Public Response to the Louisiana Purchase
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the reaction of the American public to the Louisiana Purchase. Most Americans were very enthusiastic about the transaction, Professor Onuf explains, because it provided commercial and trade advantages, and ended the ...
Madison's Dilemma
Historian Peter Onuf talks about the dilemma of James Madison, who was torn between following the Constitution as closely as possible, and yet recognizing the need to put financial resources towards what Professor Onuf calls, "establish(ing) a robus...
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...
Rivals and Friends: Presidential Election of 1800
Bitter controversies shape the presidential election of 1800. The candidates are the same as four years earlier-Adams versus Jefferson-but personal attacks during the campaign are unprecedented. In a close race New York emerges as the crucial swing ...
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.
Rivals and Friends: Presidential Election of 1796, The
The presidential election of 1796 is the first partisan election in the nation's history. As it unfolds, it is a contest not only between the emerging Republican party and the Federalists, but a battle among the Federalists themselves. When John Ada...
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...