FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   494   495   496   497   498   499   500   501   502   503   504   505   506   507   508   509   510   511  
512   513   514   515   516   517   518   519   520   521   522   523   524   525   526   527   528   529   530   531   532   533   534   535   536   >>   >|  
gible to any Civil or Military office, or to any place of trust or profit under the United States." Mr. Davis's amendment was rejected by a vote of 5 yeas to 32 nays; when he immediately moved to amend, by adding precisely the same words at the end of Section 1 of the proposed Article. It was again rejected. He then moved to amend by adding to the said Section these words: "But no Slave shall be entitled to his or her Freedom under this Amendment if resident at the time it takes effect in any State, the laws of which forbid Free Negroes to reside therein, until removed from such State by the Government of the United States." This also was rejected. Whereupon Mr. Powell moved to add, at the end of the first Section, the words: "No Slave shall be Emancipated by this Article unless the owner thereof shall be first paid the value of the Slave or Slaves so Emancipated." This likewise was rejected, on a yea and nay vote, by 2 yeas (Davis and Powell) to 34 nays; when Mr. Davis moved another amendment, viz.: to add at the end of Section 2 of the proposed Article, the following: "And when this Amendment of the Constitution shall have taken effect by Freeing the Slaves, Congress shall provide for the distribution and settlement of all the population of African descent in the United States among the several States and Territories thereof, in proportion to the White population of each State and Territory to the aggregate population of those of African descent." This met a like fate; whereupon the Senate adjourned, but, on the following day, the matter came up again for consideration: Hale, of New Hampshire, jubilantly declared that "this is a day that I and many others have long wished for, long hoped for, long striven for. * * * A day when the Nation is to commence its real life; or, if it is not the day, it is the dawning of the day; the day is near at hand * * * when the American People are to wake up to the meaning of the sublime truths which their fathers uttered years ago, and which have slumbered, dead-letters, upon the pages of our Constitution, of our Declaration of Independence, and of our history." McDougall, of California, on the other hand,--utterly regardless of the grandly patriotic resolutions of the Legislature of his State, which had just been presented to the Senate by his colleague--lugubriously declared: "In my judgment, it may well be said of us: 'Let the Heavens be h
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   494   495   496   497   498   499   500   501   502   503   504   505   506   507   508   509   510   511  
512   513   514   515   516   517   518   519   520   521   522   523   524   525   526   527   528   529   530   531   532   533   534   535   536   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Section

 
rejected
 

States

 

Article

 

population

 
United
 
Powell
 
Amendment
 

descent

 

African


declared

 
Senate
 

Constitution

 
Emancipated
 

thereof

 
Slaves
 

effect

 

proposed

 

amendment

 

adding


striven

 
commence
 

lugubriously

 
wished
 

Nation

 

consideration

 
Heavens
 
matter
 

Hampshire

 

jubilantly


judgment

 

colleague

 
resolutions
 

patriotic

 

letters

 
slumbered
 

grandly

 

utterly

 

California

 
history

Independence

 

Declaration

 

People

 

American

 

presented

 

McDougall

 
meaning
 

fathers

 
uttered
 

truths