A state will be restrained by a sincere love of the Union. The arena selected for a first impression was the Senate, where the arch-heretic himself presided and guided the onset with his eye. One was through protective tariffs, high taxes on imports and exports. . They cherish no deep and fixed regard for it, flowing from a thorough conviction of its absolute and vital necessity to our welfare. . Who doesn't? If the gentleman provokes the war, he shall have war. . God grant that on my vision never may be opened what lies behind. They attack nobody, and menace nobody. In a time when the country was undergoing some drastic changes, this debate managed to encapsulate the essence of the growing tensions dividing the nation. . This feeling, always carefully kept alive, and maintained at too intense a heat to admit discrimination or reflection, is a lever of great power in our political machine. To all this, sir, I was disposed most cordially to respond. Webster-Hayne Debate | Encyclopedia.com . . So soon as the cessions were obtained, it became necessary to make provision for the government and disposition of the territory . Webster's second reply to Hayne, in January 1830, became a famous defense of the federal union: "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable." Just beneath the surface of this debate lay the elements of the developing sectional crisis between North and South. Crittenden Compromise Plan & Reception | What was the Crittenden Compromise? Sir, I should fear the rebuke of no intelligent gentleman of Kentucky, were I to ask whether, if such an ordinance could have been applied to his own state, while it yet was a wilderness, and before Boone had passed the gap of the Alleghany, he does not suppose it would have contributed to the ultimate greatness of that commonwealth? An accomplished politician, Hayne was an eloquent orator who enthralled his audiences. Excerpts from Ratification Documents of Virginia a Ratifying Conventions>New York Ratifying Convention. Senator Foote, of Connecticut, submitted a proposition inquiring into the expediency of limiting the sales of public lands to those already in the market. I love a good debate. When my eyes shall be turned to behold, for the last time, the sun in Heaven, may I not see him shining on the broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious Union; on states dissevered, discordant, belligerent; on a land rent with civil feuds, or drenched, it may be, in fraternal blood! . On this subject, as in all others, we ask nothing of our Northern brethren but to let us alone; leave us to the undisturbed management of our domestic concerns, and the direction of our own industry, and we will ask no more. We, sir, who oppose the Carolina doctrine, do not deny that the people may, if they choose, throw off any government, when it becomes oppressive and intolerable, and erect a better in its stead. It has been said that Hayne was Calhoun's sword and buckler and that he returned to the contest refreshed each morning by nightly communions with the Vice-President, drawing auxiliary supplies from the well-stored arsenal of his powerful and subtle mind. I understand the honorable gentleman from South Carolina to maintain, that it is a right of the state legislatures to interfere, whenever, in their judgment, this government transcends its constitutional limits, and to arrest the operation of its laws. At the time of the debate, Webster was serving his term as Senator of Massachusetts. The Union to be preserved, while it suits local and temporary purposes to preserve it; and to be sundered whenever it shall be found to thwart such purposes. I regard domestic slavery as one of the greatest of evils, both moral and political. Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions | Overview, Impact & Significance, Public Speaking for Teachers: Professional Development, AEPA Earth Science (AZ045): Practice & Study Guide, ORELA Early Childhood Education: Practice & Study Guide, Praxis Middle School English Language Arts (5047) Prep, MTLE Physical Education: Practice & Study Guide, ILTS Mathematics (208): Test Practice and Study Guide, MTLE Earth & Space Science: Practice & Study Guide, AEPA Business Education (NT309): Help & Review, Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE): Exam Prep & Study Guide, GACE Special Education Adapted Curriculum Test I (083) Prep, GACE Special Education Adapted Curriculum Test II (084) Prep, Create an account to start this course today. This means that South Carolina is essentially its own nation, Georgia is its own nation, and so on. Webster-Hayne Debate - U-S-History The Commercial Greatness of the United States, Special Message to Congress (Tyler Doctrine), Estranged Labour and The Communist Manifesto, State of the Union Address Part II (1848). Sir, I am one of those who believe that the very life of our system is the independence of the states, and that there is no evil more to be deprecated than the consolidation of this government. Webster spoke in favor of the proposed pause of federal surveyance of western land, representing the North's interest in selling the western land, which had already been surveyed. It is, sir, the peoples Constitution, the peoples government; made for the people; made by the people; and answerable to the people. Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) | Case, Significance & Summary. Sir, an immense national treasury would be a fund for corruption. But that was found insufficient, and inadequate to the public exigencies. Sir, we narrow-minded people of New England do not reason thus. . I spoke, sir, of the ordinance of 1787, which prohibited slavery, in all future times, northwest of the Ohio,[6] as a measure of great wisdom and foresight; and one which had been attended with highly beneficial and permanent consequences. Now, have they given away that right, or agreed to limit or restrict it in any respect? This absurdity (for it seems no less) arises from a misconception as to the origin of this government and its true character. Webster's speech aroused the latent spirit of patriotism. . It was of a partizan and censorious character and drew nearly all the chief senators out. What they said I believe; fully and sincerely believe, that the Union of the states is essential to the prosperity and safety of the states. All of these ideas, however, are only parts of the main point. Edited and introduced by Jason W. Stevens. Foot calling for the temporary suspension of further land surveying until land already on the market was sold (to effectively stop the introduction of new lands onto the market). This important consideration, seriously and deeply impressed on our minds, led each state in the Convention to be less rigid, on points of inferior magnitude, than might have been otherwise expected.. