11. Many schemes have been proposed for alleviating the miseries and
evils produced by the enslavement of the African race in the United
States. Possessors of slaves, as well as others, have investigated the
subject with great industry and anxiety; and all agree that something
ought to be done. The suggestion of an infallible remedy is useless, if
it be impossible to attain or apply it. Exportation to Africa, (the
country to which the wisdom of their Creator has adapted their colour
and faculties;) separate colonization on the public lands; employment on
national canals, roads, &c. have been recommended. These projects are
most certainly impracticable, except partially:--because their
completion would require the _voluntary_ estrangement by its legal
holders, of an immense quantity and value of what is generally though
erroneously termed _property_--human liberty.[1] And in the present
moral and intellectual condition of the slaves, the result would be
perhaps of doubtful benefit.
12. In examining this subject, I shall endeavour to be temperate, and to
avoid indulging in the use of reprehensive acrimonious modes of
expression.
13. Without the most distant inclination to aggravate the feelings of
any individual, but because "we ought not to shrink from the
investigation of truth, however unpopular, nor conceal it whatever the
profession of it may cost,"[2] a concise sketch will be presented, of
the facts and incidents which have prompted this address. The peculiar
connexion with which some of these occurrences succeeded each other, was
certainly extraordinary, and to those who are not incredulous, may seem
astonishing.
14. The first opportunity that ever occurred to me, of viewing a slave
plantation, was furnished by a journey during the summer of 1815, from
Pittsburg to the city of Washington. In the course of my route I
travelled through part of Virginia, west of the Blue Ridge, by way of
Winchester, and through part of Maryland by way of Fredericktown, on the
east side.
15. My first contemplation of the magnificent edifice,[3] towering over
the surrounding clusters of huts, and the extensive fields, impressed an
idea of their similarity to the castles of European princes, dukes,
lords, barons, &c. with the cottages of their tenants. But a closer
consideration led me to this unavoidable conclusion: that these splendid
fabrics are virtually the palaces of hereditary absolute monarchs;--that
the labourers and people over whom they reign, are their lawful subjects
or vassals--constituting _kingdoms in miniature_;--with this difference
from eastern monarchies, that the king here, instead of receiving merely
a revenue from his subjects, has _legitimate_ power (if he is disposed
to avail himself of it) to exercise the most unlimited and tyrannical
despotism[4] over their persons, and to extort the _whole_ of the
products of their industry, except what may be indispensable to prevent
starvation.
16. It is not my intention by any means, to intimate that every
possessor of slaves must necessarily be a Nero, but that, if he chooses
to be one, there exists no earthly political power to prevent him.
Excess of power, like other unnatural stimulants, exerts a deleterious
and an intoxicating influence upon the human mind, which but few possess
the capacity and firmness to withstand. In tracing the endless
catalogues of kings, presented in history, how seldom is the eye dazzled
with transport at the name of an Alfred! There are, undoubtedly,
Alfreds, among these numerous _states_; but as long as the diffusion of
the humanizing principles of pure religion, and the auxiliary lights of
natural, moral, and political philosophy, continues to be limited to its
present boundaries, it is feared the number of Alfreds will remain
comparatively small.
17. The rod of a tyrant wielded over a few, is infinitely more terrible,
than when the number of its victims is great, and detached over a wide
extent of country.[5]
18. Mr. Jefferson, in his Note on this subject, exclaims, "I tremble for
my country, when I reflect that God is just, and that his justice cannot
sleep for ever." The late Professor Barton, in his work on Botany, while
treating on the article of _rice_, and its cultivation by uncompensated
slaves, expresses a similar sentiment: "Shall we never learn (says he)
to be just to our fellow creatures? Shall we blindly pursue the
imaginary advantages of the moment, and neglect the still but solemn
voice of God, until
"--------Vengeance in the lurid air
Lifts her red arm expos'd and bare?"
19. Without offering an opinion on the propriety of the expression of
Mr. Jefferson, I must add, that _I tremble for my country when I reflect
that God is just_, and that his justice is ever active and continually
executing its commission! The truth of this may be easily recognised by
any observer, who has not been familiarized to the constant presence of
slavery, from infancy. Indeed, the possessors of slaves, with whom I
have conversed, while travelling through several slave districts,
frequently acknowledged that they "_have inherited a curse from their
ancestors, and that it would be better for the country if the slaves
were all out of it_." And with respect to the _red arm of vengeance,
exposed and bare_, it must often menace those neighbourhoods, whence the
citizens frequently write to their friends in the _north_, that, "it is
high time to leave a country where one cannot go to bed in the evening,
without the apprehension of being massacred before morning!" I have been
assured by citizens having personal knowledge of the fact, that the rage
of the slaves is such, in some districts, and especially near Savannah,
that their masters and overseers are obliged to retreat to some secure
place during the night, or employ armed sentinels. Four slaves were
executed but a few months since, in Maryland, for destroying the life of
their master's brother, while he was in the act of inflicting corporeal
punishment upon them. A citizen of Philadelphia very lately related to
me the most shocking heart-rending instance of ferocious vengeance that
can be possibly conceived: It very forcibly exemplifies the infatuation
and temerity of subjecting those, to whom our persons must necessarily
be frequently accessible, to a state of the most savage moral
debasement, and then of tampering with their furious untamed passions.
A female slave having been flogged by her mistress, watched for an
opportunity to indulge her resentment, which she executed in a manner
too horrible to describe, and which it is not deemed prudent to specify.
20. Many instances have existed, where slaves, in a state of enraged
desperation, have involved their masters and themselves, of course, in
mutual destruction. A gentleman of high respectability lately informed
me, that he personally knew a master of slaves who retreated every night
into an upper room, the entrance into which was by a trap door, and kept
an axe by his side for defence!
21. Does not self-preservation, as well as the obligations of religious
duty and brotherly love, enjoin the education and civilization of our
sable heathen neighbours in our own dwellings, equally as imperatively
as of our tawny ones in the wilderness, and of both, on this side of the
Atlantic, as well as on the other?[6]
22. While at a public house, in Fredericktown, there came into the
bar-room (on Sunday) a decently dressed white man, of quite a light
complexion, in company with one who was totally black. After they went
away, the landlord observed that the white man was a slave. I asked him,
with some surprise, how that could be possible? To which he replied,
that he was a descendant, by female ancestry, of an African slave. He
also stated, that not far from Fredericktown, there was a slave estate,
on which there were several white females of as fair and elegant
appearance as white ladies in general, held in legal bondage as slaves.
