Lot - John Adams Writes to Former New Hampshire Governor Amidst the War of 1812 & Call for Hartford Convention

John Adams
Quincy, MA, October 28, 1814
John Adams Writes to Former New Hampshire Governor Amidst the War of 1812 & Call for Hartford Convention
AES

JOHN ADAMS, Autograph Endorsement Signed, Address Block, to William Plumer, October 28, 1814, Quincy, MA. 2 pp., 7.75" x 9.75".

John Adams wrote a letter to William Plumer on October 27, 1814, and he wrote this address block on an integral page of the original letter the next day. Plumer used the blank interior pages of Adams's letter to draft a reply, the second and third pages of which are offered here. The lot includes color scans of Adams's letter and the first page of Plumer's response.

Complete Transcript
[Address:]
"Quincy Ms Octr 28th Free
His Excellency William Plumer
J. Adams
Epping / New Hampshire."

Historical Background
On October 27, 1814, Adams wrote to former and future governor William Plumer of New Hampshire, thanking him for sending a copy of Plumer's pamphlet, Address to the Clergy of New-England, on their Opposition to the Rulers of the United States. Plumer had been a Federalist in the eighteenth century but joined the Democratic-Republicans in 1808, so he and Adams were on opposing sides at the time of this correspondence. The pamphlet addressed the opposition of the New England Congregationalist and Presbyterian clergy to the ongoing War of 1812. Plumer wrote, "Their systematic opposition to our government evinces a spirit equally hostile to Christianity and the real interests of their country. How far I have succeeded in exposing their misconduct you will judge." He also asked Adams for his opinion on "the state of our public affairs?"

In this letter, Adams responded, "Too Many of our Clergy are going the Way of the Magi, the Druids the Manderines, the Mufti, the Bramins, the Pontiffs of antient and modern times; by making themselves the willing Instruments of an ignorant popularity an insolent Oligarchy, or a tyrannical foreign Power. I have heared some of the grossest Newspaper Slanders trumpetted from the Pulpit, against the most important men in the Nation...." He added, "Upon public affairs I cannot write," but asked Plumer, "Are the People of New Hampshire prepared, ready and willing to Second our Massachusetts Legislature in the great and bold Atchievements which they appear to have in Contemplation?" Here, Adams refers to the call issued by the Massachusetts legislature for the New England states to gather for a conference in Hartford, Connecticut.

In his lengthy reply (the second and third draft pages of which are included here), Plumer wrote, "You ask my opinion whether New Hampshire is prepared to adopt the measures of the Massachusetts legislature? I think they are not. Though the damning doctrine of dismemberment has advocates here, yet I do not believe they can obtain a majority of the people, or of their Representatives, to avow it. Indeed its advocates with us, who argue by the hour in favor of it, take special care every few moments, to declare they do not wish a seperation. It is obvious that their design is to familiarize the people with the subject; they fear to propose it directly, least it should excite indignation, not only against the measure but those who support it.... I cannot however believe, that New England is yet so destitute of political wisdom & love of country, as to adopt a measure so fatal not only to the prosperity but to her existence as a free people." He added that the New Hampshire legislature was not then in session, and the governor could not call them back into session without the advice of the Council, a majority of whom were Democratic Republicans. Plumer added a postscript the next day reporting a rumor that a self-created convention in Cheshire County was considering electing a representative to the Hartford Convention.

Twenty-six Federalist delegates from the five New England states, including two from New Hampshire, assembled in Hartford for secret meetings from December 15, 1814, to January 5, 1815. The convention adopted a strong states' rights position and proposed several amendments to the U.S. Constitution that would address war-making, the representation advantage of the South afforded by counting three-fifths of its slave population, trade embargos, presidential term limits, and the dominance of Virginia in the presidency since 1800.

Unfortunately for the Federalists, the news of the Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812 and of General Andrew Jackson's victory over the British at New Orleans arrived in Washington before the three commissioners sent there by the Hartford Convention. The commissioners quickly returned home. Because the meetings were secret, the rumors that it was a secessionist convention irreparably damaged the reputation of the Federalist Party. Many called it treason. In the presidential election of 1816, the Federalist candidate Rufus King carried only Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware, losing the other 34 states to the Democratic-Republicans and James Monroe. It was the Federalists' last presidential campaign, and shortly thereafter, the Federalist Party dissolved.

William Plumer (1759-1850) was born in Massachusetts Bay, and his family moved to Epping, New Hampshire, in 1768. His ill health prevented him from serving in the Revolutionary War, and he became a Baptist exhorter in his late teens. He traveled through the state delivering sermons in churches and revival meetings. After considering a career in medicine, he began to study law with two attorneys. He gained admission to the bar in 1787 and began practicing law in Epping. He served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives (1788, 1790-1791, 1797-1800) before the legislature elected him to the United States Senate as a Federalist. He served in the Senate from 1802 to 1807 but was not a candidate for reelection. After joining the Democratic-Republicans in 1808, Plumer served in the New Hampshire Senate in 1810 and 1811 and as governor of New Hampshire from 1812 to 1813 and again from 1816 to 1819.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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John Adams Writes to Former New Hampshire Governor Amidst the War of 1812 & Call for Hartford Convention

John Adams Writes to Former New Hampshire Governor Amidst the War of 1812 & Call for Hartford Convention

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