The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-03-20


creed that all the territory then belonging to
the United States should be forever free. Four
new States were formed out of territory living
south of the Ohio river, and admitted into the
Union, previous to l820-but the territory from
which they were formed had belonged to States
in which Slavery existed at the time of their
formation; and in ceding it to the General Gov
eminent, or in asserting to the formation of
new States within it, the old States to which it
belonged had inserted proviso against any reg
ulation of Congress that should tend to the
emancipation of slaves. Congress was thus pre-
vented from prohibiting Slavery in these new
which they had been formed But, as soon as
the constitutional limitation upon its power over
the States then existing had expired, Congress
prohibited, by fearful penalties, the addition, by
importation of single slave, to the number al.
ready in the country.
The trainers Of the Constitution, although the
historical record Of their opinions proves that
they were earnest and undivided in their dislike
of Slavery, and in their conviction that it was
hostile in its nature and its influences to Repub-
lican freedom, after taking these steps 10 pre-
vent its increase, did not interfere with it fur
| Their in the States where it then existed. Those
States were separate communities jealous of
| their sovereignty, and unwilling to enter into
L
degree, upon their own control of their own af-
fairs. This sentiment the trainers of the Con-
stitution were compelled, to respect and they
accordingly left Slavery as they left all other
| local interests, to the control of the several
| States. But no one who reads with care the
debates and the recorded opinions of that age,
| can doubt that the ultimate removal of Slavery
was desired by the People of the whole country,
and that Congress had been empowered to pre-
vent its increase, with view to its gradual and
| ultimate extinction. Nor did the period of
emancipation seem remote. Slave labor, en-
ployed as it was in agriculture, was less profit
able than the free labor which was pouring in
to take its place. And even in States where
this consideration did not prevail, other infuen
ces tended to the same result. The spirit of
Liberty was then young, generous, and strong.
The men of the nation had made sacrifices and
waged battles for the vindication of their inalen
able rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness; and it was not possible for them to
sit down in the quiet enjoyment Of blessings
thus achieved, without feeling the injustice, as
well as the inconvenience, of holding great num-
bers of their fellow-men in bondage. In all the
States, therefore, there existed a strong tenden-
cy towards emancipation. The removal of so
great an evil was felt to be worthy object of
ambition by the best and most sagacious states
Franklin, and all the great leaders and repre-
sentatives of public opinion, were active and
earnest in devising measures by which it could
be accomplished.
But the great change produced in the indus
try of the Southern States, in the early part of
the present century, by the increased culture of
cotton, the introduction Of new inventions to
prepare it for use, and its growing importance
10 the commerce of the country and the labor
of the world, by making slave labor more profit
able than it had ever been before, checked this
tendency towards emancipation, and soon put All
end to it altogether AS the demand for cot.
ton increased, the interests of the cotton-grow
ing States became more and more connected
with Slavery; the spirit of freedom gradually
gave way before the spirit of gain the senti-
ments and the language of the Southern States
became changed and all attempts at enamel
patton began to be regarded, and resisted, as
assaults upon the rights and the interests of the
saveholding section of the Union. For many
years, however, this change did not affect the
political relations of the subject. States, both
free and slaveholding, were successfully added
to the Confederacy, without exciting the fears
of either section. Vermont came into the Union
in 1871, with Constitution excluding Slavery.
Kentucky, formed out of Virginia. was admitted
in 1892, Tennessee in 1896, Mississippi in
1917, and Alabama in lSl9--all slave States,
formed out of territory belonging to slave States,
and having Slavery established in them at the
time of their formation. On the other hand,
Ohio was admitted in 1909 Indiana in 1916,
and Illinois in 1918, having formed State Gov
ernments under acts of Congress which made it
a fundamental condition, that their Constitu-
tons should contain nothing repugnant to the
Ordinance of l787-or, in other words, that
Slavery should be prohibited within their limits
forever. In all these occurrences, as in the ad-
mission Of Louisiana in 1912, there had been
no contest between Freedom aud Slavery, for
it had not been generally felt that the interests
OF either were seriously involved.
The Missouri Compromise.
The first contest concerning the admission of
a new State, which turned upon the question of
Slavery, occdSted in 1919, when Missouri, form
ed out of territory purchased from France in
1903, applied to Congress for admission to the
Union as slaveholdiDg State. The applica-
| ton was strenuously resisted by the people of
the free States. 1t was everywhere felt that
| the decision involved consequences of the last
| Importance to the welfare of the country, and
that, if the progress of Slavery was ever to be
arrested, that was the time to arrest it. The
| slaveholding interest demanded its admission
as right, and denied the power of Congress
| to impose conditions upon new States applying
to be admitted into the Confederacy. The power
| rested with the free States, and Missouri was
denied admission. But the subject was review.
ed. The slaveholding interest, with character.
istic and timely sagacity, abated something of
its pretensions, and settled the controversy on
the basis of compromise. Missouri was ad-
mitted into the Union by an act bearing date
| March 6, 1920, in which it was also declared
| that Gin all that territory coded by France to
| the United States, under the name of Louisiana,
| which lies north of $50 3V of north latitude.
| not included within the limits of the State of
Missouri, SLAVERY AND INVOLUNTARY sERvI-
tube, otherwise than in the punishment of
crimes whereof the parties shall have been duly
| convicted, SHALL BE, AND IS HEREBY, FOREVER
PROHIBITED" In each House of Congress, a
majority of the members from the slaveholding
States voted in favor of the bill with this pro-
vision-thus declaring and exercising, by their
votes, the constitutional power of Congress to
prohibit Slavery even in Territories where it
had been permitted by the law Of France, at
the date of their cession to the United States.
| A new slave State, Arkansas, formed out OF
that portion of this Territory lying south of go
30>, to which the prohibition was not extended
was admitted to the Union in 1885, Two slave
States thus came into the Confederacy by yir.
tue of this arrangement; while Freedom gained
nothing by it but the prohibition of Slavery
from q vast region which civilization had made
no attempt to penetrate.
Thus ended the first great contest of Free
dom and Slavery for position and power in the
General Government. The slaveholding inter
est had achieved virtual victory. 1t secured
all the immediate results for which it struggled
it acquired the power of offsetting, in the Fed
eral Senate, two of the free States of the Con
federacy and the time could not be foreseer
when, in the ful6llment of its compact. it would