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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC04011 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1794 |
| Title | John Jay to Sarah Jay regarding his dinner with President Washington and tensions with British |
| Date | 9 April 1794 |
| Author | Jay, John (1745-1829) |
| Recipient | Jay, Sarah |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Refers to his wife Sarah as Sally. Comments to his wife that he dined with President Washington. Relates there is a suspenseful atmosphere in the capital over a possible war with Britain. He says peace will probably prevail, but that war should be prepared for. Fears that the anger over British seizures at sea and their continued presence in the Northwest will lead to intemperate actions on the part of the government. Continues the letter on 10 April 1794. Mentions that he is glad boards were sent to his brother's house at Rye, New York and says he will have to attend to personal business at his estate in Bedford, New York soon. Complains of his rheumatism. Written shortly before his selection as envoy to Britain. His work there on the Jay Treaty helped avoid the war he feared in this letter. |
| Subjects | American Statesmen President Politics Global History and Civics Foreign Affairs Impressment Navy Maritime Peace Northwest Territory Canada Building Construction Health and Medical Jay's Treaty Boundary or Property Dispute |
| People | Jay, John (1745-1829) Jay, Sarah Livingston (1756-1802) Washington, George (1732-1799) |
| Place written | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Theme | Foreign Affairs; Government & Politics; Naval & Maritime; Health & Medicine; Women in American History |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | For a decade, Britain refused to evacuate forts in the Old Northwest as promised in the treaty ending the Revolution. Control of those forts impeded white settlement in the Great Lakes region. Frontier settlers believed that British officials at those posts sold firearms to Native Americans, paid money for American scalps, and incited uprisings against white settlers. War appeared imminent when British warships stopped 300 American ships carrying food to France and France's overseas possessions and seized their cargoes, and forced sailors suspected of desertion from British ships into the British navy. In this letter, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay (1745-1829), conveys a sense of how immediate the danger of war seemed. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |