The House of Representatives passed three resolutions protecting slavery, introduced by Henry Laurens Pinckney of South Carolina. One of the Pinckney Resolutions, the “gag rule,” tabled antislavery petitions without discussion, on the grounds that Congress had no right to interfere with slavery. In response, Representative John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts submitted this motion declaring the gag rule unconstitutional.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
Representative John Quincy Adams's motion denouncing the "gag rule" as unconstitutional, May 27, 1836
The Gag Rule
In the 19th century, Americans vigorously exercised their First Amendment right “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” An antislavery petition drive in the 1830s swamped Congress with 130,000 petitions in a single year. In response, beginning in 1836, proslavery members of the House of Representatives passed a series of gag rules to prevent discussion of such petitions. Representative and former President John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts worked for years to overturn the gag rule, which the House finally repealed in 1844.
The House of Representatives passed three resolutions protecting slavery, introduced by Henry Laurens Pinckney of South Carolina. One of the Pinckney Resolutions, the “gag rule,” tabled antislavery petitions without discussion, on the grounds that Congress had no right to interfere with slavery. In response, Representative John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts submitted this motion declaring the gag rule unconstitutional.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
