INTELLECT OF NEGROES.
"We must not allow negroes to be _men_, lest we ourselves should
be suspected of not being _Christians_."
MONTESQUIEU.
In order to decide what is our duty concerning the Africans and their
descendants, we must first clearly make up our minds whether they are,
or are not, human beings--whether they have, or have not, the same
capacities for improvement as other men.
The intellectual inferiority of the negroes is a common, though most
absurd apology, for personal prejudice, and the oppressive inequality
of the laws; for this reason, I shall take some pains to prove that
the present degraded condition of that unfortunate race is produced by
artificial causes, not by the laws of nature.
In the first place, naturalists are universally agreed concerning "the
identity of the _human_ type;" by which they mean that all living
creatures, that can, by any process, be enabled to perceive moral and
intellectual truths, are characterized _by similar peculiarities of
organization_. They may differ from each other widely, but they still
belong to the same class. An eagle and a wren are very unlike each
other; but no one would hesitate to pronounce that they were both birds:
so it is with the almost endless varieties of the monkey tribe. We all
know that beasts, however sagacious, are incapable of abstract thought,
or moral perception. The most wonderful elephant in the world could not
command an army, or govern a state. An ourang-outang may eat, and drink,
and dress, and move like a man; but he could never write an ode, or
learn to relinquish his own good for the good of his species. The
_human_ conformation, however it may be altered by the operation of
physical or moral causes, differs from that of all other beings, and on
this ground, the negro's claim to be ranked as a _man_, is universally
allowed by the learned.
The condition of this people in ancient times is very far from
indicating intellectual or moral inferiority. Ethiopia held a
conspicuous place among the nations. Her princes were wealthy and
powerful, and her people distinguished for integrity and wisdom. Even
the proud Grecians evinced respect for Ethiopia, almost amounting to
reverence, and derived thence the sublimest portions of their mythology.
The popular belief that all the gods made an annual visit to the
Ethiopians, shows the high estimation in which they were held; for we
are not told that such an honor was bestowed on any other nation. In
the first book of the Iliad, Achilles is represented as anxious to
appeal at once to the highest authorities; but his mother tells him:
"Jupiter set off yesterday, attended by all the gods, on a journey
toward the ocean, to feast with the excellent Ethiopians, and is not
expected back at Olympus till the twelfth day."
In Ethiopia, was likewise placed the table of the Sun, reported to
kindle of its own accord, when exposed to the rays of that great
luminary.
In Africa was the early reign of Saturn, under the appellation of
Ouranus, or Heaven; there the impious Titans warred with the sky; there
Jupiter was born and nursed; there was the celebrated shrine of Ammon,
dedicated to Theban Jove, which the Greeks reverenced more highly than
the Delphic Oracle; there was the birth-place and oracle of Minerva;
and there, Atlas supported both the heavens and the earth upon his
shoulders.
It will be said that fables prove nothing. But there is probably much
deeper meaning in these fables than we now understand; there was surely
some reason for giving them such a "local habitation." Why did the
ancients represent Minerva as born in Africa,--and why are we told that
Atlas there sustained the heavens and the earth, unless they meant to
imply that Africa was the centre, from which religious and scientific
light had been diffused?
Some ancient writers suppose that Egypt derived all the arts and
sciences from Ethiopia; while others believe precisely the reverse.
Diodorus supported the first opinion,--and asserts that the Ethiopian
vulgar spoke the same language as the learned of Egypt.
It is well known that Egypt was the great school of knowledge in the
ancient world. It was the birth-place of Astronomy; and we still mark
the constellations as they were arranged by Egyptian shepherds. The
wisest of the Grecian philosophers, among whom were Solon, Pythagoras
and Plato, went there for instruction, as our young men now go to
England and Germany. The Eleusinian mysteries were introduced from
Egypt; and the important secret which they taught, is supposed to have
been the existence of one, invisible God. A large portion of Grecian
mythology was thence derived; but in passing from one country to the
other, the form of these poetical fables was often preserved, while
the original meaning was lost.
Herodotus, the earliest of the Greek historians, informs us that the
Egyptians were negroes. This fact has been much doubted, and often
contradicted. But Herodotus certainly had the best means of knowing
the truth on this subject; for he travelled in Egypt, and obtained his
knowledge of the country by personal observation. He declares that the
Colchians must be a colony of Egyptians, because, "like them, they have
a black skin and frizzled hair."
The statues of the Sphinx have the usual characteristics of the negro
race. This opinion is confirmed by Blumenbach, the celebrated German
naturalist, and by Volney, who carefully examined the architecture of
Egypt.
Concerning the sublimity of the architecture in this ancient negro
kingdom, some idea may be conceived from the description of Thebes
given by Denon, who accompanied the French army into Egypt: "This city,
renowned for numerous kings, who through their wisdom have been elevated
to the rank of gods; for laws, which have been revered without being
known; for sciences, which have been confided to proud and mysterious
inscriptions; for wise and earliest monuments of the arts, which time
has respected;--this sanctuary, abandoned, isolated through barbarism,
and surrendered to the desert from which it was won; this city, shrouded
in the veil of mystery by which even colossi are magnified; this remote
city, which imagination has only caught a glimpse of through the
darkness of time--was still so gigantic an apparition, that, at the
sight of its scattered ruins, the army halted of its own accord, and
the soldiers, with one spontaneous movement, clapped their hands."
The honorable Alexander Everett, in his work on America, says: "While
Greece and Rome were yet barbarous, we find the light of learning and
improvement emanating from the continent of Africa, (supposed to be so
degraded and accursed,) out of the midst of this very woolly-haired,
flat-nosed, thick-lipped, coal-black race, which some persons are
tempted to station at a pretty low intermediate point between men and
monkeys. It is to Egypt, if to any nation, that we must look as the
real _antiqua mater_ of the ancient and modern refinement of Europe.
The great lawgiver of the Jews was prepared for his divine mission by
a course of instruction in all the wisdom of the Egyptians."
"The great Assyrian empires of Babylon and Nineveh, hardly less
illustrious than Egypt in arts and arms, were founded by Ethiopian
colonies, and peopled by blacks.
"Palestine, or Canaan, before its conquest by the Jews, is represented
in Scripture, as well as in other histories, as peopled by blacks; and
hence it follows that Tyre and Carthage, the most industrious, wealthy,
and polished states of their time, were of this color."
Another strong argument against the natural inferiority of negroes may
be drawn from the present condition of Africa. Major Denham's account of
the Sultan of Sackatoo proves that the brain is not necessarily rendered
stupid by the color of the face: "The palace as usual in Africa,
consisted of a sort of inclosed town, with an open quadrangle in front.
On entering the gate, he was conducted through three huts serving as
guard-houses, after which he found Sultan Bello seated on a small carpet
in a sort of painted and ornamented cottage. Bello had a noble and
commanding figure, with a high forehead and large black eyes. He gave
the traveller a hearty welcome, and after inquiring the particulars of
his journey, proceeded to serious affairs. He produced books belonging
to Major Denham, which had been taken in the disastrous battle of
Dirkullah; and though he expressed a feeling of dissatisfaction at the
Major's presence on that occasion, readily accepted an apology, and
restored the volumes. He only asked to have the subject of each
explained, and to hear the sound of the language, which he declared to
be beautiful. He then began to press his visiter with theological
questions, and showed himself not wholly unacquainted with the
controversies which have agitated the christian world; indeed, he soon
went beyond the depth of his visiter, who was obliged to own he was not
versant in the abstruser mysteries of divinity.
