author
Cydnor Bailey Tompkins
1810–1862
Best known for a forceful antislavery speech from his years in Congress, this Ohio lawyer and politician also left behind a compact but vivid piece of Civil War–era political writing.
1 Audiobook
Slavery: What it was, what it has done, what it intends to do Speech of Hon. Cydnor B. Tompkins, of Ohio
by Cydnor Bailey Tompkins
About the author
Born near St. Clairsville, Ohio, in 1810, he later settled in Morgan County, studied at Ohio University, read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1837. He built his career in McConnelsville as a lawyer and public figure, serving in local offices before winning two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio from 1857 to 1861.
As an author, he is chiefly remembered for Slavery: What It Was, What It Has Done, What It Intends to Do, a speech delivered in the House of Representatives in April 1860 and later printed for readers beyond Congress. The work reflects the sharp political arguments of the years just before the Civil War and gives modern listeners a direct window into the language and urgency of that moment.
He died in 1862 at the age of 51. Although he is more often described as a lawyer, politician, and congressman than as a literary figure, his surviving published speech remains a clear example of how 19th-century public speaking was used to persuade, protest, and shape national debate.