THE AMERICAN SENATOR. OR A COPIOUS AND IMPARTIAL REPORT OF THE DEBATES IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: INCLUDING ALL TREATIES, ADDRESSES, PROCLAMATIONS, &C. WHICH OCCUR DURING THE PRESENT SESSION, BEING THE SECOND OF THE FOURTH CONGRESS. VOL. I.

Philadelphia: Printed by John Page, 1796. 352, [4] pp, 1 folded table. Covers absent, text generally clean and Very Good. With the contemporary signature of 'Jno. Nicholas' on the title page, probably the Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia, who opposed the Alien and Sedition Act.
[offered with] THE AMERICAN SENATOR. OR A COPIOUS AND IMPARTIAL REPORT OF THE DEBATES IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: INCLUDING ALL TREATIES, ADDRESSES, PROCLAMATIONS, &C. WHICH OCCUR DURING THE PRESENT SESSION, BEING THE SECOND OF THE FOURTH CONGRESS. VOL. II. Philadelphia: Printed for the Author. 1797. 366, [4] pp, with the contemporary signature of 'Jno. (truncated) Nicholas' on the title page. Covers absent, text lightly foxed and Very Good.

The Second Session of the Fourth Congress convened on December 5, 1796 and closed on March 3, 1797. These are two of the three volumes printed, Evans recording them as separate imprints, with different printers. The text, far more detailed than the official Journals of the period, reveals clearly the division of the country into political parties, one opposed to the President's policies, the other supportive.
The bulk of the first volume treats President Washington's final speech to Congress in December, with debate in House and Senate about a resolution of appreciation for the President's service, and the measures he advocated. Washington's presidency had so alienated followers of Thomas Jefferson that a number of Congressmen, including Andrew Jackson, refused to join in a resolution of thanks. Yeas and Nays on a variety of votes are recorded; debates on the President's recommendation to establish a National University, his advice on the militias; and the "Canadian and Nova Scotia refugees," "kidnapping of negroes and mulattoes" from vessels, either to "sell them as slaves, or the taking slaves to make them free;" and other matters Much discussion of the Creeks and Cherokees, upon whose treatment the President remarked, is printed.
This second volume begins on January 12, 1797. It includes one of the earliest debates on the subject of "direct taxes." The Constitution barred the national government from imposing them, except as apportioned among the population of each State. The divisive subject of a tax on slaves is introduced; the 'Petition and Representation of the Under-Named Freemen', "being of African descent," describing their lawless treatment under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, is presented and discussed. Their plea for federal protection goes unheeded. French interference with the West Indian trade and the annoying activities of Citizen Genet are closely reviewed, along with concerns about the Indians. Yeas and Nays on a variety of matters are recorded.
Evans 30165. Cohen 6858. I Harv. Law Cat. 338. Sabin 11006.
Evans 31918. Cohen 6858. I Harv. Law Cat. 338. Sabin 11006. (Inventory #: 32625)