemasons. Through his affiliation in this group, Lafayette learned of the tensions between Britain and its American colonies. By participating in the Freemasons and other "thinking groups" in Paris, Lafayette became an advocate for the rights of man and the abolition of slavery.
Lafayette Comes to America:
In December 1776, with the American Revolution raging, Lafayette met with American agent Silas Deane and accepted an offer to enter American service as a major general. Learning of this, his father-in-law, who did not approve, had Lafayette assigned to Britain. During a brief posting in London, he met several future antagonists including Major General Sir Henry Clinton. Returning to France, he obtained aid from de Broglie and Johann de Kalb to advance his American ambitions. Though forbidden by King Louis XVI to go, Lafayette purchased a ship, evaded efforts to detain him, and put to sea on April 20, 1777.
Landing near Georgetown, SC on June 13, Lafayette briefly stayed with Major Benjamin Huger before proceeding to Philadelphia. Arriving, Congress initially rebuffed him as they were tired of Deane sending "French glory seekers." After offering to serve without pay, Lafayette received his commission but it was dated July 31, 1777, rather than the date of his agreement with Deane and he was not assigned a unit. For these reasons, he nearly returned home, however Benjamin Franklin dispatched a letter to General George Washington asking the American commander to accept the young Frenchman as an aide-de-camp.
Lafayette in the American Revolution:
Accepted onto Washington's staff, Lafayette first saw action at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. Outflanked by the British, Washington allowed Lafayette to join Major General John Sullivan's men. While attempting to rally the Third Pennsylvania Brigade, Lafayette was wounded in the leg, but did not seek treatment until an orderly retreat was organized. For his actions, Washington cited him for bravery and recommended him for divisional command. Recovering, he was given Major General Adam Stephen's division and saw action in New Jersey with Major General Nathanael Greene.
Rejoining the army at Valley Forge, Lafayette was asked by the War Board to proceed to Albany to organize an invasion of Canada. Before leaving, Lafayette alerted Washington about his suspicions regarding Brigadier General Thomas Conway's efforts to have him removed from command of the army. Arriving at Albany, he found that there were too few men present for an invasion and after negotiating an alliance with the Oneidas he returned to Valley Forge. In May 1778, Washington dispatched Lafayette with 2,200 men to ascertain British intentions outside Philadelphia.
Aware of Lafayette's presence, the British marched out of the city with 5,000 men in an effort to capture him. In the resulting Battle of Barren Hill, Lafayette was skillfully able to extract his command and rejoin Washington. The following month, he saw action at the Battle of Monmouth as Washington attempted to attack Clinton as he withdrew to New York. In July, Greene and Lafayette were dispatched to Rhode Island to aid Sullivan with his efforts to expel the British from the colony. The operation centered on cooperation with a French fleet led Admiral Comte de d'Estaing.
This was not forthcoming as d'Estaing departed for Boston to repair his ships after they were damaged in a storm. This action angered the Americans as they felt that they had been abandoned by their ally. Racing to Boston, Lafayette worked to smooth things over after a riot resulting from d'Estaing's actions erupted. Concerned about the alliance, Lafayette asked for leave to return to France to ensure its continuance. Granted, he arrived in February 1779, and was briefly detained for his earlier disobedience to the king.
Working with Franklin, Lafayette lobbied for additional troops and supplies. Granted 6,000 men under General Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau, he returned to America in May 1781. Sent to Virginia by Washington, he conducted operations against the traitor Benedict Arnold as well as shadowed the army of Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis as it moved north. Nearly trapped at the Battle of Green Spring in July, Lafayette monitored British activities until the arrival of Washington's army in September. Taking part in the Siege of Yorktown, Lafayette was present at the British surrender.
Lafayette in Later Life:
Sailing home to France in December 1781, Lafayette was received at Versailles and promoted to field marshal. After aiding in planning an aborted expedition to the West Indies, he worked with Thomas Jefferson to develop trade agreements. Returning to America in 1782, he toured the country and received several honors. Remaining active in American affairs, he routinely met with the new country's representatives in France.
On December 29, 1786, King Louis XVI appointed Lafayette to the Assembly of Notables which was convened to address the nation's worsening finances. Arguing for spending cuts, he was one who called for the convening of the Estates General. Elected to represent the nobility from Riom, he was present when the Estates General opened on May 5, 1789. Following the Oath of the Tennis Court and the creation of the National Assembly, Lafayette joined the new body and on July 11, 1789, he presented a draft of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen."
Appointed to lead the new National Guard on July 15, Lafayette worked to maintain order. Protecting the king during the March on Versailles in October, he diffused the situation though the crowd demanded that Louis move to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. He was again called to the Tuileries on February 28, 1791, when several hundred armed aristocrats surrounded the palace in an effort to defend the king. Dubbed the "Day of Daggers," Lafayette's men disarmed the group and arrested many of them.
After a failed escape attempt by the king that summer, Lafayette's political capital began to erode. Accused of being a royalist, he sunk further after the Champ de Mars Massacre when National Guardsmen fired into a crowd. Returning home in 1792, he was soon appointed to lead one of the French armies during the War of the First Coalition. Working for peace, he sought to shut down the radical clubs in Paris. Branded a traitor, he attempted to flee to the Dutch Republic, but was captured by the Austrians.
Held in prison, he was finally released by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797. Largely retiring from public life, he accepted a seat in the Chamber of Deputies in 1815. In 1824, he made one final tour of America and was hailed as a hero. Six years later, he declined the dictatorship of France during the July Revolution and Louis-Phillipe was crowned king. The first person granted honorary United States citizenship, Lafayette died on May 20, 1834 at the age of seventy-six.
(Source: http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/a...)
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http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/lafaye...
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Lloyd S. Kramer
Louis R. Gottschalk
Banastre Tarleton:
Banastre Tarleton was born to upper middle-class parents in Liverpool, England, on August 21, 1754. At the University College, Oxford, he studied toward a law degree but was better known for his athletic abilities, participating in cricket, boxing, riding, and tennis. He was small physically, yet strong and active.
He was soon to use these athletic skills in the military, when on April 20, 1775, after exhausting his finances through gambling and other "fashionable amusements," he purchased a rank in the First Regiment of Dragoon Guards. His military career offered him adventure and opportunities for advancement, and, more importantly, led him to America and shaped his destiny in history.
In America, he received promotions on the basis of merit. Always wanting to go beyond the routine of the soldier's life, he came to be known for his speed, daring, and surprise. At twenty-three, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the British Legion. 1
His abilities led to initial success in the Revolutionary War, in both the Northern and Southern Campaigns. His use of light infantry in combination with his cavalry made a powerful combat team. He set a strong pace for his men to follow, and, in effect, led by example. Militia were said to panic at the sight of his green-jacketed dragoons5 He was so effective that Cornwallis wrote: "I wish you would get three legions, and divide yourself into three parts: We can do no good without you."
Tarleton's early success included raids on upstate New York, and action in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In the Carolinas he took an active part in the battles of Monck's Corner, Charleston, the Waxhaws, Camden, Fishing Creek, Blackstocks, and Cowpens.
(source: http://www.nps.gov/cowp/historycultur...)
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Bryan,Interesting information on Lafayette. He bought his own ship and served without pay!
Indeed, I think that makes him more of a hero in the colonist eyes.
Charles Tomson:
Charles Thomson was born the son of John Thomson in Maghera parish, County Londonderry, Ireland. After the death of his mother in 1739, Charles Thomson left for the American colonies with his father and two or three brothers. After the father died at sea, the sons landed in New Castle, Delaware. Here Charles was put in the hands of a local blacksmith. About 1743 Charles entered Francis Alison's New London Academy in nearby Chester County, Pennsylvania.
After several years of classical training, Charles Thomson was the first tutor hired by the Academy of Philadelphia (the forerunner of the University of Pennsylvania). He served as a Latin School tutor from 1750 until 1755, living for part of that time as a boarder in the home of English master David James Dove.
The trustees were evidently pleased with his work since he received a raise from the trustees in 1753. After several years he was given the additional duty of collecting outstanding subscriptions and keeping accounts of school money. When, in March of 1755, Thomson notified the trustees that he was leaving his position as Latin School tutor, the trustees noted that Thomson "had discharged the duties of his place with capacity, faithfulness and diligence."
