Glory of the Eagle #9: Comings and Goings
From The Lewis and Clark Expedition by Andrew S. Ferguson (New York: Green Meadows, 1988):
On the 22nd of August 1806 the Lewis and Clark Expedition returned to St. Louis, Missouri after three years of journeying. Indeed there had been some that believed that the expedition had perished....among the more notable effects of this expedition was the rise of the star of Phillip Hamilton who became noted for his major role in the expedition. Indeed that autumn Phillip Hamilton was elected to the House of Representatives....
From Encyclopedia of American Politics by Walter Hall and others (New York: Raging Waters, 2005):
The Congressional Elections of 1806: The Senate elections of 1806 saw most notably Alexander Hamilton defeat John Smith for the Senate seat in the state of New York. With him successfully securing a senate seat he could easily rally the Federalists in Congress and use his vast influence even better. In the House of Representatives the Federalists gained seven seats for a total of 54 against 88 of the Democratic-Republicans.
From The New Athens: A History of the United States from the Constitutional Convention to the Congress of Vienna by John Gonzalez (Mexico City: University of Mexico Press, 2002):
Chapter V: The Aborted War: The Fight With Britain in the 1800s
The Embargo Act was barely defeated in 1807. The bill was proposed mainly because of the impressment of American sailors by the British. However without any violent incidents, although there were close calls [1], Congress was not persuaded to do so especially with Senator Alexander Hamilton's energetic oratory criticizing the action as "cutting off the life blood of New England" and more importantly the persuasion of Secretary of Treasury Albert Gallatin to President Thomas Jefferson.
This Embargo Act indeed embittered much of the North against the Democratic-Republican Party and Thomas Jefferson. Especially a great blow for it was the argument of some radical Democratic-Republicans for war against Britain. Alexander Hamilton thundered against it as "cutting our own throats" and succeeded in making it unappetizing for both Federalists and moderate Democratic-Republicans.
At the same time though Alexander Hamilton worked against some radical New England secessionists. These New England secessionists claimed that they were oppressed by the slave-owners of the South, the same people who had tried to pass the Embargo Act, who did not think in the interests of New Engalnd but only of the South.
Naturally Alexander Hamilton the supporter of a strong central government was strongly opposed to it and in a letter to Thomas Pickering warned him of the secessionist elements:
"One must bewared of those secessionists in New England. They are hypocrites, claiming to be members of a party that supports a strong United States yet support secession. We must all stay together for our own survival and greatness...."