James Murray Mason reads Calhoun's dying words

James Murray Mason reads Calhoun's dying words

abolition; slavery

James Murray read to the Senate the speech written by his dying colleague Senator John Calhoun of South Carolina. He believed the Compromise of 1850 was a breaking point between slave owning and non slave owning states, which abolished slavery in Washington D.C, and admitted California as a free state.

John C Calhoun

U.S. Senate

Library of Congress

4, March, 1850

Michael Pinkerton

Public Domain

John C. Calhoun Papers

Written Text; digital text;

English

Manuscript

https://www.loc.gov/item/mcc.009/

This speech delivered by Mason states that the country has now been permanently divided into 2 entities, of which he claims there is no going back. He states that the north are the aggressors and that if they can not reach an agreement, they should at least agree to part ways. The seeds of secession are being planted.

Speech

Written Text