Free Tempest at Dawn by James D. Best Page B

realized
that the skilled and self-assured service by free blacks did convey
a message. He mused that his slaves at Montpelier could never put
on such a lavish and well-orchestrated ceremony.
    All the states had vital interests, and each
state must tolerate the others’ interests. Madison could see no
logical reason why slavery should hinder progress, but emotions,
not logic, often ruled politics. This issue must not be allowed to
thwart the creation of the world’s first durable republic.

    “ The English and the Spanish are like the two
ends of a huge tong, ready to pinch us until we crumble into small
bites.”
    The long meal had reached its final stage,
and animated discussion engulfed the length of the table. Alexander
Hamilton provoked the conversation at Madison’s end. Hamilton,
thirty years old, had abundant charm to go with his good looks and
lean stature. Women, especially, found his deep blue eyes, auburn
hair, and clear skin attractive.
    “ Shays and his ilk attack from within,
but we should be casting an alert eye to the horizon,” Robert
Morris added.
    “ No need to look to the horizon,”
Washington said. “Enough enemies reside in our
backyard.”
    Butler leaned in to gain attention. “The
Carolinas and Georgia are deeply troubled by the Spanish on our
frontier.”
    “ And England loiters in the Great
Lakes region.” Hamilton slapped the table. “We must insist that the
British comply with the peace treaty and vacate their
forts.”
    “ I shall send them a letter
forthwith.” Washington’s rejoinder drew laughter from all
sides.
    “ And if they fail to respond, we must
forcibly evict them,” Hamilton said, as if Washington had been
serious.
    “ Difficult without an army,”
Washington said.
    Turning to Butler, Hamilton asked, “Did you
know that Congress has reduced the army to seven hundred?”
    “ You must be mistaken,” Butler
said.
    “ I visited Secretary Knox’s New York
headquarters. Three clerks. That’s it.”
    Butler looked at Washington. “How will we
defend South Carolina?”
    “ Not with militia,” Washington
answered. “And British garrisons within our sovereign territory
will eventually lead to another armed conflict.”
    “ Something will break soon,” Hamilton
huffed. “Either the belligerent British in the North or the crafty
Spanish in the South will test our resolve.”
    Madison wanted to remind South Carolina of their
stake in the convention. Turning to Butler, he asked, “How serious
is the trouble on your western frontier?”
    Butler answered Madison while directing his
eyes toward Washington. “If something is not done—and soon—our
settlers on the other side of the Appalachians will join the
Spanish to protect their families and farms.”
    From Madison’s other side, Pinckney added,
“This spring, the Spanish incited Indian raids on the Georgia
frontier. Seven families slaughtered.”
    “ The Spanish are testing the pioneers’
allegiance to us,” Butler said. “Georgia declared martial law. We
may not be far behind.”
    Hamilton now banged the butt of his dinner
knife against the table. “We must stop the Spanish before they set
the entire frontier ablaze with insurrection.”
    Madison straightened his napkin and folded
his hands in front of him. Brave talk at a dinner party, safely
nestled in the heart of a thriving city, didn’t impress him.
Madison appreciated Hamilton’s logical mind, but the man’s passion
caused him discomfort. Inciting emotions defeated reason.
Hamilton’s love of bluster would this time, however, serve
Madison’s purpose. He wanted the delegates to fear a helpless
government.
    Hamilton shifted to his favorite subject.
“The conflict has begun on the field of commerce.” Hamilton leaned
into a conspiratorial posture. “John Jay has kept me abreast of our
trade negotiations in London. He writes that England refuses to
lift the embargo on West Indies trade. And the Spanish have already
closed the Mississippi to