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 He accused them of a desire to check the growth of the West in the interests of protection. The debate itself, a nine-day long unplanned exchange between Senators Robert Y. Hayne and Daniel Webster, directly addressed the methods by which the federal government was generating revenue, namely through protective tariffs and the selling of federal lands in the newly acquired western territories. It is one from which we are not disposed to shrink, in whatever form or under whatever circumstances it may be pressed upon us. . He describes fully that old state of things then existing. I supposed, that on this point, no two gentlemen in the Senate could entertain different opinions. The gentleman takes alarm at the sound. . . Speech of Senator Robert Y. Hayne of South Carolina, January 27, 1830. . Most are forgettable, to put it charitably. It is observable enough, that the doctrine for which the honorable gentleman contends, leads him to the necessity of maintaining, not only that this general government is the creature of the states, but that it is the creature of each of the states severally; so that each may assert the power, for itself, of determining whether it acts within the limits of its authority. They will also better understand the debate's political context. Sheidley, Harlow W. "The Wester-Hayne Debate: Recasting New England's Sectionalism", Virginia and Kentucky resolutions of 179899, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WebsterHayne_debate&oldid=1135315190, This page was last edited on 23 January 2023, at 22:54. We met it as a practical question of obligation and duty. Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster's "Second Reply" to South Carolina Senator Robert Y. Hayne has long been thought of as a great oratorical celebration of American Nationalism in a period of sectional conflict. Daniel Webster stood as a ready and formidable opponent from the north who, at different stages in his career, represented both the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Now that was a good debate! Tariff of Abominations of 1828 | What was the Significance of the Tariff of Abominations? Inflamed and mortified at this repulse, Hayne soon returned to the assault, primed with a two-day speech, which at great length vaunted the patriotism of South Carolina and bitterly attacked New England, dwelling particularly upon her conduct during the late war. We love to dwell on that union, and on the mutual happiness which it has so much promoted, and the common renown which it has so greatly contributed to acquire. But I do not understand the doctrine now contended for to be that which, for the sake of distinctness, we may call the right of revolution. During his first years in Congress, Webster railed against President James Madison 's war policies, invoking a states' rights argument to oppose a conscription bill that went down to defeat.. Sir, all our difficulties on this subject have arisen from interference from abroad, which has disturbed, and may again disturb, our domestic tranquility, just so far as to bring down punishment upon the heads of the unfortunate victims of a fanatical and mistaken humanity. . This is the true constitutional consolidation. In this regard, Webster anticipated an argument that Abraham Lincoln made in his First Inaugural Address (1861). . A four-speech debate between Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Robert Hayne of South Carolina, in January 1830. Correct answers: 2 question: Which of the following is the best definition of a hypothesis? . . What started as a debate over the Tariff of Abominations soon morphed into debates over state and federal sovereignty and liberty and disunion. I'm imagining that your answer is probably 'I do.' Webster-Hayne debate - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . What a commentary on the wisdom, justice, and humanity, of the Southern slave owner is presented by the example of certain benevolent associations and charitable individuals elsewhere. Why was the Hayne-Webster debate important? - eNotes.com Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you The Webster Hayne Debate - DEBETE CJK MTEL Speech: Notable Debates & Speeches in U.S. History, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Summary & Significance, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, The Significance of Daniel Webster's Argument, MTEL Speech: Principles of Argument & Debate, MTEL Speech: Understanding Persuasive Communication, MTEL Speech: Public Argument in Democratic Societies. . . In coming to the consideration of the next great question, what ought to be the future policy of the government in relation to the public lands? Sir, the very chief end, the main design, for which the whole Constitution was framed and adopted, was to establish a government that should not be obliged to act through state agency, or depend on state opinion and state discretion. For the next several days, the men traded speeches which contemporaries of the time described as the greatest orations ever delivered in the Senate. Let their last feeble and lingering glance, rather behold the gorgeous Ensign of the Republic, now known and honored throughout the earth, still full high advanced, its arms and trophies streaming in their original luster, not a stripe erased or polluted, nor a single star obscuredbearing for its motto, no such miserable interrogatory as, what is all this worth? If I could, by a mere act of my will, put at the disposal of the federal government any amount of treasure which I might think proper to name, I should limit the amount to the means necessary for the legitimate purposes of the government. The specific issue that sparked the Webster-Hayne debate was a proposal by the state of Connecticut which said that the federal government should halt its surveying of land west of the Mississippi and focus on selling the land it had already surveyed to private citizens. I understand him to insist, that if the exigency of the case, in the opinion of any state government, require it, such state government may, by its own sovereign authority, annul an act of the general government, which it deems plainly and palpably unconstitutional. An equally. Van Buren responded to the Panic of 1837 with the idea of the independent