"The Sultan now opened a frequent and familiar communication with the
English envoy in which he showed himself possessed of a good deal of
information. The astronomical instruments, from which, as from
implements of magic, many of his attendants started with horror, were
examined by the monarch with an intelligent eye. On being shown the
planisphere, he proved his knowledge of the planets and many of the
constellations, by repeating their Arabic names. The telescope, which
presented objects inverted,--the compass, by which he could always turn
to the East when praying,--and the sextant, which he called 'the
looking-glass of the sun,' excited peculiar interest. He inquired with
evident jealousy, into some parts of English history; particularly the
conquest of India and the attack upon Algiers."
The same traveller describes the capital of Loggun, beneath whose high
walls the river flowed in majestic beauty. "It was a handsome city,
with a street as wide as Pall Mall, bordered by large dwellings, having
spacious areas in front. Manufacturing industry was honored. The cloths
woven here were superior to those of Bornou, being finely dyed with
indigo, and beautifully glazed. There was even a current coin, made of
iron, somewhat in the form of a horseshoe; and rude as this was, none of
their neighbors possessed any thing similar. The women were handsome,
intelligent and lively."
All travellers in Africa agree, that the inhabitants, particularly of
the interior, have a good deal of mechanical skill. They tan and dye
leather, sometimes thinning it in such a manner that it is as flexible
as paper. In Houssa, leather is dressed in the same soft, rich style as
in Morocco; they manufacture cordage, handsome cloths, and fine tissue.
Though ignorant of the turning machine, they make good pottery ware, and
some of their jars are really tasteful. They prepare indigo, and extract
ore from minerals. They make agricultural tools, and work skilfully
in gold, silver and steel. Dickson, who knew jewellers and watchmakers
among them, speaks of a very ingenious wooden-clock made by a negro.
Hornemann says the inhabitants of Haissa give their cutting instruments
a keener edge than European artists, and their files are superior to
those of France or England. Golberry assures us that some of the African
stuffs are extremely fine and beautiful.
Mungo Park says "The industry of the Foulahs, in pasturage and
agriculture, is everywhere remarkable. Their herds and flocks are
numerous, and they are opulent in a high degree. They enjoy all the
necessaries of life in the greatest profusion. They display much skill
in the management of their cattle, making them extremely gentle by
kindness and familiarity." The same writer remarks that the negroes love
instruction, and that they have advocates to defend the slaves brought
before their tribunals.
Speaking of Wasiboo, he says: "Cultivation is carried on here on a very
extensive scale; and, as the natives themselves express it, 'hunger is
never known.'"
On Mr. Park's arrival at one of the Sego ferries for the purpose of
crossing the Niger to see the king, he says: "We found a great number
waiting for a passage; they looked at me with silent wonder. The view
of this extensive city; the numerous canoes upon the river; the crowded
population, and the cultivated state of the surrounding country, formed
altogether a prospect of civilization and magnificence, which I little
expected to find in the bosom of Africa."
"The public discussions in Africa, called _palavers_, exhibit a fluent
and natural oratory, often accompanied with much good sense and
shrewdness. Above all, the passion for poetry is nearly universal. As
soon as the evening breeze begins to blow, the song resounds throughout
all Africa,--it cheers the despondency of the wanderer through the
desert--it enlivens the social meetings--it inspires the dance,--and
even the lamentations of the mourners are poured forth in measured
accents.
"In these extemporary and spontaneous effusions, the speaker gives
utterance to his hopes and fears, his joys and sorrows. All the
sovereigns are attended by singing men and women, who like the European
minstrels and troubadours celebrate interesting events in verse, which
they repeat before the public. Like all, whose business it is to
rehearse the virtues of monarchs, they are, of course, too much given
to flattery. The effusions of the African muse are inspired by nature
and animated by national enthusiasm. From the few specimens given, they
seem not unlikely to reward the care of a collector. How few among our
peasantry could have produced the pathetic lamentation uttered in the
little Bambarra cottage over the distresses of Mungo Park! These songs,
handed down from father to son, evidently contain all that exists among
the African nations of traditional history. From the songs of the
Jillimen, or minstrels, of Soolimani, Major Laing was enabled to
compile the annals of that small kingdom for more than a century."[AG]
[Footnote AG: English Family Library, No. XVI.]
In addition to the arguments drawn from the ancient conditions of
Africa, and the present character of people in the interior of that
country, there are numerous individual examples of spirit, courage,
talent, and magnanimity.
History furnishes very few instances of bravery, intelligence, and
perseverance, equal to the famous Zhinga, the negro queen of Angola,
born in 1582. Like other despotic princes, her character is stained
with numerous acts of ferocity and crime; but her great abilities
cannot be for a moment doubted.
During her brother's reign, Zhinga was sent as ambassadress to Loanda,
to negotiate terms of peace with the Portuguese. A palace was prepared
for her reception; and she was received with the honors due to her rank.
On entering the audience-chamber, she perceived that a magnificent chair
of state was prepared for the Portuguese Viceroy, while in front of it,
a rich carpet, and velvet cushions, embroidered with gold, were arranged
on the floor for her use. The haughty princess observed this in silent
displeasure. She gave a signal with her eyes, and immediately one of her
women knelt on the carpet, supporting her weight on her hands. Zhinga
gravely seated herself upon her back, and awaited the entrance of the
Viceroy. The spirit and dignity with which she fulfilled her mission
excited the admiration of the whole court. When an alliance was offered,
upon the condition of annual tribute to the king of Portugal, she
proudly answered: "Such proposals are for a people subdued by force of
arms; they are unworthy of a powerful monarch, who voluntarily seeks
the friendship of the Portuguese, and who scorns to be their vassal."
She finally concluded a treaty, upon the single condition of restoring
all the Portuguese prisoners. When the audience was ended, the Viceroy,
as he conducted her from the room, remarked that the attendant upon
whose back she had been seated, still remained in the same posture.
Zhinga replied: "It is not fit that the ambassadress of a great king
should be twice served with the same seat. I have no further use for
the woman."
Charmed with the politeness of the Europeans, and the evolutions of
their troops, the African princess long delayed her departure. Having
received instruction in the christian religion, she professed a deep
conviction of its truth. Whether this was sincere, or merely assumed
from political motives, is uncertain. During her visit, she received
baptism, being then forty years old. She returned to Angola loaded with
presents and honors. Her brother, notwithstanding a solemn promise to
preserve the treaty she had formed, soon made war upon the Portuguese.
He was defeated, and soon after died of poison; some said his death was
contrived by Zhinga. She ascended the throne, and having artfully
obtained possession of her nephew's person, she strangled him with her
own hands. Revenge, as well as ambition, impelled her to this crime; for
her brother had, many years before, murdered _her_ son, lest he should
claim the crown.