Thomson, a rationalistic rather than revivalistic Presbyterian, then became head of the Latin department at Philadelphia's Friends' Public School. In 1758 he married Ruth Mather, member of a well-to-do Chester family and sister of Joseph Mather, College Class of 1757. Soon thereafter, in 1760, Thomson left teaching altogether to enter business. His first venture, a dry goods business in Philadelphia, was not very successful. He and his first wife separated in 1769; the following year their infant twins and then Ruth herself died. In the early 1770s, Thomson was briefly engaged in the distilling of rum, and then as manager and part-owner of Batsto ironworks in New Jersey.
A member of Benjamin Franklin's Junto (the origins of the American Philosophical Society) since the early 1750s, Thomson soon became involved in Philadelphia politics. In 1755, while at the Friends' School, Thomson joined the Quakers in their opposition to the Penn family's Indian policy. This was how he became secretary to the Delaware Indians when they met with proprietary officials in Easton in 1757 and 1758. During the Stamp Act crisis of 1765, Thomson moved away from Franklin to align himself with John Dickinson, working diligently throughout the Revolutionary period to keep English goods out of Philadelphia. By 1773 he was writing fiery handbills against the importation of tea from the East India Company. During this decade Thomson was the colony's most powerful protest organizer.
In September of 1774 Thomson immediately gained wealth, social position and political office by his marriage to Hannah Harrison, daughter of wealthy Quaker Richard Harrison. Thomson was immediately chosen secretary of the Continental Congress at its first meeting, and served over the next fifteen years as secretary to the first and second Continental Congresses and then to the Confederation Congress. He also took an active role in foreign affairs. He strongly opposed Pennsylvania's radical 1776 state constitution, instead backing Robert Morris. Thomson's political stands, his pride and hunger for status plus his role in Morris' questionable financial dealings earned him many powerful enemies. He retired from public life at age fifty-nine to reside at Harriton, his wife's estate near Philadelphia, where he occupied himself by translating the Greek Old and New Testaments.
(Source: http://www.archives.upenn.edu/people/...)
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John Jay:
a Delegate from New York; born in New York City December 12, 1745; attended a boarding school in New Rochelle, N.Y., and was graduated from King’s College (now Columbia University) in 1764; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1768; served on the New York committee of correspondence; Member of the Continental Congress 1774-1776 and 1778-1779; recalled some months in 1777 to aid in forming the New York State constitution; appointed chief justice of the State of New York in May 1777 but resigned December 1778 to become President of the Continental Congress and served in that capacity from December 10, 1778, to September 28, 1779; appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain September 27, 1779; appointed one of the ministers to negotiate peace with Great Britain June 14, 1781, and signed the Treaty of Paris; appointed one of the ministers to negotiate treaties with the European powers May 1, 1783; returned to New York in 1784; appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs July 1784, which position he held until the establishment of the Federal Government in 1789; appointed the first Chief Justice of the United States by President Washington September 26, 1789, and served until June 29, 1795, when he resigned; unsuccessful Federal candidate for Governor of New York in 1792; appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain April 19, 1794, and served until April 8, 1795, still retaining his position as Chief Justice of the United States; Governor of New York 1795-1801; declined reelection and also a reappointment as Chief Justice of the United States; retired to his farm at Bedford, near New York City, where he died May 17, 1829; interment in the family burying ground at Rye, N.Y.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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http://www.supremecourthistory.org/hi...
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Walter Stahr
Alexander Hamilton
Articles of Confederation:Throwing off the British monarchy on July 4, 1776, left the United States with no central government. It had to design and install a new government–and quickly. As early as May 1776, Congress advised each of the colonies to draw up plans for state governments; by 1780, all thirteen states had adopted written constitutions. In June 1776, the Continental Congress began to work on a plan for a central government. It took five years for it to be approved, first by members of Congress and then by the states. The first attempt at a constitution for the United States was called the Articles of Confederation.
This first constitution was composed by a body that directed most of its attention to fighting and winning the War for Independence. It came into being at a time when Americans had a deep-seated fear of a central authority and long-standing loyalty to the state in which they lived and often called their "country." Ultimately, the Articles of Confederation proved unwieldy and inadequate to resolve the issues that faced the United States in its earliest years; but in granting any Federal powers to a central authority–the Confederation Congress–this document marked a crucial step toward nationhood. The Articles of Confederation were in force from March 1, 1781, until March 4, 1789, when the present Constitution went into effect.
(Source: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/char...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles...
Notes on the State of Virginia:was a book written by Thomas Jefferson. He completed the first edition in 1781, and updated and enlarged the book in 1782 and 1783. Notes on the State of Virginia originated in Jefferson's responding to questions about Virginia, posed to him in 1780 by François Barbé-Marbois, then Secretary of the French delegation in Philadelphia, the temporary capital of the united colonies. Often dubbed the most important American book published before 1800, Notes on the State of Virginia is both a compilation of data by Jefferson about the state's natural resources and economy, and his vigorous and often eloquent argument about the nature of the good society, which he believed was incarnated by Virginia. He expressed his beliefs in the separation of church and state, constitutional government, checks and balances, and individual liberty. He wrote extensively about slavery, the problems of miscegenation, and his belief that whites and blacks could not live together in a free society.
It was the only full-length book which Jefferson published during his lifetime. He first published it anonymously in Paris in 1785, where he was serving the US government as trade representative. He published the book in its first English edition in 1787 in London.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_on...)
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Francois Barbe-Marbois:
French politician, was born at Metz. He began his public career as intendant of San Domingo under the old régime. At the close of 1789 he returned to France, and then placed his services at the disposal of the revolutionary government. In 1791 he was sent to Regensburg to help de Noailles, the French ambassador, in the negotiations with the diet of the Empire concerning the possessions of German princes in Alsace and Lorraine. Suspected of treason, he was arrested on his return but set at liberty again. In 1795 he was elected to the Council of the Ancients, where the general moderation of his attitude, especially in his opposition to the exclusion of nobles and the relations of émigrés from public life, brought him under suspicion of being a royalist, though he pronounced a eulogy on Bonaparte for his success in Italy. At the coup d'état of the 18th Fructidor (September 4) 1797, he was arrested and transported to French Guiana. Transferred to Oléron in 1799, he owed his liberty to Napoleon, after the 18th Brumaire. In 1801 he became councillor of state and director of the public treasury, and in 1802 a senator. In 1803 he negotiated the treaty by which Louisiana was ceded to the United States, and was rewarded by the First Consul with a gift of 152,000 francs. In 1805 he was made grand officer of the legion of honour and a count, and in 1808 he became president of the cour des comptes. In return for these favours, he addressed Napoleon with servile compliments; yet in 1814 he helped to draw up the act of abdication of the emperor, and declared to the cour des comptes, with reference to the invasion of France by the allies, "united for the most beautiful of causes, it is long since we have been so free as we now are in the presence of the foreigner in arms." In June 1814, Louis XVIII. named him peer of France and confirmed him in his office as president of the cour des comptes. Deprived of his positions by Napoleon during the Hundred Days he was appointed minister of justice in the ministry of the duc de Richelieu (August 1815). In this office he tried unsuccessfully to gain the confidence of the ultra-royalists, and withdrew at the end of nine months (May 10, 1816).
In 1830, when Louis Philippe assumed the reins of government, Barbé-Marbois went, as president of the cour des comptes, to compliment him and was confirmed in his position. It was the sixth government he had served and all with servility. He held his office until April 1834, and died on the 12th of February 1837. He published various works, of which may be mentioned: Réflexions sur la colonie de Saint-Domingue (1794), De la Guyane, &c. (1822), an Histoire de la Louisiane et la cession de cette colonie par la France aux États-Unis, &c. (1828), and the story of his transportation after the 18th Fructidor in Journal d'un déporté non jugé, 2 vols. (1834).
(Source: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_En...)
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Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon:
Named Georges-Louis Leclerc at birth, he became Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon when he was about ten years old, as his mother inherited a sizable estate and his father became Lord of Buffon and Montbard. The family had already been modestly wealthy and Buffon's education was never lacking, but after receiving their inheritance they moved into a mansion in Dijon and Buffon's father became an advisor to the Burgundian parliament.
