Throughout the period before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, petitions and memorials relating to the slavery question appeared in many records of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. Between 1836 and 1844, the 21st rule of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

(the so-called

gag rule A gag rule is a rule that limits or forbids the raising, consideration, or discussion of a particular topic, often but not always by members of a legislative or decision-making body. A famous example of gag rules is the series of rules concernin ...

) provided that no petition relating to slavery would be entertained in any way; therefore, all such petitions and memorials received while this rule was in effect were tabled. The rule, proposed by

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Representative Henry L. Pinckney, was passed without any debate. During this period, hundreds of petitions relating to the abolition of slavery, slavery in the

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, fugitive slave laws and fugitive slaves, the admission of slave states, slavery in the

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n colonization, and repeal of the 21st rule were tabled.

Before the rule was adopted

In the 1830s, the

American Anti-Slavery Society The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS; 1833–1870) was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, had become a prominent abolitionist and was a key leader of this society ...

wanted to propose to Congress that it make an attempt toward abolishing slavery. As such, abolitionists across the country organized and eventually submitted over 130,000 petitions to the House of Representatives between 1831 and 1844. James Hammond, a representative from South Carolina, first proposed the idea of imposing a gag on all anti-slavery petitions. Future President

James Polk James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, at that time a representative from Tennessee, tried to resolve this problem and put it in the hands of a special committee. The committee's chairman,

Henry Pinckney Henry Laurens Pinckney (September 24, 1794February 3, 1863) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, and the son of Charles Pinckney and Mary Eleanor Laurens. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Pinckney attended private schools. He gr ...

, dealt with the matter by refusing to consider any of them, and making anything that involved slavery automatically tabled. In 1836, the 24th Congress adopted the well-known Gag Rule. This rule declared that all petitions regarding slavery must be approved before passed or "be laid on the table and that no further action whatever shall be laid thereon."

Opposition

Many people disagreed with this rule. The Whigs were opposed;

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

led a group of congressmen who wanted to get rid of the rule. Adams declared to everyone that he was not an abolitionist, but thought this rule violated the constitutional right to petition. The Gag Rule was going against the

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, which gives everyone freedom of speech and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Adams wanted to pass an amendment^{To what?} against the Gag Rule. When the Whigs took control of the house, the Underwoods of Kentucky proposed an amendment declaring that the old House rules prevailed, instead of getting rid of them after a certain number of days. This included the 21st rule. Adams was not so fond of the idea and proposed a whole new amendment against the Underwoods to get rid of the 21st Rule. It passed by eight votes, 112–104. People who opposed Adams' ideas tried to kick him out of the House. They tried to take the chairmanship of the Congressional Committee Position from him. The first time Congress attempted to do this, they were unsuccessful. Everyone who opposed him tried again and the same result occurred.

Adams' Plan

Adams kept on questioning Polk, and saying that the petitions sent out to create the Gag Rule could be alleged. When Polk failed to answer, Adams stated that everyone has the freedom of thought and action. Slavery should take a toll on one's patience, but if someone had a desire to question this act, it is covered by the law. In January 1844, Adams and his committee finally eliminated the Gag Rule. The House was not so content with this decision and had a long discussion about it. Many still supported the Gag Rule and wanted the question voted. The vote ended up being 86–116 to bring the rule back. The House was still not satisfied and wanted to hold another poll, to see if the public wanted to reconsider the first vote on getting the Gag Rule back.{{explain, date=September 2019 This proposal also failed, 56–116. At last, on December 3, 1844, Congress finally agreed to rescind the Gag Rule. Adams' campaign had worked.

Sources

*Adams, John Quincy. "John Quincy Adams on the Gag Rule." Digital History, Digital History, 2019, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=376.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives
*Miller, William Lee. Arguing about Slavery: the Great Battle in the United States Congress. A.A. Knopf, 1996. 1836 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1844 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. Slavery in the United States History of the United States Congress United States federal slavery legislation U.S. Congressional gag rules and their sponsors

Before the rule was adopted

Opposition

Adams' Plan

See also

Sources