Robert Y. Hayne
Encyclopedia
Robert Young Hayne was an American political leader.
, Hayne studied law in the office of Langdon Cheves
in Charleston, South Carolina
, and in November 1812 was admitted to the bar
there, soon obtaining a large practice. For a short time during the War of 1812
against Great Britain
, he was captain in the Third South Carolina Regiment. He was a member of the lower house of the South Carolina state legislature from 1814 to 1818, serving as Speaker of the House in the later year; was attorney-general of the state from 1818 to 1822, and in 1823 was elected, as a Democrat, to the United States Senate
.
After the death of Hayne's first wife, Frances Henrietta Pinckney, in 1820 he married Rebecca Brewton Alston. Her father, William Alston, gave her a lot on lower King Street where Hayne built a house (today's 4 Ladson Street) that remained in the family until 1863.
bills of 1824 and 1828, and consistently upheld the doctrine that slavery
was a domestic institution and should be dealt with only by the individual states. In one of his speeches opposing the sending by the United States of representatives to the Panama Congress, he said, "The moment the federal government shall make the unhallowed attempt to interfere with the domestic concerns of the states, those states will consider themselves driven from the Union."
In 1828, in response to the changing economic landscape in Massachusetts
(there was a shift towards the manufacturing sector), Daniel Webster
backed a high-tariff bill that would preserve manufacturing interest in Massachusetts. This angered Southern leaders and brought Webster into dispute with South Carolina
's Robert Young Hayne, later evolving to what would be the Webster-Hayne debate.
Hayne stressed the fact that New England
had not been a major participator during the War of 1812
. Webster, who had been elected to Congress in 1812, opposed the war with the United Kingdom. He was re-elected in 1814, which was noted as an indication that the people of the New England opposed the war. The debate arose over the so-called "Foote's resolution," introduced on December 29, 1829 by Senator Samuel A. Foote of Connecticut
, calling for the restriction of the sale of public lands to those already in the market, but was concerned primarily with the respective powers of the federal government and the individual states. Hayne contended that the Constitution
was essentially a compact
between the national government and the states, and that any state might, at will, nullify
any federal law which it considered to be in contradiction of that compact.
responded on the next day. Senator Hayne spoke again on the 21st, 25th, and 27th. Senator Webster spoke again on the 26th and 27th. This was the famed "Second Reply to Hayne
", still often considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. The final few paragraphs are generally noted for their passion. Webster concluded with the famed "Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable!" line. Because of this debate, Hayne is generally remembered more for being the disputant with Webster, and for being on the receiving end of a famous speech, than for anything else he did while in Congress. This did bring the conflict between New England and the Southern States into the light, and served as a hard reminder of the resentment that many people in the South felt toward the residents of New England.
, was a member of the South Carolina Nullification Convention of November 1832, and reported the ordinance of nullification passed by that body on the November 24. After resigning from the Senate in 1832, he was Governor of South Carolina
from December 1832 to December 1834, and while in that position took a strong stand against President Andrew Jackson
, though he was more conservative than many of the nullificationists in the state. He was intendant
of Charleston, South Carolina
, from 1835 to 1837, and was president of the Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Railway from 1837 to 1839.
on September 24, 1839. His nephew, Paul Hamilton Hayne
, was a poet of some distinction who in 1878 published a life of Senator Hayne. On his tombstone was the name Robert Y. Hayne.
Early life
Born in St. Pauls Parish, Colleton District, South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Hayne studied law in the office of Langdon Cheves
Langdon Cheves
Langdon Cheves was an American politician and a president of the Second Bank of the United States.Cheves was born at Rocky River, South Carolina and died in Columbia, South Carolina. His father, Alexander, was a native of Scotland; his mother, Mary Langdon, was from Virginia...
in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and in November 1812 was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
there, soon obtaining a large practice. For a short time during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
against Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, he was captain in the Third South Carolina Regiment. He was a member of the lower house of the South Carolina state legislature from 1814 to 1818, serving as Speaker of the House in the later year; was attorney-general of the state from 1818 to 1822, and in 1823 was elected, as a Democrat, to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
After the death of Hayne's first wife, Frances Henrietta Pinckney, in 1820 he married Rebecca Brewton Alston. Her father, William Alston, gave her a lot on lower King Street where Hayne built a house (today's 4 Ladson Street) that remained in the family until 1863.