He studied law and mathematics at the College des Godrans, a Jesuit institute in Dijon, where in 1727 he discovered the binomial theorem, the formula for finding any power of a binomial (two terms connected by + or -) without needing to multiply numbers at length. He proposed a theory postulating that the planets of our solar system were created when a comet collided with the Sun. While this seems nonsensical now, it is important historically, as the first theory of creation stated scientifically, without an omnipotent God to set things in motion, and obedient to the laws of physics as understood at the time. From 1739 until his death he was the administrator of the Jardin des Plantes, France's finest botanical garden. In 1777 he conducted a famous experiment on probability, now called Buffon's Needle, wherein a needle is dropped on a lined floor or paper — the probability of the needle crossing one of the lines is directly related to the value of pi.
He studied astronomy, physics, plant physiology, and ship construction, and questioned the dogma of his era in almost every area of science. His writings spanned from South American bats to the cause of strabismus (crossed eyes) to an elaborate albeit erroneous inter-species genealogical tree. From 1749 to 1786 he wrote 36 volumes of Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière (Natural History, General and Particular), intended as an encyclopedia of all knowledge.
Though undoubtedly among the greatest scientists of his time Buffon was not held in high regard among his peers, for in attempting to summarize all scientific knowledge he challenged the authority of biologists, chemists, geologists, other mathematicians, and especially the theologians. He felt it beneath his dignity to respond to criticisms, explaining in a letter to a friend, "I shall keep absolute silence ... and let their attacks fall upon themselves". He also translated Isaac Newton's Fluxions and Stephen Hales's Vegetable Staticks into French.
(Source: http://www.nndb.com/people/755/000091...)
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Jacques Roger
This is from Clayton:This may not be the place to ask these question, if not direct me to the appropriate place, please. The thing I am not very knowledgeable about is the currency of the time. Was the dollar in place or were we using the British currency? How did the banking industry effect our revolution? Were there currency exchanges or did they use letters of credit. These thought plague my thoughts while reading about these wealthy men. How did they get their money and how did they transport it etc. Did they use gold silver or did they use barter or credit? If anyone knows of a good book on the issue of currency for this period it would be greatly appreciated.
Jim's response:Clayton, I suggest you read a wonderful book on this very subject. You will find Robert Morris is one of those unsung heros of the revolution.
Jim
Robert E. Wright
Clayton:Feel free to ask the author about a couple of these questions
There were a number of hard coin circulating around from Spain, Britain, Portugal, Germany, etc. So, it was very confusing.
Here is a link about TJ and currency:
http://www.monticello.org/site/resear...
Jim suggests a great book. Here are a few others:
(no image)Money and Politics in America, 1755-1775 by Joseph Ernst
(no image)The Origins and Economic Impact of the First Bank of the United States, 1791-1797 by David Jack Cowen
Charles Rappleye
Ordinance of 1784:The Ordinance of 1784 was an early effort by the government of the newly formed United States to deal with the territory north and west of the Ohio River.
In the Treaty of Paris (1783), which formally ended the American Revolution, England relinquished the Ohio Country to America. Despite this, the government formed by the Articles of Confederation faced numerous problems gaining control of the land. Many Native Americans did not agree with the claim that the land belonged to the United States. Numerous states, especially Connecticut and Virginia, also claimed the land. These states, when they were still colonies of England, had received charters from the king to all the land between their colonies on the East Coast and the Pacific Ocean.
The Confederation Congress faced hard financial times at the end of the American Revolution. The Articles of Confederation did not permit the government to tax its citizens easily. The Congress hoped to sell the land in the Ohio Country to raise money to operate the government and pay its debts. The government also feared the large number of squatters in the Ohio Country. Some congressmen believed that these settlers might form their own country, since the Appalachian Mountains left them isolated from the rest of the nation. The Confederation Congress immediately began to negotiate with the Indians and the states, so that the federal government could claim sole ownership of the land.
While these negotiations were occurring, the Confederation Congress implemented the Ordinance of 1784. Thomas Jefferson wrote the document. It called for the land north of the Ohio River, west of the Appalachian Mountains, and east of the Mississippi River to be divided into ten separate states. The states would first be territories. They would remain territories until they had attained the same population as the least populous state in America. At that point, the territories would become states, and they would have the same rights as the original thirteen states. The Ordinance of 1784 also guaranteed self-government to the residents of the territories.
The Land Ordinance of 1785 soon supplanted the Ordinance of 1784. The Confederation Congress admitted no new states under the Ordinance of 1784. Despite this fact, the Ordinance of 1784 established a framework for the addition of new states. Most importantly, it declared that the new states would be equal to previously established states. Government leaders included this policy in all future legislation dealing with the addition of new states.
(Source: http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ent...)
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http://www.jstor.org/stable/1921145
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Philip Mazzei:
Philip Mazzei was an Italian physician and a promoter of liberty. He was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and acted as an agent to purchase arms for Virginia during the American Revolutionary War.
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(no image)Philip Mazzei, Jefferson's "Zealous Whig" by Filippo Mazzei
Marquis de Condorcet:
French philosopher of the Enlightenment and advocate of educational reform. He was one of the major Revolutionary formulators of the ideas of progress, or the indefinite perfectibility of mankind.
(Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...)
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Whooping Cough:Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes uncontrollable, violent coughing. The coughing can make it hard to breathe. A deep "whooping" sound is often heard when the patient tries to take a breath.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is an upper respiratory infection caused by the Bordetella pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis bacteria. It is a serious disease that can cause permanent disability in infants, and even death.
When an infected person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets containing the bacteria move through the air, and the disease is easily spread from person to person.
The infection usually lasts 6 weeks.
Whooping cough can affect people of any age. Before vaccines were widely available, the disease was most common in infants and young children. Now that most children are immunized before entering school, the higher percentage of cases is seen among adolescents and adults.
(Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhea...)
Ralph Izard:
a Delegate and a Senator from South Carolina; born at “The Elms,” near Charleston, S.C., January 23, in 1741 or 1742; pursued classical studies in England; returned to America briefly in 1764, but went abroad to reside, taking up his residence in London in 1771; moved to Paris, France, in 1776; appointed commissioner to the Court of Tuscany by the Continental Congress in 1776, but was recalled in 1779; returned to America in 1780; pledged his large estate in South Carolina for the payment of war ships to be used in the Revolutionary War; Member of the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783; elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1795; served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Third Congress; one of the founders of the College of Charleston; retired from public life to the care of his estates; died near Charleston, May 30, 1804; interment in the churchyard of St. James Goose Creek Episcopal Church, near Charleston, S.C.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/h...
William Short:
was Thomas Jefferson's private secretary when he was ambassador in Paris, from 1786 to 1789. Jefferson, later the third President of the United States, referred to Short as his "adoptive son". Short, along with Jefferson, was a co-founder of Phi Beta Kappa at the College of William & Mary.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_...)
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George Green Shackelford
Bryan wrote: "Clayton:Feel free to ask the author about a couple of these questions
There were a number of hard coin circulating around from Spain, Britain, Portugal, Germany, etc. So, it was very confusing..."
Another interesting book is the Alexander Hamilton book by Ron Chernow. Hamilton, the first Sec. of Treasury, had tremendous impacts on banking, credit, finance, taxes, etc. This is a bit of a spoiler, as this is particularly applicable to Washington's first term as President, when TJ was Sec. of State. Also, read Chernow's Washington: A life. Both books discuss issues with money during and after the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution (more so in the Hamilton book). I can see why your question ended up here, as you are asking questions that, while very interesting, comes up later in the TJ book.
Ron Chernow
Ron Chernow
John Ledyard:
Explorer who sailed with Captain James Cook to the Sandwich Islands, which we now know as Hawaii. Educated at Dartmouth. Urged by Thomas Jefferson to seek a Pacific route across North America, he explored Russia on foot. However, he was stopped by order of Catherine of Russia, thinking him a spy. He was deported halfway through his journey, in 1787. He died in Cairo while exploring Egypt, at the age of 37.
