Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878 to Samuel Medary
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09070 Author/Creator: Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878 Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 10 October 1851 Pagination: 4 p. Order a Copy
Writes about the Fugitive Slave Act: "...the law of 1850...is the most unwarrantable violation of the rights and sovereignty of the states we have ever witnessed. The South, in my opinion, are committing a fatal error in urging and insisting on this law. The clause in the Constitution is a mere compact among the States...the great interest involved has made our Southern friends oblivious to the fundamental doctrines of the party and the teachings of Jefferson, and in their desires to get their runaways, they forget or are unmindful of constitutional rights & restrictions...The fugitive slave law has done more to break down a correct public opinion and sweep away the distinctions of party through the North than anything they had around in my day."
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