Shift #17 - Collections Research
Saturday, June 8, 2024 | 3-5:45 pm CST/4-6:45 pm EST (2.75 hrs)
Details
Michelle Hurt, student/intern
Jennifer Gonzalez, practicum supervisor
This is a screenshot from Maclay's Journal, which is part of the Journals of Congress. This was a very interesting document to peruse due to the senator's views and musings.
I began my shift by continuing my research in the Journals of Congress (part of the "A Century of Lawmaking" collection). I first looked at the Senate Executive Journal, which is a journal of executive proceedings from 1789 to 1875. This is different from the Senate's legislative journal and it was not made public until 1828. After looking through this, I moved onto Maclay's Journal, which seemed like a treasure trove of information! I have to say, this is one of my favorite things that I have looked at thus far in the Law Library of Congress. William Maclay was a Pennsylvania politician (he was one of the first two senators from the state), with active ties to the American Revolution. He kept a diary from the very beginning of his service where he served during the first three sessions of the 1st Congress. His diary gave great insight to the early business of Congress because back then, sessions were not open to the public until 1795. So far, what I've read is the preface and several journal entries. In the preface, it was noted that Maclay had many criticisms of Vice President John Adams and President George Washington so there was some reluctance in having his journal published and made available for public viewing. Maclay kept great notes of everything and anything related to sessions in Congress so it is a wonderful peek into the culture and times of early America. From what I could tell, he wasn't necessarily popular due to his views and opinions, but this reminded me that it is good to not always follow something just because it is popular. We should always remain steadfast in our beliefs while being teachable. Maclay opposed having the President being present while Senate was in session and he also opposed a national bank. According to the National Park Service, "Maclay feared that the Bank would concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, noting in his Journal the need to prevent the establishment of a 'machine for the purposes of bad ministers'".
Some of Maclay's diary entries were short and others were long, talking about his observations of sessions and his interactions with fellow politicians. One thing I noted was that Maclay didn't enjoy all the pomp and circumstance that happened during Congress. He opposed a bill (that passed) that would have state officers take an oath to show their support of the new government. He also felt very strongly that as politicians, they are there to serve their constituents and not lord over them their positions. Maclay also took issue with how the President would address people and he was not the only one who opposed calling it "his most gracious speech". Maclay and others felt that it would have reminded people too much of how the King of England was addressed and the abuses exerted by their former government (a monarchy). The Vice President seemed in conflict with Maclay, and Maclay thought that there were too many in the new government who just wanted to establish a monarchy in a new place. He also expressed his disapproval of how the President conducted business - in the sense that the President could not receive or invite visitors (but he understood the practicality of this) but that the President could only be seen in public during specific days (since that seemed suspicious).
Sources
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/establishing-the-first-bank.htm
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