The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series. Volume 18: 1 April–30 September 1795 ed. by Edward G. Lengel and others

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series. Volume 18: 1 April–30 September 1795 ed. by Edward G. Lengel and others Joshua P. Canale The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series. Volume 18: 1 April–30 September 1795. Edited by Edward G. Lengel and others. (Charlottesville and London: University of Virginia Press, 2015. Pp. xl, 853. $95.00, ISBN 978-0-8139-3645-1.) Once again the editors of The Papers of George Washington have provided scholars with essential sources to better comprehend not only George Washington’s legacy but also the early republic. Carol S. Ebel, Edward G. Lengel, and the editorial staff have continued the series’s excellent standard of extensive and informative editorial notes for each document. In Volume 18, the editors cover the period from April 1 to September 30, 1795. Documents within this volume address a variety of political, personal, domestic, and international concerns facing the young nation’s first president. Within this volume, Washington and his administration’s central concerns are international and diplomatic issues. Although the United States was involved in negotiations with Algiers, Morocco, and Native Americans, arguably tensions with Great Britain were most pressing. Specifically, Washington’s administration confronted controversy surrounding the ratification of the 1794 Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation with Great Britain (the Jay Treaty). War between France and Great Britain placed the fledgling United States and its citizens in an unenviable position. Enthusiasm for the French Revolution still [End Page 912] prevailed among many Americans, and such passions were only exacerbated by perceived British threats against U.S. interests. Reports of attacks on U.S. ships and impressments contributed to citizens’ negative opinions toward the British. Many Americans also feared that such a treaty would harm the United States’ relationship with France. Perhaps the volume’s most intriguing contribution is how it interweaves Americans’ animosity toward the treaty with Washington’s thoughts about citizens’ protests. Letters contained within this volume depict the passionate protests and meetings opposing the Jay Treaty that swept across the republic. Demonstrations demonized its namesake, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay, and requested the president to refrain from ratifying the controversial agreement. Considering it both their right and their duty to inform Washington that they regarded the treaty as “highly injurious to the commercial Interest of the United States, derogatory to their National honor, and Independence,” and “dangerous to the Peace and happiness of their Citizens,” residents in Boston, Baltimore, Charleston, Lexington, Savannah, and elsewhere vented their frustrations (p. 327). Washington was well aware of Americans’ vehement rejection of the treaty. Throughout the volume, Washington is revealed as a pragmatic leader, cognizant that the treaty had problems, but also recognizing that it accomplished its intended purpose. Aware of citizens’ rancor, Washington revealed in his letters an astute concern over divisions and the further disunity that the French could provoke in hopes of threatening ties with Great Britain. Given the political climate within the young republic, the president recognized the situation’s gravity, writing that not since he entered office had the country faced “a crisis . . . so pregnant of interesting events” (p. 464). From Washington’s perspective, the “opposition to the constituted authority,” especially after the treaty’s ratification, was “as useless, as they are at all times improper and dangerous” (p. 566). Angry over the treaty’s provisions, some Americans turned their scorn against the president himself, accusing Washington of ignoring the people’s reservations. Although the treaty received rebuke, some citizen groups, such as the New York Chamber of Commerce, expressed their support for preserving peace and protecting trade. Aside from the controversial Jay Treaty, this volume also illuminates Washington’s decisive leadership in pressing issues of the era. After receiving petitions on behalf of two men involved in the Whiskey Rebellion, Washington eventually issued stays of execution. Proceedings between Native Americans and the young republic again placed Washington’s guidance on display. Desiring to remain excluded from Native American conflicts, Washington rejected the Chickasaw Nation’s request for soldiers to fight the Creeks on the grounds that making war was not within his constitutional power. Seeking to preserve positive relations with the Chickasaws, he notified them that...