With slavery and the definition of a citizen set the tone for race in america for the next seven decades. The u. S. Capitol society posted hosted this event. Its about one hour. Today, we are going to start with paul polgar, who is a longtime colleague of mine. He started interning with the First Federal congress project a long time ago. He is not sensitive about his age. He is too young to be that. What it seems like it was a long time ago and we were able to see him take some of the things and develop it and work it into his phd dissertation, which is the basis for his first book. A well grounded hope. He teaches at the university of mississippi. We are fortunate to have him coming all the way up here to th d. C. I want to thank the other people who made this a truly National Event with a scope that goes beyond this area code. We have a visitor from california, a good friend of ours, and another wonderful friend from new york city. For some reason, im forgetting your name. I am sorry john. And maurice represents the harvard conservancy. Into ae developing it real destination in Lower Manhattan for a study of the early congresses. Welcome to everybody, whether you came from near or far. [applause] lets welcome paul polgar. Paul polgar, thank you for that introduction. I would like to thank the u. S. Fortol Historical Society inviting me here today. Today is going to attempt to illustrate the central ways this First National congressional debate set the tone for these larger issues of slavery and race as they would play out over seven decades stretching all the way to the outbreak of the civil war. The subject of the talk will focus on the debate as it unfolded in 1790. In the early months of 1790, the house of representatives was consumed by the issue of slavery. Triggered by a set of petitions asking the First Federal congress to take antislavery gripped, this debate the lower house for days. Historians have interpreted this early episode in a long history of congressional grappling with the institution of slavery in various ways. Some have pointed to the role of these debates as establishing rule whichental would silence future additions to slavery to congress. Others have highlighted the congressional resolutions resulting from the debates, arguing they would close substantive action on the sector federal level and represent a lost opportunity for legislating against slavery in early america. Still others have downplayed the suppose it victories insisting , the debates concluded with an antislavery victory, namely the assertion congress could regulate the slave trade. What all these interpretations share is an implicit assumption that the debate was wholly over slavery and the slave trade. What im going to argue is at the heart of this debate is a overgle not merely constitutional provision but rather one over fundamental principles. On one side stood those who highlighted human over Property Rights and imagine American Revolutionary ideas of natural and equal liberty as applicable to those with black skin. In a series of petitions that generated this heated debate, antislavery activists, and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, put forth a vision of a new nation that imagined a racially inclusive republican where the basic rights of enslaved africans were respected. Opposite the petitioners, a congressman from the lower south, here, im referring to georgia and South Carolina, these men answered the antislavery rhetoric of the petitioners by undermining the underlining the sanctity of Property Rights and depicting slaves as inferior to their white counterparts, unfit for the liberty the petitioners argued was a natural right of all. Thus, Congress First debate over slavery exposed a rift over the meaning of race and the place of human bondage in the american nation. A rift over principles that would shape the contours of the nations growing division regarding the peculiar institution for generations to come. After a hardfought battle to ratify the constitution, the First Federal congress convened in new york of april of 1789. If the constitution gave a blueprint for federal governance, the First Congress was left to interpret it design and set presentence precedents in national lawmaking. I have an illustration of federal hall, where the First Congress met during its first two sessions before moving in december to philadelphia where it would stay for a decade. Before coming to what would become washington, d. C. Federal hall is located in northern manhattan. In what is now the financial district. Such issues as creating a National Financial system, funding the revolutionary war debt, and locating a permanent seat of government were some of the most important subject tackled by the nations First Congress. One topic the congress did not expect to address was slavery. The federal convention of 1787 resulted in a constitution that gave no indisputable victory to pro or antislavery interests. As with many devices standing in the way of creating a stronger union, the federal constitution maintained enough ambiguity to allow states opposed to and in favor of slavery to ratify the document. So, it would fall to congress to flesh out these ambiguities, either embracing or rejecting principles hostile to slavery. On february 11, 1790, one month into the second session of the First Congress, representative Thomas Spitzer the month fitzsimmons and John Lawrence presented antislave trade petitions from their quaker yearly meetings. Quakers were the leading religious Group Opposed to slavery. These petitions argued the slave trade violated the sanctity of the social contract and debased and dehumanized all those who took part. The trafficking of our fellow men was in