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Bill Gifford
John Ledyard
John Trumbull:
American painter John Trumbull, the son of Governor Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut, was born in 1756. He aspired to be a painter like his hero, John Singleton Copley, against the wishes of his father. Graduating from Harvard in 1773 as the youngest member of his class, Trumbull's career was interrupted by the Revolutionary War. In 1775, he enlisted as an Aide-de-Camp and drew strategic maps for Revolutionary War generals, but resigned after two years to study art in Boston. In 1780, he traveled to London to study art, but soon returned home after being arrested for aiding the execution of John Andre.
Trumbull returned to London five years later to study with noted painter Benjamin West. West wanted to create a series of paintings depicting the historical events of the Revolutionary War, but because he feared falling out of favor with the King of England, he instead encouraged and guided Trumbull through the painting of the series. The first of this series is Trumbull's well known work, "Battle of Bunker's Hill." After completing several more paintings in the series, Trumbull returned home in 1789 to paint small portraits of American generals and prominent figures, including the famous portrait of George Washington in 1790.
Trumbull would have two more lengthy stays in England. On the first, beginning in 1794, he accompanied John Jay as his executive secretary. While on this trip, Trumbull married Sarah Hope Harvey in 1800, returning with her to New York in 1804, where they lived until 1808. The second trip to England came in 1808. Trumbull and his wife remained in London until 1816 when they returned to the United States. Sarah died in 1824.
In 1831, Trumbull sold the works in his studio to Yale University. He died in 1843.
(Source: http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tru...
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/tbio?perso...
Shay's Rebellion:During the years 1786 and 1787, a series of confrontations took place between desperate debtor-farmers and state government authorities in western Massachusetts. The events that became known as Shays' Rebellion came to symbolize the widespread discontent manifested throughout New England during the economic depression that followed the American Revolution.
From 1781 until 1789, the United States was governed under a loose union of states called the Articles of Confederation. This government lacked the authority to regulate trade or to collect taxes. Although burgeoning public debt threatened the nation's credit, each state was responsible for paying its share of the staggering Revolutionary War debt. Merchants in eastern Massachusetts, anxious to pacify their foreign creditors, urged the state legislature to raise taxes to meet the debt.
These taxes, which had to be paid in cash, were particularly burdensome to farmers, who traditionally relied on barter to see them through hard times. Those hardest hit usually lacked the property qualifications for voting and thus were unable to influence the government through the ballot. Many lost their farms through foreclosure for overdue debts and delinquent taxes. Others faced debtors prison. Those debtors who were Revolutionary War veterans felt they had been betrayed.
In August, 1786, a group of 1500 farmers marched on Northampton to prevent the courts from hearing foreclosure proceedings. In September, an armed force led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays of Pelham closed the courthouse at Springfield. By January, 1787, the situation had become desperate. Daniel Shays led the main body of a large group of armed insurgents to confiscate arms an ammunition stored in the arsenal at Springfield. They were opposed by about 1200 militia under the command of General William Shepard. Shays advanced, expecting reinforcements that never came. When Shays refused to halt, Shepherd opened fire with small arms and artillery. The cannon fire routed Shays men, leaving twenty wounded and four dead.
Shays' men retreated to the Pelham Hills, where they were followed by four regiments of troops (raised and paid for by Boston and eastern Massachusetts merchants) under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln. After an all-night march through a howling snowstorm, Lincoln surprised Shays' men at Petersham, scattering the insurgents with artillery fire. Although sporadic resistance continued, Shays Rebellion was effectively over.
The Rebellion, however, left its mark. Reforms in line with Shays' demands were enacted after the next election turned his opponents out of office. But of larger significance, it put into sharp relief the crisis of government posed by the Articles of Confederation. To discontented farmers, the government seemed unresponsive to the will of the people. To merchants and creditors, the government seemed vulnerable to anarchy. Shays' Rebellion crystallized these issues precisely at the time when the states were choosing delegates to attend the convention that was to draft the Constitution of the United States.
(Source: http://www.historic-northampton.org/h...)
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http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27...
Leonard L. Richard
Robert, A Gross
Second Monticello:
Among the many French elements that Jefferson incorporated into the second Monticello, the most dramatic was the dome placed over the already-existing Parlor, making it the first American home with such a feature. He crafted the building to give the appearance -- as he had seen at the Hôtel de Salm -- that the three-story building was only one story tall. To achieve this effect, windows in the second-story bedrooms are on the floor level, so that from the outside, they appear to be an extension of the first-floor windows. On the third floor, light is provided by skylights invisible from the ground. Alcove beds and indoor privies are two more French features incorporated into Monticello. Although he was referring to food, one can understand why Patrick Henry claimed that Jefferson's time abroad had "Frenchified" him.
Jefferson's revisions for the home called for even smaller stairways than he had used in the original design. Two steep and narrow stairways, measuring only twenty-four inches wide, provided access to the upper bedrooms. These stairways widen to thirty inches as they descend to the basement level, thus affording more space for tasks such as bringing food from the Kitchen to the Dining Room. Jefferson believed that small stairways saved both money and "space that would make a good room in every story."
(Source: http://www.monticello.org/site/jeffer...)
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http://www.monticello.org/site/house-...
William L. Beiswanger
Jack McLaughlin
Monticello Dependencies:
The North Dependency wing, which was completed in 1809, contains the North Privy, the Ice House, horses stalls, and an area for parking carriages. It connects the main house to the North Pavilion.
The South Dependency wing, which was completed in 1809, contains the Kitchen, Cook's Room, Smoke House, Dairy, and Washhouse. It connects the main house to the South Pavilion.
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http://www.monticello.org/site/house-...
Mulberry Row:Named for the mulberry trees planted along it, Mulberry Row was the center of plantation activity at Monticello from the 1770s to Jefferson's death in 1826. Jefferson's original plan for the site was a 400-foot-long row of shops and yards joined structurally so as to look like a single building. There, iron and woodworking facilities and areas for raising poultry and slaughtering livestock would serve as a link between the plantation at large and the domestic operations, like kitchen, dairy, and smokehouse, that Jefferson planned for the dependency wings attached to the main house.
Thirty years, passed, however, before Jefferson was able to execute his wing plans for Monticello, so that Mulberry Row became the site of an assortment of mainly temporary structures serving both the 5,000-acre plantation and the house. In 1796, when Jefferson had temporarily retired from public office, there were seventeen structures along the 1,000-foot-long Row. These included dwellings for black and white workers, wood and ironworking (including the nailery) shops, a smokehouse and dairy, a wash house, storehouses, and a stable.
(Source: http://www.monticello.org/site/planta...)
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http://www.monticello.org/mulberry-row
http://www.monticello.org/site/blog-a...
Whiskey Rebellion:Nearly twenty years after the revolutionary War began, the United States government faced a small-scale revolution by some of its own citizens. As in the previous war, taxes were a central issue. And Alexander Hamilton understood that putting down this rebellion was critical to the life of the nation.
In order to create a self-supporting and effective government, Treasury Secretary Hamilton knew he needed to find a steady source of revenue. He proposed an excise tax on whiskey produced in the United States, and Congress instituted the levy in 1791. In general, the citizens of that time felt negatively toward the idea of taxation. The farmers of western Pennsylvania, many of whom distilled whiskey and profited from its sale, proved outright hostile to the idea.
In July of 1794, a force of disaffected whiskey rebels attacked and destroyed the home of a tax inspector. The rebellion grew in numbers, if not in actions, and threatened to spread to other states. Hamilton knew that the presence of a large and potentially hostile force in Pennsylvania could not be tolerated. If the government were to survive, it would have to show itself capable of keeping control.
Hamilton advocated the use of military force; President George Washington instead put state militias on the ready and sent in negotiators. When talks proved fruitless, Washington acquiesced to Hamilton's view. A force of 13,000 militia troops, led by Hamilton and Virginia governor Henry Lee, marched into western Pennsylvania.
By the time the federal force arrived, the rebellion had collapsed and most of the rebels had fled. Two men were convicted of treason and later pardoned by Washington. Alexander Hamilton was elated. The fledgling federal government had proven it could keep order -- a necessity if the U.S. was to avoid instability. But many, in particular Thomas Jefferson, thought that this resort to military force was a dangerous mistake. It convinced them that Hamilton was a dangerous man.
(Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/peo...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_...
http://www.nps.gov/frhi/historycultur...
