Yahoo News Alexander Hamilton Signed This Copy of George Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation. Now It’s up for Grabs.
Broadway fans and history buffs alike may be interested in a document that just came up for sale.
The Raab Collection is offering up a rare copy of George Washington’s 1793 Rules of Neutrality signed by Alexander Hamilton, who helped draft the document. For generations, the artifact was owned by one family, and it’s possibly the only such version that was still in private hands. The Raab Collection hasn’t found evidence of another signed copy hitting the market and has priced the document at $58,000.
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The Rules of Neutrality outlined Washington’s belief that the United States shouldn’t become involved in European wars after the American Revolution. He was inspired to draw up a document stating his stance after French revolutionaries hoped for American support in their conflict with other European nations. Washington wasn’t keen on becoming embroiled in the battle, and he held Cabinet meetings in late July and early August 1793 to come up with the Rules of Neutrality. Hamilton, then the secretary of the Treasury, helped propose, draft, amend, and circulate the final document.
While these events may be well known by those interested in American history, they were also dramatized in the Broadway show Hamilton. “Cabinet Battle #2,” Act 2, Song 7 depicts the neutrality debate between Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, with Washington presiding. The president’s and Hamilton’s Federalist ideals win out, with Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican leanings pushed aside. In the musical, Washington asks Hamilton to “draft a statement of neutrality,” with the Rules ending up as the final result.
The Raab Collection, based in Philadelphia, is well known for bringing to market documents of great historical importance. Earlier this year, it offered a Benjamin Franklin letter about the American Revolution for $120,000. And it’s worked with the families of notable Americans to sell and preserve their possessions—among them Neil Armstrong, Ronald Reagan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ulysses S. Grant.
Hamilton’s signed Rules of Neutrality is a rare primary document that could appeal to both policy wonks and Broadway lovers. And while its $58,000 price tag acknowledges its importance, that amount pales in comparison to what some historical documents can fetch on the auction block. A rare first-edition copy of the Constitution, for example, was estimated at $20 million when Sotheby’s offered it up back in 2021. Perhaps the Rules of Neutrality is a pretty good deal.
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