Hamilton–Reynolds affair: Difference between revisions

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	{{short description\|Sex scandal in early United States history}}		{{short description\|Sex scandal in early United States history}}
	{{redirect\|The Reynolds Pamphlet\|the song\|The Reynolds Pamphlet (song)}}		{{redirect\|The Reynolds Pamphlet\|the song\|The Reynolds Pamphlet (song)}}
	] at around the time of the scandal, ~~1792~~]]		] at around the time of the scandal, 1799]]
	The '''Hamilton–Reynolds affair''' was the first major ] in ] political history. It involved ] ], who conducted an affair with ] from 1791 to 1792, during the presidency of ]. ~~When~~ he discovered the affair, Reynolds' husband, James Reynolds, ~~subsequently blackmailed~~ Hamilton ~~over the affair~~, who paid him over $1,300, about a third of his annual income~~, to maintain the secrecy~~. In 1797, Hamilton publicly admitted to the affair after his political enemies ~~attacked and~~ accused him of financial corruption during his time as the Treasury Secretary. Hamilton responded by writing, "The charge against me is a connection with one James Reynolds for purposes of improper pecuniary speculation. My real crime is an amorous connection with his wife, for a considerable time with his privity and connivance."<ref>“Printed Version of the “Reynolds Pamphlet,”, 1797, Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002. </ref>		The '''Hamilton–Reynolds affair''' was the first major ] in United States political history. It involved ] ], who conducted an ] with ] from 1791 to 1792, during the ]. After he discovered the affair, Reynolds' husband, James Reynolds, ]ed Hamilton, who paid him over $1,300 in ], about a third of his annual income. In 1797, Hamilton publicly admitted to the affair after his political enemies accused him of financial corruption during his time as the Treasury Secretary. Hamilton responded by writing, "The charge against me is a connection with one James Reynolds for purposes of improper pecuniary speculation. My real crime is an amorous connection with his wife, for a considerable time with his privity and connivance."<ref>“Printed Version of the “Reynolds Pamphlet,”, 1797, Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002. </ref>

			] was among the first men to be informed of this scandal, and he leaked information about it to ]. Jefferson used the information to start rumors about Hamilton's private life. In 1797, Hamilton and Monroe challenged each other to a ] over this incident. The duel was averted by the intercession of ].

	==Background==		==Background==
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	In the ''Reynolds Pamphlet'', Hamilton goes as far as to argue that James Reynolds, along with his wife, had conspired the scheme to "extort money from me."<ref>Hamilton, Alexander, “Printed Version of the ‘Reynolds Pamphlet,’“ 1797, ''Founders Online'', available from https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002; Internet, accessed 15 October 2018.</ref> The common practice in the day was for the wronged husband to seek retribution in a pistol ], but Reynolds, realizing how much Hamilton had to lose if the activity came into public view, insisted on monetary compensation instead.<ref>{{harvnb\|Freeman\|2002}}</ref> After Hamilton had shown unequivocal signs that he wanted to end the affair in autumn 1791,<ref		In the ''Reynolds Pamphlet'', Hamilton goes as far as to argue that James Reynolds, along with his wife, had conspired the scheme to "extort money from me."<ref>Hamilton, Alexander, “Printed Version of the ‘Reynolds Pamphlet,’“ 1797, ''Founders Online'', available from https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002; Internet, accessed 15 October 2018.</ref> The common practice in the day was for the wronged husband to seek retribution in a pistol ], but Reynolds, realizing how much Hamilton had to lose if the activity came into public view, insisted on monetary compensation instead.<ref>{{harvnb\|Freeman\|2002}}</ref> After Hamilton had shown unequivocal signs that he wanted to end the affair in autumn 1791,<ref

