By Nancy Spannaus
May 24, 2024—The yearly American Revolution conference sponsored by the Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park is always a revolutionary experience for those who attend, featuring thought-provoking presentations by historians and authors who don’t always get attention in the “mainstream.”[1] This year’s event, scheduled for June 14 to 16, will again focus on the fast-approaching 250th anniversary of the nation, featuring numerous presentations on the period leading up to the Declaration of Independence, our official birthday.
After two years of enjoying these conferences in the audience,[2] I am honored to be a presenter this year. My talk, which occurs on the morning of the 16th, is entitled “Alexander Hamilton’s War for American Economic Independence.” It will examine his revolutionary career beginning with his first two major documents: “The Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress” (published Dec. 15, 1774), and “The Farmer Refuted” (published Feb. 23, 1775).
You can still register for this conference (although not for its popular bus tour through the area – it’s sold out), but below, I will give you a bit of a sneak preview of my presentation, in hopes of whetting your appetite. You can see the full schedule and sign up by clicking here.
Hamilton’s Revolutionary Beginnings
The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.
Above is a small extract from the young Alexander Hamilton’s “Farmer Refuted,” which was written to counter the diatribes of Tory Rev. Samuel Seabury against the non-importation and exportation agreements reached by the First Continental Congress in October of 1774. Hamilton’s assertion here comes in the midst of a detailed reprise of the charters granted by the English monarch to the colonies, demonstrating their rights to extensive self-rule. Yet, as he stresses here, the fundamental basis for Americans to resist British policy was the God-given natural rights of mankind.
Was this written by Thomas Jefferson?, some people ask. It seems so unlike our image of the “pragmatic” Hamilton, whom too many claim was willing to trample all over the rights and freedoms of American citizens in order to build a strong national government. Did Hamilton perhaps do a “one-eighty” in his later years, putting aside his youthful enthusiasm for liberty and becoming an advocate for autocracy?
As those of you who know my books, Hamilton Versus Wall Street and Defeating Slavery, my answer to that question is no. But we will explore this question, and more, tracing the continuity between Hamilton’s argumentation in these two early documents, with his mature policies as Treasury Secretary and beyond.
The conference will not be live-streamed; you’ve got to be there.
Much more on the agenda
As you can see from the full program, available from the registration page linked above, there are many other fascinating presentations being offered during this two-and-a-half-day conference. Diplomacy with the Indian nations leading up to 1776, Dunmore’s war in Virginia, the experience of some “Revolutionary Blacks” in the war for independence, and the politics of tea will all be featured, along with many other topics, including the frequent visits of the Marquis de Lafayette to the Mohawk Valley.
As for me, I will be taking advantage of being in the area to also give a presentation on my Defeating Slavery book at the Folklife Center of the Crandall Public library in Glens Falls, New York on the evening of June 13. If you are close enough, I invite you to join this event. The flyer can be accessed here.
If you can’t make either event, your option is to buy the books. Links have been provided above.
[1] Fort Plain Museum is located in the Mohawk Valley area of New York State, not far from Albany, and was the site of a fort on the frontier during the Revolutionary War. For more, click here.
[2] For my coverage of the last two years’ conferences, see https://americansystemnow.com/preparing-for-our-nations-250th-birthday/ and https://americansystemnow.com/thought-provoking-insights-on-the-revolutionary-war/.
Tags: Alexander Hamilton, American Revolution, Fort Plain Museum, Nancy Spannaus, natural rights