In 1789 the South and especially Virginia had been the impelling force in creating the nation. By 1815 the South and slaveholders still seemed to be in control of the national government. President Madison was a slaveholder. So too were Speaker of the House, Henry Clay, James Monroe, the secretary of state, and George W. Campbell, the secretary of the treasury. All Republican leaders of the House were slaveholders. In 1815 the United States had four missions in Europe: two of them were held by slaveholders. The chief justice of the United States was a slaveholder, as were a majority of the other members of the Court. Since 1789 three of the four presidents, two of the five vice-presidents, fourteen of the twenty-six presidents pro tempore the Senate, and five of the ten Speakers of the House had been slaveholders.
| Place | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Daughters of the American Revolution Museum | Washington | Houses several hundred thousand books, historical documents, manuscripts, and genealogical material. |
| Lafayette Square | Washington | Dedicated to Lafayette in 1824; at each corner is a statue of one foreign generals who served in the war. |
| Library of Congress | Washington | Established in 1800, the collection includes a recreation of Jefferson’s library of 6,487 books, which he donated in 1815. Guided and self-guided tours available. |
| National Archives | Washington | Contains the original of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and more. |
| National Museum of American History | Washington | Houses a large collection of artifacts from the Revolution. |
| National Portrait Gallery | Washington | Contains historical portraits, including works by John Trumbull, Gilbert Stuart, John Singleton Copley, Mather Brown, and others. |
Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815 (2009)