The Importance Of Tallmadge's Proposal To Congress

During the period in which the national debate on the westward expansion of slavery took place, there were many events that occurred to actually make up the national debate on the westward expansion of slavery.
During Tallmadge’s speech to congress in 1819 he made a proposal of an amendment. In Tallmadge’s proposal to congress he first stated that within the slaveholding States he did not intend to change the fact that they were slave states and that if he did this it would later on lead to war. So he proposed that past the banks of the Mississippi in new territory where there is no slavery there should not be any in the future, in other words stop the expansion of slavery into new states. To his proposal the reactions were from the “gentleman” …show more content…
In Tallmadge’s proposal to congress he first stated that within the slaveholding States he did not intend to change the fact that they were slave states and that if he did this it would later on lead to war. So he proposed that past the banks of the Mississippi in new territory where there is no slavery there should not be any in the future, in other words stop the expansion of slavery into new states. To his proposal the reactions were from the “gentleman” Mr.Scott in Mississippi and Mr. Coss from Georgia and were mostly bad reactions. They seemed to be mostly indirect warnings of death if he continued to do as he was doing. Did these reactions cause Tallmadge to consider withdrawing or abandoning his proposal? I say and I quote “Sir language of this sort has no effect on me”, Tallmadge did not in the least abandon his proposal on the contrary Tallmadge continued with his proposal. Tallmadge predicted in the years ahead the possibility of the dissolution of the Union, civil war, and under dreaded circumstances his life. Later in history …show more content…
On a bigger scale this shows that the country’s viewpoint on slavery is practically split in two. Their were as many who supported the compromise as their were who opposed it. In the end the amount of supporters was greater. This shows that the country was more determined to have a start as small or as big as it was to prohibiting slavery. Adams say might have been a “wiser as well as bolder course” than the recent compromise in congress because if they would have included Missouri in the restriction of slavery at that time it could have worked out in a much greater favor than a recent compromise. The results of this action if it were to have happened would have been one of two. One, the compromise would have been very favorable, or two, they would have lost the debate/voting and would be at a much greater loss than if they won the