a, presumably Quakers, requesting Congress to abolish
slavery and the slave-trade in the District of Columbia, he refused to
countenance their prayer, and expressed the wish that the memorial
might be referred without debate. At the very time when a New England
ex-President was thus advising abolitionists to desist from sending
petitions to Congress, the Virginia Legislature was engaged in the
memorable debate upon a similar petition from Virginia Quakers, in which
most radical abolition sentiment was expressed by actual slaveowners.
Adams continued to present anti-slavery memorials and at the same time
to express his opposition to the demands of the petitioners. When
in 1835 there arose a decided opposition to the reception of such
documents, Adams, still in apparent sympathy with the pro-slavery South
on the main issue, gave wise counsel on the method of dealing with
petitions. They should be received, said he, and referred to a
committee; because the right of petition is sacred. This, he maintained,
was the best way to avoid disturbing debate on the subject of slavery.
He quoted his own previous experience; he had made known his opposition
to the purposes of the petitioners; their memorials were duly referred
to a committee and there they slept the sleep of death. At that time
only one voice had been raised in the House in support of the abolition
petitioners, that of John Dickson of New York, who had delivered a
speech of two hours in length advocating their cause; but not a voice
was raised in reply. Mr. Adams mentioned this incident with approval.
The way to forestall disturbing debate in Congress, he said, was
scrupulously to concede all constitutional rights and then simply to
refrain from speaking on the subject.

This sound advice was not followed. For several months a considerable
part of the time of the House was occupied with the question of handling
abolition petitions. And finally, in May, 1836, the following resolution
passed the House: "Resolved, That all petitions, memorials, resolutions,
propositions, or papers relating in any way or to any extent whatever to
the subject of slavery or the abolition of slavery, shall, without being
either printed or referred, be laid on the table, and that no further
action whatever shall be had thereon." This is commonly known as the
"gag resolution." During four successive years it was reenacted in one
form or another and was not repealed by direct vote until 1844.