Letter, James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, partially written in cipher with translation by Jefferson, 23 May 1789

Reproduction number: A64 (color slide; page 1)
This letter of 23 May 1789 was written by James Madison (1751-1836), a member of the first Congress and later the fourth president of the United States, to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), also a future president who was then minister to France. Partially written in a code or cipher, which Jefferson had sent Madison on 11 May 1785, the decoded translation was interlined by Jefferson. In his letter, Madison reported on the opening of the new federal government and was particularly critical of efforts in the Senate to set an aristocratic tone in the legislature. Madison feared that such an approach would damage the new republican government. The Congress quickly moved on to more substantive issues, such as establishing the administrative departments and the judiciary.