Letter from Alexander Hamilton to Rufus King (1787)

by Alexander Hamilton
  • August 28, 1787
Image: Alexander Hamilton, John Trumbull (c. 1805) White House, 1962.203.1.
When Hamilton left the Convention in early July, he was “seriously and deeply distressed” by its direction. How do his views in this letter contrast with this earlier frustration? To what does Hamilton attribute this change?
Hamilton planned to stay in New York after leaving the Convention in July, believing his return would be a “waste of time” unless the direction of the Convention shifted. What developments in the Convention during his absence might have influenced his decision to reconsider?
Constitutional Convention

Dear Sir,

I wrote to you some days since to request you to inform me when there was a prospect of your finishing, as I intended to be with you, for certain reasons, before the conclusion. 

It is whispered here[1] that some late changes in your scheme have taken place which give it a higher tone. Is this the case?

I leave town today to attend a circuit in a neighboring County, from which I shall return the last of the week; and shall be glad to find a line from you explanatory of the period of the probable termination of your business.

Footnotes
  1. 1. Frustrated with his fellow New York delegates, Hamilton left the Convention on June 29, not returning until mid-August. “Here” references New York.
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