These facts demonstrate that the peculiar hue, with which it has pleased
God to paint the surface of the body of an African, is not the only
circumstance which reconciles to the conscience of the European, (white
man) the act of depriving him of his liberty and the fruits of his
labour. Hence it appears to be a melancholy truth, that man, in a morbid
state of intellect, (which I consider to be the case with every
individual, whose rule of action is not founded upon wisdom and
virtue,) voluntarily and almost invariably, confounds right with might,
and when stimulated by avarice, frequently hesitates not to _bind and
sell_ his wife, his children, or his brother! I have received direct
information from a gentleman who witnessed the fact, that in one of the
slave states, a white man, having married one of his female slaves,
after she had borne him several children, sold the whole of them
together as he would a drove of cattle; and it is said such instances
are frequent. A _gentleman_ brought with him from the southward to
_Philadelphia_, (the city of brotherly love,) his half brother, the son
of his father by a slave, and attempted to sell him! He was happily
prevented from executing his sacrilegious design by the interposition of
a respectable citizen, who also procured the legal restoration of
freedom to the darker _faced_ brother.
23. In the course of a journey through Virginia, from the city of
Washington towards James' river, of about 150 miles, going and returning
by different routes, I had frequent opportunities of conversing with the
possessors and overseers of slaves, and others, and of observing the
general effects of the present system of slavery, upon the morals and
prospects of the white population. On combining the facts which
presented themselves, I was involuntarily led to this deduction: that
the present mode, with occasional exceptions, of managing slaves, and of
educating the successors to those who now hold dominion over them, must,
eventually and _inevitably_, result, by a progressive ratio, unless
reformed, in the poverty, bankruptcy and chagrin of a large portion of
the posterity of the existing proprietors of even the most extensive
slave estates in the country! This state of things has, to a certain
extent, already commenced. I was informed of some ancient and immensely
rich slave possessions, and shewn some of the subdivided portions of
them, the present numerous heirs of which, are obliged to contract
increasing debts annually, in order to maintain the magnificent style of
living, and the habits of _amusement_ and _sport_, which had been
imposed on them by their ancestors. In conversation with a gentleman at
Charlotteville, I advanced this problem:--Suppose an individual, (who
prefers sport and extravagance to prudence and happiness) becomes
possessor of 1000 slaves, and 10,000 acres of ground; if he bequeaths
his estate to ten heirs, they will receive each 1000 acres of ground and
perhaps 125 slaves. Pursuing this ratio, each descendant of the third
generation will inherit 100 acres of land and about 25 slaves, and the
fourth 10 acres, with 2 slaves. If the slaves should multiply
proportionally with their masters, the plantations would not; for it is
judged from corresponding information and facts, that many of the
proprietors, annually expend the whole amount of their revenue, more or
less. The inevitable poverty and physical debility, thus entailed upon
the inheritors of slaves, are not half so much to be deplored, as the
habits of indolence, dissipation and vice, which, if not the uniform
fruits of slavery, are much promoted and encouraged by it.
24. About eighteen months ago, I saw, in the western part of the state
of New-York, a venerable old farmer, whose name is Vaughan. He was in
good health (being nearly ninety years of age) and in possession of a
delightful farm, which had been rescued from the wilderness and
cultivated by himself and his sons. Two years ago, the number of his
descendants was about 378! the most of whom have been, or will be, bred
to some useful employment, adequate to their subsistence. If he were in
possession of 1000 slaves, and 10,000 acres of soil, he could bequeath
them only 26-1/3 acres of land each, and not 3 slaves.
25. On my return to the city of Washington, I met with a most
distressing exemplification of the dangerous policy of educating youth,
(let their fortunes be ever so abundant,) in luxury and indolence. I saw
a stranger, from one of the slave states, of tolerably genteel
appearance, in the prime of life, destitute of property, and unqualified
for any occupation whatever. He had inherited and dissipated a
considerable estate of land and slaves. His former acquaintance and
connexions were of the most reputable class. He appeared to be literally
a prey to despair. He said he should think himself happy if he were
capable of labouring in any mechanical employment whatever. He related
an anecdote of himself, which exhibits very distinctly, the delirium
which affluence and luxurious habits stamp upon the human intellect when
not fortified by virtue. He stated, that at a period when he was totally
at a loss for resources, he met with an opportunity of engaging in a
pursuit, on the commencement of which he received two hundred dollars.
Liberality and hospitality to strangers (if their faces are white) are
prominent and proverbial characteristics of well bred possessors of
slaves, generally.[7] So perfectly had his thoughts been attuned and
associated to opulence and profusion, that he forgot his inverse
position upon the wheel of fortune, and immediately commenced free table
and free bottle; and his two hundred dollars disappeared entirely in one
month;--soon after which he suffered severe privations for want of cash!
26. Having sketched an outline of some of the evils, which the present
state of slavery necessarily produces to the possessors of slaves, we
will next examine its effects upon the slaves themselves, and endeavour
to prove that the pecuniary as well as the moral interests and rights of
both parties, enjoin the expediency of adopting a different system of
management.
27. It has been urged, in justification of domestic slavery, that the
slave receives an equivalent for his incessant toil, in the certainty of
being provided with food, clothing, and shelter:--and that a rigorous
discipline is indispensable to the preservation of industry, and for
security against rebellion and assassination. It is well known, in
almost every description of human labour, that constant diligence
produces more than a sufficiency of the necessaries of life, for the
daily consumption of the labourer. Industry, duly rewarded, and
accompanied by temperance and economy, is, with but casual exceptions,
to every individual blessed with health, an infallible source of
competence and wealth. As our all-wise Creator has fitted our
organization, individually, to the acquirement of the means of
subsistence, without depending on the labour and generosity of each
other, there can be no doubt but he designed that each should retain and
enjoy the products of his own hands, without molestation. It is certain
that the labour of a slave is of more value than the expense of his
daily personal necessities, or he could not be sold, (notwithstanding
the risk of premature death,) for 400 or 900 dollars.
28. The excellence of the great fundamental precept of christianity,
'_Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto
them_,' is acknowledged and admired, it is believed, by every member of
the human family, of whatever name or nation, that makes any pretension
to religion or moral rectitude. And it most assuredly involves this
precept also, which is still easier to obey, and cannot be dispensed
with in the positive axioms of natural justice;--Whatsoever ye would
that men should _not_ do unto you, do ye _not_ even so unto them. Will
any possessor of slaves or other individual, voluntarily consign himself
to hard labour during life? will he submit to the will and temper of
another man, and surrender at his feet the _whole_ of the products of
his toil? Unconditional slavery is contrary to the precepts of religion,
moral justice, and the abstract, natural and political rights of man. It
is a _black_, accumulating, _threatening thunder cloud_ in our moral
horizon, the sudden explosion of which might produce dangerous and fatal
consequences. I am hence constrained to perform the melancholy task of
recording my dissent from the sentiments of those who, from the purest
motives and most laudable philanthropy, request the universal,
simultaneous and _unconditional_ emancipation of a numerous body of meek
people, now groaning under the grievous yoke and goading lash of brutal
unrewarded servitude in these United States, "the world's best hope."
