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Excerpt ​

Excerpt from Thomas Hart Benton's Remarks to the Senate on the Expunging Resolution, by Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Hart Benton,
"On the Expunging Resolution."
U.S. Senate,
January 12, 1837

Mr. President:

It is now three years since the resolve was adopted by the Senate,
which it is my present motion to expunge from the journal. At the
moment that this resolve was adopted, I gave notice of my intention to
move to expunge it; and then expressed my confident belief that the
motion would eventually prevail. That expression of confidence was not
an ebullition of vanity, or a presumptuous calculation, intended to
accelerate the event it affected to foretell. It was not a vain boast,
or an idle assumption, but was the result of a deep conviction of the
injustice done President Jackson, and a thorough reliance upon the
justice of the American people. I felt that the President had been
wronged; and my heart told me that this wrong would be redressed! The
event proves that I was not mistaken. The question of expunging this
resolution has been carried to the people, and their decision has been
had upon it. They decide in favor of the expurgation; and their
decision has been both made and manifested, and communicated to us in a
great variety of ways. A great number of States have expressly
instructed their Senators to vote for this expurgation. A very great
majority of the States have elected Senators and Representatives to
Congress, upon the express ground of favoring this expurgation. The
Bank of the United States, which took the initiative in the accusation
against the President, and furnished the material, and worked the
machinery which was used against him, and which was then so powerful on
this floor, has become more and more odious to the public mind, and
musters now but a slender phalanx of friends in the two Houses of
Congress. The late Presidential election furnishes additional evidence
of public sentiment. The candidate who was the friend of President
Jackson, the supporter of his administration, and the avowed advocate
for the expurgation, has received a large majority of the suffrages of
the whole Union, and that after an express declaration of his
sentiments on this precise point. The evidence of the public will,
exhibited in all these forms, is too manifest to be mistaken, too
explicit to require illustration, and too imperative to be disregarded.
Omitting details and specific enumeration of proofs, I refer to our own
files for the instructions to expunge--to the complexion of the two
Houses for the temper of the people--to the denationalized condition of
the Bank of the United States for the fate of the imperious
accuser--and to the issue of the Presidential election for the answer
of the Union.

Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of Thomas Hart Benton’s Remarks on the Expunging Resolution (1837) ​

Context: The Political Battle Over Andrew Jackson’s Censure ​

Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858), a Democratic Senator from Missouri, was a staunch ally of President Andrew Jackson. In 1834, the Whig-controlled Senate (led by Jackson’s political enemies, including Henry Clay) passed a resolution of censure against Jackson for his controversial decision to withdraw federal deposits from the Second Bank of the United States (a move Jackson believed was necessary to curb the Bank’s unchecked power and corruption). The censure accused Jackson of acting unconstitutionally and abusively in defiance of Congress.

Jackson’s supporters, including Benton, saw this as a political witch hunt orchestrated by the Bank’s allies (particularly Nicholas Biddle, the Bank’s president) to undermine Jackson’s popularity. For three years, Benton and other Democrats worked to expunge (erase) the censure from the Senate’s official records, arguing that it was an unjust smear on Jackson’s legacy. By 1837, with Jackson’s handpicked successor, Martin Van Buren, newly elected and the Whigs weakened, Benton saw his chance to reverse the censure.

Analysis of the Excerpt: Benton’s Rhetorical Strategy ​

Benton’s speech is a triumphant, persuasive, and politically charged argument for expunging the censure. His goal is to:

  1. Reaffirm Jackson’s innocence and frame the censure as a partisan attack.
  2. Appeal to democratic principles, arguing that the people (not the Senate) should decide Jackson’s legacy.
  3. Undermine the Bank’s credibility and portray its supporters as a fading, unpopular minority.
  4. Leverage recent electoral victories to claim a mandate for expungement.

Let’s break down the key themes, literary devices, and arguments in the text:

1. Themes ​

A. Justice and Redress of Wrongs ​

Benton frames the expungement as a moral imperative—a correction of an injustice against Jackson. He presents himself as a champion of fairness, not just a partisan:

"I felt that the President had been wronged; and my heart told me that this wrong would be redressed!"

  • Appeal to pathos (emotion): Benton uses moral language ("injustice," "wronged," "redressed") to make the issue personal, suggesting that failing to expunge the censure would be a betrayal of justice.
  • Prophetic tone: His claim that he knew the expungement would succeed ("my confident belief") positions him as a visionary who understood the will of the people before others did.

B. The Will of the People vs. Elite Power ​

Benton contrasts the democratic mandate (the people’s support for Jackson) with the undemocratic actions of the Senate (controlled by Whigs and Bank allies). He argues that the censure was not just an attack on Jackson but on the people themselves:

"The question of expunging this resolution has been carried to the people, and their decision has been had upon it."

  • Populist rhetoric: Benton portrays the Bank and its Senate allies as out-of-touch elites ("the imperious accuser") while framing Jackson’s supporters as the true voice of America.
  • Electoral proof: He cites multiple forms of public support:
    • State instructions (legislatures ordering Senators to vote for expungement).
    • Congressional elections (pro-expungement candidates winning).
    • Van Buren’s victory (Jackson’s protégé winning the presidency on a pro-expungement platform).
    • The Bank’s decline (its unpopularity proving the people rejected its influence).

