Reynolds Pamphlet Appendix: Hamilton and Monroe Correspondence

What it is

This document is part of the appendix to the so-called Reynolds Pamphlet, containing letters exchanged in 1797 between Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe, along with related statements about a prior affair involving James Reynolds and a prosecution for subornation of perjury.

Why it matters

The correspondence captures a tense personal and political dispute between Hamilton and Monroe, two major figures of the early republic. It shows how accusations and reputations were contested through formal letter-writing, and how such disputes could escalate between rival political leaders of the founding era.

Look closer

• What does the formal, careful language of these letters suggest about the seriousness of the dispute?
• Why might Hamilton have chosen to publish this correspondence as an appendix to a public pamphlet?
• What does this exchange reveal about trust and suspicion among political leaders in the 1790s?