Project Gutenberg 2004-11-09 Public domain in the USA. 43 Cushing, Caleb 1800 1879 10034654 Speech of Mr. Cushing, of Massachusetts, on the Right of Petition, as Connected with Petitions for the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia. In The House Of Representatives, January 25, 1836. Reading ease score: 47.8 (College-level). Difficult to read. Produced by Curtis Weyant, Andrea Ball and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. "Speech of Mr. Cushing, of Massachusetts, on the Right of Petition" by Caleb Cushing is a historical speech delivered in the House of Representatives in the early 19th century. This document addresses the critical issue of the right to petition the government, particularly in the context of petitions advocating for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the District of Columbia. Written during a period marked by intense debate over slavery, the speech underscores the fundamental democratic principle that citizens have the inherent right to voice their grievances and seek redress from their government. In his speech, Cushing emphasizes that the right of petition is not a privilege granted by Congress but a pre-existing right protected by the Constitution. He argues that the House has a responsibility to receive and consider petitions respectfully, regardless of the subject matter. Cushing recounts the legislative history regarding similar petitions and highlights how previous Congresses have engaged with such issues without denying the right of petition. He warns against the consequences of refusing to hear these petitions, suggesting that suppression only fuels further agitation. Throughout, Cushing appeals to the members of Congress to uphold democratic values and protect the rights of their constituents, ultimately inviting the public to hold representatives accountable for their actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Slavery -- United States -- Speeches in Congress Slavery -- Washington (D.C.) Petition, Right of E300 Text Slavery Browsing: History - American Browsing: Politics 71412 71324 2024-10-06T10:46:48.016329 2023-10-06T11:22:17.721193 text/html text/html 67379 2020-12-18T15:05:02 text/html; charset=us-ascii 25027 2020-12-18T15:05:02 text/html; charset=us-ascii application/zip 120103 2024-10-06T10:46:53.959291 application/epub+zip 118668 2024-10-06T10:46:51.515300 application/epub+zip 85228 2024-10-06T10:46:50.281308 application/epub+zip 315821 2024-10-06T10:46:55.699303 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 307916 2024-10-06T10:46:53.183296 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 107503 2022-09-07T13:59:26.201110 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 65559 65483 2024-10-06T10:46:47.764323 2023-10-06T11:22:17.541175 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 65871 2020-12-18T15:05:01 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 24300 2020-12-18T15:05:02 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20479 2024-10-06T10:46:55.828269 application/rdf+xml 23861 2024-10-06T10:46:50.820324 image/jpeg 4652 2024-10-06T10:46:50.548307 image/jpeg 119586 2024-10-06T10:46:48.025317 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia