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Galileo Galilei
01-19-2009, 01:41 AM
Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829/30

An important and interesting event you do not hear much about in the history books is the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829, attendees included:

James Madison

James Monroe

John Marshall

John Tyler

John Randolph of Roanoke (U.S. House 1799-1813, 1815-17, 1819-25, 1827-29, 1833, U.S. Senate 1825-27, U.S. Minister to Russia 1830)

William Branch Giles (U.S. House 1790-98, 1801-03, U.S. Senator 1804-15, Virginia Governor 1827-30)

Abel Upshur (U.S. Secretary of Navy 1841-43, U.S. Secretary of State 1843-44)

Philip Pendleton Barbour (speaker of U.S. House 1821-23, U.S. Supreme Court Justice 1836-41)

Littleton Tazewell (U.S. House 1800-01, U.S. Senate 1824-32, Governor of Virginia 1834-36, VP Candidate 1840)

John Winston Jones (Speaker of the U.S. House 1843-45)

Thomas Marshall (son of John Marshall)

James Murray Mason (Grandson of George Mason, U.S. Senator 1847-61, Author of Fugitive Slave Law)

John Young Mason (U.S. House 1831-35, U.S Secretary of Navy 1844-45, U.S. Attorney General 1845-46, U.S. Minister to France 1853-59)

William McCoy (U.S. House 1811-33)

Mark Alexander (U.S. House 1819-33, lived until 1883)

This was a star studded lineup. Here is a picture of James Madison speaking:

http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/vacc.htm

At this convention, the issue of representation in the state legislature loomed large.

Virginia had a state Senate and state House, and slaves were counted for representation purposes, but obviously could not vote. Nor could about 2/3 of all white men vote because of property requirements.

Almost all the political power was concentrated in the eastern Tidewater region of Virginia because this area had large slave populations. The western part of the state (that eventually seceded & became West Virginia) had comparatively few slaves.

So this was a corrupt system controlled by relatively few eastern slave plantation owners.

James Madison, almost 80 years old, was looked upon almost as a demi-God. He favored voting rights for all white males and did not think slaves should be counted for representation purposes. He worked hard in committee, and knowing the power was stacked east, he pushed for a compromise. He pushed for the 3/5 rule and fewer property qualifications for voters. When he could not get that, he settled for the 3/5 rule in the House only and got property rules relaxed so 2/3 of whites males could vote, rather than just 1/3.

Many modern scholars have criticized Madison for this compromise, but I do not agree. He did all he could do, and I don't think anyone could have done better. I have never heard any libertarian scholars weigh in on it.

Here is what Madison actually said:

Speech in the Virginia State Convention
of 1829-1830

December 2, 1829

On the Question of the Ratio of Representation in the Two Branches
of the Legislature

Mr. MADISON rose and addressed the Chair; the members rushed from their seats and crowded around him:

http://www.jmu.edu/madison/center/main_pages/madison_archives/life/retirement/speech.htm

The reality is that with all this talent, Virginia could not figure out the slave problem. The Industrial Revolution passed them by.

What do you guys think?