One of the real pleasures of blogging is meeting like-minded people through cyberspace. Over the years I've meet a fair number of people who share my interests in cemetery and monument law and occasionally people who are related to some of my subjects -- most often Tulsa riot victims and at other times testators, judges, and orators from the old south. The furthest connection comes with a descendant of one of my favorite historical figures, Francis Daniel Pastorius (though these days I'm the one reaching out to Pastorius descendants!) One of my favorite interactions was with a descendant of two of my subjects from pre-War Alabama, who sent me portraits of them. It was really quite exciting and amazing to be able to see them and because the portraits are held by the family I'd never have been able to see them otherwise.
So ... I was very excited to get an email yesterday from Bob Tate, a collector of rare documents in New York, asking what I thought of one of his documents, which lists a series of toasts for what appear to be a July 4, 1815 celebration -- and maybe they were reused around the time of Andrew Jackson's triumphant journey through Virginia in December 1815 (less sure about this). As I've said before, toasts are a grossly under-utilized source of insight about the ideas of pre-Civil War Americans. Sort of twitter for the antebellum era. In a short compass you can learn a lot.
One of the toasts refers to Washington Academy (later Washington College, now Washington and lee university). I'm a huge fan of W&L's history -- especially the shifts in ideology that took place on that campus from the late eighteenth century to the Civil War. I'm guessing these were delivered by a Washington Academy alumnus in the presence of other alums, so perhaps in Lexington? That would make a lot of sense. And it would fit with some of the Enlightenment ideas and the broad horizons and the focus on Washington, Union, and Constitutionalism that appear in the toasts. Here they are:
1st – The Fourth of July 1776 – The epoch of the Declaration of American Independence. It will serve as a monument to teach the world what are the rights of man and repress the daring insolence of tyrants.- “Drank”
2nd- The constitution of the United States – The bond of our political union. “Drank”
3rd- The President of the United States may he steer the vessel in which we are embarked with honor to himself and safety to the people. “Drank”
4th – The vice president of the United States – his meritorious services demand the tribute of respect of every patriot. “Drank” [This is sort of odd for dating to 1815, because there was no vice president that year -- Elbridge Gerry died in office in 1814 and was not replaced. So perhaps this was a tribute to Gerry?]
5th - The memory of Washington – May his celebrity teach the sons of Columbia that the only mode to secure a universal and permanent esteem is to pursue the path which virtue prescribes and the love of liberty dictates. “Drank”
6th – Benjamin Franklin – May his political principals like an electric shock pervade the whole system of man. “Drank”
7th – Hancock and Adams – The prescribed patriots – Their example will teach the despot that when a spirit of liberty animates the soul, no menaces will extinguish the heavenly flame. “Drank”
8th – The liberty of the Press(?) – the firm support of the rights of man – The universal scourge of tyrants. “Drank”
9th- The Militia –The only safe bulwark of a republic. “Drank”
10th – The American Captives at Tripoli – May their meritorious sufferings be greatly diminished by the pleasing anticipation that they will speedily be received into the bosom of their country with joy and gratitude. “Drank”
11th – Wadsworth, Somers & Israel- By voluntarily surrendering their lives they nobly displayed their hatred of slavery and inspired the hearts of their countrymen with a veneration for their virtues. “Drank”
12th – The Republicans of Ireland – May the galling yoke of British oppression be broken by the irresistible genius of universal emancipation. “Drank”
13th - The State of Virginia – The Love of every liberty which is infused in every bosom subjects her to the hatred of tyrants and justly entitles her to the esteem of every patriot. “Drank”
14th – The advocates of independence- On this auspicious their hearts beat with a lively transport in the confident assurance that the fair fabric of freedom is established on a basis more durable than grass. “Drank”
15th – WASHINGTON ACADEMY – may it issue into the world characters whose genius and virtues will qualify them to imitate the merit of its illustrious patron. “Drank”
16th – (a different pen/author wrote this toast) May political animosity the bone of sociability and harmony be totally destroyed and all who are Americans, in heart and sentiment, unite to promote the freedom of universal man. - “Drank”
17th – The American Fair- Their enlightened minds and resurgent charms afford the brightest ornament to our national character – “Drank”
And then there also appears on the back side of one of the pages, 1st – Hail Liberty. So I guess there were two firsts.
Update: some other toasts from 1815 are available here.
What to make of them? They sound very 1815ish – the talk of Columbia and the reference to the American captives in Tripoli had to be before 1816 or thereabouts, because I think that ended around 1816. There are actually two toasts to the war in Tripoli -- the reference to Wadsworth, Somers, and Israel who died in 1804 relates to one of our nation's first war monuments, which is now at the Naval Academy.
But there is also something else about the toasts. There’s a real appreciation for the Enlightenment, as the references to Franklin, to enlighten minds, the genius of universal freedom, and especially the first toast's reference to the rights of man – a phrase that by the 1800s was being associated with Thomas Paine and the French Revolution -- all attest. There's a wide vision here, which sweeps from Tripoli to Ireland, to the United States. And the toasts step back to the era of the American Revolution, but not further. They map well, I think, the mind of this supporter of Union and the Constitution, and this admirer of Franklin, Hancock, Washington, and Adams.
I want to think some on what the references to the Constitution and Washington suggest about the author’s political orientation – perhaps a Federalist (though that’s a little inconsistent with the talk of rights of man above). Maybe a more conservative Democrat. Very interesting to speculate on this.
So that’s my take on this – a set of toasts prepared by someone closely affiliated with Washington College (perhaps a student or more likely an alum) and deeply interested in the Constitution and Union and republicanism – also the reference to Ireland is super interesting. On the pages are also a few references to songs, which I want to hunt down a little more and talk about down the road when I have time.
Al, Thanks very much. Would be very interested in learning more about this document. It is very interesting to see how the ending of the war played a very important role in the restoration American Patriotism. The wide vision of the Author is also extremely interesting from Tripoli, Slavery, American Patriotism to enlightenment
Posted by: Bob Tate | July 29, 2014 at 09:11 PM