Disunion and Restoration in Tennessee: Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Political Science, Columbia UniversityNeal, John Randolph
History
Disunion and Restoration in Tennessee: Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Political Science, Columbia University
Neal, John Randolph
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877) -- Tennessee; Tennessee -- Politics and government -- 1861-1865; Thesis (Ph. D.)
In urging the immediate adoption of the resolution, Mr. Bingham
declared that: “Inasmuch as Tennessee has conformed to all our
requirements; inasmuch as she has, by a majority of her whole
Legislature in each House, ratified the amendment in good faith;
inasmuch as she has of her own voluntary will conformed her
constitution and laws to the Constitution and Laws of the United
States; inasmuch as she has by her fundamental law forever prohibited
the assumption or payment of the rebel debt, or the enslavement of
men; inasmuch as she has by her own constitution declared that rebels
shall not exercise any of the political power of the State or vote at
elections; and thereby giving the American people assurance of her
determination to stand by this great measure of security for the
future of the Republic, Tennessee is as much entitled to be
represented here as any other State of the Union.”
The resolution was opposed by a few members on the ground that
Tennessee had not, as yet, conferred the suffrage upon the negro. Mr.
Boutwell offered an amendment providing that Tennessee should not be
readmitted until it had established an “equal and just system of
suffrage.”
On June 20th the resolution passed the House, one hundred and
twenty-five voting in the affirmative, and twelve in the negative. On
the succeeding day, it came up for consideration in the Senate. Mr.
Trumbull proposed, in the place of the preamble which had been framed
by Mr. Bingham and passed by the House, the following substitute:
“_Whereas_, In the year 1861, the government of the State of
Tennessee was seized upon and taken possession of by persons
in hostility to the United States, and the inhabitants of
said State in pursuance of an act of Congress were declared
to be in a state of insurrection against the United States,
and whereas said State government can be restored to its
former political relations in the Union only by the consent
of the law-making power of the United States; and whereas
the people of said State did on the 22d of February, 1865,
by a large and popular vote adopt and ratify a constitution
of government whereby slavery was abolished, and all
ordinances and laws of secession and debts contracted under
the same were declared void; and whereas a State government
has been organized under said Constitution, which has
ratified the amendment to the Constitution of the United
States abolishing slavery, also the amendment proposed by
the Thirty-ninth Congress, and has done other acts
proclaiming and denoting loyalty; Therefore, etc.”
Mr. Sherman opposed the substitution of this preamble on the ground
that it would probably cause the President to veto the resolution.
“These political dogmas,” he said, “cannot receive the sanction of the
President, and to insert them will only create delay, and postpone the
admission of Tennessee.”
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