Eleanor Finch
Elbridge Gerry, born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1744, was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat. He served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1814. Gerry is generally remembered for his refusal to sign the United States Constitution, and for his role in the XYZ Affair. He was one of three delegates to vote against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, citing concerns over the rights of private citizens and the power of the federal government. Despite his refusal to sign, Gerry supported the Constitution after its ratification and helped draft the Bill of Rights.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Signing the Constitution | No |
| Reasons for not signing | No Bill of Rights, treatment of slaves as freemen, the power of the Senate, the threat of a standing army, and the lack of federal features |
| Signing the Declaration of Independence | Yes |
| Signing the Articles of Confederation | Yes |
| Vice President | Yes |
| Founding Father | Yes |
| Year of Birth | 1744 |
| Date of Death | 1814 |
| Political Party | Democratic-Republican |
| Role in the XYZ Affair | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
Elbridge Gerry's refusal to sign the US Constitution
Elbridge Gerry is best known for being the force and namesake behind the term gerrymandering. He was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat. He was born into a wealthy merchant family in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on July 17, 1744. During the early 1770s, he served in the colonial and Revolutionary legislatures, and during the American War for Independence, he served in the Continental Congress (1775–1780 and 1783–1785), where he signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.
Elbridge Gerry was one of three men who attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 but refused to sign the Constitution. He objected to the lack of a Bill of Rights and the enumeration of specific individual liberties in the proposed constitution. He also generally opposed proposals that strengthened the central government, such as the power of the legislature to raise armies and revenue. He was concerned about the convention's lack of authority to make such significant changes to the nation's system of government and the constitution's lack of "federal features". In addition, he was worried about the treatment of slaves as freemen for representation purposes and the power of the Senate.
Gerry was a consistent advocate and practitioner of republicanism and played a significant role in shaping the final document. He made 78 speeches during the final six weeks of the Convention, actively pushing for the “Great Compromise” over the representation issue. He also influenced the structure of the presidency, favoring a single, independent president but expressing concern about the method of selection. He proposed that state executives, rather than the Electoral College, choose the president.
After the Constitution was ratified, Gerry was elected to the inaugural United States Congress, where he played an active role in drafting and passing the Bill of Rights. He successfully lobbied for the inclusion of freedom of assembly in the First Amendment and helped shape the Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure. He also sought to limit the federal government's power, particularly regarding state militias, and argued against the idea of a large standing army.
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Gerry's role in the XYZ Affair
Elbridge Gerry was a Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat from Massachusetts. He was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. Gerry attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787 but refused to sign the Constitution, citing concerns over the rights of private citizens and the lack of a Bill of Rights.
Gerry played a significant role in the XYZ Affair, a diplomatic controversy between the United States and Republican France in 1797-1798. Here is a more detailed account of his involvement:
Gerry, along with Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and John Marshall, was part of a diplomatic delegation sent to France in 1797. The delegation's goal was to negotiate a solution to mounting tensions between the two nations, which threatened to escalate into war. However, the American diplomats were met with unexpected demands from French agents, later identified as "X," "Y," and "Z" in published papers, giving rise to the name "XYZ Affair."
The French agents, including Jean-Conrad Hottinguer ("X"), Pierre Bellamy ("Y"), and Lucien Hauteval ("Z"), demanded substantial bribes and loans from the American commissioners before formal negotiations could commence. Gerry and his fellow commissioners refused to comply with these demands and sought to engage directly with the French Foreign Minister, Talleyrand.
Talleyrand proved difficult to negotiate with. He froze out Pinckney and Marshall from the talks, believing Gerry to be the most approachable of the three. Gerry, seeking to prevent an all-out war, remained in France even after the other commissioners left in April 1798. He continued exchanges with Talleyrand, which ultimately laid the groundwork for the end of diplomatic tensions and military hostilities.
However, when the commissioners' dispatches were published, a political firestorm erupted in the United States. Federalists criticized Gerry for the breakdown of negotiations and his inability to secure a deal. This criticism pushed Gerry away from the Federalists, and he eventually joined the Democratic-Republicans in 1800.
In conclusion, Elbridge Gerry's role in the XYZ Affair was complex. While he sought to prevent war and laid the groundwork for eventual diplomatic resolution, he faced strong criticism from Federalists who blamed him for the failure of the initial negotiations. This controversy had lasting impacts on Gerry's political career and affiliations.