Yet I do not mean to intimate that equal justice should not, or cannot
be rendered to them. If guided by discretion, it may be administered to
them with the highest advantage and most perfect safety to both parties.
African servitude might, at the outset, be rendered so tolerable and
reasonable that the present appellation of _slavery_, which sounds so
discordant, in connexion with the cheering music of _liberty_, might be
exchanged for some title, attended with a less chilling and _base_ note.
Let _Masters_, without hesitation, become _Patrons_, _Guardians_,
_Friends_, _Civil Governors_. Let _Slaves_ be converted into _tenants_
and indented _servants_, (or _labourers_,) bound, _for the present_, by
the lamentable crisis of existing circumstances.--In compliance with the
loud and imperative demands of justice and humanity, and the injunctions
of policy and self interest, let their toil be carefully and justly
proportioned to their bodily strength, and rewarded by a sufficiency of
comfortable nourishment, clothing and shelter. And, particularly in
cases of correct behaviour and diligence, let a reasonable sum be paid,
monthly or annually, to those who have discretion to make a proper use
of it, or allotted and reserved for the education and eventual benefit
of their children. Let them be effectually protected from the
destructive ravages of distilled spirits. Let them not be bought and
sold as beasts of the harness, without their consent; unless guilty of
criminal conduct;--and let this be decided by the laws of the country.
Nor for all the _silver_ in the mines of Potosi, let an ounce of _iron_
be rivetted upon their _necks_, _wrists_, or _ancles_; for he who
fashioned these sections of their bodies, never designed them for such
barbarous purposes! Let the "resounding lash," and the savage arts of
torture and cruelty; be laid aside. The adoption of a discipline,
founded on justice and reciprocal equity, will render these unnecessary.
It is a very important fact, in human nature, that men, in all
conditions, perform their duty with far greater alacrity and pleasure,
when prompted by the exhilarating anticipation of reward and advantage,
than by coercion, and the paralyzing menace of penalties and pain.[8]
29. Philosophy cries, "Brethren, be just--be beneficent, and you will
prosper.--Eternal slavery must be an eternal source of crimes;--divest
it at least of the epithet eternal, for anguish that knows no bounds
can only produce despair." "With a pure heart, one is never unhappy."
Let the possessor of slaves consult the oracles of his own
conscience--the spontaneous counsels of his own heart, and the sublime
parable of the beneficent founder of the Christian religion, and act
accordingly. Did not the slave, (or his ancestors in Africa,) "fall
among thieves, which stripped him" of liberty and happiness;--and are
purchasers or retainers of known stolen property, (or liberty) entirely
absolved, either by the laws of God or man, from a degree of
participation in the original transgression? Let every individual, then,
who finds a slave in his hands, whether by traffic or inheritance, 'take
compassion on him,' like the good Samaritan, _and bind up the old and
painful wounds_, which have been inflicted on his "unalienable rights,"
given him by his Creator and _sole_ Proprietor;
Which no man, for gold, can buy or sell!
30. Intellectual and moral improvement is the safe and permanent basis,
on which the arch of eventual freedom to the enslaved Africans may be
gradually erected. Let the glorious work be commenced by instructing
such of the holders and overseers of slaves and their sons and
daughters, as have hitherto been deprived of the blessings of
education. Let every slave, less than thirty years of age, of either
sex, be taught the art of reading, sufficiently for receiving moral and
religious instruction, from books in the English language. For this
purpose, the Lancasterian mode of instruction would be admirably well
adapted. A well selected economical library of such books as are
calculated to inculcate the love of knowledge and virtue, ought to form
an essential appurtenance to every plantation.
31. Governor Miller, in his message of 1815, to the legislature of North
Carolina, affirms, that "With knowledge and virtue, the united efforts
of ignorance and tyranny may be defied." Governor Nicholas, in his
message of the same year, to the legislature of Virginia, says, "Without
intelligence, self-government, our dearest privilege, cannot be
exercised." President Madison, in his message to the Congress, also of
the same year, says, "Without knowledge, the blessings of liberty cannot
be fully enjoyed or long preserved." And in his recent valedictory
message, that he shall read in the character of the American people, in
their true devotion to liberty, and to the constitution, which is its
palladium, sure presages that the destined career of his country will
exhibit a government pursuing the public good as its sole object, &c.
"which maintains inviolably the maxims of public faith, security of
persons and property, and encourages in every authorized mode, that
general diffusion of knowledge, which guarantees to public liberty its
permanency, and to those who possess the blessing, the true enjoyment of
it," &c. Thomas Jefferson, in his inaugural speech, says, "If man is not
fit to govern himself, how can it be expected that he should be fit to
be entrusted with the government of others? Can we expect to find angels
in the form of kings?" Whether it be safe to risk the untutored slave
with his liberty or not, his situation must be inconceivably horrible,
under the cruel lash and uncontrolled power of a master, who is
destitute of education or virtue; whose prompter is avarice, and whose
religion is intemperance, and the gratification of the most ferocious
passions.--It is apprehended that many thousands, _if not hundreds of
thousands_, are thus situated! And it is of but little avail, if the
master himself be enlightened and humane, as long as he consigns his
people to the hands of a cruel stony-hearted overseer. Let legislators
then, both national and sectional, perform their duty to their country
and its posterity;--and to mankind, by listening to the wise counsels
of many conspicuous living sages, and pursue without hesitation the
inestimable "parting advice" of George Washington, Benjamin Rush, Samuel
Adams, and other departed friends and patrons of man, "to promote, as
objects of PRIMARY importance, institutions for the GENERAL diffusion of
knowledge:"--and _establish_ PUBLIC SCHOOLS _in every part_ of the
republic. And, as all men are vitally interested in the universal
dissemination of knowledge and virtue, let all classes combine their
influence and means, in aiding the cause of human happiness.
32. I can well predict the alarm that many will sound, at the project of
introducing letters among slaves. Some will _imagine_ that knowledge
would be a dangerous instrument in their hands. It is true knowledge
disarms oppression. But those who have experienced and appreciated its
almost uniform tendency, will perceive that it is a pacific weapon,--an
olive branch,--accompanied by moderation, justice, and moral duty.
