Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's

Charles A. Cerami

Description

The Constitution was two years old and the United States was in serious danger. Bitter political rivalry between former allies and two surging issues that inflamed the nation led to grim talk of breaking up the union. Then a single great evening achieved compromises that led to America's great expansion. This book celebrates Thomas Jefferson and his two guests, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, and the meal that saved the republic. In Dinner at Mr. Jefferson's, you'll discover the little-known story behind this pivotal evening in American history, complete with wine lists, recipes, and more.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History of the United States
• American Revolution
• United States
• History
• Alexander Hamilton
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 18 mai 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781118130919
• Langue: English

Extrait

Contents
Cover
Half Title page
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Before the Clash
Chapter 2: An Old Friend’s Bombshell
Chapter 3: The Mounting Anger
Chapter 4: The Radical Conservative
Chapter 5: Aggressive Lobbying
Chapter 6: Thoughts of Breaking Up
Chapter 7: Jefferson’s Awakening
Chapter 8: A Country without a Capital
Chapter 9: Doubters and Believers
Chapter 10: Nearing a Decision on the Capital
Chapter 11: That Day on the Street
Chapter 12: Dinner at Secretary Jefferson’s
Chapter 13: The Philadelphia Story
Chapter 14: Doubts Settled, Doubts Revived
Chapter 15: Hamilton the Unstoppable?
Chapter 16: Before the Fall
Chapter 17: From Brilliance to Disaster
Chapter 18: The Disappearing Cabinet
Chapter 19: One Heart and One Mind
Chapter 20: The Jefferson Factor
Appendix A: Recipes from Monticello’s Kitchen
Monticello Muffins
Beef Soup Monticello
Stuffed Cabbage
Salad Dressing
Anne Cary Randolph’s Elegant Peas
Jefferson’s Vanilla Ice Cream
Appendix B: Alexander Hamilton’s Letter to New Coast Guard Officers
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Dinner at Mr. Jefferson’s
Previous works by Charles A. Cerami
Jefferson’s Great Gamble : The Remarkable Story of Jefferson, Napoleon and the Men behind the Louisiana Purchase
Young Patriots : The Remarkable Story of Two Men, Their Impossible Plan and the Revolution That Created the Constitution
Benjamin Banneker : Surveyor, Astronomer, Publisher, Patriot Crisis: The Loss of Europe
Alliance Born of Danger : America, the Common Market, and the Atlantic Partnership

Copyright © 2008 by Charles Cerami. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada
Illustrations on pages vi, 16, 19, 22, 58, 146, 147, 226 reproduced from the collections of the Library of Congress.
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ISBN 978-0-470-08306-2
Remembering the incomparable Jean Keats
A reproduction of Charles Wilson Peale’s portrait of Secretary of State Jefferson, painted the year after Jefferson’s return from France.
Acknowledgments

My first thought is always to recognize my agent and friend, Bob Silverstein, as a major contributor, for this book would not have come to life without his active role. Bob’s uncanny sense of what turns an attractive project into a realistic book played its usual part in guiding my steps, and in making the whole process enjoyable.
Hana Umlauf Lane was clearly born to be a superb editor. I could cite obvious merits, such as a remarkable memory for spotting points that seem repetitious, and an unerring feel for the mot propre . But much more significant is her ability to suggest improvements without distorting the original thought. This skill gives a writer the pleasant reassurance that he is flying with just the right pilot.
I am also grateful to Rachel Meyers for doggedly continuing with pinpoint reading until the last possible moments—and coming up with suggestions that were put to good use.
David Robinson helped me to profit from the splendid Rare Books section of the Library of Congress. Dr. Gerard W. Gawalt, a historian at that same great library did me a huge favor by suggesting that there was more to be learned from Professor Kenneth R. Bowling, who was on a special assignment at George Washington University. Professor Bowling is, to my mind, the unquestioned authority on the Dinner-Table Compromise. By opening his extensive library and collection of facts to me, this leading authority on my book subject provided advantages that I could not have found in any other way. I deeply appreciate his openhanded friendliness.
The Lauinger Library at Georgetown University, my own alma mater, was, as usual, a primary resource, with several city blocks’ worth of perfectly indexed resources on just the subjects I needed. But I admit to also having been impressed by the fine Eisenhower Library at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University and overwhelmed by the masses of material at the New York Public Library.
But back in Washington, a quieter and simpler resource, the well-hidden Senate Library, located under one of the Senate Office Buildings, is even more special to me because—not for the first time—an expert lady named Zoe Davis went to considerable trouble on my behalf, this time coming up with many pages of voting records that showed exactly how the hotly disputed Assumption Bill swung in Hamilton’s favor some 217 years ago.
And the astonishing letter proving how carefully Alexander Hamilton arranged the steps leading to the U.S. Coast Guard—and how pertinent he is still considered there—was found for me by the guard’s historian, Robert M. Browning, bringing to life the fact that Hamilton was indeed the genius who seemed to learn and to dominate every challenging subject that he encountered. The letter, which is reproduced in appendix B, almost makes us hear Hamilton’s voice as he conveys his own principles to his new recruits.
Finally, it is a duty and pleasure to thank my daughter and son-in-law, Victoria and James Huckenpahler, and my dearest friend, Mary Ann Gale, for their patient understanding during those exacting hours that somehow resulted in this book.
Introduction

JUST BACK FROM FIVE IDYLLIC YEARS in France, eager for a quiet period at his Monticello home, Thomas Jefferson was jarred by the news that George Washington wanted him to be his secretary of state. When he took a risk by accepting the post without being sure of Washington’s political views, he soon found that it had been a mistake.
On reaching the temporary capital, New York City, Jefferson was stunned to find that a majority of the state’s people were probably already tired of democracy. The tone of their conversation sounded a distinct preference for the comfort of royal rule. And after he reported for work, he realized that Alexander Hamilton, whom he saw as a monarchist at heart, was on his way to becoming a one-man government, usually able to get his way with Washington and ready with a new plan for every conceivable need. We find these well-known people to be totally different from the way they are usually portrayed, behaving oddly, often close to desperation.
Jefferson was a genius who could spread enchantment with words that had never been used quite that way before. But he and his close friend James Madison could not make Washington see why they suspected Hamilton of wanting to create a monarchy in America. And they feared that one of the younger man’s proposals could put him in a position to accomplish just that. Blocking Hamilton, however, seemed as dangerous as letting him win, for the clash might wreck the young country’s financial standing in the world, which Jefferson called “the Ultimate Calamity.” It would have stifled the nation’s growth, mangled its future.
Then Jefferson gave a dinner—one of many that were notable for their elegance. But this one was a history-making event, because it appeared that he was putting all the firepower into Hamilton’s hands. Even the host thought he might have given too much.
But the magic of Jefferson’s touch—and a dash of luck—made it work out otherwise.
This Dinner-Table Compromise has been a plaything of historians ever since, with a variety of theories about what happened or whether it really happened at all.
It did, and I hope you will find it—and all that flowed from it—coming alive in these pages.
Chapter 1
Before the Clash

THE THOMAS JEFFERSON WHO ARRIVED at Norfolk harbor in late November 1789 was not the same man who had left for France almost five years earlier. He had acquired a French suavity and polish, a different cut of hair, and an elegance of clothing. In place of the loose, shambling gait of a Virginia farmer, he walked with the more measured steps of a continental gentleman and held his head with little or no movement.
But he remembered his countrymen well. He knew that over 90 percent of