	name="Draft of the Reynolds Pamphlet">{{cite web\|last1=Hamilton\|first1=Alexander\|title=Draft of the "Reynolds Pamphlet," July 1797\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0001#ARHN-01-21-02-0138-0001-fn-0001\|website=Founders Online}}</ref> Hamilton received two letters on December 15, 1791, one each from Mrs. and Mr. Reynolds.<ref name="Schachner, Alexander Hamilton 1946, pp. 366-369">Schachner, Alexander Hamilton, 1946, pp. 366-369</ref> The first letter, from Maria,<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=Maria\|title=Letter to Alexander Hamilton from Maria Reynolds \|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-10-02-0031\|website=Founders Online\|publisher=National Archives\|access-date=30 June 2016}}</ref> warned of her husband's knowledge and of James' attempting to ] Hamilton.		name="Draft of the Reynolds Pamphlet">{{cite web\|last1=Hamilton\|first1=Alexander\|title=Draft of the "Reynolds Pamphlet," July 1797\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0001#ARHN-01-21-02-0138-0001-fn-0001\|website=Founders Online}}</ref> Hamilton received two letters on December 15, 1791, one each from Mrs. and Mr. Reynolds.<ref name="Schachner, Alexander Hamilton 1946, pp. 366-369">Schachner, Alexander Hamilton, 1946, pp. 366-369</ref> The first letter, from Maria,<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=Maria\|title=Letter to Alexander Hamilton from Maria Reynolds \|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-10-02-0031\|website=Founders Online\|publisher=National Archives\|access-date=30 June 2016}}</ref> warned of her husband's knowledge and of James' attempting to blackmail Hamilton.
	By then, Hamilton discontinued the affair and briefly ceased to visit, but both James and Maria were apparently involved in the blackmailing scheme, as both sent letters inviting Hamilton to continue his visits.<ref name="Schachner, Alexander Hamilton 1946, pp. 366-369"/> After extorting $1000 in exchange for secrecy over Hamilton's adultery,<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=James\|title=Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, December 19th, 1791\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-10-02-0045 \|website=Founders Online}}</ref> James Reynolds rethought his request for Hamilton to cease his relationship with Maria and wrote inviting him to renew his visits "as a friend,"<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=James\|title=Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, January 17th, 1792\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-10-02-0106\|website=Founders Online}}</ref> only to extort forced "loans" after each visit, which the most-likely-colluding Maria solicited with her letters.<ref name="Reynolds Pamphlet"/>		By then, Hamilton discontinued the affair and briefly ceased to visit, but both James and Maria were apparently involved in the blackmailing scheme, as both sent letters inviting Hamilton to continue his visits.<ref name="Schachner, Alexander Hamilton 1946, pp. 366-369"/> After extorting $1000 in exchange for secrecy over Hamilton's adultery,<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=James\|title=Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, December 19th, 1791\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-10-02-0045 \|website=Founders Online}}</ref> James Reynolds rethought his request for Hamilton to cease his relationship with Maria and wrote inviting him to renew his visits "as a friend,"<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=James\|title=Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, January 17th, 1792\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-10-02-0106\|website=Founders Online}}</ref> only to extort forced "loans" after each visit, which the most-likely-colluding Maria solicited with her letters.<ref name="Reynolds Pamphlet"/>
	By May 2, 1792, James changed his mind again and requested for Hamilton to stop seeing his wife<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=James\|title=Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, May 2nd, 1792\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-11-02-0284 \|website=Founders Online}}</ref> but not before James had received additional payment. In the end, the blackmail payments totaled over $1,300 including the initial extortion (~~{{Inflation\|US\|1300\|1792\|fmt=eq\|r=-3}}~~).<ref>Schachner, Alexander Hamilton, 1946, p. 366</ref>		By May 2, 1792, James changed his mind again and requested for Hamilton to stop seeing his wife<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Reynolds\|first1=James\|title=Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, May 2nd, 1792\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-11-02-0284 \|website=Founders Online}}</ref> but not before James had received additional payment. In the end, the blackmail payments totaled over $1,300 including the initial extortion (equivalent to ~$43,000 in 2024).<ref>Schachner, Alexander Hamilton, 1946, p. 366</ref>

	Hamilton had possibly become aware of both Reynoldses being involved in the blackmail<ref>Murray, p. 165.</ref> and both welcomed and strictly complied with James' request to end the affair.<ref name="Reynolds Pamphlet"/>		Hamilton had possibly become aware of both Reynoldses being involved in the blackmail<ref>Murray, p. 165.</ref> and both welcomed and strictly complied with James' request to end the affair.<ref name="Reynolds Pamphlet"/>

