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Profiles in History
   
Historical Document Auction 63
1. Adams, John. Extraordinary letter signed (“John Adams”) as President, 2 pages (8 x 9.8 in.; 203 x 249 mm.), Philadelphia, 5 July 1798, 
To the Inhabitants of the Town of Canonsborough and its Vicinity in the County of Washington & State of Pennsylvania. Exhibits toning; nearly 
separated above horizontal fold with .5-inch diagonal separation from fold intersection. 
With America facing war with France following the XYZ Affair, President John Adams hopes to unite the division 
among its citizens.
I regret with you that any circumstances should have given a foreign Government ground to believe, that when the safety of the Government, 
Liberty, Independence and Prosperity of the United States are menaced there can be a division of opinion among the people of America… 
It is not unnatural therefore for them to conclude that a free Republican Government can never stand against their policy and Power – It is 
our duty in America to convince them of their Error. 
Adams writes in full: Gentlemen A respectful address to the President, Senate and House of Representatives, subscribed by a respectful number of your 
Names, has been presented to me by the Honorable Alexander Addison Esquire. I regret with you that any circumstances should have given a foreign 
Government ground to believe, that when the safety of the Government, Liberty, Independence and Prosperity of the United States are menaced there 
can be a division of opinion among the people of America – this is not however surprizing [sic]; that Government experiences divisions among their own 
people which it has been able to control only with the Guillotine and Cayenne – In Poland, Geneva, Switzerland, Venice, Genoa, in short in every 
Republic in Europe, they have seen such divisions, as have ended in partition, dissolution or subjugation – It is not unnatural therefore for them to conclude 
that a free Republican Government can never stand against their policy and Power – It is our duty in America to convince them of their Error. John Adams
An American diplomatic commission was sent to France in July 1797 to negotiate problems that were threatening to break out into 
war. The diplomats, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry were approached through informal channels by 
agents of the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand, who demanded bribes and a loan before formal negotiations could begin. The Adams 
administration released documents substituting the letters X, Y and Z for the names of French diplomats, hence, the label XYZ Affair. 
Although such demands were not uncommon in mainland European diplomacy of the time, the Americans were offended by them, and 
eventually left France without ever engaging in formal negotiations. Gerry, seeking to avoid all-out war, remained for several months 
after the other two commissioners left. His exchanges with Talleyrand laid groundwork for the eventual end to diplomatic and military 
hostilities.
The failure of the commission caused a political firestorm in the United States when the commission’s dispatches were published. 
Although a formal declaration of war was scrupulously avoided, all preliminary arrangements for military action were made, including 
the reactivation of George Washington to head the enlarged provisional army (3 July), and the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts 
(July 6 and 14). Amid this legislative turmoil, Adams found time to respond to the expressions of local sentiment, which were inundating 
his office from all areas of the country. The present letter is his response to the “respectful address” from “The Inhabitants of the Town of 
Canonsborough, State of Pennsylvania.” 
The French soon adopted a conciliatory posture, fearful of a possible Anglo-American alliance and preoccupied by Napoleon’s dream 
of a colonial empire. Adams reciprocated by appointing a diplomatic mission which negotiated the Convention of 1800, following 
Napoleon’s victory at Marengo. Excellent letter exhibiting Adams’ keen diplomatic skills amidst the greatest crisis that would last for the 
duration of his Presidential term. $20,000 - $30,000

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2. Adams, John. Letter signed (“John Adams”) as President, 1 page (8 x 9.75 in.; 203 x 248 mm.), [Washington, D.C.], 30 January 1801, 
to Honble. Theodore Foster, Esqr. Senator for the State of Rhode Island, boldly headed To the Senators of the United States respectively. Mounting 
remnants on top edge; paper loss over “Wednes” of “Wednesday.” 
Jefferson or Burr? Defeated in the General Election, Adams asks a Federalist Senator to remain in the capital until the 
new President [Thomas Jefferson] is chosen and inaugurated.
Adams writes in full: Sir, It appearing to me proper and necessary for the service that the Senate of the United States should be convened on Wednesday 
the 4
th
 of March of the next, you are desired to attend in the chamber of the Senate on that day at 10 o’clock in the forenoon to receive and act upon any 
communication which the President of the United States may then lay before you, touching their interests, and to do and consider all other things which 
may be proper and necessary for the Public service for the Senate to do and consider.” [signed] John Adams                      
                                                                                                                      President of the U. States
The election of 1800 “stands almost alone in United States history as a drama with the fate of the Constitution at stake” (Bernard 
A. Weisberger, America Afire: Jefferson, Adams and the First Contested Election, p. 299). The election exposed a serious flaw in the 
Constitution. According to the Constitution, electors could only vote for President, each elector could vote for two candidates, and the 
Vice President was the person who received the second largest number of votes during the election. Because both Burr and Jefferson 
had received 73 electoral votes, and Burr refused to concede that his votes had been intended to elect him Vice President, it became, 
constitutionally, the task of the House of Representatives to choose between them. The unprecedented balloting began on 11 February 
and continued through 36 ballots before Jefferson was finally chosen on 17 February. Here, rather formally, Adams writes to a Federalist 
Senator requesting he remain in the Senate on the day of the inauguration of the new President – whether Burr or Jefferson.
The aftermath of the 1800 election resulted in the passage of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804 requiring that electors vote specifically 
for the offices of President and Vice President. It also marked the last time an incumbent Federalist engaged himself in a contest for the 
presidency. Small chip to right margin repaired on the verso, two words carefully corrected by the clerk (to change the date), leaving a 
small hole in the sheet; otherwise, fine condition. No other letter of Adams as lame-duck President during the 1801 electoral stalemate 
has been offered at auction for 30 years. $6,000 - $8,000 

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