The Portuguese increased so fast in numbers, wealth, and power, that
the people of Angola became jealous of them, and earnestly desired war.
Zhinga, having formed an alliance with the Dutch, and with several
neighboring chiefs, began the contest with great vigor. She obtained
several victories, at first, but was finally driven from her kingdom
with great loss. Her conquerors offered to re-establish her on the
throne, if she would consent to pay tribute. She haughtily replied, "If
my cowardly _subjects_ are willing to bear shameful fetters, _I_ cannot
endure even the thought of dependence upon any foreign power."
In order to subdue her stubborn spirit, the Portuguese placed a king of
their own choosing upon the throne of Angola. This exasperated Zhinga
to such a degree, that she vowed everlasting hatred against her enemies,
and publicly abjured their religion. At the head of an intrepid and
ferocious band, she, during eighteen years, perpetually harassed the
Portuguese. She could neither be subdued by force of arms, nor appeased
by presents. She demanded complete restitution of her territories, and
treated every other proposal with the utmost scorn. Once, when closely
besieged in an island, she asked a short time to reflect on the terms of
surrender. The request being granted, she silently guided her troops
through the river at midnight, and carried fire and sword into another
portion of the enemy's country.
The total defeat of the Hollanders, and the death of her sister, who
had been taken captive during the wars, softened her spirit. She became
filled with remorse for having renounced the christian religion. She
treated her prisoners more mercifully, and gave orders that the captive
priests should be attended with the utmost reverence. They perceived the
change, and lost no opportunity of regaining their convert. The queen
was ready to comply with their wishes, but feared a revolt among her
subjects and allies, who were strongly attached to the customs of their
fathers. The priests, by numerous artifices, worked so powerfully upon
the superstitious fears of the people, that they were prepared to hail
Zhinga's return to the Catholic faith with joy.
The queen, thus reconciled to the church, signed a treaty of peace; took
the Capuchins for her counsellors; dedicated her capital city to the
Virgin, under the name of Saint Mary of Matamba; and erected a large
church. Idolatry was forbidden, under the most rigorous penalties; and
not a few fell martyrs to Zhinga's fiery zeal.
A law prohibiting polygamy excited discontent. Zhinga, though
seventy-five years old, publicly patronized marriage, by espousing one
of her courtiers; and her sister was induced to give the same example.
The Portuguese again tried to make her a vassal to the crown; but the
priests, notwithstanding their almost unlimited influence, could never
obtain her consent to this degradation.
In 1657, one of her tributaries having violated the treaty of peace, she
marched at the head of her troops, defeated the rebel, and sent his head
to the Portuguese.
In 1658, she made war upon a neighboring king, who had attacked her
territories; and returned in triumph, after having compelled him to
submit to such conditions as she saw fit to impose. The same year, she
abolished the cruel custom of immolating human victims on the tombs of
princes; and founded a new city, ornamented with a beautiful church and
palace.
She soon after sent an embassage to the Pope, requesting more
missionaries among her people. The Pontiff's answer was publicly read in
the church, where Zhinga appeared with a numerous and brilliant train.
At a festival in honor of this occasion she and the ladies of her court
performed a mimic battle, in the dress and armor of Amazons. Though more
than eighty years old, this remarkable woman displayed as much strength,
agility, and skill, as she could have done at twenty-five. She died in
1663, aged eighty-two. Arrayed in royal robes, ornamented with precious
stones, with a bow and arrow in her hand, the body was shown to her
sorrowing subjects. It was then, according to her wish, clothed in the
Capuchin habit, with crucifix and rosary.[AH]
[Footnote AH: See Biographie Universelle.]
The commandant of a Portuguese fort, who expected the arrival of
an African envoy, ordered splendid preparations, that he might be
dazzled with the idea of European wealth. When the negro entered the
richly-ornamented saloon, he was not invited to sit down. Like Zhinga,
he made a signal to an attendant, who knelt upon the floor, and thus
furnished him a seat. The commandant asked, "Is thy king as powerful
as the King of Portugal?" The colored envoy replied: "My king has a
hundred servants like the king of Portugal; a thousand like thee; and
but one like myself." As he said this, he indignantly left the room.
Michaud, the elder, says that in different places on the Persian Gulf,
he has seen negroes as heads of great commercial houses, receiving
orders and expediting vessels to various parts of India. Their
intelligence in business is well known on the Levant.
The Czar Peter of Russia, during his travels became acquainted with
Annibal, an African negro, who was intelligent and well educated. Peter
the Great, true to his generous system of rewarding merit wherever he
found it, made Annibal Lieutenant-General and Director of the Russian
Artillery. He was decorated with the riband of the order of St.
Alexander Nenski. His son, a mulatto, was Lieutenant-General of
Artillery, and said to be a man of talent. St. Pierre and La Harpe
were acquainted with him.
_Job Ben Solomon_, was the son of the Mohammedan king of Bunda, on
the Gambia. He was taken in 1730, and sold in Maryland. By a train of
singular adventures he was conveyed to England, where his intelligence
and dignified manners gained him many friends; among whom was Sir Hans
Sloane, for whom he translated several Arabic manuscripts. After being
received with distinction at the Court of St. James, the African Company
became interested in his fate, and carried him back to Bunda, in the
year 1734. His uncle embracing him, said, "During sixty years, you are
the first slave I have ever seen return from the American isles." At his
father's death, Solomon became king, and was much beloved in his
states.
The son of the King of Congo, and several of the young people of rank
were sent to the Portuguese universities, in the time of King Immanuel.
Some of them were distinguished scholars, and several of them promoted
to the priesthood.
In 1765, a negro in England was ordained by Doctor Keppell, bishop of
Exeter. In Prevot's General History of Voyages, there is an account of
a black bishop who studied at Rome.
_Antonio Perrura Reboucas_, who is at the present time Deputy from
Bahia, in the Cortes of Brazil, is a distinguished lawyer, and a good
man. He is learned in political economy and has written ably upon the
currency of Brazil. I have heard intelligent white men from that country
speak of him in terms of high respect and admiration.
_Henry Diaz_, who is extolled in all the histories of Brazil, was a
negro and slave. He became Colonel of a regiment of foot-soldiers, of
his own color; and such was his reputation for sagacity and valor, that
it was considered a distinction to be under his command. In the contest
between the Portuguese and Hollanders, in 1637, Henry Diaz fought
bravely against the latter. He compelled them to capitulate at Arecise,
and to surrender Fernanbon. In a battle, struggling against the
superiority of numbers, and perceiving that some of his soldiers began
to give way, he rushed into the midst of them, exclaiming, "Are these
the brave companions of Henry Diaz!" His example renewed their courage,
and they returned so impetuously to the charge, that the almost
victorious army were compelled to retreat hastily.
Having wounded his left-hand in battle, he caused it to be struck off,
rather than to lose the time necessary to dress it. This regiment,
composed of blacks, long existed in Brazil under the popular name of
Henry Diaz.
