American Political History
The full story of this country, told through the people who lived it. From the soldier in the mud to the statesman at the table. Chronological, self-contained seasons, built on the primary sources. New episodes Tuesdays and Thursday.
American Political History
A Failed Nation - A Dangerous Instrument
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In the spring of 1783, with the Revolution all but won, the most dangerous enemy of the United States was its own army. Unpaid for years, cheated of their promised pensions, the officers camped at Newburgh, New York, had every reason to be furious — and an anonymous letter, circulating hut to hut, told them the time for begging was over. A faction of politicians in Philadelphia, led by Alexander Hamilton, saw in that fury a weapon they could use to force a helpless Congress into line. Their cause was just. Their argument was strong. And it led straight to the edge of a military coup. This is the story of the Newburgh Conspiracy — the crown George Washington had already refused, the rival general willing to hold the match, and the afternoon in a hall called the Temple when General Washington answered a righteous, well-armed anger not with force but with a pair of spectacles and a few tender words, and stopped the thing cold. It is the moment America stood at the line that has swallowed almost every republic in history, and did not cross it. Caesar crossed it. Cromwell crossed it. Why didn’t General Washington?