Skip to main content

Primary sourceSpeech16 November 1877

Repeal of the Resumption Law: Speech of James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield · 16 November 1877

Garfield's 1877 House speech opposing repeal of the Resumption Law, concerning currency and paper money.

Garfield's own speech as a congressman on currency policy, showing his economic views before his presidency.

Ask James A. Garfield about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Repeal of the Resumption Law: Speech of James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield, Repeal of the Resumption Law: Speech delivered in the House of Representatives, 16 November 1877.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed speech delivered by James A. Garfield in the House of Representatives on November 16, 1877, on the question of repealing the Resumption Law, which concerned the return to specie (metal-backed) currency.

Why it matters

The speech opens with a quotation from Webster warning against the dangers of a "degraded paper currency," showing the historical arguments Garfield drew on. As a congressman, Garfield was deeply involved in the era's major debates over money and currency policy, which shaped the United States economy after the Civil War.

Look closer

  • Why does Garfield quote an earlier statesman at the start of his speech?
  • What does this speech suggest about the economic concerns of the 1870s United States?
  • How might a speech about currency policy differ in tone from a speech about a more personal or emotional topic?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James A. Garfield on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More James A. Garfield sources

Meet the AI James A. Garfield →
Speech

Primary source

Inaugural Address of James A. Garfield

James A. Garfield · 4 March 1881

Scanned handwritten page of the enrolled Pendleton Act, headed 'Forty-Seventh Congress of the United States of America, At the Second Session,' with the title 'An Act to regulate and improve the civil service of the United States' and the enacting clause below, with blue and red ink annotations at top.Document

Primary source

Pendleton Act

United States Congress · 16 January 1883

Black and white photograph of a bearded man in a dark military-style uniform with double-breasted buttons and a shoulder insignia, seated with one hand resting on his knee against a plain backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

General James Garfield

Mathew Benjamin Brady

Black and white studio portrait of a bearded man with receding hair, wearing a dark suit jacket, white collar and dark bow tie, gazing to the side against a plain gray backdrop.Photograph

Primary source

James Garfield

Brady-Handy Photograph Collection

Photograph of a dark chalkboard-style bulletin board in the New York Gold Room headed 'BLACK FRIDAY', covered with handwritten gold price figures and the words 'Quotations of Gold, September 24, 1869'. Handwritten caption below reads 'This is a Photograph of the Bulletin Board in the Gold Room at N.Y. Sept 24, 1869'.Photograph

Primary source

Black Friday 1869

24 September 1869

Ready when you are

Start chatting with James A. Garfield now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions