The Way to Abolish SlaveryStearns, Charles (Abolitionist)
Religion
The Way to Abolish Slavery
Stearns, Charles (Abolitionist)
Slavery -- United States
The steps necessary are briefly these. Let a convention of the people of
the Free States in favor of this movement be called; let the
legislatures of the several States withdraw their Representatives and
Senators from Congress, and let them meet together, and send delegates
to this general convention, as our fathers did to the convention where
the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Let them meet, and adopt a
Constitution, fix upon some conspicuous place for a seat of government,
Buffalo for instance, send home the constitution to be ratified by the
several northern States, and having thus formed their own government,
let them withdraw their portion of the Army and Navy from the South,
refuse to pay duties to the general government, and send a minister to
the southern government for the adjustment of all claims between the
two. Of course the South would be too busy in settling their own affairs
to disturb us for awhile; and if war come at last, it is easy to see who
would be victorious; the North with all her resources, or the South with
her 3,000,000 of Slaves in her borders. The whole territory north of
Mason and Dixon's line would then be open to the fleeing fugitive. No
Slave hunter would dare to venture on our soil, to recover his lost
victim. Thus Slave property would be useless in Virginia, Maryland,
Kentucky and Missouri, and probably those States would soon knock at our
doors for admission to our union. That would destroy the value of Slaves
still farther South, and eventually the whole country would become free.
But there is another view of it. The Slaves could then arise and demand
their freedom, and nought could prevent them from attaining it. "At the
first tap of the drum, there are 10,000 northern bayonets, ready to be
thrust into the bosoms of the Slaves, should they attempt an
insurrection," says Mr. Underwood of Kentucky, on the floor of Congress.
This danger would have vanished. No northern foe could then be ready to
strike down the Slave fighting for liberty, but millions would
sympathize with and assist him. Of course the people of the North must
be converted before this change can take place, but come it must. It is
the only remedy for Slavery that we have any confidence in, and there is
no time to be lost.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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