Speech of Hon. James H. Hammond, of South Carolina, on the Admission of Kansas, under the Lecompton Constitution

The question of the admittance of Kansas to the Union was at the center of the slavery/anti-slavery disputes of the 1850s. This First Edition copy of the Speech of Hon. James H. Hammond, of South Carolina, on the Admission of Kansas, under the Lecompton Constitution. Delivered in the Senate of the United States, March 4, 1858 presented the Southern argument for the admission of Kansas, regardless of the claims by the North that the approval of the Lecompton constitution was the result of vast election fraud.

The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas (it was preceded by the Topeka Constitution and was followed by the Leavenworth and Wyandotte Constitutions, the Wyandotte ultimately becoming the Kansas state constitution). The Lecompton Constitution enshrined slavery in the proposed state and protected the rights of slaveholders. In addition, the constitution provided for a referendum that allowed voters the choice of allowing more slaves to enter the territory. [Wikipedia]

The speech is contained in a 16 page single-column booklet, without covers, that measures approximately 5 ¾ x 9 inches. The speech itself proceeds from page 3 to 15, with the final page being blank. The sheet containing pages 1 and 2 is detached, with page 1 being the title page and page 2 being blank. The pages are lightly tanned, but the text is clear and easily read. The overall condition of the item is good.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the title page and the first page of the speech.

James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) was a politician from South Carolina. He served as a United States Representative from 1835 to 1836, the 60th Governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844, and United States Senator from 1857 to 1860. A Democrat, Hammond was perhaps best known during his lifetime as an outspoken defender of slavery and states' rights. It was Hammond who popularized the phrase that "Cotton is King" in an 1858 speech to the Senate. He also compared the South's "well compensated" slaves to the North's "scantily compensated" slaves (hired skilled laborers and operatives). [Wikipedia]