15th United States Congress

Template:Short description Template:More footnotes Template:Infobox United States Congress The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1817, to March 4, 1819, during the first two years of James Monroe's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1810 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority. Template:TOClimit

Letter of December 1818

Two major treaties with the United Kingdom were approved, finalized and signed during the 15th Congress, both the Rush–Bagot Treaty and the Treaty of 1818, both of which pertained to the United States-Canada border, and both of which were overwhelmingly popular in the United States. President James Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams were credited with the accomplishments. A letter signed by many members of congress expressing "Gratitude, amity and brotherhood with Great Britain" was addressed to British Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, British foreign secretary Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh and Britain's minister plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinaire to the United States Charles Bagot. The letter also attacked King Louis XVIII of France for insulting remarks he had made towards American diplomats and about the United States, as well as his refusal to pay reparations owed to the United States from damages incurred during the Quasi-War. The letter was signed in December 1818 by Joel Abbot, Thomas W. Cobb, Zadock Cook, Joel Crawford, John Forsyth, William Terrell, Charles Tait, William Smith, John Gaillard, Henry Middleton, William Lowndes, James Ervin, Joseph Bellinger, Starling Tucker, Eldred Simkins, Elias Earle, Wilson Nesbitt, Stephen Decatur Miller, Montfort Stokes, Nathaniel Macon, Lemuel Sawyer, Joseph Hunter Bryan, Thomas H. Hall, Jesse Slocumb, James Owen, Weldon Nathaniel Edwards, James Stewart, James Strudwick Smith, Thomas Settle, George Mumford, Daniel Munroe Forney, Felix Walker, Lewis Williams, John J. Crittenden, Isham Talbot, David Trimble, Henry Clay, Richard Mentor Johnson, Joseph Desha, Anthony New, David Walker, George Robertson, Richard Clough Anderson Jr., Tunstall Quarles, Thomas Speed, William Hendricks, James Noble, Waller Taylor, John Eaton, John Williams, John Rhea, William Grainger Blount, Francis Jones, Samuel E. Hogg, Thomas Claiborne, George W.L. Marr, George Poindexter, Prentiss Mellen, Harrison Gray Otis, Enoch Lincoln, Jonathan Mason, Nathaniel Silsbee, Jeremiah Nelson, Timothy Fuller, Elijah H. Mills, Samuel Clesson Allen, Henry Shaw, Zabdiel Sampson, Walter Folger Jr., Marcus Morton, Benjamin Adams, Solomon Strong, Nathaniel Ruggles, John Holmes, Ezekiel Whitman, Benjamin Orr, John Wilson, Thomas Rice, Joshua Gage and Albion Parris, all of whom also voted to ratify both of the aforementioned treaties. Several governors also signed the letter, which was entirely symbolic and intended as a gesture of goodwill, including Gabriel Slaughter, William Rabun, John Geddes, John Branch, John Brooks, James Patton Preston and David Holmes. This was significant because the governors and the members of congress were from different regions (both Massachusetts and several southern states were represented), and because signers came from both the Whig Party and the Democratic-Republicans.<ref>The American Response to Canada Since 1776 by Gordon T. Stewart</ref><ref>John Quincy Adams: Policymaker for the Union by James E. Lewis Jr.</ref><ref>The Undefended Border: The Myth and the Reality by Charles Perry Stacey, Canadian Historical Association, 1967</ref><ref>The American Entente by Robert Balmain Moway pg. 41-45</ref> Many members of congress and Washington DC had a very hostile relationship with France's notoriously combative ambassador Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville, which contributed to the letters contents as per France.<ref>America in the French mind during the Bourbon Restoration by John deWitt MacBride 1955 pg. 45-46</ref>

Major events

Template:Main

March 4, 1817: James Monroe became President of the United States
July 4, 1817: Construction on the Erie Canal began
November 20, 1817: The first Seminole War began in Florida
January 2, 1819: The Panic of 1819, the first major financial crisis in the United States, began.
February 2, 1819: Dartmouth College v. Woodward: Supreme Court allowed Dartmouth to keep its charter and remain a private institution.

