The Jay Treaty Debate, Public Opinion, and the Evolution of Early American Political Culture

Download or read book The Jay Treaty Debate, Public Opinion, and the Evolution of Early American Political Culture written by Todd Estes and published by Univ of Massachusetts Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the changing role of popular politics in the early republicDuring the mid-1790s, citizens of the newly formed United Statesbecame embroiled in a divisive debate over a proposed commercialtreaty with Great Britain. Long regarded as a pivotal event in the historyof the early republic, the controversy pitted protreaty Federalistsagainst anti-treaty Jeffersonian Republicans. Yet as Todd Estes arguesin this perceptive study, the year-long debate over the ratification of theJay Treaty represented more than a clash over foreign policy betweentwo nascent political parties.