James

“After much jousting between the Congress and the president over the appointment of more officers, Madison by the end of the year had issued commissions to over eleven hundred individuals, 15 percent of whom immediately declined them, followed by an additional 8 percent who resigned after several months of service.”
― Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815

“Fourth and finally, Washington made a passionate case for cultivating an identity as American citizens that would elevate national unity over local loyalties, inducing “them to forget their local prejudices and policies, to make those mutual concessions which are requisite to the general prosperity, and in some instances, to sacrifice their individual advantages to the interest of the community.”
― John Avlon, Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations

“The Civil War was the climax of a tragedy that was preordained from the time of the Revolution. Only with the elimination of slavery could this nation that Jefferson had called “the world’s best hope” for democracy even begin to fulfill its great promise.”
― Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815

“Between 1803 and 1812 Britain and France and their allies seized nearly fifteen hundred American ships, with Britain taking 917 to France’s 558.”
― Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815