Research Project Grading Rubric | HIUS530_B01_202520 Criteria Content Ratings 70 to >67 pts 67 to >64 pts 64 to >0 pts 0 pts Advanced Proficient Developing Not Present The paper is of excellent quality. Topic is well-framed; research question and methodology are clear; material has direction and purpose. Historical and historiographical analysis meets graduate standards. Biblical worldview reflection is present. The paper is of good quality, but may lack focus (i.e., the topic may not be narrow enough and/or the content may lack direction or purpose). Historical analysis, historiographical analysis and/or biblical worldview analysis may need additional elaboration. The paper lacks a significant level of clarity, specificity, and/or direction of purpose. Historical and historiographical analysis may not meet graduate standards, and Biblical worldview reflections may be brief or absent. 33 to >31 pts 31 to >0 pts 0 pts Advanced Proficient Developing Not Present Research Paper is based on the correct number (15) and types (primary and secondary) of sources, which are of scholarly nature, including recommended databases (JSTOR, Sabin, Early American Imprints, ProQuest). Research Paper lacks the sufficient number (15) or types (primary and secondary) of sources, which are of scholarly nature, including recommended databases (JSTOR, Sabin, Early American Imprints, ProQuest). Research Paper shows some weakness to significant weakness in number (15) or types (primary and secondary) of sources. There is minimal or no use of recommended databases (JSTOR, Sabin, Early American Imprints, ProQuest). 25 to >23 pts 23 to >21 pts 21 to >0 pts 0 pts Advanced Proficient Developing Not Present Paper is free of all or almost all Turabian citation errors in footnotes and bibliography. Paper has some, but not serious, Turabian citation errors in footnotes or bibliography. Paper has mistakes in Turabian citation errors in footnotes or bibliography. 20 to >18 pts 18 to >17 pts 17 to >0 pts 0 pts Advanced Proficient Developing Not Present Paper is well-organized and relatively free of grammatical and stylistic problems. Paper is relatively clear and organized but has some stylistic and/or grammatical problems. Paper may lack clarity and may have significant grammatical or stylistic problems. Sources 35 to >33 pts Format Writing Points 70 pts 35 pts 25 pts 20 pts Total Points: 150 2 Evaluating Alexander Hamilton's Views and Actions on Slavery: The Influence of Christianity and Contemporary Moral Thought Project Overview This project examines Alexander Hamilton’s views and actions on slavery, emphasizing the influence of Christianity and contemporary moral thought on his stance. Although a number of Founding Fathers had inconsistent views about slavery, Hamilton's position on gradual emancipation and racial equality was consistent with his commitment to natural rights and Christian ethics. The paper considers Hamilton's role with the New York Manumission Society, Hamilton's support for black soldiers in the Revolutionary War, and his economic policies designed to lessen the predominance of slavery. In addition, it considers how Hamilton's religious beliefs and his Enlightenment-era moral philosophy informed his opposition to the institution. This research attempts to reexamine Hamilton's abolitionist work through secondary and scholarly sources as well as the primary sources that informed his work in abolitionist efforts to assert Hamilton's role in the formation of an early American discourse of liberty and justice for all—a notion extending to all Americans neither white nor otherwise. Anticipated Thesis Statement Alexander Hamilton’s views on slavery were influenced by Christian ethics and Enlightenment thought. He advocated gradually emancipated racial equality and economic change to slavery because he considered that moral obligation and national welfare required the extinction of the institution without destroying social stability. 3 Bibliography Goodman, B. K. (2018). Alexander Hamilton sparks 200-year-old controversy over Thomas Jefferson & Sally Hemings. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333934172 In Bonnie K. Goodman’s article, Alexander Hamilton is explored as one who helped to spread the accusations that Thomas Jefferson had an affair with his enslaved woman, Sally Hemings. This article offers the historical context behind Hamilton’s charges against Jefferson that started in the 1796 presidential election, as well as the escalation of these accusations by political opponents and journalists, most notably James Callendar. Goodman provides details of Hamilton’s essays published under the pseudonym ‘Phocion’ – an attack on Jefferson’s character and an accusation of hypocrisy in Jefferson’s ambition to be a politician. It was a rumor which went unheeded for a long time but eventually took hold and came to shape Jefferson’s legacy. The article serves as a good source for learning about the Hamilton strategies in each context and also about the divide between Federalists and Republicans, as well as about the lasting effects of political attack. Goodman is able to synthesize primary sources (letters and newspaper articles) and relevant modern historical interpretations. This source is a powerful source because of its use of details on the political environment and news in the late 18th century. The drawback, though, is that the article is written in a journalistic or popular tone and, by