	The cultural historian ] has advanced a theory that the affair never happened. Outside of the Reynolds Pamphlet, there is no evidence that the affair actually occurred. Others connected with the scandal, from ], who held the papers relating to James Reynolds, to Maria Reynolds herself, said that it was a coverup for a financial scandal.<ref>{{Cite book\|title=Eliza Hamilton\|last=Mazzeo\|first=Tilar\|publisher=Simon & Schuster\|year=2018\|isbn=978-1-5011-6630-3\|location=NY\|pages=295}}</ref> Hamilton never produced the manuscript copies of Maria's letters, but both the newspapers and Maria suggested obtaining a handwriting sample. Hamilton said that they had been placed with a friend, who claimed that he had never seen them, which suggests that the letters may have been forged.{{cn\|date=September 2023}} The newspaper writers also pointed out that Maria's letters correctly spell long, complex words but sometimes misspelled simple words in a way that made no phonetic sense. As the ] biographer ] stated, the letters could resemble what an educated man believed an uneducated woman's love letters to look like. A Hamilton biographer also stated that the letters look like the letters between Alexander and his wife, Eliza, which could explain why Eliza burned her letters.<ref>{{Cite book\|title=Eliza Hamilton\|last=Mazzeo\|first=Tilar\|publisher=Simon & Schuster\|year=2018\|isbn=978-1-5011-6630-3\|location=NY\|pages=296–297}}</ref>

	==Scandal==		==Scandal==
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	Denying any financial impropriety, Hamilton revealed the true nature of his relationship with the Reynoldses in all of its unsavory details. He turned over the letters from both of them.<ref>{{harvnb\|Isenberg\|2007\|pp=120–121}}</ref>		Denying any financial impropriety, Hamilton revealed the true nature of his relationship with the Reynoldses in all of its unsavory details. He turned over the letters from both of them.<ref>{{harvnb\|Isenberg\|2007\|pp=120–121}}</ref>
	]		]
	Apparently convinced that Hamilton was not guilty of the charge of public misconduct, Monroe, Venable, and Muhlenberg agreed not to make public the information and documents on the Reynolds Affair. Monroe and his colleagues assured Hamilton that the matter was settled. However, Monroe sent the letters to his close personal friend, ]. Jefferson and Hamilton were self-described nemeses, and five years after receiving the letters, Jefferson used the knowledge to start rumors about Hamilton's private life.		Apparently convinced that Hamilton was not guilty of the charge of public misconduct, Monroe, Venable, and Muhlenberg agreed not to make public the information and documents on the Reynolds Affair. Monroe and his colleagues assured Hamilton that the matter was settled.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news \|last=Prokop \|first=Andrew \|date=December 28, 2015 \|title=The Reynolds Pamphlet, Explained: Why Alexander Hamilton Printed His Sex Scandal's Details \|url=https://www.vox.com/2015/12/25/10662620/reynolds-pamphlet-hamilton \|work=]}}</ref> However, Monroe sent the letters to his close personal friend, ]. Jefferson and Hamilton were self-described nemeses, and five years after receiving the letters, Jefferson used the knowledge to start rumors about Hamilton's private life.{{Citation needed\|date=October 2024}}

	Also in 1797, when Hamilton no longer held the post of Secretary of the Treasury, the details of his relationship with Maria and James Reynolds came to light in a series of pamphlets authored by the journalist ]. Included were copies of the documents that Hamilton had furnished to the Monroe commission in December 1792.		Also in 1797, when Hamilton no longer held the post of Secretary of the Treasury, the details of his relationship with Maria and James Reynolds came to light in a series of pamphlets authored by the journalist ]. Included were copies of the documents that Hamilton had furnished to the Monroe commission in December 1792.

	Hamilton confronted Monroe over the leakage of the supposedly-confidential documents. Monroe denied any responsibility. Hamilton came very close to calling Monroe a liar, and Monroe retorted that Hamilton was a scoundrel and challenged him to a duel. The duel was averted by the intercession of ~~none other than~~ ], who years later would ironically challenge and kill Hamilton ].~~<ref>{{harvnb\|Isenberg\|2007\|p=163}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb\|Wheelan\|2005\|p=88}}</ref>~~ After writing a first draft in July 1797,<ref name="Draft of the Reynolds Pamphlet"/> on August 25, Hamilton responded to Callender's revelations by printing his own 95-page pamphlet, ''Observations on Certain Documents'', later known as the "Reynolds Pamphlet,"<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Hamilton\|first1=Alexander\|title=Printed Version of the "Reynolds Pamphlet", 1797\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002\|website=Founders Online}}</ref> in which he denied all charges of corruption. However, he openly admitted his relationship with Maria Reynolds and apologized for it.		Hamilton confronted Monroe over the leakage of the supposedly confidential documents. Monroe denied any responsibility. Hamilton came very close to calling Monroe a liar, and Monroe retorted that Hamilton was a scoundrel and challenged him to a duel. The duel was averted by the intercession of ]. After writing a first draft in July 1797,<ref name="Draft of the Reynolds Pamphlet"/> on August 25, Hamilton responded to Callender's revelations by printing his own 95-page pamphlet, ''Observations on Certain Documents'', later known as the "Reynolds Pamphlet,"<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Hamilton\|first1=Alexander\|title=Printed Version of the "Reynolds Pamphlet", 1797\|url=https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002\|website=Founders Online}}</ref> in which he denied all charges of corruption. However, he openly admitted his relationship with Maria Reynolds and apologized for it.