William Hogeland
Albert Gallatin:
Born to an aristocratic Swiss family, Albert Gallatin (1761 - 1849) emigrated from Switzerland to America in 1780. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1795 and serving until 1801, Gallatin fought constantly with the independent minded first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. He was responsible for the law of 1801 requiring an annual report by the Secretary of the Treasury, and he submitted the first one later that year as Secretary. He also helped create the powerful House Ways and Means Committee to assure Treasury's accountability to Congress by reviewing the Department's annual report concerning revenues, debts, loans, and expenditures. Appointed Secretary of the Treasury in 1801 by President Jefferson and continuing under President James Madison until 1814, Gallatin was in office nearly thirteen years, the longest term of any Secretary in the Department's history.
As Secretary, he followed a Hamiltonian course, establishing the independence of the Secretary of the Treasury and institutionalizing the Department structures. Gallatin considerably reduced the federal debt by setting aside revenue for that purpose, and he revived internal taxes to pay for the War of 1812 but they were not sufficient. Having failed to convince Congress to recharter the First Bank of the United States in 1811, and foreseeing financial disaster, he resigned in 1814. That year Gallatin went to Russia to represent the United States in the peace conference with England and France settling hostilities. The outcome of the conference was the Treaty of Ghent signed in 1814.
(Source: http://www.treasury.gov/about/history...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_G...
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...
http://www.nps.gov/frhi/index.htm
Theo Sedgwick:
a Delegate, a Representative, and a Senator from Massachusetts; born in West Hartford, Conn., May 9, 1746; attended Yale College; studied theology and law; admitted to the bar in 1766 and commenced practice in Great Barrington, Mass.; moved to Sheffield, Mass.; during the Revolutionary War served in the expedition against Canada in 1776; member, State house of representatives 1780, 1782-1783; member, State senate 1784-1785; Member of the Continental Congress 1785, 1786, and 1788; member, State house of representatives 1787-1788, and served as speaker; delegate to the State convention that adopted the Federal Constitution in 1788; elected to the First and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1789, until his resignation in June 1796; elected as a Federalist to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Caleb Strong and served from June 11, 1796, to March 3, 1799; served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Fifth Congress; elected to the Sixth Congress (March 4, 1799-March 3, 1801); Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sixth Congress; judge of the supreme court of Massachusetts 1802-1813; died in Boston, Mass., January 24, 1813; interment in the family cemetery, Stockbridge, Mass.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore...
Jay's Treaty:officially titled “Treaty of Amity Commerce and Navigation, between His Britannic Majesty; and The United States of America,” was negotiated by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay and signed between the United States and Great Britain on November 19, 1794. Tensions between the two countries had increased since the end of the Revolutionary War over British military posts still located in America's northwestern territory and British interference with American trade and shipping. Jay was only partially successful in getting Britain to meet America's demands and opposition to the treaty in the United States was intense. Although President George Washington was disappointed with the treaty’s provisions, he felt it was the best hope to avert war with Great Britain and submitted it to the Senate for approval. Jay’s Treaty passed the Senate by a vote of 20 to 10, exactly the two-thirds required for approval.
(Source: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/our...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Treaty
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_me...
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1...
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/h...
Bryan wrote: "Mulberry Row:Just thought it was kinda funny that Monticello.org says there were 'dwellings for black and white workers'. Perhaps monticello.org is kinda trying to whitewash TJ's slave legacy? Weren't they more 'slave quarters'? Heck, they say so when reading some of the signs when you visit Monticello, including some rooms in the 'Dependencies'.
Bryan wrote: "Whiskey Rebellion:But many, in particular Thomas Jefferson, thought that this resort to military force was a dangerous mistake. It convinced them that Hamilton was a dangerous man.
Heck, TJ already hated Hamilton. He didn't like Hamilton's use of debt to stabilize the dollar, to increase American credit-worthiness, that Hamilton hated slavery, that Hamilton could beat him in a debate, since Hamilton knew the law, was a heavy thinker/reader, and likely was smarter than TJ, plus Washington tended to rule in favor of Hamilton more often than in TJ's favor, partially because, unlike TJ, Hamilton not only was a soldier (started out as a artilleryman, rising to colonel, had partaken in real battles (once had his horse shot out from under him)), but Hamilton operated basically as Washington's chief of staff during a good chunk of the revolutionary war, earning Washington's trust in his counsel and competency. Hamilton was also one of the nation's premier lawyers, able to argue eloquently and used logic to destroy his opponents and sway the jury. TJ, as we already learned earlier, was a weak speaker and rather, relied on writing and propaganda and subterfuge instead.
How good was Hamilton? Both TJ, Madison, and Gallatin hated Hamilton, and once TJ became President, he had Gallatin look through the records to see if he could find any evidence that Hamilton was corrupt in any way and find ways to dismantle the programs Hamilton set up while he as Treasury secretary. Gallatin not only not found any evidence of corruption, but as the link on Gallatin stated, kept following the course Hamilton established.
Ron Chernow
Ron Chernow
Marc wrote: "Bryan wrote: "Mulberry Row:Just thought it was kinda funny that Monticello.org says there were 'dwellings for black and white workers'. Perhaps monticello.org is kinda trying to whitewash TJ's sl..."
Whitewash might be a little harsh. White labor did live there, but they have made serious strides to reflect slavery on the mountain. They plan to rebuild Mulberry Row. By saying white labor lived there, I think it is just putting out the facts.
Marc wrote: "Bryan wrote: "Whiskey Rebellion:But many, in particular Thomas Jefferson, thought that this resort to military force was a dangerous mistake. It convinced them that Hamilton was a dangerous man. ..."
I think it is a great example of how poisonous the times have become. I think prejudice or partisanship did affect TJ's view of Hamilton. It is a shame really, because Hamilton was a great man IMHO.
Thanks for your comments, Marc. It looks like I need to read Chernow's books.
Bryan wrote: "Marc wrote: "Bryan wrote: "Mulberry Row:Whitewash might be a little harsh. White labor did live there, but they have made serious strides to reflect slavery on the mountain. They plan to rebuild Mulberry Row. By saying white labor lived there, I think it is just putting out the facts.
I agree with you when you visit Monticello itself, which I did say (reading signs describing some of the slave quarters on Mulberry row and in the Dependencies. I was there a month ago, and definitely saw there was no whitewashing there at Monticello itself.
But monticello.org on the other hand...
I highly recommend the two Chernow books! I really learned a lot about the Revolutionary war and the struggles to make America viable, especially in the early years where there really was no model to follow. Both Washington and Hamilton did great things, which all other Presidents built on. Without either man, I kinda doubt America would have survived, likely would have collapsed into feuding states and would have fallen prey to France and England.
Charles Pinckney:
a Delegate, a Senator and a Representative from South Carolina; born in Charles Town (now Charleston), S.C., October 26, 1757; pursued classical studies; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in 1779; member of the State house of representatives 1779-1780, 1786-1789, 1792-1796, 1805, 1806, 1810-1814; fought in the Revolutionary War and was taken prisoner by the British in 1780; Member of the Continental Congress 1785-1787; member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787; member of the State constitutional conventions in 1788 and 1790 and served as president; Governor of South Carolina 1789-1792, and 1796-1798; was elected in 1798 as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Hunter and also for the full term expiring March 3, 1805, and served from December 6, 1798, until his resignation in 1801; Minister to Spain 1801-1804; again served in the State general assembly and as Governor of South Carolina 1806-1808; elected to the Sixteenth Congress (March 4, 1819-March 3, 1821); resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits; died in Charleston, S.C., October 29, 1824; interment in St. Philip’s Churchyard.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_...
http://www.nps.gov/chpi/index.htm
Timothy Pickering:
Timothy Pickering was born on June 17, 1745, in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University. He used a law education to begin a career in public service, becoming a selectman and assessor for Essex County, Massachusetts, in 1772.
Soon caught up in the revolutionary fervor of the period, Pickering joined the Committee on the State of Rights of Colonists in 1773 and went on to serve with the Committee of Correspondence and Safety from 1774 to 1775. He accepted an appointment to two Essex County judicial offices in 1775, and by 1776, he had gained a seat in the Massachusetts state legislature.
