From John Jay to Peter Augustus Jay, 16 October 1821
To Peter Augustus Jay
Bedford. 16th. Octr. 1821
Dear Peter
I have recd. your Letter of the 10th. Inst—1 It is to be regretted that the Temper and Proceedings of the Convention are not more promising— A constitution formed under the Influence of improper motives and Feelings may not be approved by the People, unless a majority of them should be actuated by similar Excitements. If the Divisions which it seems have taken place between leading members of the preponderating Party should be adopted by their respective Adherents, an extensive Concurrence in Opinions and Votes will be difficult to accomplish.— discordant Views and Propositions will probably protract the Session to a later Day than was generally expected. A late Paper contains a short speech of yours on the 6th. Inst.2 which in my Opinion does you Credit.—
Maria recd. by the last Mail a Letter from little Mary—3 it gave us all Pleasure to learn from it that your Family were then well— Maria and Aunt Symmes set out this morning for Rye— from thence they intend to proceed Tomorrow to Mrs. Watts4 where Mrs. Symmes will stay, & Maria will go on to NYork— I wish the Jaunt may be of service to her— her Complaints continue to fluctuate— they are sometimes quite severe, and then again more moderate— The Rest of us are as usual. William went Yesterday in the Stage to NYork, to attend the Episcopal Convention—5 I am Dear Peter your affte. Father
John Jay
Peter Augustus Jay Esqr
ALS, NNC (EJ: 11609).
1. See PAJ to JJ, 10 Oct. 1821, above.
2. PAJ returned to the subject of his much longer speech on enfranchisement of 20 Sept., to respond to Bucktail Olney Briggs, a mechanic from Schoharie, who said people of color were “degraded” and would sell their votes. “He could wish that the gentleman had assigned some reasons, why persons of colour might not be as intelligent and virtuous, as white persons. Had nature interposed any barriers to prevent them from the acquisition of knowledge, or the pursuit of virtue? It was true they were now in some measure a degraded race; but how came they so? Was it not by our fault, and the fault of our fathers? And because they had been degraded, the gentleman from Schoharie was for visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children, and for condemning them to eternal degradation. He could not but think there were too many unfounded prejudices; too much pride of democracy on this subject. However we may scorn, and insult, and trample upon this unfortunate race now, the day was fast approaching, when we must lie down with them, in that narrow bed appointed for all the living. Then, if not before, the pride of distinction would cease. Then the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and the great are there; and the servant is free from his master. In commingled and undistinguished dust we must all repose, and rise together at the last day. God has created us all equal; and why should we establish distinctions. We are all the offspring of our common Father, and redeemed by our common saviour—the gates of Paradise are open alike to the bond and the free.— He hoped the committee would never consent to incorporate into the constitution a provision, which contravened the spirit of our institutions, and which was so repulsive to the dictates of justice and humanity.” Evening Post (New York), 10 Oct. 1821; Reports of the Convention of 1821, 199–201, 364–65. Briggs would later ask PAJ “whether he would consent to lie down, in life, in the same feather bed with a negro?” and “whether it would elevate a monkey or a baboon to allow them to vote?” See also David N. Gellman and David Quigley, eds., Jim Crow New York: A Documentary History of Race and Citizenship, 1777–1877 (New York, 2003), 177–80.
3. Letter not found.
4. Matilda Watts. See JJ to PAJ, 5 Feb. 1821, note 4, above.
5. WJ was a lay delegate for Westchester, representing St. Matthew’s Church, Bedford. The Convention was held 16–18 Oct. Journal of the Proceedings of the Thirty-Fifth [Sixth] Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of New-York (New York, 1821), 1, 7.