Education has been calumniated with the charge of instigating the
rebellion and shocking outrages of the slaves in St. Domingo. But the
fact is precisely the reverse. The catastrophe was produced chiefly by
the haughtiness and imprudence of the white planters, in opposing
decrees of the French government, which concerned only the rights of
freemen. In this civil war, in which the _white planters_ were arrayed
against the laws of the national assembly, and the _planters of colour_
in defence of them, it is not surprising that the _slaves_ should take
sides with their _nearest_ relations. The consequent atrocities, most
unquestionably resulted from the remembrance of the former barbarity[9]
of masters.
33. As mental improvement advances, vengeance and crimes recede. That
desirable happy era, when the spirit of peace and benevolence shall
pervade all the nations which inhabit the earth,--when both national and
personal _slavery_ shall be annihilated;--when nations and individuals
shall cease to hunt and destroy each other's lives and property;--when
the science and implements of human preservation and felicity, shall be
substituted for those of slaughter and woe; will commence, precisely at
the moment when the rays of _useful knowledge and wisdom_ shall have
been extended to the _whole_ human family. By useful knowledge, I mean,
not only an acquaintance with valuable arts and sciences, but also an
understanding of our various moral and religious duties, in relation to
our Creator, to our neighbour, and to ourselves. By wisdom, I mean that
kind of sagacity which influences us to regulate our passions and
conduct, in conformity to the precepts of knowledge, reason and
religion. Until an approach towards such a state of things is effected,
the names of _liberty_ and _security_ on this earth, will differ but
little from _a will with a wisp_, either to monarchs or their vassals.
At present, violence bears universal and imperial sway;--and ignorance
is the magic spell which sustains its sceptre. This dark veil, which
enshrouds nearly the whole human race, can be penetrated and removed
with much greater certainty and facility, by the mild but invincible
rays of intellectual light, than by opposing violence with violence, and
evil to evil. The countryman in AEsop's Fables, was induced to throw off
his cloak, by the gentle but melting rays of the _physical_ sun, after
the wind had exerted its fury in vain. What a boundless empire of glory
and _unalloyed_ bliss might the monarchs and rulers of the age, and all
possessors of power or wealth, attain, by causing their numerous
subjects or brethren, perpetually encompassed by the snares of
ignorance, vice and oppression, to be instructed; and elevating poor
degraded, afflicted human nature, to that scale of dignity in the
creation, which was evidently assigned to it, by the Supreme Parent of
the universe!
34. Slaves, enveloped in the fogs of brutal ignorance and debasement,
and exasperated by constant severity and frequent cruelty, cannot fail
of being much more dangerous neighbours, and much less useful servants,
than they would be, if tamed by moral instruction and kind treatment.
Docility is well known to be one of the peculiar characteristics of the
African race; and whenever opportunities have occurred, they have
indicated a capacity of receiving instruction, and of becoming qualified
for a humane and moral government.
35. Should these remarks ever reach the understanding of the slave whose
yoke is rivetted upon him, by the laws of the government under which he
lives, if he will believe the writer to be his unfeigned compassionate
friend, let him accept his sincere advice, to submit with fortitude to
his fate, and wait with patience the arrival of the day of joy, which
has already commenced its journey, and will assuredly overtake him or
his posterity, not long hence. Let him remember, that it is only the
gradual progress of reason, and the principles of humanity, that can
relieve him; and that the more he resists the noose of slavery, the
closer it girds itself about his neck, _even to suffocation or
strangling_. Let him conciliate the good will and friendship of his
master, by reasonable diligence and inflexible fidelity.
36. Governor Miller, in his message, which has been already mentioned,
says, "But now, thank God, the human mind having progressed with gradual
march in the path of science and political philosophy, &c. the
principles, 'that all men are by nature equally free and independent,'
&c. have gained and are daily gaining more extensive currency." This
declaration, which probably alludes to Europe, is conspicuously true,
with respect to our own country. In several or all of the slave states,
there are many benevolent respectable individuals, who are dissatisfied
with the practice of retaining their _innocent African brethren_ in
bondage, and have signified their desire to release them.[10] And
although these votaries to humanity are prevented by the existing laws
of their respective districts, from accomplishing the full extent of
their wishes, it is hoped they will not fail to recognize the high
privilege, which still remains in their hands, of exercising reciprocal
justice to their sable _prisoners_, (no longer slaves,) and of educating
and qualifying them for their eventual freedom and reception into an
asylum, which, it may be confidently anticipated, will, ere long, be
prepared for them. In fact, I do not hesitate to predict, that whenever
slaves shall become qualified by intelligence and moral cultivation, for
the rational enjoyment of liberty, and the performance of the various
relative social virtues and duties of life, the enlightened American
legislators and depositories of the rights of man, will listen to the
voice of reason and justice, and the spirit of our social organization,
and _permit_ the release of
"------the poor fetter'd slave on bended knee,
From [Columbia's] sons imploring to be free;"
without banishing him, as a traitor, from his native land, where his
services as an industrious, though free laborer, may be indispensable to
its cultivation. But under present circumstances, I am not disposed to
question the policy or propriety of suitable laws, for regulating the
manumission of slaves, with a view to their own welfare and subsistence
as well as the preservation of the public peace. Many benevolent
gentlemen have exercised a sort of morbid or mistaken humanity, in
manumitting, or _turning out of doors_, slaves who had devoted the
greater part of the common period of man's life to their service, and
who, being morally and physically disqualified for securing an _honest_
maintenance, have finished their days in misery and woe. A very
benevolent possessor of slaves, in the district of Columbia, informed
the writer, that he was _principled_ against retaining them any longer
than while the value of their service amounts to the cost of purchase;
and that he had dismissed several, who immediately commenced a career of
wretchedness and final destruction. The sentiments, on this subject, of
"The American convention, for promoting the Abolition of slavery, and
improving the condition of the African race," are highly deserving of
consideration. In their circular, addressed to the general Abolition
Societies in the United States, they make this declaration: "We are
persuaded that the only means of accomplishing the final and complete
emancipation of this unfortunate people throughout our country, is, the
extension to them of the benefits of moral and intellectual cultivation.
That their redemption from the thraldom in which they now are, should be
preceded or accompanied by such aids, as will qualify them to discharge
their relative, social, and religious duties."
37. It would, perhaps, be a problem worthy of the consideration of the
legislators of those states in which slavery is tolerated, whether their
laws for regulating manumissions, might not, with propriety, be so
modified, as to authorise judges, justices, or other magistrates, to
grant _permits_ for the emancipation of such slaves, as shall be
satisfactorily proved to be morally and physically qualified for
liberty. Such a regulation would be peculiarly important to those humane
masters, who are merciful and just to their slaves, until their own
guardianship is annulled by death; and are unwilling to risk them in the
hands of their legitimate heirs, or to strangers who may purchase them
at public auction.