_Antony William Amo_, born in Guinea, was brought to Europe when very
young. The Princess of Brunswick, Wolfenbuttel, defrayed the expenses of
his education. He pursued his studies at Halle and at Wittenberg, and
so distinguished himself by his character and abilities, that the Rector
and Council of Wittenberg thought proper to give public testimony of
their respect in a letter of congratulation. In this letter they remark
that Terence also was an African--that many martyrs, doctors, and
fathers of the church were born in the same country, where learning once
flourished, and which by losing the christian faith, again fell back
into barbarism. Amo delivered private lectures on philosophy, which are
highly praised in the same letter. He became a doctor.
_Lislet Geoffroy_, a mulatto, was an officer of Artillery and guardian
of the Depôt of Maps and Plans of the Isle of France. He was a
correspondent of the French Academy of Sciences, to whom he regularly
transmitted meteorological observations, and sometimes hydrographical
journals. His map of the Isles of France and Reunion is considered the
best map of those islands that has appeared. In the archives of the
Institute of Paris is an account of Lislet's voyage to the Bay of St.
Luce. He points out the exchangeable commodities and other resources
which it presents; and urges the importance of encouraging industry by
the hope of advantageous commerce, instead of exciting the natives to
war in order to obtain slaves. Lislet established a scientific society
at the Isle of France, to which some white men refused to belong,
because its founder had a skin more deeply colored than their own.
_James Derham_, originally a slave at Philadelphia, was sold to a
physician, who employed him in compounding drugs; he was afterward
sold to a surgeon, and finally to Doctor Robert Dove, of New-Orleans.
In 1788, at the age of twenty-one, he became the most distinguished
physician in that city, and was able to talk with French, Spanish, and
English, in their own languages. Doctor Rush says, "I conversed with
him on medicine, and found him very learned. I thought I could give
him information concerning the treatment of diseases; but I learned
from him more than he could expect from me."
_Thomas Fuller_, an African residing in Virginia, did not know how to
read or write, but had great facility in arithmetical calculations. He
was once asked, how many seconds has an individual lived when he is
seventy years, seven months, and seven days old? In a minute and a half
he answered the question. One of the company took a pen, and after a
long calculation, said Fuller had made the sum too large. "No," replied
the negro, "the error is on your side. You did not calculate the leap
years." These facts are mentioned in a letter from Doctor Rush,
published in the fifth volume of the American Museum.
In 1788, _Othello_, a negro, published at Baltimore an Essay against
Slavery. Addressing white men, he says, "Is not your conduct, compared
with your principles, a sacrilegious irony? When you dare to talk of
civilization and the gospel, you pronounce your own anathema. In you the
superiority of power produces nothing but a superiority of brutality and
barbarism. Your fine political systems are sullied by the outrages
committed against human nature and the divine majesty."
_Olandad Equiano_, better known by the name of Gustavus Vasa, was stolen
in Africa, at twelve years old, together with his sister. They were
torn from each other; and the brother, after a horrible passage in a
slave-ship, was sold at Barbadoes. Being purchased by a lieutenant, he
accompanied his new master to England, Guernsey, and the siege of
Louisbourg. He afterwards experienced great changes of fortune, and made
voyages to various parts of Europe and America. In all his wanderings,
he cherished an earnest desire for freedom. He hoped to obtain his
liberty by faithfulness and zeal in his master's service; but finding
avarice stronger than benevolence, he began trade with a capital of
three pence, and by rigid economy was at last able to purchase--_his own
body and soul_; this, however, was not effected, until he had endured
much oppression and insult. He was several times shipwrecked, and
finally, after thirty years of vicissitude and suffering, he settled in
London and published his Memoirs. The book is said to be written with
all the simplicity, and something of the roughness, of uneducated
nature. He gives a _naive_ description of his terror at an earthquake,
his surprise when he first saw snow, a picture, a watch, and a quadrant.
He always had an earnest desire to understand navigation, as a probable
means of one day escaping from slavery. Having persuaded a sea-captain
to give him lessons, he applied himself with great diligence, though
obliged to contend with many obstacles, and subject to frequent
interruptions. Doctor Irving, with whom he once lived as a servant,
taught him to render salt water fresh by distillation. Some time
after, when engaged in a northern expedition, he made good use of this
knowledge, and furnished the crew with water they could drink.
His sympathies were, very naturally, given to the weak and the despised,
wherever he found them. He deplores the fate of modern Greeks, nearly as
much degraded by the Turks as the negroes are by their white brethren.
In 1789, Vasa presented a petition to the British parliament, for the
suppression of the slave-trade. His son, named Sancho, was assistant
librarian to Sir Joseph Banks, and Secretary to the Committee for
Vaccination.
Another negro, named _Ignatius Sancho_, was born on board a Guinea ship,
where his parents were both captives, destined for the South American
slave market. Change of climate killed his mother, and his father
committed suicide. At two years old the orphan was carried to England,
and presented to some ladies residing at Greenwich. Something in
his character reminded them of Don Quixote's squire, and they added
Sancho to his original name of Ignatius. The Duke of Montague saw him
frequently and thought he had a mind worthy of cultivation. He often
sent him books, and advised the ladies to give him a chance for
education; but they had less liberal views, and often threatened to send
the poor boy again into slavery. After the death of his friends, he went
into the service of the Duchess of Montague, who at her death left him
an annuity of thirty pounds; beside which he had saved seventy pounds
out of his earnings.
Something of dissipation mixed with his love of reading, and sullied the
better part of his character. He spent his last shilling at Drury Lane,
to see Garrick, who was extremely friendly to him. At one time he
thought of performing African characters on the stage, but was prevented
by a bad articulation.
He afterward became very regular in his habits, and married a worthy
West Indian girl. After his death, two volumes of his letters were
printed, of which a second edition was soon published, with a portrait
of the author, designed by Gainsborough, and engraved by Bartolozzi.
Sterne formed an acquaintance with Ignatius Sancho; and in the third
volume of his letters, there is an epistle addressed to this African,
in which he tells him that varieties in nature do not sunder the bands
of brotherhood; and expresses his indignation that certain men wish to
class their equals among the brutes, in order to treat them as such with
impunity. Jefferson criticises Sancho with some severity, for yielding
too much to an eccentric imagination; but he acknowledges that he has an
easy style, and a happy choice of expressions.
The letters of Sancho are thought to bear some resemblance to those of
Sterne, both in their beauties and defects.
_Francis Williams_, a negro, was born in Jamaica. The Duke of Montaigne,
governor of the island, thinking him an unusually bright boy, sent him
to England to school. He afterward entered the University of Cambridge,
and became quite a proficient in mathematics. During his stay in Europe,
he published a song which became quite popular, beginning, "Welcome,
welcome, brother debtor." After his return to Jamaica, the Duke tried
to obtain a place for him in the council of the government, but did not
succeed. He then became a teacher of Latin and mathematics. He wrote a
good deal of Latin verse, a species of composition of which he was very
fond. This negro is described as having been pedantic and haughty;
indulging a profound contempt for men of his own color. Where learning
is a rare attainment among any people, or any class of people, this
effect is very apt to be produced.
