K. Ward Cummings - Partner to Power: The Secret World of Presidents and Their Most Trusted Advisers

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

Washington is often described by historians as the Hidden Hand President for how often he used others to execute his agenda. It may have been Washingtons hand behind the scenes, but more often than not the fingerprints left behind belonged to Hamilton. (Painting of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart; painting of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull)

Very few who are not philosophical Spectators can realize the difficulty and delicate part which a man in my situation has to actI walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent.

President George Washington

On New Years Eve, 1793, as Americans lifted their glasses in joyous celebration of the coming year, Alexander Hamilton was imagining himself in another line of work. He had been at George Washingtons side, on and off, since he was in his early twenties, and now, facing middle age, he was considering a life without him. For a man of Hamiltons mind and abilities, the future was limitless. He might run for governor of New York or for the US Senate or even for the presidency. But first, he would need to resign his post as treasury secretary and reestablish himself as a private citizen. Taking his glass in hand, Hamilton greeted the new year happily, secure in the thought that this year he might finally be able to free himself of Washington and move on. To his great disappointment, he soon discovered his plans to leave were a bit premature.

In 1794, the worlds two superpowers, Great Britain and France, went to war, forcing the United States to choose a side. Hoping to avoid inflaming tensions with the British that had been festering since the end of the Revolution, President Washington favored neutrality. But the British were not going to make it easy for him. They had acquired an annoying and dangerous new habit. To cut off French supply lines in the West Indies, the British forced into the nearest English port any American merchant vessel engaged in commerce there. The ship was emptied of its cargo, and its crew members were given the choice of joining the Royal Navy or finding their own way home.

Washington envisioned a treaty with the British that would keep America neutral while also giving American merchants the freedom to continue trading with the French. But a huge swath of the American public opposed his efforts. Accusing the legendary war hero of being unpatriotic for wanting to pursue a peace treaty with a nation still widely regarded as the enemy, some longtime defenders of the president began to wonder aloud whether Mount Vernon was not a more fitting place for the aging president to spend his autumn years.

Further complicating matters, Washington faced this crisis without the help of his secretary of state Edmund Randolph, who was dealing with a crisis of his own--having recently been accused of treason. Randolph was not his first choice to lead the State Department, but Washington could find no one else willing to replace Thomas Jefferson when he resigned the previous year. A few poorly chosen words by Randolph, to the French ambassador did permanent damage to his relationship with the president. So, when he needed Randolph most, Washington had to look elsewhere for someone to shepherd his treaty with Great Britain. As he so often did in difficult times, he turned to Alexander Hamilton.