[20] "Niger" is a word derived from the Latin, which was used by the old Romans to designate inanimate beings which were black, such as soot, pot, wood, house, &c. Also, of animals which they considered inferior to the human species, as a black horse, cow, hog, bird, dog, &c. The white Americans have applied this term to Africans, by way of reproach for our color, to aggravate and heighten our miseries, because they have their feet on our throats, and we cannot help ourselves. [21] See Freedom's Journal for Nov. 2d, 1827--vol. 1, No. 34. [22] I mean those whose labors for the good, or rather destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jews. Ceased before our Lord entered the Temple, and over turned the tables of the Money Changers. [23] How many millions souls of the human family have the blacks, beat nearly to death, to keep them from learning to read the Word of God and from writing. And telling lies about them, by holding them up to the world as a tribe of TALKING APES, void of _intellect!!! incapable_ of LEARNING, &c. [24] And still hold us up with indignity as being incapable of acquiring knowledge!!! See the inconsistency of the assertions of those wretches--they beat us inhumanly, sometimes almost to death, for attempting to inform ourselves, by reading the _Word_ of our Maker, and at the same time tell us, that we are beings _void of intellect!!!!!_ How admirably their practices agree with their professions in this case. Let me cry shame upon you Americans, for such outrages upon human nature!!! If it were possible for the whites always to keep us ignorant and miserable, and make us work to enrich them and their children, and insult our feelings by representing us as _talking Apes_, what would they do? But glory honour and praise to Heaven's King, that the sons and daughters of Africa, will, in spite of all the opposition of their enemies, stand forth in all the dignity and glory that is granted by the Lord to his creature man. [25] Those who are ignorant enough to go to Africa, the coloured people ought to be glad to have them go, for if they are ignorant enough to let the whites _fool_ them off to Africa, they would be no small injury to us if they reside in this country. [26] See St. Mathew's Gospel, chap, xviii. v. 6. [27] You are not astonished at my saying we hate you, for if we are men, we cannot but hate you, while you are treating us like dogs. [28] Some of my brethren, who are sensible, do not take an interest in enlightening the minds of our more ignorant brethren respecting this _Book_, and in reading it to them, just as though they will not have either to rise or fall by what is written in this book. Do they believe that I would be so foolish as to put out a book of this kind, without strict--ah! very strict commandments of the Lord!--Surely the blacks and whites must think that I am ignorant enough. Do they think that I would have the audacious wickedness to take the name of my God in vain?