38. I have said, in the beginning of this essay, that separate
colonization, &c. is impracticable, except partially. I then gave one
reason for this opinion, and will now offer another. Were the whole of
_our numerous slave population_, already manumitted, and transferred
totally to a distinct colonial establishment, in this country or in
Africa: _our numerous white population_, in several of the more
southerly states, would need to be provided with another colonial
establishment, in some latitude more favourable to their _physical_
powers, or else perish amidst the desolate cotton and rice fields.
39. My conviction, that the existence of Europeans, (or white men) under
the blaze of a torrid sun, is dependent on African industry, (or on the
labour of such inhabitants of the earth, as are adapted by nature to the
equatorial regions,) must not be mistaken for an assent to the perpetual
duration of involuntary servitude and unconditional vassalage. This is a
circumstance, resulting from the wisdom of Providence, which ought to
fill the hearts of the proprietors of rice and cotton plantations, with
gratitude and kindness towards their _black benefactors_. Let the
magnificent work of progressive and ultimate emancipation, concomitant
with mental improvement, be kept steadily in view;--but let not the
total depopulation of an immense tract of valuable _improved_ country,
be held forth as essential to its accomplishment.
40. But as there is, probably at this moment, in many parts of the
United States, and will continue to be, an increasing excess of free
black and mulatto population, and also of slaves, who might be released
if they could be disposed of; humanity as well as policy, strongly
recommends the institution of some asylum, to which this description of
_strangers in a foreign land_, may resort if they please, and enjoy the
blessings of knowledge, _social happiness_, and the products of their
own industry; and perhaps be protected, at the same time, from the
sacrilegious talons of the numerous hordes of men-stealers, with which
our reputed free soil has long been infested and polluted. And as the
Congress of the United States have hitherto declined patronising this
object, (to which their attention has been frequently invited,) its
accomplishment will devolve, probably, on beneficent societies, and
individuals. The most eligible and practicable plan, perhaps, that could
be devised for this purpose, would be to open subscriptions throughout
the United States, for raising a fund, to be applied to the purchase of
an extensive tract or territory of United States' land, in some proper
district, (which probably might be obtained on a liberal credit,) where
such coloured people, as now are, or may become free, might be invited
to settle as tenants, or eventual purchasers. The settlement might be
committed to the care of proper agents, and if the profits should
ultimately exceed a sufficient amount to remunerate the original
advances with the interest, the surplus might be appropriated to the
education and general benefit of the African race in this country.[11]
41. Having now (as I hope,) shewn the practicability and mutual
advantages, of the melioration and ultimate freedom of the American
slave population, I shall proceed to communicate some facts and remarks
on the interior traffic in slaves, and on the practice of kidnapping
coloured persons, legally free.
42. To those who may object to the propriety of exposing to public view
such deeds as are likely to shock the feelings and sympathy of the
friends of humanity, I reply, that the object is not to excite popular
execration against their authors, but commiseration towards the
sufferers, and to discourage the repetition of cruelty. In supplications
for redress of grievances, it is customary and necessary too, for the
aggrieved party, to represent the wrongs complained of. The facts
adduced, can be well substantiated:--but as it is believed that no
valuable purpose will be gained, by the mention of names and specific
places where they occurred, they will be omitted as far as it may be
convenient.
43. In the structure of our political institutions, we have, in some
respects, undoubtedly excelled the ancient republics:--and in others, we
have evidently degenerated. Solon perceived that slavery was a fruitful
source of moral depravity to the Athenians, and abolished it;
notwithstanding it had its origin in the previous voluntary contraction
of debts, by the slaves. We neglect this valuable lesson of Solon, and
also a political maxim of his, which ought to form the corner-stone of
every republic. Being asked what kind of government is best, he
answered, "that in which an injury to the meanest member of the
community is esteemed an aggression upon the whole." Our laws for the
protection of the rights and liberty of free yellow and black people,
must be exceedingly defective, or there could not at this moment be
thousands of them illegally held in slavery.
44. Slavery, says Sterne, however disguised, _is still a bitter
draught_; but it is rendered tenfold more bitter and intolerable, when
the members of families are dragged asunder, never to behold each
other, or their native _wonted_ country again.--And it is the
_uncontrolled slave trade_, between the middle and southerly states,
which gives facility to the extensive and increasing practice of
kidnapping (slaves as well as freemen,) and secures it from the
possibility of detection, except casually. Under the existing laws, if a
free coloured man travels without passports certifying his right to his
liberty, he is generally apprehended; and frequently plunged into
slavery, by the operation of the laws. But after being seized and
manacled by the kidnapper, the slave merchant drives him through several
states, without interruption, and sells him where he seldom regains his
liberty. If the wisdom of the state or general governments should not
recommend the complete abolition of the internal as well as external
slave trade, it believed, at least, that an acquaintance with its abuses
will convince them of the necessity of so regulating it, as to confine
the traffic _totally_ to legal _slaves_. This could, perhaps, be
effectually accomplished by compelling every travelling slave-trader to
report his slaves to a proper magistrate, in every township or county
through which he passes; and to produce certificates, from some
magistrate residing near the place in which they were purchased, of
their being legal slaves and legally sold;--and also by compelling every
purchaser of imported slaves, (by _land_ or _sea_,) to register them,
and file similar certificates, in the offices of the respective county
clerks.
45. The act of depriving a free man of his liberty, being a violation of
the constitution of the United States, and an _overt attack_ upon the
public liberty, ought to be declared treason of some sort or other, and
punished by a reciprocity, in some degree, of the fate, to which the
conspirator attempts to involve his victim;--imprisonment in a
penitentiary, or some other secure place of industry, and moral
education;--for, I do not believe there ever lived a kidnapper, who had
read the whole of the New Testament, or any part of Seneca's Morals, or
Paley's Principles of Moral Philosophy, or any similar books.
