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Feb. 24, 2019

2.16 – High Noon in Trenton

2.16 – High Noon in Trenton

Year(s) Discussed: 1798-1799

New unrest in the government of France in 1799 presented President Adams with an important decision as to whether to continue with his peace overtures. Meanwhile, competing agendas within his own administration prompt one of Adams’s Cabinet members to urge him to end his sojourn in Quincy as yet another yellow fever epidemic strikes Philadelphia.

Special thanks to David Montgomery of The Siècle for providing this episode’s intro quote!

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  • Adams, John. “Proclamation 10—Suspending, as to St. Domingo, the Restraints of the Act of 1799.” Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/202813. [Last Accessed: 10 Feb 2019]
  • Adams, John. “To Timothy Pickering, 6 August 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3852. [Last Accessed: 30 Jan 2019]
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  • Henry, Patrick. “To John Adams, 16 April 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3441. [Last Accessed: 3 Feb 2019]
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  • Pickering, Timothy. “To John Adams, 15 May 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3513. [Last Accessed: 3 Feb 2019]
  • Pickering, Timothy. “To John Adams, 18 May 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3534. [Last Accessed: 3 Feb 2019]
  • Pickering, Timothy. “To John Adams, 23 August 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3916. [Last Accessed: 12 Feb 2019]
  • Pickering, Timothy. “To John Adams, 9 September 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3960. [Last Accessed: 12 Feb 2019]
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  • Pickering, Timothy. “To John Adams, 11 September 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3964. [Last Accessed: 12 Feb 2019]
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  • Stoddert, Benjamin. “To John Adams, 13 September 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3971. [Last Accessed: 12 Feb 2019]
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  • US Department of State. “State House, Trenton August-November 1797, 1798, 1799.” Buildings of the Department of State. https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section18. [Last Accessed: 12 Feb 2019]

Featured Image: “Drawing of the New Jersey state capitol at Trenton” [c. 1879], courtesy of Wikipedia