The resolutions of May 1836 applied only to that session of Congress. The House of Representatives renewed the gag rule each subsequent session until 1840, when it became a standing rule until rescinded in 1844. This 1837 resolution was the second gag rule. Like the others, it tabled all antislavery petitions without further action or discussion.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
"Gag Rule" Resolution, December 21, 1837
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former President John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts worked for years to overturn the gag rule, which the House finally repealed in 1844.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 resolutions of May 1836 applied only to that session of Congress. The House of Representatives renewed the gag rule each subsequent session until 1840, when it became a standing rule until rescinded in 1844. This 1837 resolution was the second gag rule. Like the others, it tabled all antislavery petitions without further action or discussion.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
