Jefferson and Adams were diplomatic partners who could not have been more different, whether in build or temperament.
Adams stood five feet seven inches tall and was combative by nature. Jefferson was six feet two, lean and lanky, with an invariably solemn expression.
In 1787, they went to Buckingham Palace together as envoys to sign an economic agreement with King George III. At that point, they believed themselves to be citizens of an independent nation rather than a colony.
Yet they waited until noon before George III received them. Throughout the entire meeting, his manner was exceedingly contemptuous, making it a painful experience for both Adams and Jefferson.
However, during the French Revolution, when French émigrés produced the secret agreement of 1778 and demanded that America fulfill its obligations under it by aiding France against Britain, George Washington declared neutrality. Thus, when Jefferson's envoy said that if Napoleon could sell Louisiana, America would stand with France in the coming war, the Consulate "remained silent."
News from Saint-Domingue was soon overshadowed by far greater news: the secularization of the Holy Roman Empire. Talleyrand considered it his achievement. When Napoleon won, he was omnipotent; when Napoleon lost, it was Talleyrand's turn to "perform."
Jefferson and Adams's relationship had changed after the two became presidents. Or rather, Jefferson leaned more toward the judiciary and domestic affairs, with no intention of violating the Constitution by establishing standing armies and a navy. Adams, on the other hand, would certainly step up military construction once he took office.
Joseph still firmly refused to sell, Lucien seemed somewhat wavering, while the Minister of Finance was growing ever more desperate for money.
Since George Washington's death, Americans had indeed practiced isolationism. Yet while other European countries fought one another to the death in the Anti-French Coalition wars, American