158 ChaPTER 6 | GrowinG painS | period three 175 4 –18 0 0
Document 6.9 ThoMaS JeFFerSon, letter to Philip Mazzei
1796In this letter to Philip Mazzei (1730–1816), an Italian physician and prominent supporter of the
American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) laments the rise of the Federalist fac-
tion during President George Washington’s second administration (1793–1796). After the let-
ter became public, the Federalists used it to claim that Jefferson was unpatriotic (Doc. 4.14).... In place of that noble love of liberty and republican government which carried us
triumphantly through the war, an Anglican, monarchical, and aristocratical party has
sprung up, whose avowed object is to draw over us the substance, as they have already
done the forms of the British government. The main body of our citizens, however,
remain true to their republican principles; the whole landed interest is republican,
and so is a great mass of talents. Against us are the executive, the judiciary, two out of
three branches of the legislature, all the officers of the government, all who want to be
officers, all timid men who prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of lib-
erty, British merchants, and Americans trading on British capitals, speculators, and
holders in the banks and public funds, a contrivance invented for purposes of cor-
ruption, and for assimilating us in all things to the rotten as well as the sound parts of
the British model. It would give you a fever were I to name to you the apostates who
have gone over to these heresies, men who were Samsons [the Israelite leader known
for his strength] in the field, and Solomons [the Israelite king known for his wisdom]
in the council, but who have had their heads shorn by the harlot of England [a refer-
ence to Samson’s loss of physical strength when his hair was cut by Delilah]. In short,
we are likely to preserve the liberty we have gained only by unremitting labours and
perils. But we shall preserve it; and our mass of weight and wealth on the good side
is so great as to leave no danger that force will ever be attempted against us. We have
only to awake and snap the Lilliputian cords with which they have been entangling us
during the first sleep which succeeded our labours.
Charles Carter Lee, ed., Observations on the Writings of Thomas Jefferson (Philadelphia, PA:
J. Dobson; Thomas, Cowperthwait; Carey & Hart, 1839), 81.PRaCTICINg historical Thinking
Identify: Identify the reasons that Jefferson believes that two-thirds of the legisla-
ture is corrupt.
Analyze: Given that Jefferson claims that the “landed interest” maintains “repub-
lican principles,” that the landowners include the southern and western farmers,
and that the “aristocratical party” has the support of the merchants and banking
classes, what inferences can you make about the regional conflicts?
Evaluate: Why would Jefferson perceive the mercantile class to be pro-British? To
what extent is this perception based on economic, social, or regional factors?ToPIC III | regional and national identities 15907_STA_2012_ch6_145-168.indd 159 19/03/15 5:19 PM