The Past and the Present Condition, and the Destiny, of the Colored Race:: A Discourse Delivered at the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Female Benevolent Society of Troy, N. Y., Feb. 14, 1848Garnet, Henry Highland
History
The Past and the Present Condition, and the Destiny, of the Colored Race:: A Discourse Delivered at the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Female Benevolent Society of Troy, N. Y., Feb. 14, 1848
Garnet, Henry Highland
African Americans; United States -- Race relations
The silence that reigns in the region where the pale nations of the
earth slumber, is solemn, and awful. But what think ye, when you are
told that every rood of land in this Union is the grave of a murdered
man, and their epitaphs are written upon the monuments of the nation’s
wealth. Ye destroyers of my people draw near, and read the mournful
inscription; aye! read it, until it is daguerotyped on your souls.
“You have slain us all the day long--you have had no mercy.” Legions
of haggard ghosts stalk through the land. Behold! see, they come: Oh
what myriads! Hark hear their broken bones as they clatter together!
With deep unearthly voices they cry “We come, we come! for vengeance we
come! Tremble, guilty nation, for the God of Justice lives and reigns.”
The screaming of the eagle as he darts through lightning and storm
is unheard because of these voices. The tocsin of the sabbath, and
the solemn organ are mocked by them. They drown the preacher’s voice,
and produce discord in the sacred choirs. Sworn senators and perjured
demagogues, as they officiate around the alter of Moloch in the
national capitol, they hear the wailings of the victims of base born
democracy, and they are ill at ease in their unexampled hypocracy. The
father of waters, may roar in his progress to the ocean--the Niagara
may thunder, but these voices from the living and the dead, rise above
them all.
Such, ladies and gentlemen, are the outlines of the picture of the
Colored Race throughout the world. Behind us and on either side are
waste places, and deserts, but before us are green spots and living
springs.
The genius of slavery in this country has taken his course southward.
It has passed its Rubicon, the far distant Sabine. Infatuated with its
victories, it has pressed forward to the sandy shores of the Neuces,
where it paused but for a moment. It has Texas and moves on beyond the
Rio Del Norte.
“Six slave states added at a breath! one flourish of a pen,
And fetters are riveted on millions more of men,
How all the damned leap up, and half forget their fire,
To think men take such pains to claim the notice of God’s ire.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account