Portrait of William Wyatt Bibb, 1819
William Wyatt Bibb
In the winter of 1811 in Washington D.C., a 30-year-old member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia, William Wyatt Bibb, wrote to a friend back home about the deteriorating relations between the United States and Great Britain. Considered by some at the time to be a “war hawk”, a group of aggressive, young congressmen, who advocated for the War of 1812 against Great Britain, Bibb expressed in the letter his beliefs in a strong national defense against the British.
He writes "The nation should assume a warlike attitude...The vessels belonging to the United States should be manned and equipped for service without delay, and private vessels be permitted to arm and defend themselves against aggressions in the pursuit of their lawful trade." Bibb continues "War in fact already exists on one side, and I am for having it on the other also. The man who resists aggressions with all the powers which god and nature have given him, cannot be in a worse condition than he, who submits to be kicked and cuffed without resistance."
This is an important document that illustrates the boiling tensions between the two countries during a pivotal moment in our country’s history. After serving as a member of the House of Representatives, Bibb would successfully run for the U.S. Senate, serving for three years. In 1817, Bibb would become the first territorial governor of Alabama.
Resources
- William Brantley Collection
- 1811 letter from U.S. Congressman William Wyatt Bibb regarding the deteriorating relations between the United States and England, which would ultimately lead to the outbreak of the War of 1812. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://digitalcollections.samford.edu/Documents/Detail/1811-letter-from-u.s.-congressman-william-wyatt-bibb-regarding-the-deteriorating-relations-between-the-united-states-and-england-which-would-ultimately-lead-to-the-outbreak-of-the-war-of-1812/54712?item=54713
- William Wyatt Bibb, Encyclopedia of Alabama. January 2008. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/william-wyatt-bibb-1819-20/
