. It is only by a strict adherence to the limitations imposed by the Constitution on the federal government, that this system works well, and can answer the great ends for which it was instituted. [was] fixed, forever, the character of the population in the vast regions Northwest of the Ohio, by excluding from them involuntary servitude. They switched from a. the tariff of 1828 to national power . Beyond that I seek not to penetrate the veil. Sir, as to the doctrine that the federal government is the exclusive judge of the extent as well as the limitations of its powers, it seems to be utterly subversive of the sovereignty and independence of the states. The dominant historical opinion of the famous debate between Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Robert Young Hayne of South Carolina which took place in the United States Senate in 1830 has long been that Webster defeated Hayne both as an orator and a statesman. Their own power over their own instrument remains. The honorable gentleman from Massachusetts [Senator Daniel Webster] has gone out of his way to pass a high eulogium on the state of Ohio. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. 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. We met it as a practical question of obligation and duty. If slavery, as it now exists in this country, be an evil, we of the present day found it ready made to our hands. . This was the tenor of Webster's speech, and nobly did the country respond to it. . . It impressed on the soil itself, while it was yet a wilderness, an incapacity to bear up any other than free men. Hayne began the debate by speaking out against a proposal by the northern states which suggested that the federal government should stop its surveyance of land west of the Mississippi and shift its focus to selling the land it had already surveyed. . The 1830 WebsterHayne debate centered around the South Carolina nullification crisis of the late 1820s, but historians have largely ignored the sectional interests underpinning Webster's argument on behalf of Unionism and a transcendent nationalism. I distrust, therefore, sir, the policy of creating a great permanent national treasury, whether to be derived from public lands or from any other source. . Webster and the North treated it as binding the states together as a single union. to expose them to the temptations inseparable from the direction and control of a fund which might be enlarged or diminished almost at pleasure, without imposing burthens upon the people? Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) | Case, Significance & Summary. But, the simple expression of this sentiment has led the gentleman, not only into a labored defense of slavery, in the abstract, and on principle, but, also, into a warm accusation against me, as having attacked the system of domestic slavery, now existing in the Southern states. The debate was on. 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. What followed, the Webster Hayne debate, was one of the most famous exchanges in Senate history. But, sir, the task has been forced upon me, and I proceed right onward to the performance of my duty; be the consequences what they may, the responsibility is with those who have imposed upon me this necessity. [O]pinions were expressed yesterday on the general subject of the public lands, and on some other subjects, by the gentleman from South Carolina [Senator Robert Hayne], so widely different from my own, that I am not willing to let the occasion pass without some reply. Record of the Organization and Proceedings of The Massachusetts Lawmakers Investigate Working Condit State (Colonial) Legislatures>Massachusetts State Legislature. My life upon it, sir, they would not. Expert Answers. Sir, I deprecate and deplore this tone of thinking and acting. Most people of the time supported a small central government and strong state governments, so the federal government was much weaker than you might have expected. Several state governments or courts, some in the north, had espoused the idea of nullification prior to 1828. In the course of my former remarks, I took occasion to deprecate, as one of the greatest of evils, the consolidation of this government. Thirty years before the Civil War broke out, disunion appeared to be on the horizon with the Nullification Crisis. . Some of Webster's personal friends had felt nervous over what appeared to them too hasty a period for preparation. He must cut it with his sword. The gentleman takes alarm at the sound. This is the true constitutional consolidation. I deem far otherwise of the Union of the states; and so did the Framers of the Constitution themselves. . I said, only, that it was highly wise and useful in legislating for the northwestern country, while it was yet a wilderness, to prohibit the introduction of slaves: and added, that I presumed, in the neighboring state of Kentucky, there was no reflecting and intelligent gentleman, who would doubt, that if the same prohibition had been extended, at the same early period, over that commonwealth, her strength and population would, at this day, have been far greater than they are. Webster believed that the Constitution should be viewed as a binding document between the United States rather than an agreement between sovereign states. Eloquence threw open the portals of eternal day. This debate exposed the critically different understandings of the nature of the American. Daniel webster (ma) and sen. Hayne of . . Southern states advocated for strong, sovereign state governments, a small federal government, the western expansion of the agricultural economy, and with it, the maintenance of the institution of slavery. The Virginia Resolution asserted that when the federal government undertook the deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of powers not granted to it in the constitution, states had the right and duty to interpose their authority to prevent this evil. Neither side can be said to have 'won' the debate, but Webster's articulation of the Union solidified for many the role of the federal government. Tariff of Abominations of 1828 | What was the Significance of the Tariff of Abominations? The Revelation on Celestial Marriage: Trouble Amon Hon. If the federal government, in all or any of its departments, are to prescribe the limits of its own authority; and the states are bound to submit to the decision, and are not to be allowed to examine and decide for themselves, when the barriers of the Constitution shall be overleaped, this is practically a government without limitation of powers; the states are at once reduced to mere petty corporations, and the people are entirely at your mercy. This absurdity (for it seems no less) arises from a misconception as to the origin of this government and its true character. The faction of voters in the North were against slavery and feared it spreading into new territory. . Benton was rising in renown as the advocate not only of Western settlers but of a new theory that the public lands should be given away instead of sold to them. . The idea of a strong federal government The ability of the people to revolt against an unfair government The theory that the states' may vote against unfair laws The role of the president in commanding the government 2 See answers Advertisement holesstanham Answer: The Webster Hayne