The Bushies: What Would Jefferson Do?

This diary falls into the category of "Things I Found Out While Looking For Something Else Entirely." While researching an upcoming book about legalized gambling, I ran across Thomas Jefferson's "Thoughts on Lotteries". Those thoughts included Jefferson's reflections on a dark period of American history that bears a strong resemblance to the present. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Why was Jefferson writing about lotteries? In the early days of the Republic, it was a common practice for property owners to raffle off their land rather than sell it on the market because only a small number of investors could afford, or were interested in buying it. By 1826, Virginia had banned such raffles without legislative permission. Thomas Jefferson, the most prominent Virginian of all, was forced to beg the legislature to allow him to hold such a raffle.

In making his plea, Jefferson reminded lawmakers of the years he spent serving his state and country. One highlight of his service was leading the opposition to John Adams's Federalists, the Bushies of two-plus centuries ago:

Their usurpations and violations of the constitution at theat period, and their majority in both Houses of Congress, were so great, so decided, and so daring, that after combating their aggressions, inch by inch, without being able in the least to check their career, the republican[1] leaders thought it would be best for them to give up their useless efforts there, go home, get into their respective Legislatures, embody whatever of resistance they could be formed into, and if ineffectual, to perish there as in the last ditch. All, therefore, retired, leaving Mr. Gallatin[2] alone in the House of Representatives and myself in the Senate, where I then presided as Vice-President [3]. Remaining at our posts, and bidding defiance to the brow beatings and insults[4] by which they endeavored to drive us off also, we kept the mass of republicans in phalanx together, until the legislature could be brought up to the charge; and nothing on earth is more certain, than if myself particularly, placed by my office of Vice-President at the head of the republicans, had given way and withdrawn from my post, the republicans throughout the Union would have given up in despair, and the cause would have been lost forever[5]. By holding on, we obtained time for the Legislature to come up with their weight; and those of Virginia and Kentucky particularly [6], but more especially the former, by their celebrated resolutions, saved the constitution at its last gasp. No person who was not a witness of the scenes of that gloomy period, can form any idea of the afflicting persecutions and personal indignities we had to brook. They saved our country however. The spirits of the people were so much subdued and reduced to despair by the XYZ imposture [7], and other stratagems and machinations [8], that they would have sunk into apathy and monarchy[9], as the only form of government which could maintain itself.

Footnotes

[1] Not to be confused with modern-day Republicans. The "republicans" of Jefferson's era were Democratic-Republicans, later Democrats.
[2] Albert Gallatin, a member of the House from New York in the 4th through 6th Congresses. He became House Majority Leader.
[3] In the 1796 election, Jefferson finished second to John Adams. Under the Constitution as it then provided, Jefferson became Vice President.
[4] Carl Rove didn't invent right-wing debate tactics. He merely adapted them to today's media.
[5] There's a lesson here for Capitol Hill Democrats: you owe it to your country to stand up to this president. Read on.
[6] The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, drafted by Jefferson and James Madison, condemned the Alien and Sedition Acts (see note 8, below), and declared them void as contrary to the Constitution. They were important political statements in favor of states' rights and part of the Democratic-Republican Party's 1800 platform.
[7] X, Y, and Z were three French diplomats who demanded bribes from an American delegation as a condition of entering into talks with the French foreign minister. At the time, relations between the two countries were strained to the point that some Federalist leaders wanted war. The "XYZ Affair" intensified anti-French sentiment, and led to an undeclared naval conflict.
[8] The best-known stratagem was the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, four acts of Congress designed to protect the United States from citizens of enemy powers--France, in particular--and to stop seditious attacks from weakening the government. The most notorious of the four was the Sedition Act, which provided that anyone "opposing or resisting any law of the United States, or any act of the President of the United States," could be imprisoned for up to two years. It also made it illegal to "write, print, utter, or publish" anything critical of the President or Congress. Tellingly, the Sedition Act did not prohibit criticism of the Vice-President--who was, of course, Thomas Jefferson. After becoming president, Jefferson pardoned those who were convicted under the Sedition Act.
[9] Ever wonder what would Jefferson think of a would-be American king by the name of George?