612 
tco feeble to keep them conneéted in the 
time of peace. Others thought the arti- 
cles of confederation adopted during the 
conteft were fufficient, with a littleamend- 
ment and modification, to an{fwer national 
purpofes. After experiencing many em- 
barrafiments, it was agreed at length that 
a convention fhould be held, for the pur- 
pole of ettablifhing a better frame of ge- 
neral government. They propofed to the 
people of America, a new federal confti- 
tution. The nation was divided into two 
great parties on the fubje&t. Thofe who 
@ppoved the propofed conftitution, were 
termed ‘ Federalifts ;°’ the oppofers of 
this conftitution, were called ‘* Anti- 
federalilis ;°° to the former belonged all 
the old Royalifts, Tories, and that part 
of the Whigs who were turning towards 
ariftocracy or monarchy ; while the ad- 
herents to the original principles of the 
revolution, the real Whigs of the old 
ftamp, and the republicans who were at- 
tached to a democratic government, com- 
pofed the latter. In the difcuffion which 
arofe on the ratification of this political 
conftitution, the Federalifts prevailed ; 
and by the rule which makes the minority 
in free governments yield to tie will of 
the majority, the Antifederal -caufe was 
extinguifhed. Allthe people of America 
were now Federalifts. As loon however 
as the government began to be adminiftered 
under this new Federal conttitution, there 
was found to be a difference of political 
epinion in Congrefs upon various great 
and important queftions. But this 
contrariety of fentiment was not confined 
to the reprefentatives in the two hcufes of 
the legiflature. It exified in all parts of 
the nation, and the true ftate of the parties 
now was, that of the adminiffration and 
the oppofition. ‘The adminiftration was of 
courie in the hands of thofe who had 
heretofore been denominated Federalifts ; 
in the oppofition conduéted on legal and 
conftitutional principles were found the 
Anti-federalifts. During two elefive pe- 
riods of four years, Wafhington prefided 
over the government. When that great 
man, after eightyears fervice, declined a re- 
election, Adams, whohad hitherto asted as 
prefident of the fenate, was elevated to the 
prefidency of the United States. His 
term of four years. being about to expire, 
anew election for Prefident and, Vice-prefi- 
dent of the United States -was heid, to- 
wards the clofe of the year 18co.. The 
candidates on the part of the adminiftra- 
tion were Adams and C. C, Pinckney, and 
~on the fide of the oppofition, Jefferfon and 
- «Burr. The latter were elected by a conii- 
I 
Retrofpeét of American Literature— Politics, 
derable majority of votes; fo that on ths 
termination of the 12th year, fince the 
organization of the Federal government, a 
change, not only of men but of parties, 
has been effeéted. The adminiftration of 
Adams, had been in many refpects odious 
and offenfive.* Weakne{s and extrava- 
gance were conf{picuous in various public 
proceedings. In fhort, a majority of the 
people having grown diflatisfied with their 
Chief Executive Magiltrate, gave their 
votes to Jefferfon.and made him their Pre-' 
fident. ‘This election was remarkable for 
having given rife to a theolovical as well as 
a political oppofition to Mr. Jefferfon. 
The conftitution of the United States had 
declared, that no religious teft fhould be 
required as a qualification to hold any 
office inthe government. But in order to 
prejudice public opinion againft him, a 
pamphlet, entitled ‘Serious Confiderations 
on the Election of a Prefident;” and another 
denominated “* The Voice of Warning 
to Chriftians, on the Enfuing Election of 
a Prefident of the United States,’ were 
publifhed in New York fome time pre- 
vious to the election, to prove that Jef- 
ferfon was a Deift, and therefore unfit for 
a Prefident. The authors were believed 
to be Clergymen. They were however, 
unavailing. The good fenfe of the peo- 
ple difcerned the artifice, and avoided” 
being duped by it. While thefe writers 
thus aflailed Jefferfon for fuppofed infideli- 
ty, a pamphlet of a very ‘extraordinary 
kind was levelled againft Adams. This 
was not written by one of the oppofition 
or a democrat, but by a man who had 
been the Firlt Secretary of the Treafury 
and afterwards a Major General in the 
Army, under the Federal Adminifration: 
it was intitled “* A Letter from Alexan- 
der Hamilton concerning the public con- 
duct and character of John Adams, efq.”? 
‘The objeét of it was to fhew the incapa- 
city of the Prefident for his ftation, by a 
review of various parts of his political 
life, before and fince his promotion to the 
prefidency. This fingular publication pro- 
bably had no effe&t upon the eletion. It 
was full of egotifm and vanity, the very 
vices of which he accufed Adams. It 
turned from Adams no votes of the admi- 
niftration-party, and it only confirmed the 
oppofition in the conviction they had felt 
long before. Perhaps we ought to remark 
that in the courfe of thefe difcuffions, vari- 
ous an{wers werewritten to the publications 
againit both the prefidential candidates, - 
adding indeed to the ftock of political li- 
* Cur readers will bear in mind the cone 
temptible perfecution of Mr, Cooper. 
terature 
4 