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His time as Vice President
Elbridge Gerry was the fifth vice president of the United States, serving under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1814. He was born in 1744 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard College in 1762 before entering his father's merchant business. Gerry was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, and played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.
Gerry's path to the vice presidency was marked by his strong advocacy for republicanism and his opposition to the ratification of the US Constitution. He believed that the Constitution did not adequately protect individual liberties and that it could lead to aristocratic or monarchical rule. He was one of three delegates who voted against the proposed Constitution, citing concerns over the rights of private citizens and the power of the central government. Despite his opposition, Gerry kept his word and supported the Constitution after its ratification, serving in the first House of Representatives and helping to draft the Bill of Rights.
During his political career, Gerry made significant contributions to the Constitutional Convention and the structure of the presidency. He pushed for impeachment provisions and helped reject an absolute presidential veto power. He favoured a single, independent president but worried about the process of their selection. Gerry also successfully lobbied for the inclusion of freedom of assembly in the First Amendment and played a key role in shaping the Fourth Amendment's protections against search and seizure.
Gerry's time as vice president was brief due to his advanced age and poor health. However, he made a notable impact by refusing to yield his chair during a legislative session, preventing a senator from Virginia, William Giles, from becoming president pro tempore of the Senate. This action highlighted Gerry's staunch support for the Republican Party and his advocacy for war with Great Britain in the War of 1812.
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Gerry's role in the Revolutionary War
Elbridge Gerry was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat. He was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on July 17, 1744, into a wealthy merchant family. Gerry actively opposed British colonial policy in the 1760s and played a significant role in the early stages of organizing the resistance in the American Revolutionary War.
During the Revolutionary War, Gerry served in the colonial and Revolutionary legislatures. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress and signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. As one of the leading merchants and Patriots in his town, he played a crucial role in ensuring the storage and delivery of supplies from Marblehead to Boston. Gerry was also responsible for ensuring that the province's limited supplies of weapons and gunpowder did not fall into British hands. His actions directly contributed to the storage of weapons and ammunition in Concord, which became the target of the British expedition that marked the start of the American Revolutionary War with the battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
Gerry was one of three diplomats sent by President John Adams to France in 1797, and he played a significant role in the XYZ Affair, seeking to secure an honourable peace. He was also elected governor of Massachusetts twice, and during his second term, he approved a controversial redistricting plan that gave rise to the term "gerrymandering."
After the Revolutionary War, Gerry continued to be actively involved in politics, serving as vice president under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 1814. He is remembered for his refusal to sign the United States Constitution initially because it did not include a Bill of Rights, and he played a crucial role in inspiring and drafting the Bill of Rights.
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His influence on the structure of the presidency
Elbridge Gerry is best remembered for his refusal to sign the United States Constitution, and his role in the XYZ Affair, and for his time as Vice President. He was also a Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat. Born in 1744 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, into a wealthy merchant family, Gerry was active in the early stages of organising the resistance in the American Revolutionary War. He vocally opposed British colonial policy in the 1760s.
Gerry's influence on the structure of the presidency was significant. He favoured a single, independent president, but was concerned about the process of selecting the president. He did not trust the people with direct election, believing them to be susceptible to manipulation by self-interested elites. He also did not favour the Electoral College or Congressional election. Instead, he proposed that state executives choose the president.
Gerry also pushed for impeachment provisions and helped reject an executive "council of revision" and an absolute presidential veto power. He was a leading architect of the Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure. He also successfully lobbied for the inclusion of freedom of assembly in the First Amendment. Gerry sought to insert the word "expressly" into the Tenth Amendment, which would have significantly limited the federal government's power. He also limited the federal government's ability to control state militias.
Gerry's influence extended to the Senate as well. He obtained indirect elections for the Senate, with members selected by state legislatures. He also advanced numerous proposals for indirect elections of the President, involving limiting the right to vote to state governors and electors.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Elbridge Gerry did not sign the Constitution. He was one of three delegates to vote against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.
Elbridge Gerry refused to sign the Constitution because he believed it took away too much power from the states and gave too much power to the federal government. He also opposed the popular vote, the three-fifths compromise, slavery, and the lack of protection for individual rights.
Yes, Elbridge Gerry became more supportive of the Constitution after the Bill of Rights was added. He was also actively involved in the drafting and passage of the Bill of Rights.
Elbridge Gerry is also known for being the force and namesake behind "gerrymandering". He is also remembered for his role in the XYZ Affair and for his time as Vice President under James Madison.
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