His interests tending more toward warfare than politics however, Pickering joined the Revolutionary Army in 1776, applying his experience with the Massachusetts State militia (1766 and 1775). By 1777, Pickering had become adjutant-general and a member of the Continental Congress' Board of War. From 1780 to 1785, he was Quartermaster General of the Army, and he did not retire from military duty until 1788.
Involving himself in politics once more, Pickering was amongst those in the Pennsylvania state convention to ratify the U.S. (1787) and state (1790) constitutions. In 1790, President George Washington named him U.S. commissioner to the Seneca Indians and subsequently appointed him to his cabinet as postmaster general (1791-1794).
Pickering's stay in cabinet went on to include one year as secretary of war (1795-1796), and five more as secretary of state under both Presidents Washington and John Adams (1796-1800). He would also serve a number of years as a U.S. senator from Massachusetts (1803-1811 and 1813-1817), and he had a brief stay on the Massachusetts executive council as well (1812-1813). Timothy Pickering died on January 29, 1829, in Salem, Massachusetts.
(Source: http://millercenter.org/president/was...)
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Gerard H. Clarfield
John Wayles Eppes:
a Representative and a Senator from Virginia; born at Eppington, Chesterfield County, Va., April 19, 1773; attended the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia; graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia in 1786; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1794 and commenced practice in Richmond, Va.; member, State house of delegates 1801-1803; elected as a Democratic Republican to the Eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1803-March 3, 1811); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Twelfth Congress; chairman, Committee on Ways and Means (Eleventh Congress); engaged in agricultural pursuits; elected to the Thirteenth Congress (March 4, 1813-March 3, 1815); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Fourteenth Congress; chairman, Committee on Ways and Means (Thirteenth Congress); elected to the United States Senate in 1815, but declined to accept the seat; again elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1817, until December 4, 1819, when he resigned because of ill health; chairman, Committee on Finance (Fifteenth Congress); retired to his estate, ‘Millbrooke,’ in Buckingham County, Va., where he died September 13, 1823; interment in the private cemetery of the Eppes family at Millbrook, near Curdsville, Va.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Way...
http://www.monticello.org/site/jeffer...
XYZ Affair:The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident that almost led to war between the United States and France. The scandal inflamed U.S. public opinion and led to the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 (1 Stat. 570, 596). Though the affair caused an unofficial naval war, the two countries were able to negotiate their differences and end their conflict in 1800.
The affair took place during one of the Napoleonic wars between France and Great Britain. The French regarded the United States as a hostile nation, particularly after the signing of Jay's Treaty in 1794. This treaty settled some of the problems that continued to cause friction between the United States and Great Britain after the peace treaty of 1783 that granted the colonies independence. Consequently, President John Adams appointed Charles Pinckney minister to France in 1796 in an attempt to ease French-U.S. relations.
After Charles Talleyrand, the French foreign minister, refused to recognize Pinckney, Adams appointed a commission to France, consisting of Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry. Before official negotiations on a treaty to establish peaceful relations and normalize trade could occur, Talleyrand sent three French agents to meet with the commission members. The agents suggested that Talleyrand would agree to the treaty if he received from the United States a $250,000 bribe and France received a $10 million loan. The commission refused, with Pinckney quoted as saying, "No! No! Not a sixpence!"
Outraged, the commission sent a report to Adams, who inserted the letters X, Y, and Z in place of the agents' names and forwarded the report to Congress. Congress and the public were angered at the attempted blackmail. An undeclared naval war took place between the two nations between 1798 and 1800. Anticipating a declared war with France, Congress enacted the Alien and Sedition Acts. These internal security laws were aimed at French and Irish immigrants, who were thought to be supportive of France. The acts lengthened the period of naturalization for Aliens, authorized the president to expel any alien considered dangerous, permitted the detention of subjects of an enemy nation, and limited Freedom of the Press.
Talleyrand, unwilling to risk a declared war with the United States, sought an end to the dispute. The next U.S. delegation sent to France was treated with appropriate respect, and the Treaty of Morfontaine, which restored normal relations between France and the United States, was signed in 1800.
(Source: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictio...)
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http://www.monticello.org/site/resear...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XYZ_Affair
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1...
William C. Stinchcombe(no image)The Xyz Affair, 1797-98: The Diplomacy of the Adams Administration and an Undeclared War with France by Harold Cecil Vaughan
James Callender:was a political pamphleteer and journalist whose writing was controversial in his native Scotland and the United States. His contemporary reputation was as a "scandalmonger", due to the content of some of his reporting, which overshadowed the political content. In the United States, he was a central figure in the press wars between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties, and reported on President Thomas Jefferson's alleged children by his slave concubine Sally Hemings. Callender's authority and veracity have been controversial, but his statements about Jefferson are thought by some to have been confirmed by a 1998 DNA analysis and the weight of historical evidence, as shown by the historian Annette Gordon-Reed and others. The testing showed that a male of the Jefferson family fathered at least one of Sally Hemings' children.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_T....)
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http://www.monticello.org/site/resear...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/adams/pe...
Matthew Lyon:
a Representative from Vermont and from Kentucky; born near Dublin, County Wicklow, Ireland, July 14, 1749; attended school in Dublin; began to learn the trade of printer in 1763; immigrated to the United States in 1765; was landed as a redemptioner and worked on a farm in Woodbury, Conn., where he continued his education; moved to Wallingford, Vt. (then known as the New Hampshire Grants), in 1774 and organized a company of militia; served as adjutant in Colonel Warner’s regiment in Canada in 1775; commissioned second lieutenant in the regiment known as the Green Mountain Boys in July 1776; moved to Arlington, Vt., in 1777; resigned from the Army in 1778; member of the State house of representatives 1779-1783; founded the town of Fair Haven, Vt., in 1783; was a member of the State house of representatives for ten years during the period 1783-1796; built and operated various kinds of mills, including one for the manufacture of paper; established a printing office in 1793 and published the Farmers’ Library, afterward the Fair Haven Gazette; unsuccessful candidate for election to the Second and Third Congresses; unsuccessfully contested the election of Israel Smith to the Fourth Congress; elected as a Republican to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses (March 4, 1797-March 3, 1801); was not a candidate for renomination in 1800; moved to Kentucky in 1801 and settled in Caldwell (now Lyon) County; member of the house of representatives of Kentucky in 1802; elected to the Eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1803-March 3, 1811); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1810 to the Twelfth Congress; was appointed United States factor to the Cherokee Nation in Arkansas Territory in 1820; unsuccessfully contested the election of James W. Bates as a Delegate from Arkansas Territory to the Seventeenth Congress; died in Spadra Bluff, Ark., August 1, 1822; interment in Spadra Bluff Cemetery; reinterment in Eddyville Cemetery, Eddyville, Caldwell (now Lyon) County, Ky., in 1833.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/p...
Kentucky Resolutions Part One:1. Resolved, That the several States composing, the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their general government; but that, by a compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States, and of amendments thereto, they constituted a general government for special purposes — delegated to that government certain definite powers, reserving, each State to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self-government; and that whensoever the general government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force: that to this compact each State acceded as a State, and is an integral part, its co-States forming, as to itself, the other party: that the government created by this compact was not made the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself; since that would have made its discretion, and not the Constitution, the measure of its powers; but that, as in all other cases of compact among powers having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress.
2. Resolved, That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations, and no other crimes, whatsoever; and it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, not prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” therefore the act of Congress, passed on the 14th day of July, 1798, and intituled “An Act in addition to the act intituled An Act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States,” as also the act passed by them on the — day of June, 1798, intituled “An Act to punish frauds committed on the bank of the United States,” (and all their other acts which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution,) are altogether void, and of no force; and that the power to create, define, and punish such other crimes is reserved, and, of right, appertains solely and exclusively to the respective States, each within its own territory.
