Johnson is similar to Pennington in three ways. First, each was involved in an election dispute where he tried to use a position of power to appoint people who did not get as many votes as their opponents. Second, they were both elected after many failed Speaker votes. Third, they both came to the Speakership from relative obscurity.
No one thinks Mike Johnson wants slavery. William Pennington was a Republican the entire time he was in Congress, including when he tried to amend the Constitution to preserve slavery.
I've got to go finish assembling my Halloween treat bags. Now that I discovered you can buy individually wrapped prunes, I think this year's treat bags will be a bigger hit than last year's. Before I go, I'll pose one question for thought about the Constitutional
amendment advocated by Pennington.
"No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State."
What if future people amended the Constitution again saying something like, "The Constitution is amended by repealing the earlier amendment, and slavery is outlawed"? I say Pennington's amendment wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.
Originally Posted by Suppressed Poet
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