Northern men who were for maintaining slavery in the South. Word invented by John Randolph of Roanoke, Va. It has been contended that he meant doe-face: see ‘Mag. Am. Hist.,’ xiii. 497 (1885).
1820. [Randolph said the northern members who voted for slavery in Missouri] got scared. They saw their dough faces in the glass, and were frightened.—Mass. Spy, March 22: from the Rhode Island American.
1820. He said, “I knew these would give way. They were scared at their own dough faces. Yes, they were scared at their own dough faces. We had them.”—Id., April 19, from the New Brunswick Times, April 13.
1834. How familiar have the significant epithets of “white slave” and “dough-face” become!—J. G. Whittier, ‘Works, Letter to Sewall,’ iii. 87. (N.E.D.)
1838. The two words (dough faces), with which that gentleman taunted our Northern friends, did more injury than any two words I have ever known.—Henry Clay in the U.S. Senate: Cong. Globe, p. 71, App.
1841. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Linn) has suggested something about representatives from the North disregarding the interests of their constituents, and asserted that some had so far done this as to have applied to them the appellation of dough-faces.—Mr. Atherton of N. Hampshire, House of Repr., Dec. 23: Cong. Globe, p. 36, App.
1843. I may be led to confide in the honor of a slaveholder; but a “servile doughface” is too destitute of that article to obtain credit with me.—Mr. Giddings of Ohio, the same, Feb. 23: id., p. 195, App.
1847. If we permit this, we shall justly merit the insulting epithet so often applied by the Whigs to the Democracy of the North, of “Northern Dough-faces.”—Mr. Wilmot of Pennsylvania, the same, Feb. 8: Cong. Globe, p. 316, App.
1848. Turning to the representatives who had betrayed the North in the Missouri Compromise, Mr. Randolph, pointing to each one separately, said: “You northern dough-faces! we have bought you once, and when we want you we will buy you again dog-cheap.”—Mr. Tuck of New Hampshire, the same, Jan. 19: id., p. 211, App.
1848. Mr. Duer of New York would say again, if he were to choose between a southern advocate of slavery and a “dough-face,” he would choose a southern man; and the gentleman might say what he pleased of Zachary Taylor.—The same, June 22: id., p. 731, App.
1848.
| Each honnable doughface gits jest wut he axes, | |
| An’ the people,—their annooal soft-sodder an’ taxes. | |
Lowell, ‘Biglow Papers,’ No. 4. |
1848.
| Fer any office, small or gret, | |
| I could n’t ax with no face, | |
| ’uthout I ’d ben, thru dry an’ wet, | |
| Th’ unrizzest kind o’ doughface. | |
Id., No. 6. |
1850. Mr. Root avows his object in moving the Wilmot proviso to be (in his own peculiar language), “to smoke out the doughfaces on each side of the line.” In other words, to force a geographical division of parties.—Mr. McClernand of Illinois, House of Repr., Aug. 29: Cong. Globe, p. 1700.
1860. When will Northern doughfaces learn to keep up with progressive Democratic theology?—Oregon Argus, May 5.
1860. Fight on, ye mercenary hounds! Have at you, ye bullying Disunionists, and ye time serving Doughfaces!—Id., Sept. 29.
1861. While now and then a weak-kneed doughface has exhibited slight symptoms of an ague, [most] of the Republicans have faced the music like men.—Id., Feb. 9.
1861. Unbelieving men have derided us as doughfaces, and sneered at us as Union-savers.—S. S. Cox, ‘Eight Years in Congress,’ p. 197 (1865).
1861. If there ’s any thing on airth that I uttarly despise it ar a Northern dough-face, and it ’s clar to me you ’re one on ’em.—Knick. Mag., lviii. 512 (Dec.).
