In the Shadow of Freedom: The Politics of Slavery in the National Capital

“A nest of rattlesnakes let loose among them”

97 Susan฀Zaeske “A nest of rattlesnakes let loose among them” Congressional Debates over Women’s Antislavery Petitions, – “ Just the most exciting฀incident฀that฀occurs฀in฀the฀Houses฀of฀Congress฀ is the presentation of petitions for the abolition of Slavery in this District ,”฀reported฀a฀Capitol฀observer฀during฀the฀first฀days฀of฀1837. It was during ฀this,฀the฀second฀session฀of฀the฀Twenty-fourth฀Congress,฀that฀abolitionists฀ loaded฀the฀desks฀of฀their฀representatives฀with฀memorials฀signed฀by฀thousands ฀of฀constituents.฀The฀effect฀was฀“electrical”฀when฀time฀after฀time฀a฀few฀ members to whom the memorials had been entrusted rose to state the content ฀of฀the฀petitions.฀Already฀at฀the฀last฀session฀of฀Congress฀the฀growing฀ number of antislavery petitions had thrown the House of Representatives into such commotion that southern members proposed and northern members฀acquiesced฀to฀the฀passage฀of ฀a฀rule฀that฀immediately฀tabled฀the฀ bothersome฀papers.฀But฀no฀gag฀rule฀had฀been฀instituted฀at฀this฀new฀session฀ and the antislavery petitions burst upon the floor. “If a nest of rattlesnakes were฀ suddenly฀ let฀ loose฀ among฀ them,฀ the฀ members฀ could฀ manifest฀ but฀ little฀more฀‘agitation’—except฀perhaps,฀that฀they฀retain฀their฀seats฀a฀little better,”฀the฀observer฀wrote.฀“The฀Southern฀hotspurs฀are฀almost฀ready฀to฀ dance฀with฀rage฀at฀the฀attack,฀as฀they฀called฀it,฀upon฀their฀peculiar฀domestic ฀institutions.”1 The author wishes to thank Paul Finkelman for the invitation to participate in the symposium ฀and฀Mary฀Louise฀Roberts฀for฀her฀insightful฀suggestions฀on฀multiple฀drafts฀of฀this฀ essay. 1 Emancipator, Jan. 19, 1837. 98 Susan Zaeske ฀ A฀nest฀of฀rattlesnakes฀had฀been฀let฀loose฀in฀the฀House.฀Southern฀congressmen ฀could฀not฀have฀been฀more฀angry,฀antislavery฀activists฀could฀not฀have฀ been more pleased. Petitions for the abolition of slavery, with their venomous attacks on the peculiar institution, inflamed the jealous pride of southern ฀members฀entangling฀them฀in฀debates฀over฀slavery,฀an฀issue฀that฀American฀ statesmen฀of฀all฀sorts฀had฀studiously฀avoided฀during฀the฀first฀fifty฀years฀of฀the฀ young฀republic.฀Thus,฀the฀debate฀sparked฀by฀the฀antislavery฀petitions฀was฀ one฀of฀the฀most฀important฀in฀the฀history฀of฀the฀Congress฀and฀the฀nation.฀ William฀Freehling฀has฀deemed฀this฀debate฀“the฀Pearl฀Harbor฀of฀the฀slavery฀ controversy.”฀And฀William฀Lee฀Miller฀has฀identified฀this฀battle฀over฀the฀right฀ to฀petition฀against฀slavery฀“the฀first฀explicit฀and฀extended฀struggle฀between฀ American฀slavery฀and฀what฀would฀be฀called,฀in฀a฀later฀century,฀the฀American฀ Creed.”฀“It฀was,”฀writes฀Miller,฀“the฀articulate฀beginning฀of฀a฀national฀forkin -the-road฀choice฀between฀inherited฀despotism฀and฀developing฀democracy.฀ Or฀between฀tragic฀evil฀and฀human฀ideals.”2 ฀ yet,฀the฀congressional฀debates฀over฀the฀reception฀of฀antislavery฀petitions฀ were฀monumental฀in฀another฀respect฀that฀has฀gone฀largely฀unremarked.฀Because ฀tens฀of฀thousands฀of฀women฀signed฀antislavery฀petitions,฀the฀debates฀ over the reception of female antislavery petitions provoked what was perhaps ฀the฀first฀sustained฀discussion฀of฀women’s฀political฀rights฀and฀their฀status฀ as฀citizens฀in฀the฀history฀of฀the฀U.S.฀Congress.฀To฀be฀sure,฀during฀the฀Revolutionary ฀period฀the฀rights฀of฀women฀had฀been฀deliberated฀in฀private฀correspondence ฀and,฀during฀the฀post-Revolutionary฀period,฀in฀ladies฀magazines.฀ But,฀as฀Rosemarie฀Zagarri฀has฀observed,฀these฀discussions฀“did฀not฀occur฀ within฀official฀political฀institutions.”3 ฀And฀while฀the฀Supreme฀Court฀considered ฀women’s฀citizenship฀rights฀in฀Martin v. Massachusetts (1805) and state constitutional ฀conventions฀contemplated฀extending฀the฀franchise฀to฀women,฀no฀ sustained฀consideration฀of฀women’s฀political฀rights฀took฀place฀in฀Congress฀ until the debate over female antislavery petitions.4 ฀ The฀debates฀in฀Congress,฀in฀fact,฀constituted฀a฀significant฀moment฀in฀the฀ ongoing฀negotiation฀of฀women’s฀citizenship.฀By฀signing฀petitions,฀antislavery฀ women฀struggled฀to฀gain฀access฀to฀the฀political฀space฀of฀the฀House฀of฀Rep2 William Lee Miller, Arguing about Slavery: The Great Battle in the United States Congress (New york,฀1996), p. 24. 3 Rosemarie฀Zagarri,฀“The฀Rights฀of฀Man฀and฀Woman฀in฀Post-Revolutionary฀America,” William and Mary Quarterly, 3d ser., 55 (1998):203. 4 Linda฀K.฀Kerber,฀“The฀Paradox฀of฀Women’s฀Citizenship฀in฀the฀early฀Republic:฀The฀ Case of Martin v. Massachusetts,” American Historical Review (1992):349–78. Congressional Debates over Women’s Antislavery Petitions 99 resentatives where their representatives could hear their requests and where they could attempt to influence national policy. In the texts of their petitions ,฀women฀opposed฀slavery฀and฀justified฀entering฀the฀halls฀of฀the฀Capitol฀ with฀a฀series...