HARTFORD CONVENTION OF 1814

The Hartford Convention (December 15, 1814-January 5, 1815) grew out of New England Federalists' opposition to the War of 1812. Because of their close mercantile ties to Great Britain, the New England states had tried to prevent the declaration of war in June 1812, and that summer, both Massachusetts and Connecticut refused to contribute militia to the federal government. In spite of an embargo enacted by Congress in December 1813, New Englanders continued to sell supplies to British troops in Canada and to British vessels offshore. This lively demand for wartime provisions benefited New England, as did the enhanced market for domestic manufactures, but the overall loss of trade offset these benefits and came to symbolize for the local Federalists their loss of national power in relation to the southern-dominated Republican party.

Early in 1814, several Massachusetts towns urged that a regional convention be held to formulate their grievances. That December, at the suggestion of the Massachusetts legislature, twenty-six Federalists representing Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont met in Hartford, Connecticut. Although a number of Federalists had urged that the convention threaten secession, that proposal was defeated by the delegates. The final resolutions reflected the moderates' view. The convention proposed a number of changes (including several constitutional amendments) that they hoped would increase states' autonomy and restore the national power of New England Federalists. A committee of three was appointed to negotiate with the national government, but New England's effort to trade support of the war for greater influence in national councils was made irrelevant by news of the treaty ending the war (ratified by the Senate in February 1815).

Many critics poked fun at the convention, whereas others interpreted it as a forum for treasonous plotting; both views helped speed the demise of the convention's already weakened sponsors, the Federalists. The fact that the delegates had discussed secession, though they ended by rejecting it, set an early precedent for the idea that secession was an available choice for states dissatisfied with national policies.

See also Federalist Party; War of 1812.