The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United StatesDelany, Martin Robison
History
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States
Delany, Martin Robison
African Americans
But being far-sighted, reflecting, discerning men, they took a political
view of the subject, and determined for the good of their people to be
governed in their policy according to the facts as they presented
themselves. In taking a glance at Europe, they discovered there, however
unjustly, as we have shown in another part of this pamphlet, that there
are and have been numerous classes proscribed and oppressed, and it was
not for them to cut short their wise deliberations, and arrest their
proceedings in contention, as to the cause, whether on account of
language, the color of eyes, hair, skin, or their origin of
country--because all this is contrary to reason, a contradiction to
common sense, at war with nature herself, and at variance with facts as
they stare us every day in the face, among all nations, in every
country--this being made the pretext as a matter of _policy_ alone--a
fact worthy of observation, that wherever the objects of oppression are
the most easily distinguished by any peculiar or general
characteristics, these people are the more easily oppressed, because the
war of oppression is the more easily waged against them. This is the
case with the modern Jews and many other people who have
strongly-marked, peculiar, or distinguishing characteristics. This
arises in this wise. The policy of all those who proscribe any people,
induces them to select as the objects of proscription, those who
differed as much as possible, in some particulars, from themselves. This
is to ensure the greater success, because it engenders the greater
prejudice, or in other words, elicits less interest on the part of the
oppressing class, in their favor. This fact is well understood in
national conflicts, as the soldier or civilian, who is distinguished by
his dress, mustache, or any other peculiar appendage, would certainly
prove himself a madman, if he did not take the precaution to change his
dress, remove his mustache, and conceal as much as possible his peculiar
characteristics, to give him access among the repelling party.
This is mere policy, nature having nothing to do with it. Still, it is a
fact, a great truth well worthy of remark, and as such as adduce it for
the benefit of those of our readers, unaccustomed to an enquiry into the
policy of nations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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