	While his candor was admired, the affair severely damaged his reputation. While Hamilton's admitted affair served to confirm ~~rival~~ Jefferson's conviction that he was untrustworthy, it did nothing to change Washington's opinion of him, who still held him in "very high esteem" and still viewed him as the dominant force in establishing the federal law and government.{{sfn\|Ferling\|2013\|pp=283—284, 301—302}}		While his candor was admired, the affair severely damaged his reputation. While Hamilton's admitted affair served to confirm Jefferson's conviction that he was untrustworthy, it did nothing to change Washington's opinion of him, who still held him in "very high esteem" and still viewed him as the dominant force in establishing the federal law and government.{{sfn\|Ferling\|2013\|pp=283—284, 301—302}}

			==Cultural reception==
	==In popular culture==
			Hamilton was the youngest of the major ], and his involvement in a sex scandal and ] made his life story seem tragically romantic to some admirers and biographers, such as ], whose 1882 biography concludes Hamilton "was evidently very attractive", or ], whose 1902 ] novel ''The Conqueror'' calls Hamilton "beautiful to look upon".<ref>{{Harvnb\|Hamilton\|2011\|p=1–4, 8}}.</ref> The first movie depicting Hamilton's life was a 1918 ] about his affair with Maria Reynolds titled ''The Beautiful Mrs. Reynolds''.<ref>{{Harvnb\|Hamilton\|2011\|p=4}}.</ref> The 2000 novel ''Scandalmonger'' by ] portrays Maria Reynolds being intimate with both Burr and Hamilton, contrasting the characters by describing Burr as a clinical lover and Hamilton as passionate.<ref>{{Harvnb\|Hamilton\|2011\|p=9}}.</ref>
	{{unsourced\|section\|date=September 2022}}
	This early sex scandal in American history has received multiple fictional portrayals.

			The affair serves as a central plot point in ]'s 2015 biographical musical '']''. Hamilton becomes involved in the affair with Reynolds in the song "]", and his political opponents accuse him of fiscal corruption—prompting him to defend himself by saying the financial transactions were actually hush money for a sex scandal—in "We Know".<ref name=":1">{{Harvnb\|Madison\|2017\|p=61}}.</ref> In the show, Burr, Jefferson, and ] confront Hamilton, replacing Monroe, Venable, and Muhlenberg.<ref name=":0" /> Hamilton decides to prove his innocence of financial misdeeds by publicly acknowledging the scandal in "Hurricane" (the musical leaving out Callender and his pamphlets so that Hamilton seems to be preempting accusations rather than responding to them) and in so doing so destroys his political career in "]" (although in history, Hamilton's political career did not truly end until he published a pamphlet criticizing John Adams, which ended up destroying the ]).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The following song "]" narrates his wife ]'s grief over her husband's infidelity.<ref>{{Harvnb\|Keyes\|2021\|p=194}}.</ref>
	===Theater and film===
	*A stage play, '']'', ran on ] in 1917, was co-written by ], who also played the title role. ] portrayed Maria Reynolds and ] played James Reynolds.
	*The biographical film '']'', based upon the 1917 play, was released in 1931, with George Arliss reprising his role. ] portrayed Maria Reynolds and ] portrayed James Reynolds.
	*In the 2015 musical '']'', written by ] (who also debuted the title role), the Reynolds affair is a key moment in the Second Act. It figures into the following songs:
	**"]", in which the affair begins.
	**"We Know", in which Hamilton is confronted by Burr, Jefferson, and ].
	**"Hurricane", in which Hamilton decides to write the Reynolds Pamphlet.
	**"]", in which Hamilton is humiliated by Burr, Jefferson and Madison as his affair is revealed.
	**"]", which depicts Hamilton's wife, ], burning all of her letters to him in response to the Pamphlet's publication, the events the Pamphlet describes and then suggesting that Hamilton himself "burn."
	*On July 3, 2020, ] released the film '']'', an authorized film of the Broadway stage production, with Miranda playing Hamilton, ] playing Maria Reynolds, and Sydney-James Harcourt playing James Reynolds. All three actors were part of the Original Broadway Cast.

