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In Essex Junto (1802) and Jefferson and Liberty (1801), Jon H. Nichols's portrayal of Hamilton as a stage Creole reinforced and added to the Democratic-Republican image of Hamilton in the American mind. He altered the stage Creole stereotype to make it more imposing and immediately threatening to the American people as well as utilized the ambiguous racial implications of the stage Creole to encourage his readers to remain vigilant in the defense of the Republican nation and the Democratic-Republican Party.
On 4 Mar. 1800, Thomas Jefferson took the presidential oath administered by Chief Justice John Marshall to become the third president of the United States. Various poems and songs, many which were entitled "Jefferson and Liberty," memorialized this day in newspapers and sheet music published throughout the country. Each "Jefferson and Liberty" piece approaches Jefferson's inauguration in a repetitive and formulaic manner, proclaiming that "the reign of [Federalist] Terror is o'er" and that Americans will never again let "tyrants" destroy America's freedoms (Times 2). "Jefferson and Liberty" songs published in the American Mercury and The DemocraticRepublican; or Anti-Aristocrat among others all optimistically address America's future, claiming that in spite of the continued existence of the Federalists and factions, "Jefferson and Liberty" will ensure the nation's safety and the Democratic-Republicans' continued dominance.1
The songs' optimism concerning the Democratic-Republicans' ability to maintain elected power was not without foundation. Although the Federalists did not disappear after the election of 1800, Jefferson's inauguration ended the Federalists' reign of power in the federal government and left the party divided. In part, the Federalists' loss in the election of 1800 and the inability of the Federalists to mount a successful national challenge to the Democratic-Republicans in subsequent years resulted from the actions of the Federalist leader Alexander Hamilton. Once viewed as the most dangerous adversary of the Democratic-Republican Party, by the late 1790s and early 1800s Hamilton lost influence, support, and respect as a result of the Reynolds Affair, his published attack against President John Adams, Jefferson's election, and Hamilton's unwise and rash public attacks against Jefferson's administration (Chernow 502-674).2 Aside from damaging his party, Hamilton's actions also caused some Democratic-Republicans to dismiss Hamilton as a major threat (Hendrickson 472-584).
Jon H. Nichols, playwright and Democratic-Republican journalist, presented a...