JAMES MONROE ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF JAY'S TREATY. Autograph Letter Signed ('Jms. Monroe'), to Th...

JAMES MONROE ON THE DIFFICULTIES OF JAY'S TREATY. Autograph Letter Signed ('Jms. Monroe'), to Thomas Pinckney, the English ambassador, concerning complications created by the Jay Treaty, 3 pp recto and verso, bifolium, 4to (249 x 201 mm), Paris, January 17, 1795, fold creases, light browning, some ink corrosion, contained in custom blue cloth chemise and morocco case. Provenance: Sold Christies, New York, November 13, 1987, lot 98. AN IMPORTANT MONROE LETTER FROM FRANCE REGARDING THE ILL EFFECTS OF THE JAY TREATY ON HIS NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE FRENCH. Perhaps no other issue divided the new American republic than the Jay Treaty in November 1794. With the Constitution signed and put into place, and election of Washington as the new country's first President, and American shipping and trade growing vibrantly, hopes for the success of the new country were high. However, in response to first the French Revolution, and soon after the outbreak of war between England and France, Americans soon faced a new challenge: a fractured political landscape and the development of the first two-party system. On one side, Jefferson and the democratic republicans supported neutrality with both England and France but were otherwise supportive of the French, in part based on Jefferson's strong diplomatic ties there. The Federalists, led ideologically by secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton, believed that growing American trade, and a relatively weak navy, necessitated a strong relationship with England and a central government. In 1794, Washington and Hamilton sent John Jay to England to negotiate a new treaty which would secure Anglo-American trade, address outstanding issues and grievances from the 1783 Treaty of Paris, and hopefully assure peace with England. Jay succeeded in signing the controversial Jay Treaty in November 1794. James Monroe was appointed the United States Ambassador to France in 1794, succeeding Gouvernor Morris who was removed at the request of the French. France, America's most important ally during the Revolution, Monroe, a Jefferson ally with French leanings, was appointed to repair relations with a France swept up in a revolutionary furor. In early 1794, the French revolution had entered its most violent phase, the Terror, and numerous Americans had been swept up and arrested, including Thomas Paine. With Monroe's arrival he had eventually been able to secure Paine's release, as well as numerous other Americans. However, the November 1794 news of Jay's treaty with the English severely upset Monroe's progress, and the French government were rightfully nervous regarding the exact contents of the treaty. Monroe, looking to allay French fears, wrote to Jay on January 17 once again requesting a copy of the Treaty to share with their ally. On the same day he sends this letter to Thomas Pinckney, the United States Ambassador in London, explaining the difficulty of his position: 'The ill effect which the reports of what has been concluded between that gentn & the B[ritish] admn makes it of great importance that I sh[oul]d be advised on the subject and for this purpose have I dispatch'd Mr. Purvyance [with both letters] ... This govt [France] acts from its feelings only. Upon my first arrival there was a sentiment prevailing [that] we were not cordial to them-on the contrary that we were gradually winding & inclining to Engld. Whilst this lasted I c[oul]d make but little progress in our affairs but as soon as it was removed I was accomodated in all things-first one then another & finally the ex[ecutio]n of the treaty itself. This last act had just passed the committee & was depending before the Convention when the report [of the Jay Treaty] arrived. If they credit the idea that we are disposed to have them they will act differently from other nations in similar circumstances, the latter of whom wo[uld] rather court us; but 'tis the disposition of this govt to precipitate the separation by acts w[hich] are calculated to provoke it. I hope therefore I shall be enabled to remove all apprehension on this head.' Monroe also notes that Morris had taken his cypher, and so he would not be able to understand any response until he was supplied with another. Jay would respond in February, but still steadfastly refused to supply a copy of the treaty, so as not to jeopardize its consideration and funding at home. While Monroe tried to accommodate both American and French interests, Washington would recall him in 1796, believing that Monroe had failed to adequately support the Jay treaty to the French government. The events further deepened the rifts that had opened between Jeffersonian democratic-republicans and the Hamiltonian Federalists. A rare look at early American diplomacy and the circumstances creating the first two party system. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing