![An 1839 satirical cartoon about the congressional gag rule. Depicts John Quincy Adams prostrate, lying on top of a pile of papers including antislavery petitions, a copy of the newspaper The Emancipator, and a resolution to recognize Haiti as a nation. Standing over Adams is Waddy Thompson Jr., a southern Whig who defended slavery. Next to Thompson are two caricatures of enslaved Black Americans. Speech bubbles are drawn to give the characters dialogue. Adams says, "I cannot stand Thomson's [sic] frown." Thompson says, "Sir the South loses caste whenever she suffers this subject to be discussed here; it must be indignantly frowned down."](view_image.php?q=Gag_rule_(United_States)&sq=&lang=en&file=File:Abolition_frowned_down_LCCN2008661344.jpg) Abolition Frowned Down (1839), depicting Waddy Thompson Jr. standing and John Quincy Adams prostrate | |
| Duration | 1836–1844 |
|---|---|
| Location | U. S. House of Representatives |
In United States history, the gag rule was a resolution in the United States House of Representatives that forbade legislators from raising, considering, or discussing slavery. First passed in 1836 and renewed in some form in every legislative session until its repeal in 1844, the gag rule played a key role in escalating sectional tensions over slavery and galvanizing support for its abolition.