C. The Bank as the True Villain ​

Benton shifts blame from Jackson to the Second Bank of the United States, portraying it as the real aggressor:

"The Bank of the United States... took the initiative in the accusation against the President, and furnished the material, and worked the machinery which was used against him."

  • Metaphor of machinery: The Bank is depicted as a manipulative, mechanical force ("worked the machinery"), suggesting it controlled the Senate like puppets.
  • Decline of the Bank: Benton notes that the Bank, once powerful, is now "denationalized" (its charter expired in 1836) and has "but a slender phalanx of friends" (a military metaphor implying its supporters are a weak, outnumbered force).

D. Historical Legacy and Vindication ​

Benton frames expungement as not just a political win but a historical necessity—a way to preserve Jackson’s reputation for posterity:

"The evidence of the public will... is too manifest to be mistaken, too explicit to require illustration, and too imperative to be disregarded."

  • Appeal to posterity: He implies that future generations will judge the Senate harshly if they fail to correct this injustice.
  • Inevitability of justice: His repeated insistence that the people have already decided makes resistance seem futile.

2. Literary and Rhetorical Devices ​

Benton’s speech is a masterclass in persuasive oratory, using:

A. Parallelism & Repetition ​

  • "Too manifest to be mistaken, too explicit to require illustration, too imperative to be disregarded."
    • The triple structure (anaphora) emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the people’s will.
  • "I refer to our own files... to the complexion of the two Houses... to the denationalized condition... to the issue of the Presidential election."
    • Anaphora ("to") builds momentum, making his argument feel inescapable.

B. Metaphor & Imagery ​

  • "Worked the machinery" → The Bank is a cold, manipulative machine, not a legitimate institution.
  • "Slender phalanx" → The Bank’s supporters are a weak, outnumbered army (a phalanx was a Greek military formation).
  • "Denationalized condition" → The Bank is no longer a true American institution but a foreign-like entity.

C. Ethical Appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) ​

  • Ethos (credibility):
    • Benton presents himself as a principled defender of justice, not just a partisan.
    • He cites three years of consistent opposition to the censure, showing persistence and conviction.
  • Pathos (emotion):
    • "My heart told me" → Appeals to moral intuition over cold logic.
    • "The President had been wronged" → Frames Jackson as a victim, evoking sympathy.
  • Logos (logic):
    • Uses electoral results, state instructions, and the Bank’s decline as concrete evidence that the people support expungement.

D. Synecdoche & Generalization ​

  • "The temper of the people" → Uses a single trait ("temper") to represent the entire public mood.
  • "The answer of the Union" → The whole country is personified as giving a unified response.

E. Antithesis (Contrast) ​

  • People vs. Senate: The democratic will is pure; the Senate’s censure is corrupt.
  • Jackson’s vindication vs. Bank’s decline: One rises as the other falls.

3. Significance of the Speech ​

A. Political Victory for Jacksonian Democracy ​

  • The expungement succeeded (the censure was erased from Senate records in 1837), marking a symbolic triumph for Jackson’s legacy.
  • Benton’s speech reinforced the idea that popular sovereignty (the people’s will) should override elite institutions (like the Bank or a Whig-controlled Senate).

B. Attack on the Second Bank of the U.S. ​

  • The speech further damaged the Bank’s reputation, contributing to its permanent demise (its charter was not renewed, and it became a private institution).
  • Benton’s framing of the Bank as a corrupt, undemocratic force aligned with Jackson’s anti-aristocratic, anti-monopoly rhetoric.

C. Precedent for Executive Power ​

  • By erasing a congressional censure, Benton and the Democrats strengthened the idea that presidents could defy Congress if they had public support.
  • This set a precedent for future clashes between the executive and legislative branches (e.g., later conflicts over impeachment, executive orders, etc.).

D. Rhetorical Influence on American Populism ​

  • Benton’s appeal to "the people" vs. "the elites" became a recurring theme in American politics (seen later in Andrew Jackson’s successors, the Progressive Era, and even modern populist movements).
  • His use of electoral mandates to justify political actions foreshadowed later arguments about democratic legitimacy (e.g., FDR’s New Deal, Trump’s "silent majority" rhetoric).

4. Conclusion: Benton’s Masterful Persuasion ​

Benton’s speech is a brilliant blend of moral outrage, democratic idealism, and political strategy. By:

  1. Framing the censure as an injustice (appealing to fairness),
  2. Invoking the people’s will (appealing to democracy),
  3. Vilifying the Bank (creating a clear enemy),
  4. Using irresistible rhetorical momentum (through repetition and parallelism),

he ensured the expungement’s success and cemented Jackson’s legacy as a champion of the common man against corrupt elites.

His words remain a powerful example of how political rhetoric can reshape history—not just by arguing a point, but by mobilizing public sentiment to rewrite the official record.

Final Thought: Why This Matters Today ​

Benton’s speech raises timeless questions about:

  • Who decides historical justice? (The people? The government? Future generations?)
  • Can a legislative body "erase" a past action? (What does that mean for accountability?)
  • How do populist movements use rhetoric to challenge institutions?

These debates echo in modern politics, from impeachment trials to calls for removing statues to reinterpretations of history. Benton’s argument—that the people’s will should override institutional decisions—remains a controversial but enduring idea in democracy.