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The Late Anti-Freedom Decision of the Supreme Court

About This Item

  • Title: The Late Anti-Freedom Decision of the Supreme Court
  • Date: 16 March 1857
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.00823
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 16 March 1857: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Kaylen Michaelis Kevin McMullen Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "The Late Anti-Freedom Decision of the Supreme Court." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.00823.xml (TEI)
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THE LATE ANTI-FREEDOM DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT.—

A little less than one fifth of the whole aggregate of United States ownership is under the dominion of Free State institutions. A little more than one fifth is under the dominion of slave institutions. The remains​ three fiths are yet to be devoted either to slave or free institutions. Whichever way they go will control and stamp the future character of America. One this​ is certain—if slavery is not prohibited by law, it will just as surely enter and established​ itself, so the water flows into a slince​ -way beneath its own level. This question of slaves will henceforth be the great question in national politics.

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