human tyranny and destructive to the virtue and happiness of the people. In asking the First Congress to turn their attention to a case so interesting to the rights of men, the petitioners wanted the house to exert full extent of their power in discouraging the abominable commerce that was the slave trade. If the petitions of february 11 sent tremors through the house, when a third petition from the Pennsylvania Abolition Society reached the floor the following day, it would register as a massive earthquake. Whereas the previous petitions called for congress to examine its powers regarding the slave trade, the Pennsylvania Abolition Societys edition addressed the house in much broader and much more threatening abolitionist terms. I have here an image of the petition as it was submitted to congress. It is worth quoting from this petition to capture the scope of its attack on human bondage, so i will quote at length from the petition. From the regard of the happiness of mankind, and association was formed several years ago in the state. They are referring to the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. A just and accurate consumption conception of the true principles of liberty as it spreads through the land produces many friends in the legislative cooperation of their views. Which have been successfully directed to the relieving of vonage a large number of their fellow creatures of the african race. Here, the petitioner is referring to the pennsylvania abolition act of 1780. The petitioners have the satisfaction to observe that in consequence of that spirit of philanthropy and general liberty which is generally diffusing, similar institutions are gradually forming at home and abroad. That mankind are all formed by the same almighty being, the object of his care and equally designed for the enjoyment of happiness, the christian religion teaches us to believe and the political creed of america coincides with this position. Petitioners ha have observed many important powers are vested in you. They quote the constitution. Securing the blessings of liberty to the people of the united states. And as they conceive these blessings ought to be administered without distinction of color to all descriptions of people, so they indulge themselves in the pleasing expectation that nothing which can be done for the relief of the unhappy object of their care would be omitted or delayed. From a persuasion that equal liberty is the birthright of all men and influenced by the strong tides of humanity and the principles of their institution, we conceive ourselves bound to use all justifiable endeavors to loosen the bounds of slavery and promote a general enjoyment of the blessings of freedom. You will be pleased to countenance the restoration of liberty for those in this land of freedom are degraded into perpetual bondage. That you will devise means for removing this inconsistency from the character of the american people, that you will promote mercy and justice toward this distressed race and step to the verge of the powers vested in you for discouraging every species of traffic in our fellow man. The petition would have been read out loud just like that. Was read by the speaker of the house, so you have to imagine other congressmen receiving this. While the petition technically asked the house to apply jurisdictional powers over the slave trade specifically, its aims, as you have all heard, were much more encompassing. The Pennsylvania Abolition Society led the Antislavery Movement in pennsylvania. Pennsylvania passed the gradual emancipation law in 1780 and the society was working on incorporating former slaves into the republic as citizens. Calling for the application of its principles to the nation at large, the Abolition Society projected confidence that the course of history was on its side. It is referencing there are societies forming at home and internationally. Theres a real sense of confidence in this petition. The petition argued people of african descent were entitled to equal liberty with their free white counterparts. Emphasizing the equal humanity of slaves rather than their status as property, the society urged congress to approach the topic of slavery in this light. Linkedr, the petition the founding principles of the new nation, what it called the local creed of america, with the cause of slaverys abolition. To clinch this point, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society had it president and leading figure of American National identity sign the document. You can see in the bottom right corner, the signature. For those of you who dont spend your days reading 18thcentury handwriting, take my word for it. That is indeed Benjamin Franklins signature. The president of the society. The petition asked the house not only to assert immediate powers over regulating the slave trade, but to ratify a larger vision of the republic as a land of genuine liberty. A nation where the rights and humanity of enslaved blacks were acknowledged. Here, i want to show you the seal of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, which i think neatly encapsulates the ideals of the society. You can see a slave, having so, as i said, the petition is asking the house not only to assert its immediate powers over regulating the slave trade, but ultimately to endorse its larger vision. There are seven congressmen we will hear more from coming up, they quickly denounced the petition. Representatives from New England States, thomas scott of pennsylvania projected a strong voice of support for the antislavery petitioners. Answering a lower southerners contention that africans were a species of property, it was answered that it was not possible for one man to have property