Project Gutenberg 2004-11-09 Public domain in the USA. 102 Cushing, Caleb 1800 1879 10034654 Speech of Mr. Cushing, of Massachusetts, on the Right of Petition, as Connected with Petitions for the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia. In The House Of Representatives, January 25, 1836. Produced by Curtis Weyant, Andrea Ball and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. "Speech of Mr. Cushing, of Massachusetts, on the Right of Petition" by Caleb Cushing is a historical speech delivered in the House of Representatives in the early 19th century. This document addresses the critical issue of the right to petition the government, particularly in the context of petitions advocating for the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the District of Columbia. Written during a period marked by intense debate over slavery, the speech underscores the fundamental democratic principle that citizens have the inherent right to voice their grievances and seek redress from their government. In his speech, Cushing emphasizes that the right of petition is not a privilege granted by Congress but a pre-existing right protected by the Constitution. He argues that the House has a responsibility to receive and consider petitions respectfully, regardless of the subject matter. Cushing recounts the legislative history regarding similar petitions and highlights how previous Congresses have engaged with such issues without denying the right of petition. He warns against the consequences of refusing to hear these petitions, suggesting that suppression only fuels further agitation. Throughout, Cushing appeals to the members of Congress to uphold democratic values and protect the rights of their constituents, ultimately inviting the public to hold representatives accountable for their actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 47.8 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Slavery -- United States -- Speeches in Congress Slavery -- Washington (D.C.) Petition, Right of E300 Text Slavery Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: History - American Category: Politics 71516 2025-07-06T07:51:29.284452 text/html 46924 2024-10-28T21:01:41 text/html 120180 2025-07-06T07:51:34.554436 application/epub+zip 118634 2025-07-06T07:51:32.395454 application/epub+zip 85195 2025-07-06T07:51:31.284437 application/epub+zip 315787 2025-07-06T07:51:36.079437 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 307922 2025-07-06T07:51:33.868463 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 107503 2022-09-07T13:59:26.201110 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 65483 2023-10-06T11:22:17.541175 text/plain 45758 2024-10-28T21:01:41 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17312 2025-07-06T07:51:36.197410 application/rdf+xml 23861 2025-07-06T07:51:31.773452 image/jpeg 4652 2025-07-06T07:51:31.525434 image/jpeg 119615 2025-07-06T07:51:29.290465 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia