GAG LAWS, a series of laws passed by the United States Congress of 1836 in direct violation of the First Amendment to the Federal constitution, which provided for the right to petition in matters connected with the abolition of slavery. This report formed one of the most dramatic incidents of American history. The first "Gag rule" passed in 1836, called the Pinckney resolu tion, provided that all petitions relating to slavery should be put forward without reference to committee or being printed; the sub stance of this was subsequently adopted and passed by succeed ing sessions of congress in the Patton Resolution of Dec., 1837, the Atherton Resolution in 1838, the Twenty-first Rule in 1840, and subsequently till repealed.
The President of the United States, John Quincy Adams led the opposition for their rescindment and the laws were finally abol ished in 1844. See ADAMS, JOHN QUINCY and HALE, JOHN