In this lecture from Yale's DeVane course America at 250: A History, Professor Joanne Freeman continues her examination of the 1790s, focusing on what she describes as a period of intense political conflict sometimes called the reign of witches, during which the Federalist party attempted to hold onto political power. Recorded as part of this one-time-only course tracing United States history from the 1770s forward, the session examines the deepening rivalry between figures like Hamilton and Jefferson over competing visions of American democracy. It builds on the prior class's look at presidential power in the early republic.