I'm reading Empire of Liberty by Gordon Wood, and a sentence in it has left me confused.
"Fearful of being overawed by Hamilton's expertise, Congress requested that Hamilton's Report on the Public Credit be submitted in writing."
Clearly I'm missing something here, because I don't see how this is out of the ordinary. They didn't have typewriters then, so he would have to submit it in writing. The printing press doesn't make much sense either, due to it being a government report meant only for congress. Either there's some obscure congressional procedure I'm ignorant of, or my perceptions of the writing technology of the decade are wildly off! (Or I'm missing something obvious, as I sometimes do).
Sorry if this question is too specific, or if I didn't give enough context. Trust me, I gave as much context as the book did.
I know exactly the line you're talking about. I really enjoy that book.
They had him submit it in writing instead of verbally, in testimony before Congress. As you know from reading the book, however, that turned out to be a misstep, as the Report became a bestseller in the United States.