treasury, which was a. a system of depositing money in select independent banks . State governments were in control of their own affairs and expected little intervention from the federal government. Webster-Hayne Debate 1830, an unplanned series of speeches in the Senate, during which Robert Hayne of South Carolina interpreted the Constitution as little more than a treaty between sovereign states, and Daniel Webster expressed the concept of the United States as one nation. Regional Conflict in America: Debate Over States' Rights. The militia of the state will be called out to sustain the nullifying act. Southern ships and Southern sailors were not the instruments of bringing slaves to the shores of America, nor did our merchants reap the profits of that accursed traffic.. He entered the Senate on that memorable day with a slow and stately step and took his seat as though unconscious of the loud buzz of expectant interest with which the crowded auditory greeted his appearance. The people of the United States cherish a devotion to the Union, so pure, so ardent, that nothing short of intolerable oppression, can ever tempt them to do anything that may possibly endanger it. He joined Hayne in using this opportunity to try to detach the West from the East, and restore the old cooperation of the West and the South against New England. The Webster-Hayne Debates | Teaching American History We look upon the states, not as separated, but as united. But I take leave of the subject. Record of the Organization and Proceedings of The Massachusetts Lawmakers Investigate Working Condit State (Colonial) Legislatures>Massachusetts State Legislature. Webster-Hayne Debates, 1830 - Bill of Rights Institute We found that we had to deal with a people whose physical, moral, and intellectual habits and character, totally disqualified them from the enjoyment of the blessings of freedom. Webster-Hayne Debate - Federalism in America - CSF copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Nor those other words of delusion and folly,liberty first, and union afterwardsbut everywhere, spread all over in characters of living light, blazing on all its ample folds, as they float over the sea and over the land, and in every wind under the whole Heavens, that other sentiment, dear to every true American heartliberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable! . The debate continued, in some ways not being fully settled until the completion of the Civil War affirmed the power of the federal government to preserve the Union over the sovereignty of the states to leave it. On that system, Ohio and Carolina are different governments, and different countries, connected here, it is true, by some slight and ill-defined bond of union, but, in all main respects, separate and diverse. . . . This leads us to inquire into the origin of this government, and the source of its power. If these opinions be thought doubtful, they are, nevertheless, I trust, neither extraordinary nor disrespectful. The excited crowd which had packed the Senate chamber, filling every seat on the floor and in the galleries, and all the available standing room, dispersed after the orator's last grand apostrophe had died away in the air, with national pride throbbing at the heart. I am opposed, therefore, in any shape, to all unnecessary extension of the powers, or the influence of the Legislature or Executive of the Union over the states, or the people of the states; and, most of all, I am opposed to those partial distributions of favors, whether by legislation or appropriation, which has a direct and powerful tendency to spread corruption through the land; to create an abject spirit of dependence; to sow the seeds of dissolution; to produce jealousy among the different portions of the Union, and finally to sap the very foundations of the government itself. I admit that there is an ultimate violent remedy, above the Constitution, and in defiance of the Constitution, which may be resorted to, when a revolution is to be justified. . New England, the Union, and the Constitution in its integrity, all were triumphantly vindicated. Daniel webster, in a dramatic speech, showed the. If this Constitution, sir, be the creature of state Legislatures, it must be admitted that it has obtained a strange control over the volitions of its creators. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. There is not, and never has been, a disposition in the North to interfere with these interests of the South. What interest, asks he, has South Carolina in a canal in Ohio? Sir, this very question is full of significance. Sir, I have had some opportunities of making comparisons between the condition of the free Negroes of the North and the slaves of the South, and the comparison has left not only an indelible impression of the superior advantages of the latter, but has gone far to reconcile me to slavery itself. Wilmot Proviso of 1846: Overview & Significance | What was the Wilmot Proviso? What idea was espoused with the Webster-Hayne debates? They will also better understand the debate's political context. It was not a Union to be torn up without bloodshed; for nerves and arteries were interwoven with its roots and tendrils, sustaining the lives and interests of twelve million inhabitants. Robert Young Hayne | American politician | Britannica Sir, there does not exist, on the face of the whole earth, a population so poor, so wretched, so vile, so loathsome, so utterly destitute of all the comforts, conveniences, and decencies of life, as the unfortunate blacks of Philadelphia, and New York, and Boston. . Jackson himself would raise a national toast for 'the Union' later that year. . . Daniel Webster, in a dramatic speech, showed the danger of the states' rights doctrine, which permitted each State to decide for itself which laws were unconstitutional, claiming it would lead to civil war. He served as a U.S. senator from 1823 to 1832, and was a leading proponent of the states' rights doctrine. South Carolinas Declaration of the Causes of Secession (1860), Jefferson Daviss Inaugural Address (1861), Documents in Detail: The Webster-Hayne Debates, Remarks in Congress on the Tariff of Abominations, Check out our collection of primary source readers. Connecticut's proposal was an attempt to slow the growth of the nation, control westward expansion, and bolster the federal government's revenue. Francis O. J. Smith to Secretary of State Dan Special Message to the House of Representatives, Special Message to Congress on Mexican Relations.

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