3. Resolved, That it is true as a general principle, and is also expressly declared by one of the amendments to the Constitutions, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, our prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”; and that no power over the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or freedom of the press being delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, all lawful powers respecting the same did of right remain, and were reserved to the States or the people: that thus was manifested their determination to retain to themselves the right of judging how far the licentiousness of speech and of the press may be abridged without lessening their useful freedom, and how far those abuses which cannot be separated from their use should be tolerated, rather than the use be destroyed. And thus also they guarded against all abridgment by the United States of the freedom of religious opinions and exercises, and retained to themselves the right of protecting the same, as this State, by a law passed on the general demand of its citizens, had already protected them from all human restraint or interference. And that in addition to this general principle and express declaration, another and more special provision has been made by one of the amendments to the Constitution, which expressly declares, that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press”: thereby guarding in the same sentence, and under the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press: insomuch, that whatever violated either, throws down the sanctuary which covers the others, arid that libels, falsehood, and defamation, equally with heresy and false religion, are withheld from the cognizance of federal tribunals. That, therefore, the act of Congress of the United States, passed on the 14th day of July, 1798, intituled “An Act in addition to the act intituled An Act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States,” which does abridge the freedom of the press, is not law, but is altogether void, and of no force.
4. Resolved, That alien friends are under the jurisdiction and protection of the laws of the State wherein they are: that no power over them has been delegated to the United States, nor prohibited to the individual States, distinct from their power over citizens. And it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people," the act of the Congress of the United States, passed on the — day of July, 1798, intituled “An Act concerning aliens,” which assumes powers over alien friends, not delegated by the Constitution, is not law, but is altogether void, and of no force.
5. Resolved. That in addition to the general principle, as well as the express declaration, that powers not delegated are reserved, another and more special provision, inserted in the Constitution from abundant caution, has declared that “the migration or importation of such persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year 1808” that this commonwealth does admit the migration of alien friends, described as the subject of the said act concerning aliens: that a provision against prohibiting their migration, is a provision against all acts equivalent thereto, or it would be nugatory: that to remove them when migrated, is equivalent to a prohibition of their migration, and is, therefore, contrary to the said provision of the Constitution, and void.
6. Resolved, That the imprisonment of a person under the protection of the laws of this commonwealth, on his failure to obey the simple order of the President to depart out of the United States, as is undertaken by said act intituled “An Act concerning aliens” is contrary to the Constitution, one amendment to which has provided that “no person shalt be deprived of liberty without due progress of law”; and that another having provided that “in all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to public trial by an impartial jury, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense;” the same act, undertaking to authorize the President to remove a person out of the United States, who is under the protection of the law, on his own suspicion, without accusation, without jury, without public trial, without confrontation of the witnesses against him, without heating witnesses in his favor, without defense, without counsel, is contrary to the provision also of the Constitution, is therefore not law, but utterly void, and of no force: that transferring the power of judging any person, who is under the protection of the laws from the courts, to the President of the United States, as is undertaken by the same act concerning aliens, is against the article of the Constitution which provides that “the judicial power of the United States shall be vested in courts, the judges of which shall hold their offices during good behavior”; and that the said act is void for that reason also. And it is further to be noted, that this transfer of judiciary power is to that magistrate of the general government who already possesses all the Executive, and a negative on all Legislative powers.
7. Resolved, That the construction applied by the General Government (as is evidenced by sundry of their proceedings) to those parts of the Constitution of the United States which delegate to Congress a power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States,” and “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution, the powers vested by the Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof,” goes to the destruction of all limits prescribed to their powers by the Constitution: that words meant by the instrument to be subsidiary only to the execution of limited powers, ought not to be so construed as themselves to give unlimited powers, nor a part to be so taken as to destroy the whole residue of that instrument: that the proceedings of the General Government under color of these articles, will be a fit and necessary subject of revisal and correction, at a time of greater tranquillity, while those specified in the preceding resolutions call for immediate redress.
8th. Resolved, That a committee of conference and correspondence be appointed, who shall have in charge to communicate the preceding resolutions to the Legislatures of the several States: to assure them that this commonwealth continues in the same esteem of their friendship and union which it has manifested from that moment at which a common danger first suggested a common union: that it considers union, for specified national purposes, and particularly to those specified in their late federal compact, to be friendly, to the peace, happiness and prosperity of all the States: that faithful to that compact, according to the plain intent and meaning in which it was understood and acceded to by the several parties, it is sincerely anxious for its preservation: that it does also believe, that to take from the States all the powers of self-government and transfer them to a general and consolidated government, without regard to the special delegations and reservations solemnly agreed to in that compact, is not for the peace, happiness or prosperity of these States; and that therefore this commonwealth is determined, as it doubts not its co-States are, to submit to undelegated, and consequently unlimited powers in no man, or body of men on earth: that in cases of an abuse of the delegated powers, the members of the general government, being chosen by the people, a change by the people would be the constitutional remedy; but, where powers are assumed which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy: that every State has a natural right in cases not within the compact, (casus non fœderis) to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits: that without this right, they would be under the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whosoever might exercise this right of judgment for them: that nevertheless, this commonwealth, from motives of regard and respect for its co States, has wished to communicate with them on the subject: that with them alone it is proper to communicate, they alone being parties to the compact, and solely authorized to judge in the last resort of the powers exercised under it, Congress being not a party, but merely the creature of the compact, and subject as to its assumptions of power to the final judgment of those by whom, and for whose use itself and its powers were all created and modified: that if the acts before specified should stand, these conclusions would flow from them;
Kentucky Resolutions, Part Two:that the general government may place any act they think proper on the list of crimes and punish it themselves whether enumerated or not enumerated by the constitution as cognizable by them: that they may transfer its cognizance to the President, or any other person, who may himself be the accuser, counsel, judge and jury, whose suspicions may be the evidence, his order the sentence, his officer the executioner, and his breast the sole record of the transaction: that a very numerous and valuable description of the inhabitants of these States being, by this precedent, reduced, as outlaws, to the absolute dominion of one man, and the barrier of the Constitution thus swept away from us all, no ramparts now remains against the passions and the powers of a majority in Congress to protect from a like exportation, or other more grievous punishment, the minority of the same body, the legislatures, judges, governors and counsellors of the States, nor their other peaceable inhabitants, who may venture to reclaim the constitutional rights and liberties of the States and people, or who for other causes, good or bad, may be obnoxious to the views, or marked by the suspicions of the President, or be thought dangerous to his or their election, or other interests, public or personal; that the friendless alien has indeed been selected as the safest subject of a first experiment; but the citizen will soon follow, or rather, has already followed, for already has a sedition act marked him as its prey: that these and successive acts of the same character, unless arrested at the threshold, necessarily drive these States into revolution and blood and will furnish new calumnies against republican government, and new pretexts for those who wish it to be believed that man cannot be governed but by a rod of iron: that it would be a dangerous delusion were a confidence in the men of our choice to silence our fears for the safety of our rights: that confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism — free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy and not confidence which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those whom we are obliged to trust with power: that our Constitution has accordingly fixed the limits to which, and no further, our confidence may go; and let the honest advocate of confidence read the Alien and Sedition acts, and say if the Constitution has not been wise in fixing limits to the government it created, and whether we should be wise in destroying those limits, Let him say what the government is, if it be not a tyranny, which the men of our choice have con erred on our President, and the President of our choice has assented to, and accepted over the friendly stranger to whom the mild spirit of our country and its law have pledged hospitality and protection: that the men of our choice have more respected the bare suspicion of the President, than the solid right of innocence, the claims of justification, the sacred force of truth, and the forms and substance of law and justice. In questions of powers, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution. That this commonwealth does therefore call on its co-States for an expression of their sentiments on the acts concerning aliens and for the punishment of certain crimes herein before specified, plainly declaring whether these acts are or are not authorized by the federal compact. And it doubts not that their sense will be so announced as to prove their attachment unaltered to limited government, weather general or particular. And that the rights and liberties of their co-States will be exposed to no dangers by remaining embarked in a common bottom with their own. That they will concur with this commonwealth in considering the said acts as so palpably against the Constitution as to amount to an undisguised declaration that that compact is not meant to be the measure of the powers of the General Government, but that it will proceed in the exercise over these States, of all powers whatsoever: that they will view this as seizing the rights of the States, and consolidating them in the hands of the General Government, with a power assumed to bind the States (not merely as the cases made federal, casus fœderis but), in all cases whatsoever, by laws made, not with their consent, but by others against their consent: that this would be to surrender the form of government we have chosen, and live under one deriving its powers from its own will, and not from our authority; and that the co-States, recurring to their natural right in cases not made federal, will concur in declaring these acts void, and of no force, and will each take measures of its own for providing that neither these acts, nor any others of the General Government not plainly and intentionally authorized by the Constitution, shalt be exercised within their respective territories.
