Sold – Adams Asserts American Independence of British Trade Restrictions

The British had long placed severe restrictions on American trade with their colonies in the West Indies, though the British were allowed to trade with the United States on a much more liberal basis.

Congress, to catch British attention and try to secure a fair trade arrangement, retaliated and passed laws in 1818 and 1820 refusing entry to all British ships coming from British ports in the New World. In 1822, Parliament, her moves in that direction accelerated by these economic sanctions, opened a limited colonial trade to American ships, on condition of removal of certain U.S. duties. Trade began, though the British claimed their requirements had not yet been satisfied. By 1823, Congress had tired of being discriminated against and passed a law making the removal of American duties on British products dependent on the British treating American products like they did products coming from other locations. The British objected to this, as many of these other locations were their own colonies, and what the Americans considered fundamental fairness, they deemed interference with their internal affairs. Parliament followed up by passing an act in 1825 making valuable concessions to American trade to the West Indies, but setting still more conditions. President Adams had spent his life struggling against the British, as had his noted father before him.

He remained suspicious of British intentions and, even more importantly, was very prickly about any implication that the United States was somehow not on a par with other major nations. He was unwilling to accept ³unfair² British conditions, but instead determined to pressure Britain to accept a resolution closer to the American position. He sent Albert Gallatin to negotiate the subject. However, the British had had enough also. In July 1826, while Gallatin was actually on the way to London, they issued an Order-in-Council closing West Indian ports completely to American ships, and on Gallatin’s arrival declined to discuss the issue. The closure of these ports stifled trade and caused economic hardship, including loss of jobs, all along the American seaboard. Adams was not phased by this. He saw the issue as one of right and wrong, in which he had been right to demand equal treatment from the British bullies. He also calculated that there would be little material impact on the finances of the U.S. Government from reduced tariff receipts, which would prove American independence of British maneuvers. Although Adams would need to stand for reelection in a year and had seen the effect on U.S. trade of embargos and boycotts in the past, he would not allow the potential domestic political impact of his commercial policy to govern his actions.

Adams was a philosopher who had a view of America¹s future that was extremely forward-looking. His agenda as President was based on executive activism and internal improvements (such as building a nation-wide grid of canals). He also wanted the U.S. Government to advance science and promote knowledge, and supported establishment of a national university, funding for scientific explorations and astronomical observatories, and in general for Congress "to give efficacy to the means committed to us for the common good."He was ridiculed for his ideas at the time and faulted for trying to waste the government¹s money. Consistent with his interest in the natural world, Adams was an avid and ³scientific² gardener, and was forever trying to find and introduce new plants, not only to the garden, but for development into cash crops to aid the American economy.

In this letter, he orders his diplomatic corps to search for new and useful plants to introduce into America, shows his sensitivity to the possibility of being criticized as a spendthrift, while at the same time revealing that he is not concerned about his hard line with the British and any resulting trade dislocations.

Autograph Letter Signed as President, two pages, Quincy, Mass., October 2, 1827, to his Secretary of the Treasury, Richard Rush.

"As the Article of the expense which may be incurred forms still some difficulty, will it not be advisable to limit much more than in the list which you sent me, the number of the Consuls to whom in the first instance the circular shall be sent. Say you should begin the experiment by forwarding only to fifteen or twenty of those officers residing at places where we know that plants of unquestioned usefulness are indigenous, and reserving the transmission of it to others, until some promising result from them may give encouragement to further essays, or, which may be better still, suppose you send the circular to all the Consuls, but with the entire interdict of expense for the present excepting to the small number above mentioned? I entertain hopes that by engaging the gratuitous assistance of those of our naval officers by whom it will be cheerfully given, some success may be obtained, such as may stimulate to further exertions…an application of any public funds will hardly be justifiable to introduce plants which may be flourishing in our own Gardens, or of which the cultivation has often been tried and always without success. As you have directed the Consuls to send such seeds and plants as they may collect in pursuance of your letter to the Collectors of our Ports, will it not be necessary that copies of all the papers relating to the subject should be communicated to the collectors; with a request also of their gratuitous assistance. It will be most cheerfully given by the Collector at Boston, and I have no doubt by others.

The Accounts of the prospect of accruing Revenue, both at New York and Boston, continue to be encouraging. We may now safely conclude that the British interdiction of our commerce with their West India Colonies will have no sensible effect unfavourable either to our trade or our finances.

The ten millions of debt principal and interest secured to be paid off within the present year, and the reasonable certainty that the revenue of the ensuing year will be amply sufficient for the same operation, set me quite at ease with regard to the state of the Treasury…I am to leave this place on the 4th and Boston the 6th inst. expecting to reach New York by the 10th and Washington the 13th inst."

Rush has docketed the letter¹s integral leaf on the verso, "My circular to the consuls on the subject of foreign plants."

So Adams sent his diplomatic corps looking for plants, while he pushed forward on a matter of principle in foreign affairs. He made hs point about American independence, and thus achieved his goal, but proved too optimistic about the lack of commercial impact his policy would have. Trade declined and this become an important issue in the Presidential election of 1828, playing a part in his defeat.