_Phillis Wheatly_, stolen from Africa when seven or eight years old, was
sold to a wealthy merchant in Boston, in 1761. Being an intelligent and
winning child, she gained upon the affections of her master's family,
and they allowed her uncommon advantages. When she was nineteen years
old, a little volume of her poems was published, and passed through
several editions, both in England and the United States. Lest the
authenticity of the poems should be doubted, her master, the governor,
the lieutenant-governor, and fifteen other respectable persons,
acquainted with her character and circumstances, testified that they
were really her own productions. Jefferson denies that these poems have
any merit; but I think he would have judged differently, had he been
perfectly unprejudiced. It would indeed be absurd to put Phillis Wheatly
in competition with Mrs. Hemans, Mary Hewitt, Mrs. Sigourney, Miss
Gould, and other modern writers; but her productions certainly appear
very respectable in comparison with most of the poetry of that day.
Phillis Wheatly received her freedom in 1775; and two years after
married a colored man, who, like herself, was considered a prodigy. He
was at first a grocer; but afterward became a lawyer, well known by the
name of Doctor Peter. He was in the habit of pleading causes for his
brethren before the tribunals of justice, and gained both reputation and
fortune by his practice. Phillis had been flattered and indulged from
her earliest childhood; and, like many literary women in old times, she
acquired something of contempt for domestic occupations. This is said to
have produced unhappiness between her and her husband. She died in 1780.
Mr. Wilberforce, (on whom may the blessing of God rest for ever!) aided
by several benevolent individuals, established a seminary for colored
people at Clapham, a few leagues from London. The first scholars were
twenty-one young negroes, sent by the Governor of Sierra Leone. The Abbé
Grégoire says, "I visited this establishment in 1802, to examine the
progress of the scholars; and I found there existed no difference
between them and European children, except that of color. The same
observation has been made, first at Paris, in the ancient college of La
Marche, where Coesnon, professor of the University, taught a number of
colored boys. Many members of the National Institute, who have carefully
examined this college, and watched the progress of the scholars in their
particular classes, and public exercises, will testify to the truth of
my assertion."
Correa de Serra, the learned Secretary of the Academy at Portugal,
informs us that several negroes have been able lawyers, preachers, and
professors.
In the Southern States, the small black children are proverbially
brighter and more forward than white ones of the same age. Repartees,
by no means indicative of stupidity, have sometimes been made by
negroes. A slave was suddenly roused with the exclamation, "Why don't
you wake, when your master calls!" The negro answered, "_Sleep has
no master._"
On a public day the New-England Museum, in Boston, was thronged with
visiters to see the representation of the Salem murder. Some colored
women being jostled back by a crowd of white people, expostulated thus:
"Don't you know it is always proper to let the _mourners_ walk first?"
It argues some degree of philosophy to be able to indulge wit at the
expense of what is, most unjustly, considered a degradation. Public
prejudice shamefully fetters these people; and it has been wisely said,
"If we cannot _break_ our chains, the next best thing we can do, is to
_play_ with them."[AI]
[Footnote AI: In a beautiful little volume called Mary's Journey, by
Francis Graeter.]
Among Bonaparte's officers there was a mulatto General of Division,
named Alexander Dumas. In the army of the Alps, with charged bayonet, he
ascended St. Bernard, defended by a number of redoubts, took possession
of the enemy's cannon, and turned their own ammunition against them. He
likewise signalized himself in the expedition to Egypt. His troop,
composed of blacks and mulattoes, were everywhere formidable. Near
Lisle, Alexander Dumas, with only four men, attacked a post of fifty
Austrians, killed six, and made sixteen prisoners. Napoleon called him
the Horatius Cocles of the Tyrols.
On his return from Egypt, Dumas unluckily fell into the hands of the
Neapolitan government, and was two years kept in irons. He died in 1807.
Between 1620 and 1630, some fugitive negroes, united with some
Brazilians, formed two free states in South America, called the Great
and Little Palmares; so named on account of the abundance of palm trees.
The Great Palmares was nearly destroyed by the Hollanders, in 1644; but
at the close of the war, the slaves in the neighborhood of Fernanbouc,
resolved to form an establishment, which would secure their freedom.
Like the old Romans, they obtained wives by making incursions upon their
neighbors, and carrying off the women.
They formed a constitution, established tribunals of justice, and
adopted a form of worship similar to Christianity. The chiefs chosen
for life were elected by the people.
They fortified their principal towns, cultivated their gardens and
fields, and reared domestic animals. They lived in prosperity and peace,
until 1696, when the Portuguese prepared an expedition against them. The
Palmarisians defended themselves with desperate valor, but were overcome
by superior numbers. Some rushed upon death, that they might not survive
their liberty; others were sold and dispersed by the conquerors. Thus
ended this interesting republic. Had it continued to the present time,
it might have produced a very material change in the character and
condition of the colored race.
In the seventeenth century, when Jamaica was still under the dominion
of the Spaniards, a party of slaves under the command of John de Bolas,
regained their independence. They increased in numbers, elected the
famous Cudjoe as their chief, and became very formidable. Cudjoe
established a confederation among all the Maroon tribes, and by his
bravery and skilful management compelled the English to make a treaty,
in which they acknowledged the freedom of the blacks, and ceded to them
for ever a portion of the territory of Jamaica.
The French National Assembly admitted free colored deputies from St.
Domingo, and promised a perfect equality of rights, without regard to
complexion. But, as usual, the white colonists made every possible
exertion to set aside the claims of their darker-faced brethren. It
was very short-sighted policy; for the planters absolutely needed the
friendship of the free mulattoes and negroes, as a defence against
the slaves. Oge, one of the colored deputies, an energetic and
shrewd man, was in Paris, watching political movements with intense
interest,--resolved to maintain the rights of his oppressed companions,
"quietly if he could--forcibly if he must." Day after day, a hearing was
promised; and day after day, upon some idle pretext or other, it was
deferred. Oge became exasperated. His friends in France recommended
the only medicine ever offered by the white man to the heart-sick
African,--patience--patience. But he had long observed the operation of
slavery, and he knew that patience, whatever it might do for the white
man, brought upon the negro nothing but contempt and accumulated wrong.
Discouraged in his efforts to make head against the intrigues of the
slaveholders, he could not contain his indignation: "I begin," said he
to Clarkson, "not to care whether the National Assembly will hear us or
not. But let it beware of the consequences. We will no longer continue
to be held in a degraded light. Despatches shall go directly to St.
Domingo; and we will soon follow them. We can produce as good soldiers
on our own estates, as those in France. Our own arms shall make us
independent and respectable. If we are forced to desperate measures,
it will be in vain that thousands are sent across the Atlantic to bring
us back to our former state."
The French government issued orders to prevent the embarkation of
negroes and mulattoes; but Oge, by the way of England, contrived to
return to St. Domingo. On his arrival, he demanded the execution of
decrees made in favor of his brethren, but either resisted or evaded
by their white oppressors. His plea, founded in justice, and sanctioned
by Divine authority, was rejected. The parties became exasperated, and
an attack ensued. The Spanish government basely and wickedly delivered
Oge to his enemies. He asked for a defender to plead his cause; but he
asked in vain. Thirteen of his companions were condemned to the galleys;
more than twenty to the gibbet; and Oge and Chavanne were tortured on
the wheel.