46. On the 4th day of December 1815, (the day on which the session of
congress commenced,) being at the seat of government of the United
States, I was preparing to enjoy the first opportunity that had occurred
to me, of beholding the assembled representatives of the American
republic. As I was about to proceed to the building where the session
was opened, my agreeable reverie was suddenly interrupted by the voice
of a stammering boy, who, as he was coming into the house, from the
street, exclaimed, "There goes the Ge-Ge-orgy men[12] with a drove o'
niggers chain'd together two and two." What's that, said I,--I must
see,--and, going to the door, I just had a distant glimpse of a light
covered waggon, followed by a procession of men, women and children,
resembling that of a funeral. I followed them hastily; and as I
approached so near as to discover that they were bound together in
pairs, some with ropes, and some with iron chains (which I had hitherto
seen used only for restraining beasts,) the involuntary successive
heavings of my bosom became irrepressible. This was, with me, an
affection perfectly peculiar to itself, which never having before
experienced, gave me some surprise. I have since heard an intelligent
gentleman, from Scotland, describe a similar symptom. He affirmed, that
on his arrival upon the coast of the United States, (in Chesapeake Bay,)
his first view of the slaves _brought his heart into his throat_. I have
also been told by a gentleman, who holds a seat in the senate of the
United States, that "a drove of manacled slaves was to him an
insupportable spectacle, which he generally endeavoured to avoid;"--and
by a representative, (since deceased,) from one of the slave states, who
was himself a possessor of slaves, "that he never could bear to see
slaves manacled and fettered with bolts and chains, nor families torn
asunder and sold to the slave-traders, and wondered how any one could be
so inhuman as to do such acts." Overtaking the caravan, just opposite to
the old Capitol (then in a state of ruins from the conflagration by the
British army,)[13] I inquired of one of the _drivers_ (of whom there
were two) what part of the country they were taking all these people to?
"To Georgia," he replied. "Have you not, said I, enough such people in
that country yet?" "Not quite enough," he said. I found myself
incapable of saying more, and was compelled to avert my eyes immediately
from the heart-rending scene! Had Sterne been present, and surveyed
(with _real_ instead of imaginary vision) this groupe of bond-men and
bond-women, and _bond-children_, with their mute sad faces veiled with
_black_ despair--"and heard the chains rattle, which encumbered their
bodies,"--and "had seen the _iron_ enter their souls"--he would again
have "_burst into tears_." I walked along some distance before them,
down Pennsylvania Avenue, and, on turning round, observed that they had
left that street, (as if the spirit of PENN had repelled the contact of
such a tragedy with his name,) and directed their course towards the
Potomac bridge. At the same moment an African passed by, driving a hack;
and beholding his brethren,
"----Trembling, weeping, captive led,"
extended his arm towards them, and exclaimed, "See there! an't that
right down _murder_? Don't you call that _right down murder_?" On
uttering to him indistinctly, that I did not know, he renewed his
request to be answered, and I replied, "I do not know but it is
_murder_."----These expressions instantly reminded me of the frequency
of murders and deaths, not only of slaves, but of white and free black
men, resulting from despotic slavery, and particularly from the slave
traffic. Several instances of this kind had very recently come to my
knowledge, from unquestionable sources, and at that moment pressed
themselves with peculiar force upon my excited imagination; among which
I will recite the following:
47. A slave having escaped from his master, in the state of North
Carolina, within two or three years past, was seized and brought back,
by a being, who, when requested by the master to name the reward he
should render him for returning the slave, replied, that all the
compensation he desired, was the satisfaction of _flogging_ him. This
being granted, the slave was bound to a log, and the "_resounding lash_"
applied, until the resentment of his executioner was satiated. The
infatuated master then took the ensanguined lash himself, and was about
to repeat the process of flagellation, when Death, not then a _king of
terrors_, but a generous benefactor, a "_friend in need_" rescued him
from the intended protraction of his excruciating torment. After all,
let the balm of compassion, rather than imprecations of divine wrath, be
administered to these erring mortals. Their egregious mistake may be
traced to the mighty force of example, and the deficiency of early,
religious, and moral education. This fact having been before published,
must be, to many persons, already known.
48. In the state of Pennsylvania, a considerable number of years ago,
the proprietor of a furnace took up a black boy, a few years old, and in
the presence of his distracted father, wantonly thrust him into the
flames and melted metal, where he was instantly consumed! The
information of this horrible deed was originally communicated by a
respectable citizen of the city of Washington, who formerly resided in
the state of Pennsylvania, and it has been further corroborated by
another, of the city of Philadelphia.
49. In the state of New Jersey, a female slave, several years ago, was
bound to a log, and scored with a knife, in a shocking manner across her
back, and the gashes stuffed with salt! after which she was tied to a
post in a cellar, where, after suffering three days, death kindly
terminated her misery. This fact was communicated at Washington, by the
same gentleman above mentioned.[14]
[Illustration: Paragraph 50.
Barbarity committed on a free African, who was found on the ensuing
morning, by the side of the road, dead!]
50. As two persons were returning from the _horse races_, a few miles
north of the city of Washington, eight or ten years ago, they met on the
road a free man of colour, who resided in the vicinity. They seized him,
and bound him with ropes. His protestations that he was free, and his
entreaties that they would accompany him to the house, (but about half a
mile distant,) where his wife resided, and where he could satisfy them
of his freedom, were in vain. Having fastened him by a rope, to the tail
of one of their horses, they were seen, by a citizen, who met them on
the road dragging him in this manner, and beating him to make him keep
pace with the horses. He cautioned them, and begged of them not to kill
the black man;--but one of the ruffians plucking a stake from the fence,
and threatening with horrid oaths to knock him down, he found it
necessary to retire for his own safety:--a few miles farther along, on
the following morning, this poor African was found by the side of the
road, dreadfully bruised, and his eyes bloodshotten,--dead![15] This
distressing catastrophe strongly exemplifies the defect of the laws of
the state in which it occurred, concerning free Africans, which
authorise their seizure, without any specific judicial authority, if
found without certificates of freedom, by the most vicious and abandoned
members of the community. These two ill-starred wretches, just sallying
forth from a notorious school of intemperance, were undoubtedly
intoxicated, and of course, in a state of insanity at the time they
committed this outrage;--and had probably been reared in the
_wilderness_ of ignorance and vice. I was assured, that one of them had
long been accustomed, in company with his _own father_, to the business
of apprehending runaway slaves, and such free Africans as they could
catch without certificates.
51. In the vicinity of the place where the above transaction occurred, a
young black boy, living at a house in which there are just grounds for
believing that the lives of several slaves had been destroyed, by
whipping, and other severities, yet entertained such horror at the
thoughts of transportation to Georgia, (with which he had often been
threatened, by way of reprimand,[16]) that on seeing a stranger coming
towards the house, (on a cold day,) whom he suspected to be a
_Georgia-man_, he fled into the fields with the greatest precipitation,
and secreted himself so effectually, that he was not discovered until
the expiration of a fortnight,--when he was dead!--frozen!--and the
pupils of his eyes picked out!
