James Madison Papers

Notes from Congress’ Secret Journal on Instructions to John Adams, 12 July 1781

Notes from Congress’ Secret Journal
on Instructions to John Adams

MS (LC: Madison Papers). See Notes from Secret Journal, 28 May 1781, headnote.

July 12[, 1781]

Madison & Mathews moved to revoke Comissn. & instrns. to Mr. Adams for Treaty of Commerce with G. B.1—on which Liverm: no—Partridge Osgood no—Varnum ay—Elsworth—Sherman no, Montgomery, Clymer, T. Smith ay—Rodney McKean ay—Jenifer no Carrol ay Potts ay—Jones ay. Madiso[n] ay—Bland ay—Sharpe Johnson ay—Matts—Bee—Motte Eveligh ay—Walt[on] Few, & Howley, ay2—so affirmative.3

1. Motion on Adams’ Commission, 12 July 1781.

2. The full names of these delegates and the state from which each delegate came are given in Notes from Secret Journal, 6 June, n. 4, and 9–15 June 1781, nn. 4 and 6.

3. This roll-call vote appears in JCC description begins Worthington Chauncey Ford et al., eds., Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789 (34 vols.; Washington, 1904–37). description ends , XX, 747. Madison’s motion was adopted by a vote of seven states pro, two states con, New Hampshire and Rhode Island represented by only one delegate each, and New York and New Jersey unrepresented in Congress.

Index Entries

    You Are Looking At

    Source Project
    Madison Papers
    Title
    Notes from Congress’ Secret Journal on Instructions to John Adams, 12 July 1781
    Author
    Madison, James
    Date
    12 July 1781

    Reference

    Cite as
    “Notes from Congress’ Secret Journal on Instructions to John Adams, 12 July 1781,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-03-02-0095. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 3, 3 March 1781 – 31 December 1781, ed. William T. Hutchinson and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1963, p. 190.]