9th. Resolved, That the said committee be authorized to communicate by writing or personal conference, at any times or places whatever, with any person or persons who may be appointed by any one or more co-States to correspond or confer with them; and that they lay their proceedings before the next session of Assembly.
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John Marshall:
a Representative from Virginia; born in Germantown, Fauquier County, Va., September 24, 1755; received instruction from a tutor and attended the classical academy of the Messrs. Campbell in Westmoreland County, Va.; at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War joined a company of State militia that subsequently became part of the Eleventh Regiment of Virginia Troops; studied law at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.; was admitted to the bar on August 28, 1780; resigned his Army commission in 1781 and engaged in the practice of law in Fauquier County; delegate in the Virginia house of delegates in 1780; settled in Richmond and practiced law; member of the executive council 1782-1795; again a member of the house of burgesses 1782-1788; delegate to the State constitutional convention for the ratification of the Federal Constitution that met in Richmond June 2, 1788; one of the special commissioners to France in 1797 and 1798 to demand redress and reparation for hostile actions of that country; resumed the practice of law in Virginia; declined the appointment of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States tendered by President Adams September 26, 1798; elected as a Federalist to the Sixth Congress and served from March 4, 1799, to June 7, 1800, when he resigned; was appointed Secretary of War by President Adams May 7, 1800, but the appointment was not considered, and on May 12, 1800, was appointed Secretary of State; entered upon his new duties June 6, 1800, and although appointed Chief Justice of the United States January 20, 1801, and notwithstanding he took the oath of office as Chief Justice February 4, 1801, continued to serve in the Cabinet until March 4, 1801; member of the Virginia convention of 1829; continued as Chief Justice until his death in Philadelphia, Pa., July 6, 1835; interment in the Shockoe Hill Cemetery, Richmond, Va.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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Jean Edward Smith
R. Kent Newmyer
Francis N. Stites
John Randolph of Roanoke:
a Representative and a Senator from Virginia; born in Cawsons, Prince George County, Va., June 2, 1773; known as John Randolph of Roanoke to distinguish him from kinsmen; studied under private tutors, at private schools, the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and Columbia College, New York City; studied law in Philadelphia, Pa., but never practiced; engaged in several duels; elected to the Sixth and to the six succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1799-March 3, 1813); one of the managers appointed by the House of Representatives in January 1804 to conduct the impeachment proceedings against Judge John Pickering, and in December of the same year against Supreme Court Justice Samuel; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1812 to the Thirteenth Congress; chairman, Committee on Ways and Means (Seventh through Ninth Congresses); elected to the Fourteenth Congress (March 4, 1815-March 3, 1817); was not a candidate for reelection in 1816 to the Fifteenth Congress; elected to the Sixteenth and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1819, until his resignation, effective December 26, 1825; appointed to the United States Senate on December 8, 1825, to fill the vacancy in the term beginning March 4, 1821, caused by the resignation of James Barbour; served from December 26, 1825, to March 3, 1827; unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Senate in 1827; elected to the Twentieth Congress (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1829); was not a candidate for reelection to the Twenty-first Congress; chairman, Committee on Ways and Means (Twentieth Congress); member of the Virginia constitutional convention at Richmond in 1829; appointed United States Minister to Russia by President Andrew Jackson and served from May to September, 1830, when he resigned; elected to the Twenty-third Congress and served from March 4, 1833, until his death in Philadelphia, Pa., May 24, 1833; interment at his residence, ‘Roanoke,’ in Charlotte County, Va.; reinterment at ’Hollywood,’ Richmond, Va.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)
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(no image)The Education of John Randolph by Robert Dawidoff
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Campaign Of 1781 In The Carolinas; With Remarks Historical And Critical On Johnson's Life Of Greene - To Which Is Added An Appendix (other topics)The life of Napoleon Bonaparte (other topics)
Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village: The Creation of an Architectural Masterpiece (other topics)
Jefferson at Monticello. The private life of Thomas Jefferson. From entirely new materials ... By Rev. Hamilton W. Pierson. (other topics)
Injured Honor: The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair June 22, 1807 (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Henry Lee (other topics)R.G. Wilson (other topics)
Hamilton W. Pierson (other topics)
Spencer C. Tucker (other topics)
Peter Charles Hoffer (other topics)
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Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and third president of the United States, began construction of Poplar Forest in 1806. It was a retreat and the purest of his Neoclassical architectural masterpieces. He visited the house in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains as often as four times a year, frequently staying as long as a month. Its elegant geometrical design and unusual, somewhat impractical plan embodied the abstract forms that architects of the Neoclassical loved. Poplar Forest, set in its carefully planned landscape, was a personal architectural creation and the place where Jefferson found rest and leisure and enjoyed private time with his family.
Thomas Jefferson long dreamed of a quiet retreat where he could get away from the pressures of public life. His long and distinguished political career kept him from realizing his dream until late in his presidency. Jefferson acquired the 4,800-acre plantation at Poplar Forest through his marriage to Martha Wayles Skelton in 1773. During the Revolution when the British drove him from Monticello in June 1781, he escaped with his family to Poplar Forest, staying in the only dwelling on the property, the overseer's house. During a visit in 1801, a rainstorm left him cooped up in the overseer’s house with numerous children and dogs. Jefferson spent his time— in what was undoubtedly a cramped and noisy setting —computing how long it would take to pay the national debt. According to tradition, it was then that he began to realize the advantages of building a more tranquil place for himself.
Thomas Jefferson designed and built this architecturally notable house between 1806 and 1823. Jefferson was a brilliant self-taught architect, considered by many to be America’s first. Octagons fascinated him. Poplar Forest was one of his many octagonal designs and the only octagonal house actually built. The one-story brick residence is set on a high basement. The front and rear elevations are strictly symmetrical and feature Classical porticoes with pediments and four Tuscan columns. The plan is an equal-sided octagon that reflects Jefferson’s passion for geometry. On the interior, four elongated octagonal rooms surround a central chamber illuminated by a large skylight. This central space is a perfect cube, measuring 20 feet in all directions. Jefferson liked octagonal rooms in part because they allowed for more light, especially important in a time prior to electricity. The abstract symmetry of the house extended to the landscape as well. Two artificial mounds on either side of the sunken lawn behind the house served as ornamental elements and screened identical octagonal privies. The villas of Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio, influenced the design, with the mounds replacing pavilions. In 1812, Jefferson proudly declared, “When finished, it will be the best dwelling house in the state, except that of Monticello."
In 1814, Jefferson added a service wing where slaves did the work necessary to maintain the house. Approximately 94 slaves worked on the plantation. Letters and documents, as well as excavations of the slave quarters scattered about the property, provide glimpses into their lives. Slaves at Poplar Forest performed a variety of jobs, including fieldwork, road building, livestock tending, brick-making, blacksmithing, woodworking, carpentry, masonry construction, weaving, and spinning, as well as service in the house.
Jefferson kept to a regimented daily schedule for most of his life, and the time he spent at Poplar Forest was no exception. An early riser, he spent the mornings riding, reading, or writing. He maintained a library of more than 1,000 books in many languages. When his family accompanied him to Poplar Forest, they dined early and read or strolled about the gardens in the evenings. Jefferson loved spending time with his grandchildren.
Jefferson’s grandson, Frances Eppes, inherited 1,074 acres and the house at Poplar Forest but sold it only a few years later. In 1845, a fire destroyed the roof and interior, leaving only the basic shapes of the rooms, four chimneys, and the portico columns. Later families modified Jefferson's villa retreat into a home more suitable to their needs. Organized in 1983, the Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest bought the house and 50 acres of land in 1984. The corporation opened the house to the public two years later and began to make plans to restore the house and landscape to its appearance during Jefferson’s lifetime. The restoration work on this National Historic Landmark is extraordinary. Jefferson designed and built his retreat solely to suit his "fancy," and ongoing restoration and archeology efforts give unique insight into his life and creativity.
(Source: http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presiden...)
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