in another. If there was neither god nor opposehe said he would it on the principles of humanity. Scott offered that were he a federal judge and slaves asked him for freedom, i am sure i would go as far as i could in emancipating them. Others recommend that the petitions be referred to a committee. After two days of debate, the house voted to commit the petitions to a special committee for consideration. The select committee charged with drafting a report on the antislavery petitions completed their work on march 1 and submitted to the house the product of their deliberation four days later. The first cause of the report reiterated the pledge to not interfere with the slave trade before 1708. The second said that congress emancipation within the period mentioned it this section of the report was interpreted by William Lawton smith of South Carolina as leaving open the possibility that after 1808, congress could only ban the slave trade but regulate and perhaps in the slavery altogether. The third permission granted that only the individual states could make balls relating to the make laws regarding the happiness of the slave trade to tax slaves and to endorse the antislavery intentions of the petitioners. And finally the santa claus endorsed the intentions of the petitioners. Informing the petitioners that in all cases where congress could advance humane objects based on justice, humanity and good policy, they would do so. To the lower southerners who had opposed considering the petition altogether and wanted to table them and silence them, any report was bound to disappoint. Especially disappointing was a second clause that could be read to opening the door to federally sectioned emancipation, even though every cumbersome and who spoke in the debates would deny the right of the federal government to abolish slavery on the state level. The final cloth implied solidarity clause implied solidarity. The lower southerners succeeded in tabling the report, but the house agreed to take up the report on march 16th. To fully grasp why the lower southerners would offer an elaborate justification for slavery, it is important meet knowledge the defensive position of these congressmen found themselves in. In 1790, it was far from certain whether slavery would survive in the new republic. Many of the founding generation felt slavery was doomed to die out. By the time the first all five of the New England States and pennsylvania had either ended slavery judiciously judicially or put them on the path. They would have the passage of gradual abolition asked acts. Meanwhile in virginia and , maryland, the declining viability of the tobacco economy that led to the freeing of thousands of slaves voluntarily, and lifted restrictions on the slaveholders. As they took of the antislavery petitions, only South Carolina and georgia appeared unequivocally committed to the longterm presence of slavery in independent america. Furthermore, there is no what we would call solid south political alignment, completely or unabashedly committed to favoring the institution of slavery at this time. Revealingly, virginia was often lumped together by National Politicians with new york and pennsylvania. A mix of the rhetorical championing of the ideas of liberty and equality by some of virginias leading political figures and the state economic self interest, they stood to gain economically from any congressional action taken against the slave trade. All of this meant that lower southerners could not count on their northern neighbors for ideological support taking into account these factors, lower southern members of the house mustve been alarmed by the Pennsylvania Abolition Society petition that was read before the house. It urged congress to apply the societys principles as a guide to dealing with the issue of slavery on the National Level. Finding themselves boxed in politically, cumbersome and from South Carolina and georgia would feel compelled to combat the principles of the antislavery petitioners with what they viewed as a principal defense of slavery. Slaverys proponents relied on a bevy of arguments in defending bondage. Repeatedly, lower southerners attacked the quakers as subversive. The decision of many quakers to remain neutral revealed to them as being cowardly traitors, posing as Conscientious Objectors while they brought it to call their loyalty. The cause of evolution as part of a religious text rather than a universal one american independence. Yet, sullying the character of the quakers left the content of the petitions on answer appeared slavery defenders also turned to engine but revered sources in making their case. Both the greek and roman empires, two influential models for america, use slaves. Historical precedents of this kind called look carry little weight. In a country already celebrating itself by its exceptional nature, endorsement from the past ring hollow. Slaverys defenders scoured the bible for passengers that condoned slavery and recited to their colleagues those excerpts the interpreted as doing just that. Turning to the bible was a mixed blessing for slavery defenders. Antislavery activists could harness the christian precepts of altruism, benevolence in answering slaverys advocates. The inconclusive effect of these strategies in defending slavery left lower slippers southerners to compromise. Political compromise, economic utility only people of economic the senate could work in the tropical environment of the south, lacked a rationale and did not counter the claims of underlying black equality. This left Property Rights and race purity as we shall see, in defending american slavery, the lower southerners would merge Property Rights with racial and racial inferiority. On march 16