Meeting at Annapolis
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the meeting at Annapolis, convened to amend the Articles of Confederation. While those efforts failed, because not enough states attended and the agenda was too limited, the eventual result was better than anyone cou...
Election of 1796, The
Historian Peter Onuf provides fascinating insights into Thomas Jefferson, whose uncanny political instincts enabled him to not only weather the election of John Adams in 1796, but plan his own campaign for the presidency that would lead to his elect...
Second Jefferson Administration, The
Historian Peter Onuf explores Thomas Jefferson's strategy of using "aggressive commercial diplomacy" (in the form of an embargo and sanctions) as an alternative to war.
Great Division in the 1790's, The
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the deep divisions in the United States concerning how the U.S. should align itself regarding the French Revolution. "The stakes were extremely high," Professor Onuf says. "This was not gratuitous thinking about some...
Relationship Between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, The
Historian Peter Onuf explores the complicated personal relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Professor Onuf explains that the two worked very closely for years, but then went through a period of strained relations after Jefferson cha...
Election of Thomas Jefferson, The
Historian Peter Onuf explains that the primary difference between the Jefferson presidency and that of John Adams was that Jefferson emphasized state's rights over a strong centralized government, and also paid down the national debt by more than fi...
Adams Presidency, The
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the high points as well as the shortcomings of the John Adams presidency. On the downside, President Adams had to contend with an extremely disloyal Cabinet, consisting largely of holdovers from the second Washington...
Articles of Confederation, The
Historian Peter Onuf explains that the Articles of Confederation represented the only way of creating an effective alliance among the American provinces. However, Professor Onuf adds that the Articles of Confederation were limited in their usefulnes...
American Revolution,The : A Global Event
Historian Peter Onuf says it's not as important to focus on the individual battles of American Revolution, The , as it is to understand the continent-wide enthusiasm they inspired for the war. Even more important, Professor Onuf explains, is that, "...
American Revolution,The : Radical or Conservative?
Historian Peter Onuf explains that historians "argue endlessly about whether (American Revolution, The ) is a real revolution because, as with other modern movements, American Revolution, The is, in many ways, conservative. It aims to preserve liber...