Opportunity
In the spring of 1785 many in the halls of Congress and every hallowed hall of government within the young republic waited in anticipation for the arrival of a single man of foreign birth. The fate of their newly won country depended on the arrival of one man onto their shores. The nature of the man’s arrival concerned the largely untamed wilderness of the Ohio Valley and most importantly what lay beyond- The Mississippi river- then held by the oldest and grandest colonial power in Europe. Yes, the fate of the young American state rested on the shoulders of a Spaniard.
Of course, not just any Spaniard, but one Diego de Gardoqui y Arriquivar, whose assistance during the period of the revolutionary war had helped steer the bull that was Arthur Lee through Paris and European diplomacy, and secretly aid the fighting American government with Spanish aid. The American Congress promised that negotiations in New York City would be conducted with “Candor and Frankness”. Given that both sides were now fighting for the fate of the American continent these words were something of a bold faced lied. Even before his arrival the Americans were put to a disadvantage with the charm and preparedness of Gardoqui as he had prepared the most alluring gifts of Spain to the American leaders. To former President of Congress, Richard Henry Lee, he received the finest of Havana Cigars. To the diplomat John Jay he received a fine Arabian horse . To George Washington the Spanish crown sent a fine Spanish jackass. He loved it of course.
The bounty of Spanish wealth did not fly past many, nor did demand for American commodities . The wealth of land and goods was what many Americans wanted, but how exactly these goods were to be obtained Americans in different regions of the republic differed. To the south and west, settlers were more than eager to take Spanish Florida and Louisiana, but in the northeast the merchants and fishermen much preferred undamaged trade relations.
Upon Gardoqui’s arrival he was met and accompanied by John Jay whose designation reflected the eagerness of the Congress to negotiate a new boundary treaty with Spain. Yet, Spain was also very eager to not lose its massive territory in North America to the young revolutionaries, and thus unsurprisingly a stalemate went on and on for nearly a year. During this time, Gardoqui met and partied his heart out with many, many members of the American political establishment on the national and state level. It was during this time that Gardoqui discovered stern competing interests in the American republic as issues of sectionalism brought the south, west, and north to conflict. The northeast favored trade and fishing, while the south favored farming and harvest of the land- the former was more interested in gaining trade rights with Spain over gaining more land in the southwest which they could care less about. While New England interests in north Atlantic fisheries was partially settled with Great Britain the issue of their interest to their southern counterpoints became a growing flame of difference. Even John Jay was not immune to the desire of his home state, New England’s congressmen happily approved of a proposal to drop American claims on the Mississippi to the horror of Southern congressmen.
These men that Gardoqui flirted with were known historically as the Essex Junto, a consortium of New England lawyers, politicians, and merchants. These men included at their head, Rufus King, Nathan Dane, Nathaniel Gorhman, and Edward Pulling. Their initial goal in mind? As allowed by the Articles of Confederation to obtain seven votes by eastern states in order to create a regional sub-confederacy and enact favorable trade laws that could hopefully bleed out the trade of the southern states to favor northern politics. Unfortunately, for King and his allies while ten states did agree to look into trade reform their efforts simply puttered out to nothing in Congress by middle 1785-during negotiation of Gardoqui and Jay.
In late 1785 the men of the Essex Junto now openly suggested a total seperation of the New England region from the south. It was also at this time when a man named James Monroe, apart of the Virginian Delegation to Congress, was hit with chronic sickness that keapt him largely unaware of these ongoing events. Then in May of 1786, John Jay put forth a proposal to Congress to elect a secret committee to deal with negotiation over the issue. Congress voted and agreed. What came from it was controversial enough.