Description: AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. Historically important 1861 document signed by 167 prominent residents of the state of Maine petitioning the U.S. Congress to pass the Corwin Amendment to maintain peace with the southern and border states: “United States of America, in Congress, The Memorial of the subscribers, Citizens of the State of Maine, respectfully sheweth: That, while sharing in common with their fellow citizens, the general solicitude at the dangers which are now threatening the peace and unity of our country, they desire to give their urgent and emphatic expression of the necessity which seems to exist for mutual conciliation and compromise. Therefore, your memorialists humbly pray that either of the following measures substantially, may be speedily adopted by Congress for the pacific settlement of our present difficulties-namely: ‘The Border States;’ ‘The Report of the House Committee of Thirty-Three,’ presented by Mr. Corwin; or the propositions of Mr. Adams, of Massachusetts.” HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT 1861 DOCUMENT SIGNED BY 167 PROMINENT RESIDENTS OF THE STATE OF MAINE PETITIONING THE U.S. CONGRESS TO PASS THE CORWIN AMENDMENT TO MAINTAIN PEACE WITH THE SOUTHERN AND BORDER STATES The document is signed by War of 1812 General Samuel Veazie and several other members of well-known families (including Adams, Bowles, Kittredge, Gilmore, Burton, Hodgkins, Dillingham, Thissel, Stetson, Lincoln, Fiske, Bradford, Pearson, Hopkins, Patton, Mayhew, Frost, and many other old Maine names), one page, measures 45 by 7.5 inches, in very good condition with toning, foxing, ink smudging, and a few tape repairs near the top on the verso. We were unable to locate any other historical documents remotely similar to this item available for sale at auction in the past 25 years making it extremely rare and highly desirable. THE CORWIN AMENDMENT WOULD HAVE PROHIBITED CONGRESS FROM INTERFERING WITH THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY IN ANY STATE, BUT IT WAS NEVER RATIFIED The Committee of Thirty-Three was a select committee of the House of Representatives established on December 4, 1860 to explore possibilities for resolving the nation’s secession crisis. The group consisted of one representative from each state and the members considered numerous proposals, including a proposed constitutional amendment introduced by Massachusetts Congressman Charles Francis Adams, Sr. and sponsored by Ohio Congressman Thomas Corwin. Nearly identical to a measure introduced earlier in the Senate by William Seward, the Corwin Amendment aimed to reassure Southerners (particularly those living in the Border States) that the incoming administration had no intentions of meddling with slavery in states where it already existed. The measure would have prohibited Congress from interfering with the institution of slavery in any state. The present document was likely presented to the Congress by the committee’s member from Maine, Congressman Freeman H. Morse. Both houses of Congress eventually endorsed the proposed amendment, but it was never ratified because only two state legislatures (Ohio and Maryland) approved it. The House Committee of Thirty-Three was unable to find enough common ground to prevent the dissolution of the Union and the onset of the Civil War. Ohio Civil War Central. Committee of Thirty-Three (1861).
Price: 2500 USD
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina
End Time: 2024-10-08T06:13:05.000Z
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Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
