Wright Silas Jr (2 results)

Softcover. Condition: Good. Disbound, no covers. Traces of foxing. Most pages are lightly browned. ; State of New York Nos. 44. ; 37 pages.

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Original publisher's beige paper wrappers. Text printed in black ink. No date, circa 1839. 5" x 7 1/2." Twenty-eight pages, complete. Pages are very clean and intact overall except for light age toning, light to moderate foxing, and slight wear along spine. A Very Good copy. This is an address that was originally delivered by Silas Wright, Jr. on July 4, 1839, the 63rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Wright lauds the Founding Fathers and those who served in the American Revolutionary War. However, Wright gives words of caution of the need to be mindful and vigilant as to protect democracy. Much of Wright's address briefly chronicles the history of the United States from its independence to the present in 1839. He describes the original fractured state of the Thirteen Colonies but then explains subsequent unification efforts with the adoption of the Articles of Confederation. Wright proceeds to emphatically declare that the Revolutionary War was fought not for conquest or for the ends of a debased form of government but for a civil government founded upon "rational liberty." He then discusses the Convention of 1787 and the complex process of establishing state governments and the national government of the U.S. From Pages 20-28, Wright reflects upon the question of slavery which was a key issue in the 1787 Convention. Wright appears to express some tolerance toward slavery in the early years of the U.S. because he argues that the institution of slavery was forced upon the U.S. from Britain. However, Wright also appears to view slavery as a institution of depravity and takes an overall stance of neutrality toward the subject. He ultimately says that the subject of slavery needs to be examined and not ignored.