Susan Adams Morgan
US to 1877 History 1111-XTIA
December 1, 2014
Dr. Mickey Crews
Troy University
JAMES HENRY HAMMOND
James Henry Hammond was born in 1807 to Elisha and Catherine Hammond. His father never doubted that his son was a genius and Elisha lived, as his son later recounted, “for me and in me”.i He was raised in a household that preached that he would not turn out like most of the young southern gentlemen did at that time. James Henry Hammond was a highly intelligent man who succeeded at most everything he did or was instructed to do. He grew up in a typical southern home and atmosphere. It was instilled in him that failure was ‘not an option’ and his fear of failure led all the way until his death on …show more content…
What exactly was the “gag rule” and how did the “gag rule” actually come to backfire against the Southern Congressmen? The gag rule was adopted by Congress in 1836 to block the discussion of slavery at the national as well as the state level. The rule was repealed in 1844.ii The importance of the gag rule as it was presented was that any petitions for abolition should be received but tabled without discussion, the Pinckney resolutions prevented consideration of slavery in the House until they were overturned in 1844.iii The reason this “gag rule” really backfired against the south was because it allowed abolitionists to get strength from it. Their movement claimed that just as southerners denied rights to their slaves, so they were obstructing freedom of speech and petition in the national legislature.iv The “gag rule” really left James Henry Hammond no logical next step against the abolitionists. He felt the south bickered amongst themselves too much in order to achieve any notable success against the Federal Government. His views would come to pass with the Civil War and the defeat of the