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Special Event: The Crisis of 1798
October 17 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Special Event: The Crisis of 1798
Hennage Auditorium – Museum admission
Thursday, Oct 17 at 5:30 pm
In a democracy, how should citizens voice their disagreement with government policy? And what exactly is a “loyal opposition”? Dive into these thought-provoking questions with author John Ragosta as he explores America’s 1798 constitutional crisis.
Picture this: in 1798, with fierce partisan battles blazing, Thomas Jefferson’s Kentucky Resolutions declared that states could deem federal laws unconstitutional and “nullify” them. The nation teetered on the edge of collapse, with states threatening the federal system and newspapers warning of an impending “Civil War!”
Enter George Washington, who urgently called Patrick Henry out of retirement to oppose these perilous ideas and save the union. Though Henry had once opposed the Constitution as a leading antifederalist, he now argued that since “we the people” adopted the Constitution, any challenge to federal policies had to be done “in a constitutional way.”
Interestingly, just eight days after the adoption of his milder Virginia Resolutions, James Madison wrote to Jefferson, warning that things had gone too far. Jefferson, recognizing the danger of the era’s extreme partisanship, reconsidered his stance.
This pivotal moment in American history is captured in For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle, showcasing how a democracy must function if it’s to survive.
