The Great Divergence Reconsidered: Hamilton, Madison, and U.S.–British Relations, 1783–89

The "Great Divergence" between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison remains one of the most puzzling phenomena in the history of the Early Republic. As members of the Confederation Congress, delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and principal authors of The Federalist Papers, Hamilton and Madison worked together throughout the 1780s to strengthen the impotent national government. Yet by the early 1790s Madison appeared to have renounced his earlier nationalism, embraced a more limited construction of federal power, and joined with Thomas Jefferson in opposition to Hamilton and his Federalist supporters. The question of why Madison suddenly changed course has for two centuries produced a variety of answers, the overwhelming majority of which have focused almost exclusively on Madison's words and deeds. But Madison maintained to the end of his life that it was not he who had abandoned Hamilton but rather Hamilton who had abandoned him. Though few scholars have taken Madison seriously, there is evidence to suggest that from a certain point of view his contention qualifies as highly plausible. If we focus on the important issue of U.S.-British relations, and if we subject Hamilton's words and deeds to the same kind of scrutiny once reserved for Madison, we find that on matters relevant to Anglo-American affairs Madison had good reason for believing that Hamilton had abandoned him.