An early attempt, after the close of the Mexican War and just before Zachary Taylor's inauguration, to organize the South with a single pro-slavery voice. Drafted initially by John C. Calhoun and undersigned by soon-to-be Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, the initial draught of the address was deemed by some Southern congressman "too drastic" [Potter] and modified accordingly.

As finally issued here, it is one of the earliest and clearest examples of the South's assertion that the North had breached the original constitutional bargain to protect slavery. It ended up being signed by only 48 of the 121 southern congressmen. Southern Whigs believed the incoming President, Zachary Taylor, who had himself been a Louisiana slave-holder, would resolve the issue of slavery in the South's favor through political channels. They were deeply disappointed when Taylor advocated for immediate statehood for California and New Mexico, which resulted in anti-slavery constitutions for those States. 

After this, the Confederacy began to coalesce around the ideas in the present document. A foundational document in the march toward the Civil War.  

Calhoun, John C. [Jefferson Davis, &c.]. The Address of Southern Delegates in Congress, to their Constituents. Washington. Towers Printer, Franklin Building. 1849. 15pp. 

A good + copy wraps, essentially disbound. Pages generally clean with only light foxing.