not being formally reviewed by a peer, lacks formal status. It also doesn’t go into as great a depth about the historiographical debates of Jefferson and Hemings’s relationship. Although limited in this way, this article is beneficial in considering how Hamilton’s writings contributed to political attacks and public opinions of morality in leaders. It offers a key way to think about the place of personal scandals in early American political history and helps to fill out the picture of Hamilton’s views toward slavery 4 and race. This source will aid in contextualizing Hamilton’s tasks sourced moral framework within his political approach as a valuable contribution to the research project. Hamilton, Alexander. The Stand No. III (April 7, 1798). The Commercial Advertiser. Retrieved from https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0233 The Stand No. III (1798) is Hamilton’s political essay that serves skewers into the radical secularism and the moral decay of post-revolutionary France that he discerns. The core of French society, religion, and morality, he condemns the French government’s attempt to replace it with atheistic doctrines of Christianity. In his essay, Hamilton argues that Christian values play a crucial role in maintaining social order and governance. Religion, he warns, is necessary to keep human passions under control so that society will not degenerate into chaos and thereby necessitate despotism. This document shows Hamilton’s genuine fear of the results of the destruction of the moral and religious basis for government and public life. It is a valuable source of Hamilton’s ethical and spiritual outlook, to which attention must be paid if we want to see his opinions on slavery. Hamilton’s promotion of Christian principles indicates that his objection to slavery may have been based on his religious views. The devotion of his talent to the New York Manumission Society is compatible with his belief that religion confers justice and social stability and his support for abolitionist efforts. A limit of the essay is, however, that it does not explicitly address slavery. Nevertheless, it gets into Hamilton’s ethical philosophy but doesn’t directly address his position on racial justice or abolitionism. While this limitation, The Stand No. III, in conjunction with other sources, aids in Hamilton’s larger ideological framework. This establishes the way in which Christian thoughts played a part in forming his moral decisions and then links them to his anti-slavery efforts. The research employing this source, along with other articles that are more explicit in describing Hamilton’s abolitionist activities, is able to create a complete picture of how Christ and moral reasoning affected his opinions of slavery. 5 Hall, M. D. (2017, November 2). Faith of our founders: The role of religion in America’s founding. The Imaginative Conservative. Retrieved from https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/11/faith-founders-role-religion-americasfounding-mark-david-hall.html Mark David Hall’s essay puts the conventional wisdom on its head, contending that America’s Founding Fathers were not deists first and foremost and did not intend to create a strict church/state separation. According to Hall, although Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were among the Founders who rejected some aspects of orthodox Christianity, there is no evidence that even key figures such as George Washington, James Madison, or Alexander Hamilton were deists. This is a byproduct that shows the powerful way that Christian theology informs the founding generation on understanding human nature, governing, and morality. Hall also subjects modern interpretations that minimize this role to critique and argues that Christian thought helped to shape the moral and political framework of the new nation that emerged. This is a highly valuable article of the research project on Alexander Hamilton’s Views and Actions on Slavery. It is Hall’s argument to reinforce the idea that Hamilton, like most of his contemporaries, was profoundly affected by Christian teachings. Were religious convictions the keystone of Hamilton’s worldview, his opposition to slavery could be explained by his association with the New York Manumission Society. Hamilton’s agreement with the Founders’ belief in human dignity is the same inclination discussed by Hall regarding how Christian morality influenced the Founders’ notion of human dignity. Yet, this source has a broad scope and hence limits it. While it mentions the religious beliefs of numerous Founders, it is not about Hamilton’s view on slavery. Furthermore, Hall’s argument is somewhat polemical, as he struggles to counter the secularist interpretations of the Founding that may bring bias. However, the article gives an excellent foundation for understanding Hamilton’s position on slavery based on his intellectual and 6 moral influences. This source places Hamilton’s views in the larger realm of religion’s place in early American political thought to understand how Christianity might have informed his moral opposition to slavery. Federici, M. P. (2012, July 12). The political philosophy of Alexander Hamilton. The Imaginative Conservative. Retrieved from https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2012/07/political-philosophy-alexanderhamilton-michael-federici.html Federici, Michael gives an in-depth analysis of Hamilton’s contributions to