A Journey North

Jefferson, Madison, and the Forging of a Friendship

Louis P. Masur

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Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
04 April 2025

Biography: historical, political & military; History; American War of Independence; Politics & government

A storied friendship between two of America's founders--one that endured for fifty years--and the roadtrip that forged it.

Between May 21 and June 6, 1791, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison went on a trip together through Upstate New York and parts of New England on horseback. This ""northern journey"" came at a moment of tension for the new nation, one in whose founding these Virginians and political allies had played key roles. The Constitution was ratified and President Washington was in his first term of office. Whether the country could overcome regional and political differences and remain unified, however, was still very much in question. Hence why some observers at the time wondered whether this excursion into Federalist New England by the two most prominent southern Democratic-Republicans, both future presidents, had an ulterior motive. Madison, maintained that the journey was for ""health, recreation, and curiosity."" He and Jefferson needed a break from their public responsibilities, so off they set. Along the way, they took notes on the ravages of the Hessian Fly, an insect that had been devastating wheat crops. While in Vermont, they focused on the sugar maple tree, which many hoped might offer a domestic alternative to slave-grown sugar cane imports. An encounter with a free Black farmer at Fort George resulted in a journal entry that illuminates their attitudes toward slavery and race. A meeting with members of the Unkechaug tribe on Long Island led to a vocabulary project that preoccupied Jefferson for decades, and which remains relevant today.

The Northern Journey was also about friendship. Madison later recalled that the trip made Jefferson and him ""immediate companions,"" solidifying a bond with almost no peer in the annals of American history, one that thrived for fifty years. Jefferson declared at the end of his life, that his friendship with Madison had been ""a source of constant happiness"" to him. This book reveals the moment when it took hold.

By: Louis P. Masur
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780197684917
ISBN 10: 0197684912
Pages: 168
Publication Date: 04 April 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface Prologue: Travelers Before the Journey The Journey: At Poughkeepsie: The Hessian Fly (May 23, 1791) At Fort George: Prince Taylor (June 1st) At Bennington: Sugar Maple (June 4th through 5th) At Poospatuck: Unquachog Indians (June 14th) Epilogue: Farewells

Louis P. Masur is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He is the author of many books, including The Civil War: A Concise History, Lincoln's Hundred Days, Lincoln's Last Speech, and The Sum of Our Dreams: A Concise History of America.

Reviews for A Journey North: Jefferson, Madison, and the Forging of a Friendship

Brisk and learned, engaging, and illuminating, Louis Masur's A Journey North takes us along on one of the great road trips in American history. We can never know too much about the Founders, and this excellent book is a wonderful contribution to the ongoing project of understanding how our nation came to be. * Jon Meacham, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power * Two men, thirty-three days, 920 miles-a 1791 journey into the northern United States was a true test of James Madison's and Thomas Jefferson's friendship and, as Louis Masur makes clear in his riveting history of this early American road trip, the travelers were constantly confronted-indeed, haunted-by the injustices their new nation had failed to resolve. * Joyce E. Chaplin, Harvard University * Louis Masur proves a knowledgeable travel companion as he accompanies two presidents on A Northern Journey :Jefferson, Madison and the Forging of a Friendship. Expanding elegantly on themes that preoccupied the peripatetic Virginians, Masur provides an extraordinarily concise dual biography that will engage general readers and jaded specialists alike. * Peter Onuf, University of Virginia, Co-author with Annette Gordon-Reed, ""Most Blessed of the Patriarchs:"" Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination * A Journey North offers a delightfully intimate and penetrating look at the trip Thomas Jefferson and James Madison took in the politically fraught Spring of 1791. A great primer on their momentous friendship, Masur.s book humanizes both men and casts a fresh light on their relationship and its enduring significance to the nation. * Peter Cozzens, Author of The Earth is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West *