Debate. He must say to his followers [members of the state militia], defend yourselves with your bayonets; and this is warcivil war. I now proceed to show that it is perfectly safe, and will practically have no effect but to keep the federal government within the limits of the Constitution, and prevent those unwarrantable assumptions of power, which cannot fail to impair the rights of the states, and finally destroy the Union itself. Be this as it may, Hayne was a ready and copious orator, a highly-educated lawyer, a man of varied accomplishments, shining as a writer, speaker, and counselor, equally qualified to draw up a bill or to advocate it, quick to memories, well fortified by wealth and marriage connections, dignified, never vulgar nor unmindful of the feelings of those with whom he mingled, Hayne moved in an atmosphere where lofty and chivalrous honor was the ruling sentiment. All rights reserved. Allow me to say, as a preliminary remark, that I call this the South Carolina doctrine, only because the gentleman himself has so denominated it. Create your account. . And now, Mr. President, let me run the honorable gentlemans doctrine a little into its practical application. It is not the creature of state Legislatures; nay, more, if the whole truth must be told, the people brought it into existence, established it, and have hitherto supported it, for the very purpose, amongst others, of imposing certain salutary restraints on state sovereignties. What was going on? While the Union lasts, we have high, exciting, gratifying prospects spread out before us, for us and our children. . . I regard domestic slavery as one of the greatest of evils, both moral and political. But his calm, unperturbed manner reassured them in an instant. The Northwest Ordinance. This was the man to fire an aristocracy of fellow citizens ready to arm when their interests were in danger, and upon him, it devolved to advance the cause of South Carolina, break down the tariff, and fascinate the Union with the new rattlesnake theories. [2] We deal in no abstractions. Who doesn't? Those who would confine the federal government strictly within the limits prescribed by the Constitutionwho would preserve to the states and the people all powers not expressly delegatedwho would make this a federal and not a national Unionand who, administering the government in a spirit of equal justice, would make it a blessing and not a curse. The United States' democratic process was evolving and its leaders were putting the newly ratified Constitution into practice. . Our notion of things is entirely different. I understand him to maintain, that the ultimate power of judging of the constitutional extent of its own authority, is not lodged exclusively in the general government, or any branch of it; but that, on the contrary, the states may lawfully decide for themselves, and each state for itself, whether, in a given case, the act of the general government transcends its power. Explore the Webster-Hayne debate. Some of his historical deductions may be questioned; but far above all possible error on the part of her leaders, stood colonial and Revolutionary New England, and the sturdy, intelligent, and thriving people whose loyalty to the Union had never failed, and whose home, should ill befall the nation, would yet prove liberty's last shelter. Thousands of these deluded victims of fanaticism were seduced into the enjoyment of freedom in our Northern cities. 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. When they shall become dissatisfied with this distribution, they can alter it. 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. I am a Unionist, and in this sense a national Republican. Webster realized that if the social, political, and economic elite of Massachusetts and the Northeast were to once again lay claim to national leadership, he had to justify New England's previous history of sectionalism within a framework of nationalistic progression. . . How do Webster and Hayne differ in regard to their understandings of the proper relationship among the several states and between the states and the national government? The United States, under the Constitution and federal government, was a single, unified nation, not a coalition of sovereign states. 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. I have but one word more to add. They will also better understand the debate's political context. . . 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. . . Webster's "Second Reply to Hayne" was generally regarded as "the most eloquent speech ever delivered in Congress."[1]. Enveloping all of these changes was an ever-growing tension over the economy, as southern states firmly defended slavery and northern states advocated for a more industrial, slave-free market. Then he began his speech, his words flowing on so completely at command that a fellow senator who heard him likened his elocution to the steady flow of molten gold. South Carolinas Declaration of the Causes of Sece Distribution of the Slave Population by State. . If an inquiry should ever be instituted in these matters, however, it will be found that the profits of the slave trade were not confined to the South. The Hayne-Webster Debate was 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. These irreconcilable views of national supremacy and state sovereignty framed the constitutional struggle that led to Civil War thirty years later. . The militia of the state will be called out to sustain the nullifying act. In The Webster-Hayne Debate, Christopher Childers examines the context of the debate between Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and his Senate colleague Robert S. Hayne of South Carolina in January 1830 . If the government of the United States be the agent of the state governments, then they may control it, provided they can agree in the manner of controlling it; if it be the agent of the people, then the people alone can control it, restrain it, modify, or reform it. 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. sir, this is but the old story. Webster-Hayne Debate. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Correct answers: 2 question: Which of the following is the best definition of a hypothesis? For one, Hayne and Webster were arguing for the fate of the West and, in particular, whether the North or South would control western development. Ostend Manifesto of 1854 Overview & Purpose | What was the Ostend Manifesto? The states cannot now make war; they cannot contract alliances; they cannot make, each for itself, separate regulations of commerce; they cannot lay imposts; they cannot coin money. But that was found insufficient, and inadequate to the public exigencies. . 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It is one from which we are not disposed to shrink, in whatever form or under whatever circumstances it may be pressed upon us. I will struggle while I have life, for our altars and our fire sides, and if God gives me strength, I will drive back the invader discomfited. President Andrew Jackson had just been elected, most of the states got rid of property requirements for voting, and an entire new era of democracy was being born. 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. 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?

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