Major legislation

Template:Main

April 4, 1818: Flag Act of 1818, Sess. 1, ch. 34, Template:USStat

Treaties

April 29, 1817: Rush–Bagot Treaty signed between the U.S. and the United Kingdom
October 20, 1818: Treaty of 1818 between the U.S. and the United Kingdom established the northern boundary as the 49th parallel from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, also creating the Northwest Angle.
February 22, 1819: Adams-Onís Treaty: Spain ceded Florida to the United States

States admitted and territories created

December 10, 1817: Mississippi admitted as the 20th state
December 3, 1818: Illinois admitted as the 21st state
March 2, 1819: Arkansas Territory was created, Template:USStat; it was formerly part of the Missouri Territory

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Mississippi and Illinois. Template:US Congress party summary

House of Representatives

During this congress, one House seat was added for each of the new states of Mississippi and Illinois. Template:US Congress party summary

Leadership

Template:Multiple image Template:Multiple image

Senate

President: Daniel D. Tompkins (DR)
President pro tempore:
- John Gaillard (DR), elected March 4, 1817
- James Barbour (DR), elected February 15, 1819

House of Representatives

Speaker: Henry Clay (DR)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and representatives are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate

Template:Main Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1820; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1822; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1818. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

Connecticut

Template:Party stripe1. Samuel W. Dana (F)

Template:Party stripe3. David Daggett (F)

Delaware

Template:Party stripe1. Outerbridge Horsey (F)

Template:Party stripe2. Nicholas Van Dyke (F)

Georgia

Template:Party stripe2. George Troup (DR), until September 23, 1818

Template:Party stripe John Forsyth (DR), November 23, 1818 – February 17, 1819

Template:Party stripe3. Charles Tait (DR)

Illinois

Template:Party stripe2. Jesse B. Thomas (DR), from December 3, 1818 (newly admitted state)

Template:Party stripe3. Ninian Edwards (DR), from December 3, 1818 (newly admitted state)

Mississippi

Template:Party stripe1. Walter Leake (DR), from December 10, 1817 (newly admitted state)

Template:Party stripe2. Thomas H. Williams (DR), from December 10, 1817 (newly admitted state)

New Hampshire

Template:Party stripe2. David L. Morril (DR)

Template:Party stripe3. Jeremiah Mason (F), until June 16, 1817

Template:Party stripe Clement Storer (DR), from June 27, 1817

Template:Col-break

New Jersey

Template:Party stripe1. James J. Wilson (DR)

Template:Party stripe2. Mahlon Dickerson (DR)

New York

Template:Party stripe1. Nathan Sanford (DR)

Template:Party stripe3. Rufus King (F)

North Carolina

Template:Party stripe2. Montfort Stokes (DR)

Template:Party stripe3. Nathaniel Macon (DR)

Ohio

Template:Party stripe1. Benjamin Ruggles (DR)

Template:Party stripe3. Jeremiah Morrow (DR)

Pennsylvania

Template:Party stripe1. Jonathan Roberts (DR)

Template:Party stripe3. Abner Lacock (DR)

Rhode Island

Template:Party stripe1. William Hunter (F)

Template:Party stripe2. James Burrill Jr. (F)

South Carolina

Template:Party stripe2. William Smith (DR)

Template:Party stripe3. John Gaillard (DR)

Tennessee

Template:Party stripe1. George W. Campbell (DR), until April 20, 1818

Template:Party stripe John H. Eaton (DR), from September 5, 1818

Template:Party stripe2. John Williams (DR)

Vermont

Template:Party stripe1. Isaac Tichenor (F)

Template:Party stripe3. Dudley Chase (DR), until November 3, 1817

Template:Party stripe James Fisk (DR), November 4, 1817 – January 8, 1818

Template:Party stripe William A. Palmer (DR), from October 20, 1818

Virginia

Template:Party stripe1. James Barbour (DR)

Template:Party stripe2. John W. Eppes (DR)

Template:Col-break

File:15th United States Congress Senators.svg

Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 15th Congress in March 1817. The senators from Illinois and Mississippi were not seated until later in the Congress. Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend

Template:Col-end