Description:

Slavery

Slave Trade Restricted in 1805

 

1p ALS inscribed overall by Paul Hamilton (1762-1816), Governor of South Carolina, and signed by him as "Paul Hamilton" at center. Issued from the "Executive Department" in Columbia, South Carolina on November 29, 1805. On cream bifold paper. The inner pages are blank, and the fourth page is comprised of an integral address leaf. Expected paper folds. Minor mounting traces on last page, else near fine. 7.75" x 9.75".

 

Governor Hamilton conveys a message from his colleague, Nathaniel Alexander (1756-1808), the recently elected Governor of North Carolina, to George Clinton (1739-1812), President of the Senate and U.S. Vice President under the Jefferson administration.

 

"Executive Department

November 29th 1805

 

Mr. President + Gentlemen

 

I herewith transmit to you the copy [not included in this lot] of a Resolution of the Legislation of North Carolina relating to a projected amendment of the Federal Constitution and which I have been requested by the Governor that State to lay before you -

 

Respectfully I am, Gentlemen, yrs +c

Paul Hamilton".

 

The "Federal Constitution" neither explicitly authorized nor prohibited slavery. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 1 of the Constitution originally allowed the "Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, and shall not be prohibited by Congress prior to the Year [1808]…" This gave the states two decades to resolve the issue of slavery.

 

The "Resolution" discussed here is likely the withdrawal of the original Resolution, submitted in early 1805, pertaining to a North Carolina proposal for a constitutional amendment banning further importation of slaves. Other states maintained that such an amendment was "inexpedient". They recognized that all states excepting South Carolina had already banned importation in anticipation of the 1808 federal law. Slave states withdrew their objection to the importation ban, confident that the interstate slave trade would not be affected.

 

On December 12, 1805, just two weeks after this transmittal, Vermont Senator Stephen Row Bradley announced his intention to introduce a prohibition on importation. On March 2, 1807, President Thomas Jefferson signed the import ban into law, and it was effective after January 1, 1808. Trade between states was not affected by this bill.

 

Meanwhile, anti-slavery laws were passed in Northern states, and other states, including Southern ones, had banned importation before 1805. Smugglers nevertheless thrived in Spanish-controlled Texas and Florida.

 

Paul Hamilton had served under General Francis Marion during the Revolutionary War. He acted as Governor of South Carolina between 1804-1806 and later as Secretary of the Navy from 1809-1813.

 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000