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Alexander Hamilton, by John Trumbull, ca. 1806. Andrew W. Mellon Collection [1940.1.8]. (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.) Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale (Wikimedia) Matters weren't helped by Hamilton's habit of speaking frankly-usually, too frankly-about his political views. Luckily for historians (though, not so luckily for Hamilton), Jefferson often recorded such moments for potential future use. For example, as Jefferson recounted in a note to a friend, one evening in 1791, Secretary of State Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Vice President John Adams were dining together at Jefferson's home. When dinner was over and the cloth was removed (as they put it in the 18th century), the conversation strayed into the subject of the British constitution. As Jefferson recalled it, “Adams said, '[P]urge that constitution of its corruption, and give to its popular branch equality of representation, and it would be the most perfect constitution ever devised by the wit of man.” At this point, “Hamilton paused,” Jefferson wrote dramatically, “and said, '[P]urge it of its corruption, and give to its popular branch equality of representation, and it would become an impracticable government: as it stands at present, with all its supposed defects, it is the most perfect government which ever existed.” To Jefferson, this story held the key to Hamilton's politics. “Hamilton was not only a monarchist,” he wrote, “but for a monarchy bottomed on corruption.” It was Hamilton's corruption- defined by Jefferson as his ability to sway Congress to his will -that most disturbed Jefferson. As he complained to Washington in 1792, Hamilton had at his disposal a "squadron devoted to the nod of the treasury." Out of the public eye and able to serve their own interests, such men would "form the most corrupt government on earth." To Jefferson, it was Hamilton and his self-interested friends, not the people, who reigned supreme. Jefferson himself, he proclaimed repeatedly, had determined "to intermeddle not at all with the legislature... If it has been supposed that I ever intrigued among the members of the legislature to defeat the plans of the Secretary of the Treasury, it is contrary to all truth." As he explained it, he was guilty only of enunciating his "sentiments in conversation, and chiefly among those who, expressing the same sentiments, drew mine from me." In Jefferson's mind, such innocent conversations could scarcely be considered congressional intrigue. Jefferson’s protestations are convincing until we look more closely at the unfolding of some of his innocent dinner parties, which were sometimes deliberate attempts to test and reinforce the sympathies of potential supporters in the House.
Gilbert Stuart's circa 1798 portrait of George Washington Somehow, Washington had to rein in these two men and enable them to work towards some kind of common good-no easy task. In 1792, when he seems to have first realized the depth of the two men's hatred for each other, he wrote almost identical letters to them, pleading with them to try to get along. As he wrote in his letter to Jefferson,
Washington said essentially the same thing to Hamilton in a letter written three days later, writing in both letters a wonderfully unambiguous but diplomatic sentence assuring each man that the other one was getting scolded as well. "I do not mean to apply this advice to measures which are passed, or to any character in particular," he wrote. “l have given it in the same general terms to other Officers of the Government.” Which of the following best describes John Adams's and Thomas Jefferson's views of having newspapers once the US Constitution was ratified?Which of the following best describes John Adams and Thomas Jefferson's views of having newspapers once the U.S. Constitution was ratified? They believed that newspapers should promote their viewpoints and articulate their positions on political matters.
Which President helped to create the modern White House press corps when he added a press room to the White House quizlet?Theodore Roosevelt - The White House.
Which president described himself near the end of his term as a president without a party?Millard Fillmore, a member of the Whig party, was the 13th President of the United States (1850-1853) and the last President not to be affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties.
Which of the following best describes yellow journalism quizlet?Which of the following best describes yellow journalism? Yellow journalism emphasized large headlines, bright colors and pictures, and sensationalized stories.
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Which of the following statements most accurately describes John Adams and Thomas Jeffersons handling of the press?
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