Abolitionism Exposed!: Proving the the Principles of Abolitionism are Injurious to the Slaves Themselves, Destructive to This Nation, and Contrary to the Express Commands of GodSleigh, W. W. (William Willcocks)
Religion
Abolitionism Exposed!: Proving the the Principles of Abolitionism are Injurious to the Slaves Themselves, Destructive to This Nation, and Contrary to the Express Commands of God
Sleigh, W. W. (William Willcocks)
Abolitionists; African Americans -- Colonization; Slavery -- United States
"These reasons were briefly as follows: 1. Because the people
of the South had not consented to the original introduction of
slaves into the country, but had solemnly, earnestly, and
repeatedly remonstrated against it. 2. Because, having been
born in the presence of slavery, and accustomed to it from
their infancy, they could not be expected to view it in the
same light as we view it at the North. 3. Slavery being there
established by law, it was not in the power of individuals to
act in regard to it as their personal feelings might dictate.
The evil had not been eradicated from the state of New York
all at once: it had been a gradual process, commencing with
the law of 1799, and not consummated until 1827. Ought we to
denounce our Southern neighbours if they refused to do the
work at a blow? 4. The constitution of the United States,
tolerated slavery, in its articles apportioning representation
with reference to the slave population, and requiring the
surrender of runaway slaves. 5. Slavery had been much
mitigated of late years, and the condition of the slave
population much ameliorated. Its former rigour was almost
unknown, at least in Virginia, and it was lessening
continually. It was not consistent with truth to represent the
slaves as groaning day and night under the lash of tyrannical
task-masters. And as to being kept in perfect ignorance, Mr.
_V. had seldom seen a plantation where some of the slaves
could not read, and where they were not encouraged to learn.
In South Carolina, where it was said the gospel was
systematically denied to the slave, there were twenty thousand
of them church-members in the Methodist denomination alone. He
knew a small church where out of 70 communicants_, 50 were in
slavery. 6. There were very great difficulties connected with
the work of Abolition. The relations of slavery had ramified
themselves through all the relations of society. The slaves
were comparatively very ignorant; their character degraded;
and they were unqualified for immediate freedom. A blunder in
such a concern as universal Abolition, would be no light
matter. Mr. V. here referred to the result of experience and
personal observation on the mind of the well known _Mr.
Parker_, late a minister of this city, but now of New Orleans.
He had left this city for the South with the feelings of an
immediate Abolitionist; but he had returned with his views
wholly changed. After seeing slavery and slave-holders, and
that at the far South, he now declared the idea of immediate
and universal Abolition to be a gross absurdity. To liberate
the two and a half millions of slaves in the midst of us,
would be just as wise and as humane, as it would be for the
father of a numerous family of young children to take them to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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