52. With these mournful spectra, flitting in succession before me, and
the black procession still in view, the pleasant anticipations which I
had been indulging but fifteen minutes previous, became totally
reversed. Returning pensive towards my lodgings, and passing by the
Capitol, I thought--Alas! poor Africa,--_thy cup_ is the _essence_ of
bitterness!--This _solitary_, magnificent temple, _dedicated to
liberty_,--opens its portals to _all_ other nations but _thee_, and bids
their sons drink _freely_ of the cup of _freedom_ and happiness:----but
when _thy_ unoffending, enslaved sons, clank their blood-smeared
_chains_ under its towers, it sneers at their calamity, and mocks their
lamentations with the echo of contempt!--
53. Blessed, infatuated Columbia! the eyes and the hopes of weeping
admiring nations are upon thee! Suffer not the lamp of public liberty to
be smothered and extinguished by the gloomy shroud of private slavery!
Dost not thou assume a pre-eminent distinction among the nations for
magnanimity and honour? Does any high-minded christian nation chain her
prisoners of war, and subject them and their posterity to perpetual
ignorance, and the oppressive toil of involuntary servitude without
reward? In thy late contest with a powerful sister state, many of her
_political slaves_, who sought the lives of thy sons, and the
conflagration of their dwellings, fell into thy custody by the chances
of war--I have seen fourteen hundred of these at a single
depot--Fourteen hundred large loaves of good bread, and fourteen hundred
pounds of excellent beef, were daily spread before them. As many as
could meet with opportunities, were permitted to labor for the
neighbouring farmers and manufacturers, for which they received a
pecuniary equivalent in monthly stipends.--Fourteen hundred _thousands_
of the sons and daughters of thy neighbour Africa, _breathe and mourn_
on thy expanded bosom. The privileges of a vast proportion of these
forlorn victims of sorrow and woe, are reduced below the privileges of
the ox, the horse, the hound, and various other domestic animals;--in
respect to sustenance, toil, and severity of chastisement, if not
quarters and raiment!--As an aggregate people, they, nor their
ancestors, never disturbed thy repose, with fire or sword, or the
cannon's deathly roar. _They are, nevertheless, virtually prisoners of
war_:--not by a war in defence of human life, but generally, by _a
hideous sacrilegious war_, waged (among the African kings) for the
plunder of human souls, human flesh, _blood and bones_, to be exchanged
as articles of merchandize, for contemptible gewgaws, implements of war,
distilled spirits, tobacco, &c. The booty thus gained by the savage
despots and man-hunters of Africa, had its assumed sale and exportation
been impracticable, might possibly have been consigned to the same
purposes there as it is now here (_slavery_) or annihilated by massacre;
but most probably would have been sought with much less avidity. If
these commodities were _obtained_ at the sacrifice of justice, and the
natural rights of man, upon no other terms can our laws permit them to
be indefinitely _retained_, by their present _possessors_, who are the
substantial _successors_ and assigns of the original captors.[17]
54. To return from this lengthy excursion, I must acknowledge, (however
ludicrous it may seem to those who are _hardened_ to such things by
repetition,) that the tragedy of a company of men, women and children,
pinioned and bound together with chains and ropes, without accusation of
crime, and driven as beasts of the harness, through the metropolis of
that country, of which I had hitherto indulged both pleasure and pride,
in the consciousness of being a _native citizen_, and, of having
commenced my life coevally with its constitutional organization;
occurring at the precise hour of the convocation of the guardians of its
liberties; produced a new era in my sensations. Disinclination, as well
as the delay incurred, prevented my visit to the congressional hall on
that day.--And I devoted several succeeding days to the purpose of
delineating on paper, a faithful copy of the impressions and sentiments
which involuntarily pervaded my _full_ heart and agitated mind. Those
memoirs have furnished some materials for this essay.
55. One evening while writing notes concerning the occurrence just
mentioned, a lad, sitting in the same room with me, was studying his
lessons in Goldsmith's Abridgment of Geography; in which I noticed he
read these words:--"The United States are celebrated for the excellence
of their constitution, which provides for political liberty and
individual security. _The inhabitants are justly famed for their ardent
love of freedom._" Immediately after reading those paragraphs, he
addressed me, without knowing on what subject I was occupied, thus:
"Why, how can it be said that the inhabitants of the United States love
LIBERTY, _while they hold almost a whole nation of people in a state of
bondage and ignorance_?" I endeavoured to explain to him this puzzling
problem, by replying, that "by _the inhabitants_ was meant the _white_
population of the United States, and the liberty which they ardently
love is probably their _own_ liberty, which they appear to care more
about than they do about the liberty of _black_ men."
56. I mention this minute circumstance more particularly, because it
forms one of the links to a chain of incidents which conducted to the
development of some very important facts; such as I then had no
conception or suspicion of the existence of, on this side the Atlantic
ocean. I then supposed the instances of the streets of the city
consecrated to freedom, being paraded with people led in captivity, were
rare. But I soon ascertained that they were quite frequent, that several
hundred people, including not legal slaves only, but many kidnapped
freemen and youth bound to service for a term of years, and unlawfully
sold as slaves for life, are annually collected at Washington (as if it
were an emporium of slavery,) for transportation to the slave regions.
The United States' jail is frequently occupied as a storehouse for the
slave merchants, and some of the rooms in a tavern devoted chiefly to
that use, are occasionally so crowded that the occupants hardly have
sufficient space to extend themselves upon the floor to sleep.[18]
[Illustration: Paragraphs 57.
"... But I did not want to go, and I jump'd out of the window."]
57. A short time after having completed the memorandums above alluded
to, the youth just mentioned, having learned the subject on which I had
been occupied, and being prompt to communicate whatever he might meet
with relative to it, informed me on returning from school, in the
evening of the 19th December 1815, that a black woman, destined for
transportation to Georgia with a coffle, which was about to start,
attempted to escape, by jumping out of the window of the garret of a
three story brick tavern in F. street, about day-break in the morning;
and that in the fall she had her back and both arms broken! I remarked,
that I did not wonder that she did so; and inquired, whether it had not
killed her? To which he replied, that he understood that she was dead,
and that the _Georgia-men_ had gone off with the others. The relation of
this shocking disaster excited considerable agitation in my mind, and
fully confirmed the sentiments which I had already adopted and recorded,
of the multiplied horrors added to slavery, when its victims are bought
and sold, frequently for distant destinations, with as much indifference
as fourfooted beasts. Supposing this to have been a recent occurrence,
and being desirous of seeing the mangled slave before she should be
buried, I proceeded with some haste early on the following morning, in
search of the house already mentioned. Calling at a house near the one
at which the catastrophe occurred, I was informed, that it had been
three weeks since it took place, and that the woman was still living.
