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Primary sourceSpeech1838

Speech upon the Right of the People, Men and Women, to Petition

John Quincy Adams · 1838

Adams's 1838 published House speech defending the right of enslaved people, free Black Americans, and women to petition Congress.

Adams delivered and published this speech, showing his post-presidential fight against the gag rule and for petition rights.

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Title page of the printed speech of John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts upon the right of the people, men and women, to petition, on freedom of speech and debate in the House of Representatives, on resolutions of seven state legislatures and petitions relating to annexation of Texas. Printed by Gales and Seaton, Washington, 1838.
John Quincy Adams, Speech upon the Right of the People, Men and Women, to Petition, 1838. Gales and Seaton, Washington.

About this source

What it is

This is the printed text of a speech John Quincy Adams delivered in the House of Representatives in pieces during June and July 1838. It was published that year by Gales and Seaton in Washington, and copies are held today by the Library of Congress and the Massachusetts Historical Society. The speech responds to earlier House rules restricting petitions about slavery and to debates over the annexation of Texas.

Why it matters

By the 1830s, Adams had served as president and returned to Congress, where he became a fierce opponent of the "gag rule" that blocked antislavery petitions from being heard. This speech defended the constitutional right to petition for all people, including enslaved people, free Black Americans, and women, making it an important document in the history of free speech and the growing antislavery movement in Congress.

Look closer

  • Why would the right to petition be controversial in Congress at this time?
  • What does it suggest about Adams's later career that he fought this battle after being president?
  • What groups does Adams specifically mention, and why might that have been significant?

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

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