George Washington was opposed to the establishment of British-style political parties with every fiber of his being, and the factions in Congress and the Cabinet didn’t morph into actual organized parties until Washington’s body had been cold for – oh – at least a few hours. At the time of this essay, Washington was in the final days of his first term, and he was watching like a hawk for the spirit of Faction within his administration to prevent it from dividing his government. Jefferson and Hamilton had been forming factions and making trouble since the day the National Bank concept had been introduced, and Washington was weary of stroking those two gigantic egos. One would not have blamed His Excellency had he gone to the stable, procured the stoutest horsewhip and laid into the backsides of both men. In his second term, Jefferson and Hamilton would both leave the Cabinet.
At the time of this essay’s publication, the factions were just starting to learn how to debate each other and define the rules for political warfare. Anonymous articles were the rule to avoid being challenged to a duel. (By the way, I believe we should bring back dueling to settle political arguments and turn the New Jersey state park in Weehauken where Burr shot Hamilton into the National Dueling Grounds with ESPN and C-SPAN covering the events.) This essay is a good example of how political warfare was waged in the early days.
Today is also another anniversary. It was fifteen years today that I stopped lurking and signed up as FReeper #581. It’s good to be here.
...its tiny sound echoed in his head like the great bells of the Gloria Dei church down the street...
Some of my maternal ancestors built Gloria Dei and had pews dedicated to their families there. I think there is a small window in an upper room with their name, also, and they are buried in the nearby graveyard. I understand that the neighborhood surrounding the old church has declined very badly now, according to cousins who have visited in the last 10 years. Scary bad.
L8r
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Very well written...it is interesting to note that even though both Hamilton and Madison may have left the administration, Washington did not continue a relationship of any kind with Jefferson past a coldly formal acknowledgement as their lives moved forward after that.
From what I know, Washington was quite angry about the whispering campaign started by Jefferson implying that he was too enfeebled to carry the intellectual responsibility of government, and was instead a puppet of the Alexander faction of politics (as I understand it).
I can tell reading this that you are more disposed to Madison than Hamilton, which is okay by me...I admit that I am more attracted to the personality and intellect of Hamilton which seems less...how do I say this...egg-headed than Hamilton does, who appears to me more emotionally aggressive and populistic (not sure if that is a word) than Madison.
And I say that even if I don’t agree with every view point formed by Hamilton!
I’m very glad you’re here. I thank you (among others) for my ongoing education.
Merry Christmas!
Anniversary, education, history, U.S.A., Christmas BUMP! WOOHOO Publius!
live - free - republic
In retrospect, federalism and anti-federalism are a debate that never truly ended and still rage today. I even noted that when the US was trying to establish Iraq as a republic (for better or worse), they too had an unresolved federalism and anti-federalism debate.
Again, in retrospect, we can look back at what worked for our nation. But we should also imagine of what the historical retrospect for those men were. While they could hope that our national future was bright, they could also fear that our nation could horribly decay and plunge into chaos. The past is known, the future unknown.
And what happened shortly thereafter in the French revolution (1789-1799). Ten years of violent, anguished suffering, chaos and murder. In the mind of Hamilton, the *prospect* of this is what he feared. Maybe even today, what could be called the “Balkanization” of America.
Not a federal republic of cooperative states led by a small central government; but a bellicose group of small nations at each others’ throats, forming and dissolving blocs to militantly attack and defend each against the others.
Washington feared political parties with cause, for history is filled with terrible and destructive examples of factionalism.
For a central government to be worth anything, it must have some involuntary means of being funded, other than direct taxation of the individual states, which was forbidden in the constitution. This nightmarish problem caused us any number of problems.
Tariffs could be broken with smuggling, something even colonial Americans demonstrated masterfully against the strict British regime; taxes were difficult at best, Hamilton goading Washington into the Whiskey tax, close to unenforceable, with a hidden goal of establishing national control in the agrarian wilderness.
Also remember that the French and Indian War, followed shortly after by Pontiac’s rebellion (1754–1764), were vicious, no quarter bloodbaths, in which the colonial Americans had fought side by side with the British against the omnipresent threat of the Indians, which still remained after the revolution. And though it broke the northern tribes, the southern tribes remained unresolved as a threat until the time of Andrew Jackson.
In any event, do not be hasty in taking one side of the debate over the other. While today, and for the last century, the anti-federalism side has dominated the scene, this does not mean that the federalism side is the end all be all; just that it is needed to emerge to bring balance to the unresolved argument.
Merry Christmas my friend.It is good to feel free to say such again-always was free to do so just was a might uncomfortable a spell. I like Madison a lot more since reading On Property. Seems all of America would be better off if we remembered whence we come from.May God richly bless you and yours this coming year.
However, your admission to remaining a Freeper virgin until 15-years ago today means that, henceforth, I will consider you to be a noobie... 😏
Congratulations on 15-years of activity, Noobie...
Although i could swear you were an active participant in those glorious 1998-2000 flame wars between Conservatives & Libertarians... Guess it's the 88-year old brain playing tricks again...
Have the duels be Pay-For-View and we could cut the national debt substantially.
Thanks. Merry Christmas to you.
And the Anti-Federalists were right.
L
A very Merry Christmas to you and all at Free Republic.
Many more FR anniversaries- cheers.
Thank you for this gift, Publius.
Thanks for the ping. A good read. I’ve never been a fan of Hamilton and consider his dual with Burr a fortunate event. It of course ended anything new Hamilton could say but it also ruined the future for Burr. Burr would have been happy in the District of Corruption as it exists today.