Having found the house, I desired permission of the landlord to see the
wounded woman; to which he assented, and directed a lad to conduct me to
her room, which was in the garret over the third story of the house. On
entering the room I observed her lying upon a bed on the floor, and
covered with a white woollen blanket, on which were several spots of
blood (from her wounds,) which I perceived was _red_, notwithstanding
the _opacity_ of her skin. Her countenance, though very pale from the
shock she had received, and dejected with grief, appeared complacent and
sympathetic. Both her arms were broken between the elbows and wrists,
and had undoubtedly been well set and dressed; but from her restlessness
she had displaced the bones again, so that they were perceptibly
crooked. I have since been informed by the Mayor of the city, who is a
physician, and resides not far distant from the place, that he was
called to visit her immediately after her fall, and found, besides her
arms being broken, that the lower part of the spine was badly shattered,
so that it was doubtful whether she would ever be capable of walking
again, if she should survive. The lady of the Mayor said she was
awakened from sleep by the fall of the woman, and heard her heavy
struggling groans.
58. I inquired of her, whether she was asleep when she sprang from the
window. She replied, "No, no more than I am now." Asking her what was
the cause of her doing such a frantic act as that, she replied, "They
brought me away with two of my children, and wouldn't let me see my
husband--they didn't sell my husband, and I didn't want to go';--I was
so confused and 'istracted, that I didn't know hardly what I was
about--but I didn't want to go, and I jumped out of the window;--but I
am sorry now that I did it;--they have carried my children off with 'em
to Carolina." I was informed that the Slave Trader, who had purchased
her near Bladensburgh, (she being a _legal_ slave,) gave her to the
landlord, as a compensation for taking care of her. Thus her family was
dispersed from north to south, and herself _nearly_ torn in pieces,
without the shadow of a hope of ever seeing or hearing from her
_children_ again! He that can behold this "poor woman," (as a
respectable citizen of Washington afterwards expressed himself, on
requesting of her landlord the privilege of seeing her,) and listen to
her _unvarnished story_; and then delineate it with the mental pencil,
(_quill_) and then view the picture from his _own hand_, without a
_humid eye_, I will confess possesses a _stouter heart_ than I do.
59. The sympathy of the whole American white population, (and it is
presumed of the black also, for they know how to estimate such matters
by dear experience,) has recently been very justly excited towards young
King Prather and his "confus'd and 'istracted" mother roaming in search
of him, along half the extent of the coast of the United States. As he
was kidnapped by a son of Africa, (though not for the detestable purpose
of cupidity or enslavement, but for a ladder to his own liberty,) it is
presumed if Africa's Genius were permitted to offer her sentiments on
the subject, she would pronounce it a _retort courteous apropos_, from
Africa to her sister Columbia.
60. I have since learned many recent instances of the tragical
consequences of the usurped trade in the souls and bodies of men.[19] I
have been informed by several different persons in the district of
Columbia, that a woman who had been sold in Georgetown, for the southern
slave market, cut her own throat, ineffectually, while on the way, in a
hack, to the same depository above mentioned; and that on the road to
Alexandria she completed her design of destroying her life, by cutting
it again mortally. A statement was published in the Baltimore Telegraph,
a few months ago, that a female slave, who had been sold in Maryland,
with her child, on the way from Bladensburgh to Washington, heroically
cut the throats of both her child and herself, with mortal effect. This
narrative has been since confirmed by a relative of the person who sold
them. An African youth, in the city of Philadelphia, lately cut his
throat almost mortally, merely from the apprehension, as he said, of
being sold. This information was obtained from several respectable
citizens of Philadelphia, who had personal knowledge of the fact.
[Illustration: Paragraphs 61. 63. 65. 66
The Author noting down the Narratives of several free-born People of
Colour who had been kidnapped.]
61. Believing the facts already recited are sufficient to satisfy every
candid reader, of the unreasonableness, injustice, and inhumanity of the
prevailing interior slave trade, and of the necessity of legislative
control; I will now commence a delineation of the still more outrageous
and abominable practice of seizing, and selling into exile, _men_,
_women_, _and children_, whose freedom and _moral_ rights are guaranteed
by our national and state constitutions. In the same recess with that
mangled woman, while interrogating her, I discovered (without having the
least previous intimation, or even suspicion, of any thing of the kind)
three persons of colour, who were born free, and had been forcibly
seized in the time of night, bound and transported in the night, out of
their native state, (Delaware) and sold as slaves for life to itinerant
_Man-Dealers_[20] in Maryland, who generally range themselves along near
the line of division between the two states. One of these was a mulatto
man, about 21 years of age. I found him thoroughly secured in irons. His
arms were manacled with strong loops round his wrists, resembling a
_clevis_, connected by a strong iron bolt. On the shelf over the
fireplace, lay a pair of heavy rough hopples (or hobbles,) with which he
said his legs had been fettered until a short time previous, but were
then secured by a pair of polished gripes, (perhaps manufactured for the
purpose, resembling the patent horse fetters with locks,) connected by a
strong new tug chain, with a loose end of two or three feet in length,
lying upon the floor.[21] He stated, that a journeyman to the man with
whom he resided, and to whom he had been bound to service for a term of
years, having decoyed him into the fields, some distance from the house,
late in the evening, on pretence of hunting oppossums, two strangers
rushed upon him with ropes in their hands, and with the assistance of
the person[22] just mentioned, bound his hands, and led him with a
pistol held each side of him (with which he said they threatened to
shoot him if he made any alarm,) 15 or 20 miles, where he was secreted
till the next evening; when another person came with a chaise and
conveyed him to a tavern in Maryland, a little over the line;[23] from
whence one of the Man-Dealers, (who has since been advertised as a
man-stealer, in a different case,) brought him to Washington in
manacles, and sold him to another, as a slave for life. He said his
_Driver_ overhearing him tell a coloured woman near Annapolis, that his
parents (both of whom are light coloured mulattos) were free-born,
threatened to shoot him, if he should catch him talking to any body
again about his being free. He said the trader did strike him on the
head with his fist, after his arrival at Washington, for telling a
person to whom he was offered for sale, that he was lawfully free,
and threatened to flog him if he should fail of selling him in the city
on that account. He also stated, that another boy, about sixteen, was
brought off with him at the same time, and sold for a slave in
Washington, who was lawfully free, and had been sold to the traders, by
a person to whom the boy's father had let him to service.
62. This statement has been since confirmed by corroborative
information; and I am in possession of memorandums, by which the boy
might probably be traced and found.
[Illustration: Paragraph 63.