Existing comment:
Danger of Political Parties
Congressional Pugilists, February 15, 1798
This depiction of a brawl on the floor of the House of Representatives satirizes the intense political polarization of the 1790s, as pro-industry Federalists and pro-agriculture "Republicans" clashed.
Arguing against the foreign policy of President John Adams and the potential for war with France. Matthew Lyon, a Republican, spit tobacco juice on Roger Griswold, a Federalist. Griswold then attacked Lyon with his cane, who defended himself with fireplace tongs. |