Slavery and the ConstitutionBowditch, William I. (William Ingersoll)
Religion
Slavery and the Constitution
Bowditch, William I. (William Ingersoll)
Enslaved persons -- United States -- Social conditions; Slavery -- United States
The Lord of the sabbath seems to favor the masters; for Mr. Adams's hunt
occurred on Sunday! Many other instances might be given. We adduce only
this. The "St. Francisville (La.) Chronicle" of Feb. 1, 1839, gives the
following account of a "negro-hunt" in that parish:--
"Two or three days since, a gentleman of this parish, in hunting
runaway negroes, came upon a camp of them in the swamp on Cat
Island. He succeeded in arresting two of them; but the third made
fight, and, upon being shot in the shoulder, fled to a sluice, where
the dogs succeeded in drowning him before assistance could arrive."
Does any one say these atrocities must be confined to the extreme
South, and that law or public opinion in North Carolina would forbid
them? How far otherwise is the fact! The "Revised Statutes" of North
Carolina, chap. 111, sec. 22, provide as follows:--
"Whereas, many times slaves run away and lie out, hid and lurking in
swamps, woods, and other obscure places, killing cattle and hogs,
and committing other injuries to the inhabitants of this State; in
all such cases, upon intelligence of any slave or slaves lying out
as aforesaid, any two justices of the peace for the county wherein
such slave or slaves is or are supposed to lurk or do mischief,
shall, and they are hereby empowered and required to issue
proclamation against such slave or slaves (reciting his or their
names, and the name or names of the owner or owners, if known),
thereby requiring him or them, and every of them, forthwith to
surrender him or themselves; and also to empower and require the
sheriff of the said county to take such power with him as he shall
think fit and necessary for going in search and pursuit of, and
effectually apprehending, such outlying slave or slaves; which
proclamation shall be published at the door of the Court-house, and
at such other places as said justices shall direct.[T] And if any
slave or slaves against whom proclamation hath been thus issued stay
out, and do not immediately return home, it shall be lawful for any
person or persons whatsoever to kill and destroy such slave or
slaves by such ways and means as he shall think fit, without
accusation or impeachment of any crime for the same."
This is truly a Christian law! A written proclamation to men, of whom
not one in ten thousand can read a letter of it!--and yet, after
publication of it at the door of the Court-house, and at such other
places (if any) as the justices may direct, if the slaves do not
immediatelyy return, it is lawful for any person to kill and destroy
them "by such ways or means as he shall think fit." And may not
bloodhounds be the most expeditious and fit?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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