The Great Virginia Triumvirate

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison in the Eyes of Their Contemporaries

John P. Kaminski

• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780813928760
• eBook ISBN: 9780813928968
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Early American History
• Index: History

As the largest, oldest, and wealthiest of the original thirteen colonies, Virginia played a central role in the fight for independence and as a state in the new republic. This importance is reflected in the number of Virginians who filled key national leadership positions. Three remarkable Virginians stand out in their service to the new nation: George Washington as commander in chief during the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson as the philosophic voice of the country, and James Madison as the chief architect of the nation's new constitutional system. In The Great Virginia Triumvirate, John Kaminski presents a series of biographical portraits that bring these three men remarkably to life for the modern reader.

The passage of time, coupled with the veneration so often surrounding historical figures, has obscured the subtleties and complexities of the founding fathers' characters. To cut through this fog of myth, Kaminski relies on the words of the three Virginians themselves, sharing with us a trio of eloquent, and often candid, voices. (Jefferson once told John Adams that he had not written a history of his times because that history was to be found in his correspondence, where he could be especially direct and honest.) Kaminski also turns to the people who personally knew the three great Virginians—their friends, family, acquaintances, and enemies. Through their public and private writings, as well as the observations of their contemporaries, the subjects' distinctive qualities as individuals can be glimpsed with depth and immediacy.

Taken from letters, speeches, diaries, and memoirs, the quotations and vignettes included here shed light on the actual person behind each public image. George Washington offering a bowl of hot tea at night to a guest at Mount Vernon who has a cold; Thomas Jefferson extending condolences to John Adams on the death of his wife, Abigail; and James Madison bequeathing the silver-hilted walking cane, left him by Jefferson, in turn to the third president's grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph—such moments reveal personality and character in a way that no official act ever could.

"Much is known to one which is not known to the other," Jefferson wrote, "and no one knows everything." The cumulative effect of many voices, however, can create a portrait of invaluable insight.

Index

Abercrombie, James, 41

Adams, Abigail, 108, 110, 111–12; condolences on death of by TJ, 145; death of, 145; goes to Great Britain, 106; praises GW, 17, 20, 64; praises Martha Washington as First Lady, 69; writings of, xi

Adams, John, 110, 120; correspondence with TJ, 141–42; criticizes GW, 19, 20; death of, 145–46; and Declaration of Independence, 83, 91; describes TJ, 91–92, 121–22; diplomatic service of, 105, 106; and election of 1796, 122; and election of 1800, 124, 125–26, 152, 209; estranged from TJ, 127; on happiness, 94; TJ opposes, 121; TJ praises, 123; letters to, x, xi; and nomination of GW as commander in chief, 16; praises GW, 17, 64; as president, 123, 208–9; reconciliation with TJ, 141–42; tittle-tattle of, xi; as vice president, 61, 203

Adams, Samuel: and nomination of GW as commander in chief, 16

Aesop’s Fables, 111

agriculture: described by GW, 11; TJ on, 120; and new crops, 107

Alien and Sedition Acts, 123–24, 208–9

Ames, Fisher: criticizes JM, 152, 205; describes GW’s inauguration, 61–62; praise of, 201; praises JM, 201–2

Annapolis Convention, 172–74

Antifederalists, 182–84, 191, 193

Arnold, Benedict, 23, 97

Articles of Confederation: attempts to strengthen, 53, 112, 151, 161–62, 172; shortcomings of, 111, 151, 171, 176, 177, 184, 188, 192; GW advocates amendments to, 54

Baldwin, Abraham: on importance of GW as president, 64

Bankhead, Charles, 139

Baptist: Association of Danbury, Conn., 96; ministers of Va., 150

Barbary States, 107–8, 109–10, 133–34, 210–11

Barbé-Marbois, François, 165

Bayard, James A., 126

Belknap, Jeremy, 51

Billey (slave), 167–68

bill of rights: TJ wants, 112; Richard Henry Lee proposes, 183; JM opposes, 183, 188, 192; JM supports, 149, 150, 152, 198, 203–5; GW proposes, 62–63

Blair, John, 174

Bland, Martha Dangerfield, 160

Boudinot, Elias: praises ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• George Washington: The Greatest Man on Earth
• Thomas Jeff erson: Philosopher and Politician
• James Madison: Champion of Liberty and Justice
• Notes
• For Further Reading
• Index