The Permanent Slavery ActDuring his first inaugural speech, given on March 4, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln stated that he approved of a Constitutional amendment which would guarantee permanent slavery in the United States. The “Great Emancipator” said, "I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution has passed Congress, to the effect that the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service. Holding such a provision to now be implied constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable." This amendment, supported by Lincoln, is shown here.
This act was passed on March 2, 1861 (The same day the Morrill Tariff was passed ) by both houses of Congress with a 66% vote. This was after the first seven states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America.
It is interesting that we are talking about the Federal Government, and not the Confederate Government, passing an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing permanent slavery. If this amendment had been ratified by ¾ of the states, the federal government would have been prevented from abolishing slavery in any state!
Again, that is was the Northern Congress, and not the Southern Congress that passed this amendment – with President Lincoln’s approval, is to me amazingly hypocritical.Moreover, this indicates that slavery was not the issue that caused the Civil War. Clearly the North approved of slavery, and was willing to try enacting a Constitutional amendment to preserve slavery. If the Confederate states wanted to ensure the protection of slavery, then all they would have had to do is return to the Union and ratify this amendment. Something the South did not do. The South did not ratify the Northern Congressionally passed Permanent Slavery Act.There are many who believe that Lincoln’s support of the Permanent Slavery Act was nothing more than a political maneuver to manipulate the Southern states into returning to the Union, and thus being subject to the new 40% tax imposed on them by the Morrill Tariff. With the South importing and exporting as much as 80% of the nations goods, they would have paid an equal amount of the nation’s import taxes. All from an area which made up only 33% of the nations population. The South complained that the tax was unfair and burdensome to its population, and they were right, especially when one considers that the revenue from the tax would have been spent on Northern interests and not in the South.
The South also questioned Lincoln’s right to serve as President, as he was elected with only 39% of the popular vote. A question that has plagued numerous presidential election since then. In addition, in his inaugural speech Lincoln stated that he would not invade the South, except to collect taxes and possess tax collection stations (such as Fort Sumter). He stated, “The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government, and to collect the duties and imposts [import taxes]; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere.” I am confident that the South, especially South Carolina clearly remembered the broken promise of President Buchanan to not take over Fort Sumter. A promise made only a few months before Lincoln took office, and broken almost immediately.
The South’s concern was that Lincoln would invade the South, abolish State sovereignty, and establish a centralist federal government, all powerful, and impose higher taxes and reduce personal freedoms. Similar to the current situation in America today.
