That Damn John Jay
December 23, 1745, a mistake would be born; or at least that's what the majority of the United States would come to believe several decades later. John Jay, a descendant of French Huguenots and a New York native, grew up in a well-off merchant family and did not disappoint his ancestors— for a while. He studied at King's College, now the world-renowned Columbia University, and became a lawyer shortly after in 1764. After making it into the first Continental Congress as a prominent New York politician, Jay became increasingly involved in the revolutionary efforts and would later spotlight as a Founding Father. He was one of three (along with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams) to negotiate the Treaty of Paris with the British, which would formally end the American Revolution.
He was also a Federalist. He co-wrote the Federalist Papers suggesting ratification of a new Constitution along with Hamilton and Madison. Washington even appointed him as the first-ever Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, making way for Jay's significant influence in the workings of the American court system. So why do we damn him?
As some might remember from today's class, Jay signed a treaty that was not popular amongst the American population. To recap, Washington sent him to England to negotiate a treaty to forestall war after tensions between the British and Americans had risen of recent. This treaty violated the idea of neutrality (when considering French/British conflict) that Washington had promoted for so long, and it upset the American people to see the government seemingly siding with the British government in France's time of need. After all, the French had supported Americans during our revolution, and yet the same was not the case when the tables were turned.
Blame it on Napoleon. It's fair. He was a risk that no one could calculate, and no one really wanted to take a chance with him. But, as the entire American government could not be hated without chaos ensuing, Jay became the face America loved to hate. Jay's effigies were burned throughout the colonies, and he would lose the next two presidential elections in which he would run.
I often wonder whether people consider what Jay believed he was doing at the time. Not only did he live to see the French help him and his people against the British, but he was a French descendant— and a descendant of French revolutionaries, in their own right. He must have known that this was the pragmatic thing to do, and his intelligence cannot be discounted considering the work he had done for the country prior to this unpopular move. This is what is so damn funny: he probably hated signing that treaty, but he had to and he knew it.
But instead of pondering this, the people just sat there and pondered the golden rule, I guess. And there began the "Damn John Jay! Damn everyone who won't damn John Jay! Damn everyone that won't put lights in his windows and sit up all night damning John Jay!"
Regardless, during Jay's term as Governor of New York, he would sign a bill outlawing slavery. He would condemn the admittance of Missouri to the Union as a slave state. So he kept doing good, and he died in 1829, so damn happy.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/john-jay
https://www.nps.gov/articles/backlash-against-jay-s-treaty.htm
Although John Jay was sent by George Washington create this widely unpopular treaty, I found it very interesting when you brought up the fact that he might not have wanted to sign it. He was subject to lots of hate from the American population and, as you said, lost two presidential elections that he ran. I found it funny that George Washington promoted the treaty but John Jay was eventually blamed for signing it even though he might have been opposed to the idea.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy how you put together this post and you bring up interesting points, such as the possibility that John Jay might not have wanted to sign the treaty. Above all, I think this really helps many consider a lot of the decisions made in our history that may not have been the most popular but were the smartest and best choices to make for our country. John Jay may damn well have saved us.
ReplyDeleteI love the more humorous and casual style you wrote this in, it adds at lot more personality and interest to the post. I like the ideas you had, such as "Jay became the face America loved to hate," as it brings a fresh perspective to the Jay Treaty and why everyone damned John Jay rather than the whole government, and gives a bit more of Jay's side of the story, which we don't learn about as much when learning the causes and effects of the Jay Treaty.
ReplyDeleteThis was super fun to read! I now really feel bad for John Jay because of how he was the scapegoat for the American public. People wanted someone to put the blame on, and he was an easy target. It's sad how people overlook the good things that he did because of that one incident that overshadows everything.
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