Thomas Hart Benton's Remarks to the Senate on the Expunging Resolution

Delivered on the Senate floor in January 1837, this speech captures a pivotal moment when Senator Thomas Hart Benton urged his colleagues to erase a controversial resolution that had targeted President Andrew Jackson. Benton frames the debate as a clash between a powerful banking interest and the expressed will of the American people, citing state instructions, election results, and petitions as proof of popular support for the President.

In a blend of legal reasoning and passionate advocacy, Benton argues that the Senate must obey the clear verdict delivered through ballots and civic action, warning that ignoring such a mandate would betray representative government. He recounts the elaborate campaign once used to rally the nation against Jackson, now turned against the same forces, and invites listeners to hear the rhetoric that shaped a crucial episode in early American politics.