Triumvirate: The Story of the Unlikely Alliance That Saved the Constitution and United the Nation

328 Pages·2009·2.53 MB·English

by  Bruce Chadwick

TRIUMVIRATE
The Story of
THE UNLIKELY ALLIANCE THAT
SAVED THE CONSTITUTION AND
UNITED THE NATION
BRUCE CHADWICK
Copyright © 2009 by Bruce Chadwick Cover and internal design © 2009 by
Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Mark Eimer Cover images courtesy of The Library of
Congress. Distressed flag image © iStockPhoto.com/duncan1890
Internal photos used by permission as noted in captions Sourcebooks and the
colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chadwick, Bruce.
Triumvirate : the story of the unlikely alliance that saved the Constitution and
united the nation / Bruce Chadwick.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. United States—Politics and government—1783-1789. 2. Constitutional
history—United States. 3. Madison, James, 1751-1836. 4. Hamilton, Alexander,
1757-1804. 5. Jay, John, 1745-1829. 6. Alliances—Case studies. 7. New York
(State)—Politics and government—1775-1865. 8. Pennsylvania—Politics and
government—1775-1865. 9. Massachusetts—Politics and government—1775-
1865. 10. Virginia—Politics and government—1775-1865. I. Title.
E303.C47 2009
973.3’18—dc22
2008043081
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
BG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For
Margie and Rory
I have seen no other [writings] so well calculated to produce conviction on an unbiased mind as…
your Triumvirate.
—George Washington to Alexander Hamilton
on The Federalist
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE IMPORTANT PLAYERS
PRELUDE: SUMMER 1787, AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION IN PHILADELPHIA

1. A FIGHT BREWS
2. THE ARRIVAL OF JAMES MADISON IN A TURBULENT NEW YORK CITY
3. THE TRIUMVIRATE
4. THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
5. THE FEDERALIST
6. NEWSPAPER SUPPORT ACROSS THE COUNTRY
7. A WINTER OF WORRY
8. PENNSYLVANIA: THE FIRST TOUGH SKIRMISH
9. SNOWSTORMS AND POLITICAL STORMS: THE FIGHT IN MASSACHUSETTS
10. THE FOURTH, SILENT MEMBER OF THE TRIUMVIRATE: GEORGE WASHINGTON
11. VIRGINIA
12. VIRGINIA’S WILD CONVENTION BEGINS
13. NEW YORK: THE FINAL ROUND IN THE TINY VILLAGE OF POUGHKEEPSIE
14. NEW YORK: INTO THE STRETCH

AFTERMATH
ENDNOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have written a number of books and Triumvirate was probably the most
difficult. Exhaustive research was necessary in documents concerning the
thirteen states and in the constitutional battles in each of them. Putting together
the arguments for and against the Constitution, and profiling the Federalists and
Anti-Federalists, was not easy. Fortunately, I had help.
I would like to thank Dr. Paul Clemens, at Rutgers University, and Dr. Fran
Moran, at New Jersey City University, for reading the manuscript and making
very helpful suggestions to improve it.
My journey took me to many libraries, archives, and museums. Many thanks
to the librarians at the David Library of the American Revolution, New York
Historical Society, New Jersey Historical Society, Massachusetts Historical
Society, Virginia Historical Society, the Rockefeller Library at Williamsburg,
Virginia, the Virginia State Library, the New Jersey City University Library (and
librarian Fred Smith), the Rutgers Library, the Princeton Library, Morris County
Library, Randolph Library, and the staff at the Library of Congress.
I want to thank the photo editors at the Independence Hall Historical Park, in
Philadelphia, the Rockefeller Library, and the New York Historical Society for
their help.
At Sourcebooks, my publisher, I owe much to the extremely talented
executive editor, Hillel Black, who has edited this book and others I wrote.
Thanks, too, to Steve O’Rear (production editor), Brenda Horrigan (copy editor),
and Heather Moore (Sourcebooks publicist).
My agents at McIntosh and Otis, especially Elizabeth Winick and Rebecca
Stauss, were instrumental in the development of this book.
Thanks to Jo Bruno, vice president at New Jersey City University, for her help
in obtaining grants at the university that helped me conduct my research.
Finally, thanks, as always, to my loving wife Marjorie, for all of her support
and help during the time it took me to write this book.
THE IMPORTANT PLAYERS
Maryland
Federalist
Daniel Carroll—Member of the Continental Congress, delegate to the
Constitutional Convention, member of the state legislature. Thomas Johnson—
Member of the state legislature, member of the Continental Congress,
Revolutionary War governor of Maryland.
Anti-Federalist
Luther Martin—Officer in the Continental Army, member of the Continental
Congress, attorney general of Maryland.
Massachusetts
Federalist
Rufus King—Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, member of the
Continental Congress.
Benjamin Lincoln—Continental Army general, member of the Continental
Congress, secretary of war, and Maine farmer.
Anti-Federalist
Samuel Adams—Signer of the Declaration of Independence, chief propagandist
for the American Revolution, member of the Continental Congress, owner of a
Boston beer brewery.
Elbridge Gerry—merchant, member of the Continental Congress, signer of the
Declaration of Independence.
Neutral
John Hancock—Shipping mogul, president of the Continental Congress, signer
of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Massachusetts in 1788.
New York
Federalist
John Jay—President of the Continental Congress, Revolutionary War peace
treaty negotiator, secretary of foreign affairs, newspaper columnist “Publius.”
Alexander Hamilton—Washington’s chief of staff in the American Revolution,
member of the Continental Congress, delegate to the Constitutional Convention,
newspaper columnist “Publius.”
Anti-Federalist
Melancton Smith—Officer in the Continental Army, member of the Continental
Congress, president of the New York Manumission (anti-slavery) Society, author
of the newspaper series “Letters from a Federal Farmer.”
George Clinton—General in the Continental Army, governor of New York,
member of the New York State Assembly, member of the Continental Congress,
reportedly the newspaper columnist “Cato.”
John Lansing Jr.—Secretary to General Philip Schuyler in the American
Revolution, speaker of the New York State Assembly, delegate to the
Constitutional Convention.
Pennsylvania
Federalist
Gouverneur Morris—Former New Yorker who was a member of the Continental
Congress, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, reportedly the author of the
opening line of the Constitution, “We the people…”
James O. Wilson—Member of the Continental Congress.
South Carolina
Federalist
John Rutledge—Member of the state legislature, member of the Continental