Alexander Hamilton by Teri Kanefield

Author:Teri Kanefield
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2017-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

9

The Good Ship Hamilton

Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.

—Alexander Hamilton

George Clinton railed against Hamilton for advocating a consolidation of the states, but there was nothing he could do to prevent Hamilton from being named a New York delegate to Philadelphia. Instead, Clinton outmaneuvered him. Under the voting rules, New York would have one vote, so Clinton silenced Hamilton by making sure two other delegates would be sent from New York. The other two, Robert Yates and John Lansing, were friends of Clinton’s and entirely shared his views, so there would always be two votes against one.

On a mild day in May 1787, Hamilton arrived in Philadelphia. He stayed at the Indian Queen Tavern, the city’s largest boarding house, located on Third between Chestnut and Market Streets, a charming, tree-lined street not far from Independence Hall.

On May 18, 1787, the first day of the proceedings dawned gray and overcast. Rain was falling as the delegates entered Independence Hall and took their seats in the spacious room. With the shutters pulled tight to keep out insects and prying eyes, the room was dim and sweltering. Twelve of the thirteen states were represented. Only Rhode Island, nicknamed Rogue Island, boycotted the convention. George Washington was named the presiding officer and took his place in a high-backed chair at the head of the room. Washington knew, as did everyone else, that he’d be the overwhelming choice to lead the country when a new government was formed. Afraid of appearing to grab power, he mostly remained silent.

For the entire first month, Hamilton said nothing at all. He had no voice in setting up the rules and voting procedures because anything he wanted was immediately overruled by Lansing and Yates. He grew listless and depressed, listening to the debates and suggestions. The delegates divided into the Federalists, like Hamilton and James Madison, who were in favor of a strong central government, and the Anti-Federalists, like Lansing and Yates, who argued that no single government had ever ruled so vast an area with such diversity of commerce and peoples. They believed it impossible. The Anti-Federalists greatly outnumbered the others. Most delegates, in fact, when introducing themselves, explained outright that they had orders from their state governments to do all they could to protect state sovereignty.

The delegates from New Jersey submitted a plan that was little more than an amendment to the Articles. They suggested giving the federal government power to regulate commerce between the states while keeping all other matters almost entirely as they were. James Madison, on behalf of Virginia, proposed what Hamilton considered a better plan: two houses of Congress and an executive branch, whose head, the president, would serve a single term. The problem for Hamilton was that the members of the executive branch and the judges would all be selected by the state representatives and would have limited terms, which in his view gave too much power to the individual states at the expense of a stable central government.

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