Prominent former Whigs meet in Boston to discuss ways to halt the secession movement.

Edward Everett, Amos Lawrence, Robert Winthrop, and others discuss compromises that might be made to halt the revolt by southern states. The moves include support of a proposal by Kentucky Sen. John Crittenden to allow slavery South of a 36/30 line all the way to the Pacific ocean. They collect more than 20,000 signatures supporting these compromises and Lawrence, Everett, Winthrop and Tobey deliver the petition – more than 100 yards long – to Washington and try to get their representatives to support it. According to Thomas O’Connor, Sumner dismisses the petition as “all wind.”