32.8 America: a.d. 1701 to 1800  (Page 15/20)

Jefferson was enthusiastic about the new inoculation against small-pox that became available near the end of the century, although the more religious people were upset about it, still claiming that illness was a manifestation of God's intention, if not a punishment for sin. Jefferson, himself, was a deist. John Adams and Jefferson were once great friends, but had a falling-out chiefly over the French revolution, which Jefferson supported. In addition there was a great rivalry with and finally hatred of the younger Alexander Hamilton, a bastard son of a wayward descendant of a French Huguenot in the West Indies and a Scotsman, 4th son of a Scottish laird. Although it was common knowledge that Hamilton was a womanizer, he married into a rich, Dutch patroon family along the Mohawk. He seemed to cherish a monarchy and wanted to make the childless George Washington a king, with himself as the chosen heir. (Ref. 20 )

As is well known, after the Constitution was adopted the new government commenced to function in 1789 with George Washington as the first president and John Adams as vice president. John Jay was chief justice, General Knox secretary of war, Edmund Randolph attorney general and upon his return from France, Thomas Jefferson became secretary of state. Any enthusiasm for emancipation of slaves in Virginia was rapidly cooled by the news of the Santo Domingo rising of the blacks under the Jamaican voodoo priest, Boukman and Toussaint L'Ouverte. (See the next section, please). As secretary of state, Jefferson was a states' rights and southern policies advocate, who was favorable to France.

Map taken from Reference 97

His associates formed the Republican Party of that time (later to become the present day Democratic Party). The real power of the first administration, however, was the secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, who favored Britain over France and whose policies led to the establishment of the Federalist Party. The United States navy had to be rebuilt in 1794, stimulated by piracy of the Barbary corsairs and some troubles with the British navy.

As John Adams became president with Jefferson as vice-president in 1797 naval war with France loomed on the horizon. The aggressive and subversive French Directory let French privateers loose against the American merchant fleet and by June more than 300 American vessels had been captured. The Federalists felt that France was a great menace and that England was the only barrier against France's ruling of the world. An American negotiation mission arrived in Paris just after Bonaparte had beaten Austria and the Directory was at the height of power and arrogance. Talleyrand, the minister of foreign affairs, was insufferable and tried to bribe the commission. When reports of this reached home, President Adams and Congress created a navy department, navy yards were purchased and an ambitious program of naval construction was undertaken. By the close of 1798 some 14 American man-of-war ships were at sea and transatlantic shipping was being protected every place, with the help of an arrangement with the British navy. The first test battle was off Nevis Island in the Caribbean, where the U.S.S. Constellation fought for an hour and won over the crack French frigate L'Insurgente. This helped the Federalists to win a strong majority in the 1798-1799 Congressional elections. But Talleyrand changed his approach, saved face and full war did not occur. Nevertheless, there was a rebirth of the U.S. Navy and at the end of hostilities, there were 54 American warships.