Where rests the guilt in this case? Let those blame Oge, who can. My
heart and conscience both refuse to do it.
_Toussaint L'Ouverture_, the celebrated black chieftain, was born a
slave, in the year 1745, upon the plantation of Count de Noé. His
amiable deportment as a slave, the patience, mildness, and benevolence
of his disposition, and the purity of his conduct amid the general
laxity of morals which prevailed in the island, gained for him many of
those advantages which afterwards gave him such absolute ascendency over
his insurgent brethren. His good qualities attracted the attention of
M. Bayou de Libertas, the agent on the estate, who taught him reading,
writing, and arithmetic,--elements of knowledge, which hardly one in
ten thousand of his fellow-slaves possessed. M. Bayou made him his
postillion, which gave him advantages much above those of the field
slaves. When the general rising of the blacks took place, in 1791, much
solicitation was used to induce Toussaint to join them; but he declined,
until he had procured an opportunity for the escape of M. Bayou and his
family to Baltimore, shipping a considerable quantity of sugar for
the supply of their immediate wants. In his subsequent prosperity,
he availed himself of every occasion to give them new marks of his
gratitude. Having thus provided security for his benefactor, he joined
a corps of blacks, under the orders of General Biassou; but was soon
raised to the principal command, Biassou being degraded on account of
his cruelty and ferocity. Indeed, Toussaint was every way so much
superior to the other negroes, by reason of his general intelligence
and education, his prudence, activity and address, not less than his
bravery, that he immediately attained a complete ascendency over all the
black chieftains. In 1797, Toussaint received from the French government
a commission of General-in-Chief of the armies of St. Domingo, and as
such signed the convention with General Maitland for the evacuation of
the island by the British. From 1798 until 1801, the island continued
tranquil under the government of Toussaint, who adopted and enforced
the most judicious measures for healing the wounds of his country, and
restoring its commercial and agricultural prosperity. His efforts
would have been attended with much success, but for the ill-judged
expedition, which Bonaparte sent against the island, under the command
of Le Clerc. This expedition, fruitless as it was in respect of its
general object, proved fatal to the negro chieftain.
Toussaint was noted for private virtues; among the rest, warm affection
for his family. Le Clerc brought out from France Toussaint's two sons,
with their preceptor, whose orders were to carry his pupils to their
father, and make use of them to work on his tenderness, and induce him
to abandon his countrymen. If he yielded, he was to be made second in
command to Le Clerc; if he refused, his children were to be reserved as
hostages of his fidelity to the French. Notwithstanding the greatness
of the sacrifice demanded of him, Toussaint remained faithful to his
brethren. We pass over the details of the war, which at length, ended in
a treaty of peace concluded by Toussaint, Dessalines and Christophe,
against their better judgment, but in consequence of the effect of Le
Clerc's professions upon their simple followers, who were induced to lay
down their arms. Toussaint retired to his plantation, relying upon the
solemn assurances of Le Clerc, that his person and property should be
held sacred. Notwithstanding these assurances, he was treacherously
seized in the night, hurried on board a ship of war, and conveyed to
Brest. He was conducted first to close prison in Chateaux de Joux, and
from thence to Besançon, where he was plunged into a cold, wet,
subterranean prison, which soon proved fatal to a constitution used only
to the warm skies and free air of the West Indies. He languished through
the winter of 1802-1803; and his death, which happened in April, 1803,
raised a cry of indignation against the government, which had chosen
this dastardly method of destroying one of the best and bravest of the
negro race.
Toussaint L'Ouverture is thus spoken of by Vincent, in his Reflections
on the state of St. Domingo: "Toussaint L'Ouverture is the most active
and indefatigable man, of whom it is possible to form an idea. He is
always present wherever difficulty or danger makes his presence
necessary. His great sobriety,--the power of living without repose,--the
facility with which he resumes the affairs of the cabinet, after the
most tiresome excursions,--of answering daily a hundred letters,--and of
habitually tiring five secretaries--render him so superior to all around
him, that their respect and submission almost amount to fanaticism. It
is certain no man in modern times has obtained such an influence over
a mass of ignorant people, as General Toussaint possesses over his
brethren of St. Domingo. He is endowed with a prodigious memory. He is
a good father and a good husband."
Toussaint re-established religious worship in St. Domingo; and on
account of his zeal in this respect, a certain class of men called him,
in derision, the Capuchin.
With the genius and energy of Bonaparte, General Toussaint is said to
have possessed the same political duplicity, and far-sighted cunning.
These are qualities which almost inevitably grew out of the peculiar
circumstances in which they were placed, and the obstacles with which
they were obliged to contend.
Wordsworth addressed the following sonnet to Toussaint L'Ouverture:
"Toussaint, thou most unhappy man of men!
Whether the whistling rustic tends his plough
Within thy hearing, or thou liest now
Buried in some deep dungeon's earless den;--
Oh, miserable chieftain! where and when
Wilt thou find patience? Yet die not; do thou
Wear rather in thy bonds a cheerful brow:
Though fallen thyself, never to rise again,
Live, and take comfort. Thou hast left behind
Powers that will work for thee; air, earth and skies;
There's not a breathing of the common wind
That will forget thee; thou hast great allies.
Thy friends are exultations, agonies,
And love, and man's unconquerable mind."
Godwin, in his admirable Lectures on Colonial Slavery, says: "Can the
West India islands, since their first discovery by Columbus, boast a
single name which deserves comparison with that of Toussaint
L'Ouverture?"
If we are willing to see and believe, we have full opportunity to
convince ourselves that the colored population are highly susceptible
of cultivation. St. Domingo produces black legislators, scholars, and
gentlemen. The very negroes who had been slaves, formed a constitution
that would do credit to paler-faced statesmen--Americans may well blush
at its _consistent_ republicanism.
The enemies of true freedom were very ready to predict that the
government of Hayti could not continue for any length of time; but
it has now lasted nearly thirty years, constantly increasing in
respectability and wealth. The affairs of Greece have been managed with
much less ability and discretion, though all the cabinets of Europe
have given assistance and advice. St. Domingo achieved her independence
alone and unaided--nay, in the very teeth of prejudice and scorn. The
Greeks had loans from England, and contributions from America, and
sympathy from half the world; the decisive battle of Navarino was gained
by the combined fleets of England, France and Russia. Is it asked why
Hayti has not produced any examples of splendid genius? In reply let
me inquire, how long did the Europeans ridicule _us_ for our poverty
in literature? When Raynal reproached the United States with not having
produced one celebrated man, Jefferson requested him to wait until we
had existed "as long as the Greeks before they had a Homer, the Romans
a Virgil, and the French a Racine." Half a century elapsed before our
republic produced Irving, Cooper, Sedgwick, Halleck, and Bryant. We must
not forget that the cruel prejudice, under which colored people labor,
makes it extremely difficult for them to gain admission to the best
colleges and schools; they are obliged to contend with obstacles, which
white men never encounter.
It might seem wonderful that the descendants of wise Ethiopia, and
learned Egypt, are now in such a state of degradation, if history did
not furnish a remarkable parallel in the condition of the modern Greeks.
