Alexander HamiltonDodd, Mead, 1890 - 281 pages |
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administration adopted affairs Alexander Hamilton American army Articles of Confederation authority bank Boston Britain Burr Callender capital colonies colonists commerce committee Confederation Cong Congress Constitution continental Continental Congress convention Corr creditors debt Diary doctrines dollars duties effect England English Europe excise fact favour Federal Government federalists finance Findley force France Franklin French Gouverneur Morris Graydon Hamilton wrote History Ibid ideas important independence interest issue Jared Sparks Jay's treaty Jefferson John Adams Journ Kalb Laurens letter liberty Madison manufactures means measures Memoirs ment military militia Navigation Act never opinion paper party peace Pennsylvania persons Philadelphia political proposed Quebec Act rebellion Reed's Reed refused regard revenue Revolution Robert Morris says seems sinking fund South Carolina taxes things thought tion tories trade treaty Union United viii vols wanted Washington whigs whiskey whiskey rebellion writes York
Popular passages
Page 4 - I shall be present or not, for to confess my weakness, Ned, my ambition is prevalent, so that I contemn the grovelling condition of a clerk, or the like, to which my fortune condemns me, and would willingly risk my life, though not my character, to exalt my station. I am confident, Ned, that my youth excludes me from any hopes of immediate preferment, nor do I desire it; but I mean to prepare the way for futurity.
Page 44 - Commentaries in America as in England. General Gage marks out this disposition very particularly in a letter on your table. He states that all the people in his government are lawyers, or smatterers in law, and that in Boston they have been enabled, by successful chicane, wholly to evade many parts of one of your capital penal constitutions.
Page 240 - Mine is an odd destiny. Perhaps no man in the United States has sacrificed or done more for the present Constitution than myself; and contrary to all my anticipations of its fate, as you know from the very beginning. I am still laboring to prop the frail and worthless fabric. Yet I have the murmurs of its friends no less than the curses of its foes for my reward. What can I do better than withdraw from the scene ? Every day proves to me more and more, that this American world was not made for me.
Page 83 - And indeed the whole is a mystery even to the politicians, how we have been able to continue a war four years without money, and how we could pay with paper, that had no previously fixed fund appropriated specifically to redeem it. This currency, as we manage it, is a wonderful machine. It performs its office when we issue it ; it pays and clothes troops, and provides victuals and ammunition ; and when we are obliged to issue a quantity excessive, it pays itself off by depreciation.
Page 241 - Nothing is more fallacious than to expect to produce any valuable or permanent results, in political projects, by relying merely on the reason of men. Men are rather reasoning tha[n] reasonable animals for the most part governed by the impulse of passion.
Page 265 - A view of the conduct of the executive in the foreign affairs of the United States, connected with the mission to the French republic, during the years 1794, 5, & 6.
Page 81 - ... increased the evils it was designed to remedy, and destroyed the benefits it was intended to promote. At best its utmost effect was like that of water sprinkled on a blacksmith's forge, which indeed deadens the flame for a moment, but never fails to increase the heat and force of the internal fire.
Page 2 - But what has become of our dear father ? It is an age since I have heard from him or of him, though I have written him several letters. Perhaps, alas ! he is no more, and I shall not have the pleasing opportunity of contributing to render the close of his life more happy than the progress of it.
Page 156 - This is its tendency to strengthen our infant government by increasing the number of ligaments between the government and the interests of individuals.
Page 219 - I do not know enough to give advice worth much. " Yet the Government must take care not to appear pusillanimous. I hope a very serious remonstrance has long since gone against the wanton impressment of our seamen. It will be an error to be too tame with this overbearing cabinet.