American constitutionalism and economic and political philosophy. The voices that led Hamilton into moral realism, skepticism, and common sense philosophy are classical, Christian, and Enlightenment voices blended, writes Federici. In the article, Hamilton’s views of constitutional government, separation of powers, judicial review, economic policy, and federalism are explored. Among other things, Federici also underscores the similarities between Hamilton and Edmund Burke, including their combined skepticism of revolutionary change and ideologies like the French Revolution. This source is to be cherished for the research on Alexander Hamilton’s Views and Actions on Slavery. Federici offers Hamilton’s constitutional philosophy and moral realism, and how they shaped his views about justice and morality, including his opposition to slavery. The article highlights Hamilton’s disciplined and pragmatic handling of political and economic matters, much in keeping with his position towards gradual social reform rather than reckless abolitionist revolt. In addition, Federici’s discussion of Hamilton’s faith in an ordered, balanced government conveys the idea that Hamilton’s opinion on slavery was rooted in a total view of stability and national unity. This is a powerful article because it has a very comprehensive analysis of Hamilton’s intellectual thought and how it relates to all the broader intellectual traditions. Yet, there are some limitations as to his specific actions surrounding slavery; he is not explicitly discussed. This 7 indicates that despite this, Federici’s work is a key tool for understanding the ideological and moral framework from which Hamilton operated so we can thus rely on it for this research project. Porwancher, A. (2022). The Jewish world of Alexander Hamilton [Podcast transcript]. Ben Franklin’s World. Omohundro Institute. Retrieved from https://oireader.wm.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2022/07/Ep335TranscriptFINAL.pdf Andrew Porwancher's discussion offers a significant prodding of what might have made Hamilton a Jew and the positive influence that Jewish culture and commerce had on Hamilton's political and economic philosophy. But in the transcript, Porwancher argues that Hamilton's early life in the Caribbean, including his education in a Jewish school and contacts with Jewish business networks, helped form his politics. He asserts that Hamilton's upbringing gave him the freedom to advocate for religious pluralism and to such forward thinking with regard to economic policy in the new American Republic. The episode details Hamilton's legal career, taking frequent Jewish clients and advocating for Jewish inclusion in American civic life, in particular education and finance. This source has assisted research on Alexander Hamilton's Views and Actions on Slavery. However, it doesn't contain directly Hamilton's views on slavery. However, it is an invaluable source of Hamilton's moral and philosophical influences. The discussion addresses Hamilton's early experiences in Jewish communities and their economic structures and the ways in which they shaped his belief in meritocracy, commerce, and religious tolerance, principles which were likely behind his views on broader human rights issues (slavery being one of these). The podcast also discusses Hamilton's advocacy of an economic system that favored urban commercial expansion over an agrarian one that has been deeply tied to slavery. This source's strength is the fact that it foots through historical evidence and careful inference, which is used to assess Hamilton's Jewish identity. The circumstantial case that Porwancher makes is strong, but she recognizes 8 the limitations of the archival record. Yet, some of the claims are speculative as there is fragmented documentary evidence of Hamilton's Jewish upbringing. While this, the episode features a novel outlook on Hamilton's ideological development and his liberal stance on religious inclusion and adds dimension to research related to his moral philosophy and political power. Woolsey, W. W. (1801, September 4). To Alexander Hamilton from William W. Woolsey. Founders Online, National Archives. Retrieved from https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-25-02-0236 This letter from William W. Woolsey to Alexander Hamilton, dated September 4, 1801, describes Hamilton's ongoing work trying to advance the project of abolishing slavery in New York. Woolsey, a merchant and vice president of the Society, is dissatisfied with what the organization has been doing, most recently in dealing with Black Caribbean refugees who were being re-enslaved by the French owners when they came to the United States. The letter recounts Woolsey's desire to withdraw from the Society's present direction and also his willingness to meet with Hamilton to deal with the situation. The accompanying editorial notes offer a context about how Hamilton supported enslaved individuals forced into French emigrants' wrong cases and how he was appointed to a committee to suggest strategies in how to deal with such unfortunate cases. Since this source is so valuable for research on Alexander Hamilton's Views and Actions on Slavery, the dissertation employed the source as much as possible. It emphasizes the field Hamilton had been working in all his life, pertaining to the abolitionist movement and his practical intervention in cases of manumission. This document, unlike theoretical