			In ''Hamilton'', Maria Reynolds conforms to a stereotypical seductress character type as a "]" contrasting with Eliza Hamilton's symbolism of the ].<ref>{{Harvnb\|Wolf\|2021\|p=79}}.</ref> The characters Eliza, ], and Maria collectively match to a trifecta of female character tropes defined by the ] and found in ]: the "good wife", the "gold digger", and the "whore".<ref>{{Harvnb\|Keyes\|2021\|p=61}}.</ref> According to theater professor Stacy Wolf, ''Hamilton''<nowiki/>'s depiction of the Reynolds affair exclusively from Hamilton's point of view reinforces the musical's male-dominated story and masculine perspective and aesthetics in which female characters have "limited and stereotypical roles".<ref>{{Harvnb\|Wolf\|2021\|pages=73–74, 77–80}}.</ref>
	===Literature===
	*''Scandalmonger'' (2000), by ].
	*'']'' (2008), by ].
	*''The Hamilton Affair'' (2016), by ].
	*''I, Eliza Hamilton'' (2017), by Susan Holloway Scott.
	*''My Dear Hamilton'' (2018), by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie.
	*''Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton'' (2018), by ].

	===Television===
	*'']'', a 1986 television miniseries, includes the events of the affair. ] portrayed Hamilton, with ] portraying Maria Reynolds.

	== See also ==		== See also ==
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	==Sources==		==Sources==
	* {{cite book\|last=Ferling\|first=John\|title=Jefferson and Hamilton: the rivalry that forged a nation\|publisher=Bloomsbury Press\|year=2013\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlecIL4lY_UC\|isbn=978-1608195428 }}		* {{cite book \|last=Ferling \|first=John \|title=Jefferson and Hamilton: the rivalry that forged a nation \|publisher=] \|year=2013 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlecIL4lY_UC \|isbn=978-1608195428}}
	*{{cite book\|last=Freeman\|first=Joanne B.\|title=Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic\|year=2002\|publisher=]\|location=~~New~~ ~~Haven~~\|isbn=978-0300097559}}		*{{cite book \|last=Freeman \|first=Joanne B. \|title=Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic \|year=2002 \|publisher=] \|location= \|isbn=978-0300097559}}
			*{{Cite journal \|last=Hamilton \|first=Caroline V. \|date=February 2011 \|title=The Erotic Charisma of Alexander Hamilton \|journal=] \|volume=45 \|issue=1 \|pages=1–19 \|jstor=23016756}}
	*{{cite book\|first=Nancy \|last=Isenberg \|title=Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr \|location=~~New York~~ \|publisher=Penguin \|year=2007}}		*{{cite book \|first=Nancy \|author-link=Nancy Isenberg \|last=Isenberg \|title=Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr \|location= \|publisher=] \|year=2007}}
⚫	*Mazzeo, Tilar (2018). ''Eliza Hamilton.'' ~~New York:~~ Simon & Schuster.
			*{{Cite book \|last=Keyes \|first=Cheryl L. \|title=Dueling Grounds: Revolution and Revelation in the Musical Hamilton \|publisher=] \|year=2021 \|isbn=9780190938840 \|editor-last=Lodge \|editor-first=Mary Jo \|pages=183–199 \|chapter=Long Live Hip-Hop: ''Hamilton'' and the Death (and Rebirth) of Hip-Hop \|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190938840.003.0013 \|editor-last2=Laird \|editor-first2=Paul R.}}
⚫	*{{cite book\|last=Wheelan\|first=Joseph \|title=Jefferson's Vendetta \|url=https://archive.org/details/jeffersonsvendet00whee\|url-access=registration~~\|location=New York~~ \|publisher=Carroll & Graf \|year=2005\|isbn=9780786714377 }}
			*{{Cite journal \|last=Madison \|first=Katherine S. \|date=Spring–Summer 2017 \|title='Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: The Use and Representation of Records in ''Hamilton: An American Musical'' \|journal=] \|volume=80 \|issue=1 \|pages=53–81 \|doi=10.17723/0360-9081.80.1.53}}
		⚫	*Mazzeo, Tilar (2018). ''Eliza Hamilton.'' Simon & Schuster.
		⚫	*{{cite book\|last=Wheelan\|first=Joseph \|title=Jefferson's Vendetta \|url=https://archive.org/details/jeffersonsvendet00whee\|url-access=registration\|publisher=Carroll & Graf \|year=2005\|isbn=9780786714377 }}
			*{{Cite book \|last=Wolf \|first=Stacy \|title=Dueling Grounds: Revolution and Revelation in the Musical Hamilton \|publisher=] \|year=2021 \|isbn=9780190938840 \|editor-last=Lodge \|editor-first=Mary Jo \|pages=73–87 \|chapter=''Hamilton''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Gendered Entanglements \|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190938840.003.0006 \|editor-last2=Laird \|editor-first2=Paul R.}}

