Compromise Resolutions

Author : Daniel Webster
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9781334963407
Total Pages : 20 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (634 download)

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Download or read book The Compromise Resolutions written by Daniel Webster and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-01-10 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Compromise Resolutions: Speech of Hon. Daniel Webster, of Massachusetts, in Senate of the United States, March 7, 1850, on the Compromise Resolutions Submitted by Mr. Clay on the 25th of January And now let us consider, sir, for a moment, what was the state of sentiment, North and South, in regard to slavery at the time this Constitution was adopted. A remarkable change has taken place since, but what did the wise and great men of all parts of the country then think of slavery? In what estimation did they hold it in 1787, when this Constitution was adopted? Now, it will be found, sir, if we will carry ourselves by historical research back to that (lay, and ascertain men's Opinions by authentic records still existing among us, that there was no great diversity of opinion between the North and the South upon the sub ject of slavery; and it will be found that both parts of the country held it equally an evil, a moral and political evil. It will not be found, that either at the North or at the South, there was much, though there was some, invective against slavery as inhuman and cruel. The great ground of objection to it was political; that it weakened the social/fabric; that, taking the place of free labor, society was less strong, and labor was less productive; and, therefore, we find, from all the eminent men of the time, the clearest expression of their opinion that slavery was an evil. And they ascribed its existence here, not without truth, and not without some acerbity of temper and force of language, to the injurious policy of the mother country, who, to favor-the navigator, had entailed these evils upon the colonies. 1 need hardly refer, sir, to the publications of the day. They are mat ters of history on the record. The eminent men, the most eminent men, and nearly all the conspicu ous politicians of the South, held the same senti ments, that slavery was an evil, a blight, a blast, a mildew, a scourge, and a curse. There are no terms of reprobation of slavery so vehement in the North of that day as in the South. The North was not so much excited against it as the South, and the reason is, I suppose, because there was much less at the North; and the people did not see, or think they saw, the evils so promi nently as they were seen, or thought to be seen. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.