Joshua Reed Giddings
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and a prominent opponent of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. He represented Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1838-59. He was at first a member of the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
and was later a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Life
He was born at Tioga Point, now AthensAthens, Pennsylvania
Athens is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, two miles south of the N. Y. State line on the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers. Population in 1900, 3,749; and in 1910, 3,796. The population was 3,415 at the 2000 census...
, Bradford County, Pennsylvania
Bradford County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,761 people, 24,453 households, and 17,312 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 28,664 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
, on 6 October 1795. In 1806 his parents, Joshua Giddings and Elizabeth Pease, moved the family to Ashtabula County, Ohio
Ashtabula County, Ohio
Ashtabula County is the northeasternmost county in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 101,497, its county seat is Jefferson. The county is named for a Native American word meaning "river of many fish"....
, then sparsely settled and almost a wilderness. Here they settled on Ohio's Western Reserve, where Giddings lived for most of the rest of his life. It was perhaps here that Giddings had his first stirrings of passion for antislavery, as the Reserve was widely famous for its radicalism.
Giddings worked on his father's farm and, although he received no systematic education, devoted much time to study and reading. For several years after 1814 he was a schoolteacher. In February 1821 he was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in Ohio and soon built up a large practice, particularly in criminal cases. From 1831 to 1837 he was in partnership with Benjamin Wade
Benjamin Wade
Benjamin Franklin "Bluff" Wade was a U.S. lawyer and United States Senator. In the Senate, he was associated with the Radical Republicans of that time.-Early life:...
, a future U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. The Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
, in which Giddings lost a great deal of money, caused him to cease practicing law, but indirectly led to his decision to run for federal office.
Giddings served in the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
from 1826-1827. From December 1838 until March 1859 he was a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, representing first Ohio's 16th district
Ohio's 16th congressional district
The 16th congressional district of Ohio is currently represented by Representative Jim Renacci . The district is based in Stark County and the Canton area and also includes Wayne County and most of Medina and Ashland counties.On Nov...
until 1843 and then Ohio's 20th district
Ohio's 20th congressional district
The 20th Congressional district of Ohio was created after the 1840 census. It was eliminated in the redistricting following the 1990 census, and redistricted and renumbered as the 10th district.-List of representatives:-Election results:...
until 1859. Giddings ran first as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
, then as a Free-soiler
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
, next as a candidate of the Opposition Party
Opposition Party (United States)
The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....
, and finally as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Emphasizing that slavery was a state institution, with which the Federal government had no authority to interfere, he contended that slavery could only exist by a specific state enactment. For that reason, he contended that slavery in the District of Columbia and in the Territories was unlawful and should be abolished; that the coastwise slave trade
Coastwise slave trade
The coastwise slave trade existed along the eastern coastal areas of North America. Shiploads and boatloads of slaves were transported from place to place on the waterways that exist there. Hundreds of vessels of various sizes and capacities were employed in the transporting of slaves from place...
in vessels flying the national flag, like the international slave trade, should be rigidly suppressed; and that Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
had no power to pass any act that in any way could be construed as a recognition of slavery as a national institution.
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Creole case
The Creole case was the result of a slave rebellion in 1841 on board the Creole, a ship involved in the United States coastwise slave trade.-The revolt:...
attracted particular attention, particularly since it was so closely associated with struggles by antislavery Congressmen to repeal the notorious gag rule
Gag rule
A gag rule is a rule that limits or forbids the raising, consideration or discussion of a particular topic by members of a legislative or decision-making body.-Origin and pros and cons:...
barring antislavery petitions. Former President John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
led this campaign in the House of Representatives.
In 1841 some slaves revolted who were being carried in the brig Creole from Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Hampton Roads, Virginia, to New Orleans. They wounded the captain and killed one of the white overseers in the process, gained possession of the vessel, and soon after entered the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
port of Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. According to British law, the slaves were to be set free. The British arrested the minority who had taken an active part in the revolt on a charge of murder, and liberated the remaining slaves. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government attempted to recover the slaves; Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
, then secretary of state
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, asserted that as they were on an American ship, they were under the jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
of the U.S., and by US law they were property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
.
On March 21, 1842, before the case was settled, Giddings introduced a series of resolutions in the House of Representatives. He asserted that in resuming their natural rights of personal liberty, the slaves violated no law of the U.S. He contended the US should not try to recover them, as it should not take the part of the state. For offering these resolutions, Giddings was attacked by numerous critics. The House formally censured him. He resigned, appealing to his constituents, who immediately reelected him by a large majority. Gidding's return to Congress with the tremendous support of his district was a good sign that antislavery voices were not to be stifled, and that sectional disputes could not be prevented. As further proof that antislavery voices were being heard, the House repealed its "gag rule" three years later.
Giddings' daughter Lura Maria, an active Garrisonian, convinced her father to attend the Garrisonian meetings, rallying his antislavery notions even further. Influenced by the Garrisonians, in the 1850s Giddings identified with perfectionism, spiritualism, and religious radicalism. He claimed that his antislavery sentiments were based on a higher natural law, rather than merely on the Constitution. Taking this new view very seriously, Giddings called the caning of Senator Sumner a crime "against the most vital principles of the Constitution, against the Government itself, against the sovereignty of Massachusetts, against the people of the United States, against Christianity and civilization." Many of these views were reflected in his famous "American Infidelity" speech of 1854.
Giddings often used violent language, and did not hesitate to encourage bloodshed. He talked about the justice of a slave insurrection and the duty of Northerners to fully support such an insurrection. Giddings took a stand against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and advised runaways to shoot at their potential captors.
Giddings led the Congressional opposition by free state politicians to any further expansion of slavery, and condemned the annexation of Texas (1846), the Mexican War (1846-8), the 1850 Compromises, and the Kansas Nebraska Act(1854). Following the war with Mexico, Giddings cast the only ballot against a resolution of thanks to US General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
.
His hatred of slavery led Giddings to abandon his initial allegiance to the Whig party for the Free-Soil party (1848), and in 1854-5, he became one of the leading founders of the Republican party. Giddings campaigned for John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
and Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, even though Giddings and Lincoln disagreed over extremism in the pursuit of antislavery. Throughout his life, Giddings was active in the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
and was widely known (and condemned by some) for his egalitarian racial beliefs and actions.
In 1859 he was not renominated, and he retired from Congress after a continuous service of more than twenty years. From 1861 until his death at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
on the 27th of May 1864, he was U.S. consul general in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Giddings published a series of political essays signed Pacificus beginning in (1843). These were followed by Speeches in Congress (1853); The Exiles of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(1858); and a History of the Rebellion: Its Authors and Causes (1864).
See also
- Joshua R. Giddings Law OfficeJoshua R. Giddings Law OfficeThe Joshua Reed Giddings Law Office is a National Historic Landmark in Jefferson, Ohio. Joshua Reed Giddings was a prominent abolitionist who served as a US Representative from 1838 to 1859...
National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
Joshua R. Giddings and his friend and colleague, Benjamin F. Wade were both elected to Congress and spent their careers as outspoken opponents of slavery. Wade was elected president of the Senate during the Johnson administration and, as such, would have become president of the United States had one more senator voted for the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.