	==Further reading==		==Further reading==
	* Cerniglia, Keith A. "An Indelicate Amor: Alexander Hamilton and the First American Political Sex Scandal," Master's Thesis, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 2002.
	*{{cite book \|last=Chernow \|first=Ron \|author-link=Ron Chernow \|title=Alexander Hamilton \|publisher=Penguin Press \|date=April 26, 2004 \|isbn=1-59420-009-2 \|url=https://archive.org/details/alexanderhamilto00cher }}		*{{cite book \|last=Chernow \|first=Ron \|author-link=Ron Chernow \|title=Alexander Hamilton \|publisher=Penguin Press \|date=April 26, 2004 \|isbn=1-59420-009-2 \|url=https://archive.org/details/alexanderhamilto00cher }}
	* Cogan, Jacob Katz. "The Reynolds Affair and the Politics of Character." ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 16, no. 3 (1996): 389–417, {{doi\|10.2307/3124057}}		* Cogan, Jacob Katz. "The Reynolds Affair and the Politics of Character." ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 16, no. 3 (1996): 389–417, {{doi\|10.2307/3124057}}
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	*		*
			*

	{{Alexander Hamilton\|state=expanded}}		{{Alexander Hamilton\|state=expanded}}

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton-Reynolds}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton-Reynolds}}
			]
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Latest revision as of 22:05, 8 January 2025

Sex scandal in early United States history "The Reynolds Pamphlet" redirects here. For the song, see The Reynolds Pamphlet (song).

The Hamilton–Reynolds affair was the first major sex scandal in United States political history. It involved Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who conducted an affair with Maria Reynolds from 1791 to 1792, during the presidency of George Washington. After he discovered the affair, Reynolds' husband, James Reynolds, blackmailed Hamilton, who paid him over $1,300 in hush money, about a third of his annual income. In 1797, Hamilton publicly admitted to the affair after his political enemies accused him of financial corruption during his time as the Treasury Secretary. Hamilton responded by writing, "The charge against me is a connection with one James Reynolds for purposes of improper pecuniary speculation. My real crime is an amorous connection with his wife, for a considerable time with his privity and connivance."

James Monroe was among the first men to be informed of this scandal, and he leaked information about it to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson used the information to start rumors about Hamilton's private life. In 1797, Hamilton and Monroe challenged each other to a duel over this incident. The duel was averted by the intercession of Aaron Burr.

Background

In the summer of 1791, 23-year-old Maria Reynolds allegedly approached the married 34-year-old Alexander Hamilton in Philadelphia to request his help and financial aid by claiming that her husband, James, had abandoned her. Hamilton did not have any money on him, so he retrieved her address to deliver the funds in person. Once Hamilton arrived at the boarding house at which Maria was lodging, she brought him upstairs and led him into her bedroom. He later recounted, "I took the bill out of my pocket and gave it to her. Some conversation ensued from which it was quickly apparent that other than pecuniary consolation would be acceptable." The two began an illicit affair that would last, with varying frequency, until approximately June 1792.

Over the course of those months, while the affair took place, James Reynolds was well aware of his wife's unfaithfulness. He continually supported their relationship to gain regular blackmail money from Hamilton.