The land of Homer, Pericles, and Plato, is now inhabited by ignorant,
brutal pirates. Freedom made the Grecians great and glorious--tyranny
has made them stupid and miserable. Yet their yoke has been light,
compared with African bondage. In both cases the wrongs of the oppressed
have been converted into an argument against them. We first debase the
nature of man by making him a slave, and then very coolly tell him that
he must always remain a slave because he does not know how to use
freedom. We first crush people to the earth, and then claim the right of
trampling on them for ever, because they are prostrate. Truly, human
selfishness never invented a rule, which worked so charmingly both ways!
No one thinks of doubting the intellect of Indians; yet civilization has
certainly advanced much farther in the interior of Africa, than it did
among the North American tribes. The Indians have strong untutored
eloquence,--so have the Africans. And where will you find an Indian
chieftain, whose pride, intellect, and valor, are more than a match for
Zhinga's? Both of these classes have been most shamefully wronged; but
public prejudice, which bows the negro to the earth, has borne with a
far less crushing power upon the energies of the red man; yet they have
not produced a Shakspeare or a Newton. But I shall be asked how it is
that the nations of Africa, having proceeded so far in the arts of
civilization, have made a full stop, and remained century after century
without any obvious improvement? I will answer this by another question:
How long did the ancient Helvetians, Gauls, and Saxons, remain in such a
state of barbarism, that what they considered splendor and refinement,
would be called poverty and rudeness, by their German, French, and
English descendants? What was it that changed the intellectual and moral
character of these people, after ages of ignorance and ferocity? It was
the _art of printing_. But, alas, with the introduction of printing,
modern slavery was introduced! While commerce has carried books and maps
to other portions of the globe, she has sent kidnappers, with guns and
cutlasses into Africa. We have not preached the Gospel of peace to her
princes; we have incited them to make war upon each other, to fill our
markets with slaves. While knowledge, like a mighty pillar of fire, has
guided the European nations still onward, and onward, a dark cloud has
settled more and more gloomily over benighted Africa. The lessons of
time, the experience of ages, from which we have learned so much, are
entirely lost to this vast continent.
I have heard it asserted that the Indians were evidently superior to
the negroes, because it was impossible to enslave _them_. Our slave laws
prove that there are some exceptions to this remark; and it must be
remembered that the Indians have been fairly met in battle, contending
with but one nation at a time; while the whole world have combined
against the Africans--sending emissaries to lurk for them in secret
places, or steal them at midnight from their homes. The Indian will seek
freedom in the arms of death--and so will the negro. By thousands and
thousands, these poor people have died for freedom. They have stabbed
themselves for freedom--jumped into the waves for freedom--starved for
freedom--fought like very tigers for freedom! But they have been hung,
and burned, and shot--and their tyrants have been their historians! When
the Africans have writers of their own, we shall hear their efforts for
liberty called by the true title of heroism in a glorious cause. We are
told in the fable that a lion, looking at the picture of one of his own
species, conquered and trampled on by man, calmly said, "We lions have
no painters."
I shall be told that in the preceding examples I have shown only the
bright side of the picture. I readily grant it; but I have deemed it
important to show that the picture _has_ a bright side. I am well aware
that most of the negro authors are remarkable principally because they
are negroes. With considerable talent, they generally evince bad taste.
I do not pretend that they are Scotts or Miltons; but I wish to prove
that they are _men_, capable of producing their proportion of Scotts and
Miltons, if they could be allowed to live in a state of physical and
intellectual freedom. But where, at the present time, _can_ they live in
perfect freedom, cheered by the hopes and excited by the rewards, which
stimulate white men to exertion? Every avenue to distinction is closed
to them. Even where the body is suffered to be free, a hateful prejudice
keeps the soul in fetters. I think every candid mind must admit that it
is more wonderful they have done so much, than that they have done no
more.
As a class, I am aware that the negroes, with many honorable exceptions,
are ignorant, and show little disposition to be otherwise; but this
ceases to be the case just in proportion as they are free. The fault is
in their unnatural situation, not in themselves. Tyranny always dwarfs
the intellect. Homer tells us, that when Jupiter condemns a man to
slavery, he takes from him half his mind. A family of children treated
with habitual violence or contempt, become stupid and sluggish, and are
called fools by the very parents or guardians who have crushed their
mental energies. It was remarked by M. Dupuis, the British Consul at
Mogadore, that the generality of Europeans, after a long captivity and
severe treatment among the Arabs, seemed at first exceedingly dull and
insensible. "If they had been any considerable time in slavery," says
he, "they appeared lost to reason and feeling; their spirits broken;
and their faculties sunk in a species of stupor, which I am unable
adequately to describe. They appeared degraded even below the negro
slave. The succession of hardships, without any protecting law to which
they can appeal for alleviation, or redress, seems to destroy every
spring of exertion, or hope in their minds. They appear indifferent to
every thing around them; abject, servile, and brutish."
Lieutenant Hall, in his Travels in the United States, makes the
following just remark: "Cut off hope for the future, and freedom for
the present; superadd a due pressure of bodily suffering, and personal
degradation; and you have a slave, who, (of whatever zone, nation or
complexion,) will be what the poor African is, torpid, debased, and
lowered beneath the standard of humanity."
The great Virginian, Patrick Henry, who certainly had a fair chance to
observe the effects of slavery, says, "If a man be in chains, he droops
and bows to the earth, because his spirits are broken; but let him twist
the fetters off his legs and he will stand erect."
The following is the testimony of the Rev. R. Walsh, on the same
subject; he is describing his first arrival at Rio Janeiro:
"The whole labor of bearing and moving burdens is performed by these
people, and the state in which they appear is revolting to humanity.
Here were a number of beings entirely naked, with the exception of a
covering of dirty rags, tied about their waists. Their skins, from
constant exposure to the weather, had become hard, crusty, and seamed,
resembling the coarse black covering of some beast, or like that of an
elephant, a wrinkled hide scattered with scanty hairs. On contemplating
their persons, you saw them with a physical organization resembling
beings of a grade below the rank of man; long projecting heels, the
gastronymic muscle wanting, and no calves to their legs; their mouths
and chins protruded, their noses flat, their foreheads retiring, having
exactly the head and legs of the baboon tribe. Some of these beings were
yoked to drays, on which they dragged heavy burdens. Some were chained
by the neck and legs, and moved with loads thus encumbered. Some
followed each other in ranks, with heavy weights on their heads,
chattering in the most inarticulate and dismal cadence as they moved
along. Some were munching young sugar-canes, like beasts of burden
eating green provender; and some were seen near the water, lying on the
bare ground among filth and offal, coiled up like dogs, and seeming to
expect or require no more comfort or accommodation, exhibiting a state
and conformation so unhuman, that they not only seemed but actually
were, far below the inferior animals around them. Horses and mules were
not employed in this way; they were used only for pleasure, and not
labor. They were seen in the same streets, pampered, spirited, and
richly caparisoned, enjoying a state far superior to the negroes, and
appearing to look down on the fettered and burdened wretches they were
passing, as on beings of an inferior rank in the creation. Some of the
negroes actually seemed to envy the caparisons of their fellow-brutes,
and eyed with jealousy their glittering harness. In imitation of this
finery, they were fond of thrums of many-colored threads; and I saw one
creature, who supported the squalid rag that wrapped his waist by a
suspender of gaudy worsted, which he turned every moment to look at on
his naked shoulder. The greater number, however, were as unconscious of
any covering for use or ornament, as a pig or an ass.