Early Political Career
Hayne was considered a conspicuously ardent free-trader and an uncompromising advocate of States Rights. He opposed the protectionist tariffTariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
bills of 1824 and 1828, and consistently upheld the doctrine that slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
was a domestic institution and should be dealt with only by the individual states. In one of his speeches opposing the sending by the United States of representatives to the Panama Congress, he said, "The moment the federal government shall make the unhallowed attempt to interfere with the domestic concerns of the states, those states will consider themselves driven from the Union."
In 1828, in response to the changing economic landscape in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(there was a shift towards the manufacturing sector), Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
backed a high-tariff bill that would preserve manufacturing interest in Massachusetts. This angered Southern leaders and brought Webster into dispute with South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
's Robert Young Hayne, later evolving to what would be the Webster-Hayne debate.
Hayne stressed the fact that New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
had not been a major participator during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Webster, who had been elected to Congress in 1812, opposed the war with the United Kingdom. He was re-elected in 1814, which was noted as an indication that the people of the New England opposed the war. The debate arose over the so-called "Foote's resolution," introduced on December 29, 1829 by Senator Samuel A. Foote of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, calling for the restriction of the sale of public lands to those already in the market, but was concerned primarily with the respective powers of the federal government and the individual states. Hayne contended that the Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
was essentially a compact
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
between the national government and the states, and that any state might, at will, nullify
Nullification (U.S. Constitution)
Nullification is a legal theory that a State has the right to nullify, or invalidate, any federal law which that state has deemed unconstitutional...
any federal law which it considered to be in contradiction of that compact.
Webster-Hayne debate January 1830
The resentment that the citizens of the southern states held towards the people of New England erupted on January 19, 1830, when Senator Hayne attacked the people of New England in a speech. Senator Daniel WebsterDaniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
responded on the next day. Senator Hayne spoke again on the 21st, 25th, and 27th. Senator Webster spoke again on the 26th and 27th. This was the famed "Second Reply to Hayne
Webster-Hayne debate
The Webster–Hayne debate was a famous debate in the U.S. between Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Senator Robert Y. Hayne of South Carolina that took place on January 19-27, 1830 regarding protectionist tariffs...
", still often considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. The final few paragraphs are generally noted for their passion. Webster concluded with the famed "Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable!" line. Because of this debate, Hayne is generally remembered more for being the disputant with Webster, and for being on the receiving end of a famous speech, than for anything else he did while in Congress. This did bring the conflict between New England and the Southern States into the light, and served as a hard reminder of the resentment that many people in the South felt toward the residents of New England.
Later Political Career
Hayne vigorously opposed the Tariff of 1832Tariff of 1832
The Tariff of 1832 was a protectionist tariff in the United States. It was largely written by former President John Quincy Adams, who had been elected to the House of Representatives and been made chairman of the Committee on Manufactures, and reduced tariffs to remedy the conflict created by the...
, was a member of the South Carolina Nullification Convention of November 1832, and reported the ordinance of nullification passed by that body on the November 24. After resigning from the Senate in 1832, he was Governor of South Carolina
Governor of South Carolina
The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...
from December 1832 to December 1834, and while in that position took a strong stand against President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, though he was more conservative than many of the nullificationists in the state. He was intendant
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, from 1835 to 1837, and was president of the Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Railway from 1837 to 1839.
Death
Robert Young Hayne died at Asheville, North CarolinaAsheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
on September 24, 1839. His nephew, Paul Hamilton Hayne
Paul Hamilton Hayne
Paul Hamilton Hayne was a nineteenth century Southern American poet, critic, and editor.-Biography:Paul Hamilton Hayne was born in Charleston, South Carolina on January 1, 1830. After losing his father as a young child, Hayne was reared by his mother in the home of his prosperous and prominent...
, was a poet of some distinction who in 1878 published a life of Senator Hayne. On his tombstone was the name Robert Y. Hayne.
Further reading
- Sheidley, Harlow W. "The Webster-Hayne Debate: Recasting New England's Sectionalism" New England Quarterly 1994 67(1): 5-29. ISSN 0028-4866 Fulltext in Jstor
- Theodore D. Jervey, Robert V. Hayne and his Times (New York, 1909).
- Paul H. Hayne, Lives of Robert Y. Hayne and Hugh Swinton Legaré (Charleston, 1878)
- McDuffie, Eulogy upon the Life and Character of the Late Robert Y. Hayne (Charleston, 1840)
- Lindsay Swift (editor) The Great Debate Between Robert Y. Hayne, of South Carolina, and Daniel Webster, of Massachusetts (Boston, 1898), in the "Riverside Literature Series"