till Appomattox--that he privately gave as
a reason for making the first battle on the tariff question rather than
on slavery, that on the first the world's sympathies would be with them,
and on slavery against them. The same tradition ascribed to Calhoun the
prediction that the Northern influence would become predominant in the
Union about 1860. Whether or not Calhoun said these things, the tariff
issue certainly was brought on by the North; and the "compromise" on it
was a substantial victory gained by South Carolina for the South. The
final verdict of history may be that it was a just victory, won by
unjust means. Calhoun now stood forth the recognized leader of his
section, while it soon became apparent that of that section slavery was
the special bond, and was to be its avowed creed.

Almost unobserved for a time amid these exciting events, the debate over
slavery had been going on, transferred mainly from the political field
to the minds and consciences of individuals. Once in State politics it
came to an issue. Illinois, a free State without question at its
admission in 1818, had a majority of its early immigrants from the
South, and a determined effort was made to introduce slavery by law. It
met a still more vigorous resistance, in which the Methodist and Baptist
clergy, mainly Southern men, took a leading part. The opposition was
led by a Southerner, Gov. Edward Coles, one of the forgotten heroes.
Inheriting in Virginia some hundreds of slaves, and hindered by the
State laws from emancipating them, he took them all to Illinois, gave
them their freedom, supplied them with land, cabins, stock, and tools,
and watched and befriended them till they became self-supporting. In
each deed of emancipation he gave his testimony: "Whereas, I do not
believe a man can have a right of property in his fellow men ... I do
therefore ... restore to the said ---- that inalienable liberty of which
they have been deprived." He led the fight against the introduction of
slavery into Illinois to a decisive victory in 1824. A few more such men
throughout the South, and history would have been different.

A quiet advocacy of anti-slavery went on throughout the country, except
the extreme South. It was in sympathy with the general revival of
religious activity which began about 1815--a form of the new national
life, disentangled from European complications, and free for home
conquests and widening achievements. Three great evils aroused