discussions of his position on slavery, gives evidence of his activism in protecting freed individuals from being re-enslaved through legal and organizational engagements. In addition, it reveals another bit of conflict within the abolitionist movement over how much to wrestle with slavery, in a broad sense, even among 9 abolitionists. This source is a strength because primary documentation confirms Hamilton's actions in supporting enslaved and formerly enslaved individuals, and it is in direct connection to Hamilton's actions. Although it brings forth Hamilton's immediate thoughts and subsequent steps, a limitation of the letter is that the letter itself does not constitute Hamilton's response in real-time. This is despite which, in the editorial notes, Hamilton was mentioned as being involved in a call for a special meeting concerning the crisis, supporting his active involvement in abolitionist efforts. This document dramatically contributes to the theory and the political actualism of Hamilton's moral philosophy and his concrete legal and political participation in anti-slavery work. Ball, A. (n.d.). Ambition & Bondage: An Inquiry on Alexander Hamilton and Slavery. Columbia University & Slavery, Department of History, Columbia University. Retrieved from https://columbiaandslavery.columbia.edu/content/dam/cuandslavery/seminars/hist3518/2015-projects/Ball%202015%20-%20Hamilton%20and%20Slavery.pdf Ankeet Ball’s paper, this research paper is an in-depth examination of the sometimes contradictory and complex stance Alexander Hamilton took on slavery. While Hamilton is usually hailed as a public abolitionist, Ball contends that Hamilton acted in ways that were rooted in personal ambition, political pragmatism, and economic concerns rather than an unswerving conviction pursued for abolitionist reasons. Hamilton’s contact with slavery is traced from the beginning of his life in St. Croix, where Hamilton saw the appalling conditions of enslaved laborers whom he managed as a young clerk in human slave transactions. Hamilton apparently did not enjoy slavery but put his career and property rights ahead of it, making things up when necessary in order to bring about his political and economic vision for the United States. Ball suggests that Hamilton’s ideology opposing slavery contradicted daily choices he made: marrying into the wealthy Schuyler family, 10 whose members were enslavers, protecting slavery in the U.S. Constitution, and pursuing unity between the states and the financial system rather than pressing for immediate abolition. The study also shows Hamilton’s role in the New York Manumission Society, where he worked to shield freed Black people from being enslaved. However, he was not one of the abolitionists most in the forefront of the time. This paper is handy for Alexander Hamilton’s Views and Actions on Slavery because it paints a complicated picture of Hamilton that distinguishes between his personal beliefs and public actions. Ball’s view is different from traditional biographies of Hamilton that usually portray him as a committed abolitionist. Still, Hamiltion’s alleged stance on slavery was often set aside as he sought to further other broader economic and political interests. This source is a strength for its reliance on both primary sources as well as Hamilton’s letters and legal records and secondary sources by leading Hamilton biographers Ron Chernow and Richard Brookhiser. But this is limited insofar as Ball relies on speculation regarding Hamilton’s feelings of internal moral conflict as Hamilton’s writings do not offer this clear evidence. However, this is an essential contribution to the understanding of how Hamilton’s views about slavery changed and how it informed his making of the new American republic. Serfilippi, J. (2020). “As Odious and Immoral a Thing”: Alexander Hamilton’s Hidden History as an Enslaver. Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Retrieved from https://parks.ny.gov/documents/historicsites/SchuylerMansionAlexanderHamiltonsHiddenHistoryasanEnslaver.pdf In ‘As Odious and Immoral a Thing,’ Jessie Serfilippi challenges the conventional wisdom of Alexander Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist and demonstrates instead that he was invested in the practice of slavery personally and professionally. This superlative research, published by Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, unwaveringly explores Hamilton’s 11 financial records, legal work, and personal correspondence and reveals a man who not only took part in slave transactions but enslaved people himself. Hamilton’s family connections are compellingly documented in Serfilippi’s material from Hamilton’s cash books, in which Hamilton records that he bought enslaved people for his household and acted as a middleman on behalf of friends and family members, including his in-laws, the Schuylers. She also brings up Hamilton’s defense of slave traders and the flip-flop of his opinion on slavery, which tended to be politically expedient rather than an expression of moral conviction. One of the paper’s strongest points is that it is dependent on primary sources, giving a documented rebuttal to the assertion that Hamilton was opposed to slavery. But among its limitations, its main flaw is that it does not put quite as rich a context on Hamilton’s slavery engagement in relation to his Federalist peers. This is an invaluable source to my research; it offers a