Volume 7 of The Selected Papers of John Jay opens in 1799 with John Jay well into his second term as governor of New York. After overseeing the passage of the law for gradually abolishing slavery in March 1799, Jay's administration faltered in its final months due to an ascendant Republican Party and a subsequent paralyzing conflict with the Council of Appointment. Retirement from public service in May 1801 provided a welcome opportunity to focus...