In 1799, the Legislature enacted that future sessions would meet on the last Tuesday of January each year, unless called earlier by the governor.

[1] At this time the major political controversy was the Embargo Act of 1807 which was supported by the Democratic-Republicans, but opposed by the Federalists.

The Embargo was very unpopular and led to a revival of the Federalist Party which had been reduced to a small minority (without any member in the Senate from 1806 to 1808), but at the State election in April 1809 already won a majority of the Assembly seats.

Israel Carll (Southern D.), Johannes Bruyn, Samuel Haight (both Middle D.), Daniel Paris, John Stearns, (both Eastern D.), Amos Hall, Seth Phelps and Jonas Platt (all three Western D.) were elected to the Senate.

On March 13, 1810, State Senator Jonas Platt presented his project for a bipartisan Canal Commission to the State Legislature, and two days later the Legislature appointed Gouverneur Morris, Assemblyman Stephen Van Rensselaer, Speaker William North, Thomas Eddy (all four Fed.