In the Reynolds Pamphlet, Hamilton goes as far as to argue that James Reynolds, along with his wife, had conspired the scheme to "extort money from me." The common practice in the day was for the wronged husband to seek retribution in a pistol duel, but Reynolds, realizing how much Hamilton had to lose if the activity came into public view, insisted on monetary compensation instead. After Hamilton had shown unequivocal signs that he wanted to end the affair in autumn 1791, Hamilton received two letters on December 15, 1791, one each from Mrs. and Mr. Reynolds. The first letter, from Maria, warned of her husband's knowledge and of James' attempting to blackmail Hamilton. By then, Hamilton discontinued the affair and briefly ceased to visit, but both James and Maria were apparently involved in the blackmailing scheme, as both sent letters inviting Hamilton to continue his visits. After extorting $1000 in exchange for secrecy over Hamilton's adultery, James Reynolds rethought his request for Hamilton to cease his relationship with Maria and wrote inviting him to renew his visits "as a friend," only to extort forced "loans" after each visit, which the most-likely-colluding Maria solicited with her letters. By May 2, 1792, James changed his mind again and requested for Hamilton to stop seeing his wife but not before James had received additional payment. In the end, the blackmail payments totaled over $1,300 including the initial extortion (equivalent to ~$43,000 in 2024).

Hamilton had possibly become aware of both Reynoldses being involved in the blackmail and both welcomed and strictly complied with James' request to end the affair.

Scandal

In November 1792, after James Reynolds was jailed for participation in a scheme involving unpaid back wages intended for Revolutionary War veterans, he used his own knowledge about Hamilton's sex affair to bargain his way out of his own troubles. Reynolds knew that Hamilton would have to choose between revealing his affair with Maria or falsely admitting complicity to the charges. James Monroe, Abraham Venable, and Frederick Muhlenberg were the first men to hear of this possible corruption within the nation's new government, and on December 15, 1792, they decided to confront Hamilton personally with the information that they had received, supported by the notes of Hamilton's payments to Reynolds that Maria had given them to corroborate her husband's accusations.

Denying any financial impropriety, Hamilton revealed the true nature of his relationship with the Reynoldses in all of its unsavory details. He turned over the letters from both of them.

Apparently convinced that Hamilton was not guilty of the charge of public misconduct, Monroe, Venable, and Muhlenberg agreed not to make public the information and documents on the Reynolds Affair. Monroe and his colleagues assured Hamilton that the matter was settled. However, Monroe sent the letters to his close personal friend, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson and Hamilton were self-described nemeses, and five years after receiving the letters, Jefferson used the knowledge to start rumors about Hamilton's private life.

Also in 1797, when Hamilton no longer held the post of Secretary of the Treasury, the details of his relationship with Maria and James Reynolds came to light in a series of pamphlets authored by the journalist James Thomson Callender. Included were copies of the documents that Hamilton had furnished to the Monroe commission in December 1792.

Hamilton confronted Monroe over the leakage of the supposedly confidential documents. Monroe denied any responsibility. Hamilton came very close to calling Monroe a liar, and Monroe retorted that Hamilton was a scoundrel and challenged him to a duel. The duel was averted by the intercession of Aaron Burr. After writing a first draft in July 1797, on August 25, Hamilton responded to Callender's revelations by printing his own 95-page pamphlet, Observations on Certain Documents, later known as the "Reynolds Pamphlet," in which he denied all charges of corruption. However, he openly admitted his relationship with Maria Reynolds and apologized for it.

While his candor was admired, the affair severely damaged his reputation. While Hamilton's admitted affair served to confirm Jefferson's conviction that he was untrustworthy, it did nothing to change Washington's opinion of him, who still held him in "very high esteem" and still viewed him as the dominant force in establishing the federal law and government.

Cultural reception

Hamilton was the youngest of the major American founders, and his involvement in a sex scandal and relatively early death made his life story seem tragically romantic to some admirers and biographers, such as Henry Cabot Lodge, whose 1882 biography concludes Hamilton "was evidently very attractive", or Gertrude Atherton, whose 1902 historical fiction novel The Conqueror calls Hamilton "beautiful to look upon". The first movie depicting Hamilton's life was a 1918 silent film about his affair with Maria Reynolds titled The Beautiful Mrs. Reynolds. The 2000 novel Scandalmonger by William Safire portrays Maria Reynolds being intimate with both Burr and Hamilton, contrasting the characters by describing Burr as a clinical lover and Hamilton as passionate.