"The first impression of all this on my mind, was to shake the
conviction I had always felt, of the wrong and hardship inflicted on our
black fellow-creatures, and that they were only in that state which God
and nature had assigned them; that they were the lowest grade of human
existence, and the link that connected it with the brute; and that the
gradation was so insensible, and their natures so intermingled, that it
was impossible to tell where one had terminated and the other commenced;
and that it was not surprising that people who contemplated them every
day, so formed, so employed, and so degraded, should forget their claims
to that rank in the scale of being in which modern philanthropists are
so anxious to place them. I did not at the moment myself recollect, that
the white man, made a slave on the coast of Africa, suffers not only a
similar mental but physical deterioration from hardships and emaciation,
and becomes in time the dull and deformed beast I now saw yoked to a
burden.
"A few hours only were necessary to correct my first impressions of the
negro population, by seeing them under a different aspect. We were
attracted by the sound of military music, and found it proceeded from a
regiment drawn up in one of the streets. Their colonel had just died,
and they attended to form a procession to celebrate his obsequies. They
were all of different shades of black, but the majority were negroes.
Their equipment was excellent; they wore dark jackets, white pantaloons,
and black leather caps and belts, all which, with their arms, were
in high order. Their band produced sweet and agreeable music, of the
leader's own composition, and the men went through some evolutions with
regularity and dexterity. They were only a militia regiment, yet were as
well appointed and disciplined as one of our regiments of the line. Here
then was the first step in that gradation by which the black population
of this country ascend in the scale of humanity; he advances from the
state below that of a beast of burden into a military rank, and he shows
himself as capable of discipline and improvement as a human being of any
other color.
"Our attention was next attracted by negro men and women bearing about a
variety of articles for sale; some in baskets, some on boards and cases
carried on their heads. They belonged to a class of small shopkeepers,
many of whom vend their wares at home, but the greater number send them
about in this way, as in itinerant shops. A few of these people were
still in a state of bondage, and brought a certain sum every evening
to their owners, as the produce of their daily labor. But a large
proportion, I was informed, were free, and exercised this little
calling on their own account. They were all very neat and clean in
their persons, and had a decorum and sense of respectability about them,
superior to whites of the same class and calling. All their articles
were good in their kind and neatly kept, and they sold them with
simplicity and confidence, neither wishing to take advantage of others,
nor suspecting that it would be taken of themselves. I bought some
confectionary from one of the females, and I was struck with the modesty
and propriety of her manner; she was a young mother, and had with her a
neatly-dressed child, of which she seemed very fond. I gave it a little
comfit, and it turned up its dusky countenance to her and then to me,
taking my sweetmeat and at the same time kissing my hand. As yet
unacquainted with the coin of the country, I had none that was current
about me, and was leaving the articles; but the poor young woman pressed
them on me with a ready confidence, repeating in broken Portuguese,
_outo tempo_. I am sorry to say, the 'other time' never came, for I
could not recognise her person afterwards to discharge her little debt,
though I went to the same place for the purpose.
"It soon began to grow dark, and I was attracted by a number of persons
bearing large lighted wax tapers, like torches, gathering before a
house. As I passed by, one was put into my hand by a man who seemed in
some authority, and I was requested to fall into a procession that was
forming. It was the preparation for a funeral, and on such occasions, I
learned that they always request the attendance of a passing stranger,
and feel hurt if they are refused. I joined the party, and proceeded
with them to a neighboring church. When we entered we ranged ourselves
on each side of a platform which stood near the choir, on which was laid
an open coffin, covered with pink silk and gold borders. The funeral
service was chanted by a choir of priests, one of whom was a negro, a
large comely man, whose jet-black visage formed a strong and striking
contrast to his white vestments. He seemed to perform his part with a
decorum and sense of solemnity, which I did not observe in his brethren.
After scattering flowers on the coffin, and fumigating it with incense,
they retired, the procession dispersed, and we returned on board.
"I had been but a few hours on shore for the first time, and I saw an
African negro under four aspects of society; and it appeared to me, that
in every one, his character depended on the state in which he was
placed, and the estimation in which he was held. As a despised slave,
he was far lower than other animals of burden that surrounded him; more
miserable in his look, more revolting in his nakedness, more distorted
in his person, and apparently more deficient in intellect, than the
horses and mules that passed him by. Advanced to the grade of a soldier,
he was clean and neat in his person, amenable to discipline, expert at
his exercises, and showed the port and bearing of a white man similarly
placed. As a citizen, he was remarkable for the respectability of his
appearance, and the decorum of his manners in the rank assigned him; and
as a priest, standing in the house of God, appointed to instruct society
on their most important interests, and in a grade in which moral and
intellectual fitness is required, and a certain degree of superiority
is expected, he seemed even more devout in his impressions, and more
correct in his manners, than his white associates. I came, therefore,
to the irresistible conclusion in my mind, that color was an accident
affecting the surface of a man, and having no more to do with his
qualities than his clothes--that God had equally created an African in
the image of his person, and equally given him an immortal soul; and
that a European had no pretext but his own cupidity, for impiously
thrusting his fellow-man from that rank in the creation which the
Almighty had assigned him, and degrading him below the lot of the brute
beasts that perish."
The honorable A. H. Everett, in his able work on the political situation
of America, says, "Nations, and races, like individuals, have their day,
and seldom have a second. The blacks had a long and glorious one; and
after what they have been and done, it argues not so much a mistaken
theory, as sheer ignorance of the most notorious historical facts, to
pretend that they are naturally inferior to the whites. It would seem
indeed, that if any race have a right claim to a sort of pre-eminence
over others, on the fair and honorable ground of talents displayed, and
benefits conferred, it is precisely this very one, which we take upon
us, in the pride of a temporary superiority, to stamp with the brand
of essential degradation. It is hardly necessary to add, that while the
blacks were the leading race in civilization and political power, there
was no prejudice among the whites against their color. On the contrary,
we find that the early Greeks regarded them as a superior variety of the
human species, not only in intellectual and moral qualities, but in
outward appearance. 'The Ethiopians,' says Herodotus, 'surpass all other
men in longevity, stature, and personal beauty.'"
Then let the slaveholder no longer apologize for himself by urging the
stupidity and sensuality of negroes. It is upon the _system_, which thus
transforms men into beasts, that the reproach rests in all its strength
and bitterness. And even if the negroes were, beyond all doubt, our
inferiors in intellect, this would form no excuse for oppression, or
contempt. The use of law and public opinion is to protect the weak
against the strong; and the government, which perverts these blessings
into means of tyranny, resembles the priest, who administered poison
with the Holy Sacrament.
Is there an American willing that the intellectual and the learned
should bear despotic sway over the simple and the ignorant? If there
be such a one, _he_ may consistently vindicate our treatment of the
Africans.