Tag Archives: James Madison

Why Harrison Gray Otis Dismissed Comments the Hartford Convention Would Seek Secession

Despite Mathew Carey’s concerns that New England was on the brink of seceding from the Union, Harrison Gray Otis had other plans.  He wrote the purpose of the convention was “to take measures to defend ourselves against the enemy; as … Continue reading

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How President Madison Responded to New England’s Threat of Secession

To recap: On October 17, 1814 the legislature in Massachusetts invited New England states to a convention in Hartford on December 15.  They responded.  Connecticut named seven delegates.  Rhode Island appointed four delegates.   Democratic-Republicans blocked attempts to appoint delegates in … Continue reading

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What the Committee Reported

Harrison Gray Otis reported for his committee: “The state of the national Treasury…requires an augmentation of existing taxes; and if in addition to these the people of Massachusetts, deprived of their commerce and harassed by a formidable enemy, are compelled … Continue reading

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How the Embargo of 1813 Affected New England

Despite Federalist protests against the war, New England’s economy prospered.  Enterprising New Englanders profited by smuggling goods to the British in Canada.  Madison was outraged.  He reported to Congress on December 9, 1813: “The tendency of our commercial and navigation … Continue reading

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To Recap: How Madison Responded to Napoleon’s Offer

After repealing the Embargo, Congress once again passed a non-intercourse act, with a pledge the United States would resume trade with the first nation to repeal its injurious policies toward American commerce.  Jefferson’s successor, James Madison, tried diplomacy, working with … Continue reading

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Federalists Organized Another Constitutional Convention

Madison was elected the next president of the United States in 1808.  For the Federalist Party’s leaders in New England, it was a significant setback.  Their attempt to unify the party by a moderate course of action had failed.[1] The … Continue reading

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Conservatives’ Dilemma: Moderation or Adherence to Principles?

Federalist Party leaders in Massachusetts faced a situation that is similar to what is going on within the Republican Party today.  As Tea Party leaders clamor for principles, the party’s leadership in Congress, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, pursue a moderate … Continue reading

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Were New England’s Federalists Really Abolitionists?

During the 1780s Massachusetts abolished slavery.  After that, the abolition society in Massachusetts stopped taking part in Philadelphia’s annual abolition convention.[1] After the economically crippling policies of Jefferson and Madison, the Federalists regained power in New England.  The authorities segregated … Continue reading

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How Opposition to the Three-Fifths Clause Merged with a Moral Campaign

Opposition to slavery, as a tenet of Congregationalism, began with Samuel Hopkins.   Hopkins (1721-1803) graduated from Yale College in 1741.  As a senior, he was attracted to the revivalism of the Great Awakening, a movement led by the Congregational clergyman Jonathan … Continue reading

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How the French Influenced Sectional Discord

First with the Constitution, and next with the Jay Treaty, the more liberal New England Federalists migrated to Jefferson and Madison’s Democratic-Republican Party.   That caused the more conservative faction, the Essex Junto, to gain prominence.   Fisher Ames, one of the post-revolutionary leaders … Continue reading

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