The Henry Letters were created by a fraudster named John Henry. The letters reflected that the British government operating in Canada had employed him to try to persuade the New England states to leave the United States and join Canada. A bundle of letters was sold to President James Madison for $50,000. The letters were fraudulent, but both the President of the United States and the United States Congress were deceived, increasing tensions with the United Kingdom before the War of 1812.
Famous quotes containing the word letters:
“A man who publishes his letters becomes a nudist—nothing shields him from the world’s gaze except his bare skin. A writer, writing away, can always fix himself up to make himself more presentable, but a man who has written a letter is stuck with it for all time.”
—E.B. (Elwyn Brooks)