Joshua Giddings and The Gag Rule
Having a strong opinion is one thing, but it takes a large amount of courage to follow through and fight in what you believe in, even if it means to try and change a country for the better.
Joshua Giddings was an American attorney, abolitionist, and politician who served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1838-1859. He was censured in Congress for violating the Gag rule, under which he defended slaves gaining their freedom. When someone is censured, it is a formal expression of severe disapproval, and is later voted in the Congress if necessary for expulsion. He introduced a series of resolutions to the House during an uneasy time in Congress when things many were changing. He worked with many abolitionists fighting against slavery around the 1830’s, to the late 1850’s.
As I mentioned before, Giddings was …show more content…
Joshua Giddings lived most of his life in Ohio, in a place known for its radicalism. Radicalism is a belief that society must be changed by revolutionary means. During his first year in Congress, he defended against slavery through faith and morals. During his time he, without a doubt, defended the right of all slaves seeking freedom. When he spoke in Congress, he laced his speeches with images of slavery so cruel and shameful, that many people mentioned “that he was at war with Washington itself” (as many people supported slavery there). There were sometimes slaveholders so livid with him and would threaten him physically after some of his speeches. As you can tell, he was very determined to get the message out, and did whatever it took.
In 1836 in an attempt to uphold Party politics and combat against dividing sectional interests, Van Buren and Henry Pinkney created the “Gag Rule”, in hopes it would extinguish antislavery advocates. It stated that all
Having a strong opinion is one thing, but it takes a large amount of courage to follow through and fight in what you believe in, even if it means to try and change a country for the better.
Joshua Giddings was an American attorney, abolitionist, and politician who served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1838-1859. He was censured in Congress for violating the Gag rule, under which he defended slaves gaining their freedom. When someone is censured, it is a formal expression of severe disapproval, and is later voted in the Congress if necessary for expulsion. He introduced a series of resolutions to the House during an uneasy time in Congress when things many were changing. He worked with many abolitionists fighting against slavery around the 1830’s, to the late 1850’s.
As I mentioned before, Giddings was …show more content…
Joshua Giddings lived most of his life in Ohio, in a place known for its radicalism. Radicalism is a belief that society must be changed by revolutionary means. During his first year in Congress, he defended against slavery through faith and morals. During his time he, without a doubt, defended the right of all slaves seeking freedom. When he spoke in Congress, he laced his speeches with images of slavery so cruel and shameful, that many people mentioned “that he was at war with Washington itself” (as many people supported slavery there). There were sometimes slaveholders so livid with him and would threaten him physically after some of his speeches. As you can tell, he was very determined to get the message out, and did whatever it took.
In 1836 in an attempt to uphold Party politics and combat against dividing sectional interests, Van Buren and Henry Pinkney created the “Gag Rule”, in hopes it would extinguish antislavery advocates. It stated that all