The affair serves as a central plot point in Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2015 biographical musical Hamilton. Hamilton becomes involved in the affair with Reynolds in the song "Say No to This", and his political opponents accuse him of fiscal corruption—prompting him to defend himself by saying the financial transactions were actually hush money for a sex scandal—in "We Know". In the show, Burr, Jefferson, and James Madison confront Hamilton, replacing Monroe, Venable, and Muhlenberg. Hamilton decides to prove his innocence of financial misdeeds by publicly acknowledging the scandal in "Hurricane" (the musical leaving out Callender and his pamphlets so that Hamilton seems to be preempting accusations rather than responding to them) and in so doing so destroys his political career in "The Reynolds Pamphlet" (although in history, Hamilton's political career did not truly end until he published a pamphlet criticizing John Adams, which ended up destroying the Federalist Party). The following song "Burn" narrates his wife Eliza's grief over her husband's infidelity.

In Hamilton, Maria Reynolds conforms to a stereotypical seductress character type as a "Jezebel" contrasting with Eliza Hamilton's symbolism of the culture of domesticity. The characters Eliza, Angelica, and Maria collectively match to a trifecta of female character tropes defined by the male gaze and found in hip hop music: the "good wife", the "gold digger", and the "whore". According to theater professor Stacy Wolf, Hamilton's depiction of the Reynolds affair exclusively from Hamilton's point of view reinforces the musical's male-dominated story and masculine perspective and aesthetics in which female characters have "limited and stereotypical roles".

References

“Printed Version of the “Reynolds Pamphlet,”, 1797, Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002.
^ Hamilton, Alexander. "Printed Version of the "Reynolds Pamphlet," 1797". Founders Online. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
Hamilton, Alexander, “Printed Version of the ‘Reynolds Pamphlet,’“ 1797, Founders Online, available from https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-21-02-0138-0002; Internet, accessed 15 October 2018.
Freeman 2002
^ Hamilton, Alexander. "Draft of the "Reynolds Pamphlet," July 1797". Founders Online.
^ Schachner, Alexander Hamilton, 1946, pp. 366-369
Reynolds, Maria. "Letter to Alexander Hamilton from Maria Reynolds [15 December 1791]". Founders Online. National Archives. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
Reynolds, James. "Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, December 19th, 1791". Founders Online.
Reynolds, James. "Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, January 17th, 1792". Founders Online.
Reynolds, James. "Letter from James Reynolds to Alexander Hamilton, May 2nd, 1792". Founders Online.
Schachner, Alexander Hamilton, 1946, p. 366
Murray, p. 165.
Isenberg 2007, pp. 120–121
^ Prokop, Andrew (December 28, 2015). "The Reynolds Pamphlet, Explained: Why Alexander Hamilton Printed His Sex Scandal's Details". Vox.
Hamilton, Alexander. "Printed Version of the "Reynolds Pamphlet", 1797". Founders Online.
Ferling 2013, pp. 283–284, 301–302.
Hamilton 2011, p. 1–4, 8.
Hamilton 2011, p. 4.
Hamilton 2011, p. 9.
^ Madison 2017, p. 61.
Keyes 2021, p. 194.
Wolf 2021, p. 79.
Keyes 2021, p. 61.
Wolf 2021, pp. 73–74, 77–80.

Sources

Ferling, John (2013). Jefferson and Hamilton: the rivalry that forged a nation. Bloomsbury Press. ISBN 978-1608195428.
Freeman, Joanne B. (2002). Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300097559.
Hamilton, Caroline V. (February 2011). "The Erotic Charisma of Alexander Hamilton". Journal of American Studies. 45 (1): 1–19. JSTOR 23016756.
Isenberg, Nancy (2007). Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr. Penguin Books.
Keyes, Cheryl L. (2021). "Long Live Hip-Hop: Hamilton and the Death (and Rebirth) of Hip-Hop". In Lodge, Mary Jo; Laird, Paul R. (eds.). Dueling Grounds: Revolution and Revelation in the Musical Hamilton. Oxford University Press. pp. 183–199. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190938840.003.0013. ISBN 9780190938840.
Madison, Katherine S. (Spring–Summer 2017). "'Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: The Use and Representation of Records in Hamilton: An American Musical". American Archivist. 80 (1): 53–81. doi:10.17723/0360-9081.80.1.53.
Mazzeo, Tilar (2018). Eliza Hamilton. Simon & Schuster.
Wheelan, Joseph (2005). Jefferson's Vendetta. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 9780786714377.
Wolf, Stacy (2021). "Hamilton's Gendered Entanglements". In Lodge, Mary Jo; Laird, Paul R. (eds.). Dueling Grounds: Revolution and Revelation in the Musical Hamilton. Oxford University Press. pp. 73–87. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190938840.003.0006. ISBN 9780190938840.

External links

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