House Gag Rule Silences Anti-Slavery Petitions

On May 26, 1836, the House of Representatives adopts a gag rule that automatically tables any petition relating to slavery without debate or referral. The rule is renewed at the start of each Congress through 1844. Rep. John Quincy Adams fights it relentlessly, calling it a violation of the First Amendment. The rule effectively bans Congressional discussion of slavery for eight years.