revisionist view of Hamilton’s legacy to illustrate how historical figures are chosen for their narratives to match current ideals. What it shows is how painful it is to deal with uncomfortable historical truths. Burns, Timothy W. (2017). “Reading Leo Strauss: A Conservative’s Distortion of His Thought.” The European Legacy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10848770.2017.1353319 Timothy W. Burns critically considers Grant N. Havers Leo Strauss and AngloAmerican Democracy: A Conservative Critique, claiming that Havers is misled by Strauss when he reads him through a conservative framework. Havers claims that Havers distorts Strauss’s reading of ancient and modern political philosophy as well as misrepresents his position on liberal democracy and conflates Strauss’s students’ ideas about liberal democracy and his own. According to Havers, Strauss brought classical philosophy to justify modern liberal democracy. At the same time, according to Burns, Strauss insists on distinguishing ancient and contemporary political thought most carefully, avoiding universal values of liberal democracy. Throughout the review, mistakes in the citation, misinterpretations, and 12 methodological inconsistencies are meticulously deconstructed in Havers’ claims. One strength of Burns’s critique is that Burns is thoroughly engaged with Strauss’s works: Burns demonstrates a solid understanding of Strauss’s philosophy. Nevertheless, readers unfamiliar with the novel are expected to possess prior knowledge of Strauss. Furthermore, whereas Burns criticizes Havers for ideological bias, Burns does not thoroughly investigate the possibility that conservative scholars may read Strauss in such a way. This source is helpful in my research as it demonstrates how ideological bias influences academic interpretations of political philosophy. This emphasizes the significance of primary sources and critical reading which would go a long way in analyzing the distortions of historical and philosophical discourse in political speech. Horton, J. O. (2004). Alexander Hamilton: Slavery and race in a revolutionary generation. New-York Journal of American History, 65(3), 16-24. https://www.alexanderhamiltonexhibition.org/about/Horton%20%20Hamiltsvery_Race.pdf Horton's article addresses Alexander Hamilton's experiences with slavery starting from his childhood in the Caribbean, where the number of enslaved people far outpaced free residents. Hamilton's indirect involvement in the slave trade while he worked for a trading firm in St. Croix, which he attributes as having influenced his later position against slavery, is also emphasized by him. In all, the article describes Hamilton's move to New York, where he found slavery and an increasingly abolitionist movement. According to Horton, Hamilton's participation in the New York Manumission Society and his advocacy for black soldiers in the Continental Army indicated that he saw a multiracial America. This article is strong, for it carries out a thorough historical analysis of Hamilton's views in the broader revolutionary context. More than that, it neatly demonstrates his contraposition to his contemporaries, Thomas Jefferson, among others. A limitation is that it does not question whether Hamilton's 13 early economic ties to slavery were only strategic or question his abolitionist stance. This source allows an understanding of how Hamilton's personal experience affected his political actions; it is a source that enables one to estimate the views Hamilton held on slavery. This allows for a more nuanced discussion on whether Hamilton was a committed abolitionist or an opposition to slavery for economic and political reasons. Chan, M. D. (2004). Alexander Hamilton on slavery. The Review of politics, 66(2), 207-231. DOI: 10.1017/S003467050003727X Chan’s article contends against the standard view that Alexander Hamilton, like most Founding Fathers, actively opposed slavery only in the abstract. The article goes on to posit that Hamilton was dedicated to abolition through natural law, not economic pragmatism. He notes that Hamilton advocated compensated emancipation, urged black soldiers during the Revolutionary War, and participated in state abolition societies, such as the New York Manumission Society. The article also examines Hamilton’s decision on matters concerning foreign policy, in particular his favor of supporting Haiti’s independence as a lawful utterance of his stance on anti-slavery. To these visions, Chan adds that Hamilton wanted to use his emphasis on industrialization to reduce dependence on slavery rather than on Jefferson’s agrarian ideal that sustained the slave trade. This article’s comprehensive and well-supported refutation of claims that Hamilton was indifferent to slavery is a significant strength. Chan makes a forceful case for Hamilton’s fundamental anti-slavery convictions by using Hamilton’s writings, policies, and legislative action. A limitation is that the article did not fully disclose Hamilton’s early economic relationships to the slave trade when he served as a clerk in St. Croix. This article is useful in evaluating Hamilton’s attempts to end slavery despite his rhetoric. It shows that Hamilton’s views were not just rhetorical but affected his policy. This broadens the argument that Hamilton adopted an abolitionist stance both out of moral philosophy and with practical politics in mind. 
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