material from the ,google ,print        
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-------------------      ,transcriber's 
,note3                                  
,obvious typographical errors have been 
corrected4 ,for           a complete    
list1 please see the end of this        
document4                               
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-------------------         99       99 
99       99       99     ,no ,compromise
 with ,slavery4  ,,an ,,address         
,,delivered ,,in ,,the ,,broadway       
,,tabernacle1 ,,new ,,york1 ,,february  
#ad1 #ahed1 ,,by ,,william ,,lloyd      
,,garrison4  ,,new ,,york3 ,,american   
,,anti-,,slavery ,,society1 #adb        
,,nassau ,,street1 #ahed4     ,,address4
   ,,ladies ,,and ,,gentlemen3 ,an      
earnest espousal of the ,anti-,slavery  
cause for a quarter of a century1 under 
circumstances which have served in a    
special manner to identify my name and  

labours with it1 will shield me from the
 charge of egotism1 in assuming to be   
its exponent--at least for myself--on   
this occasion4 ,all that ,i can compress
 within the limits of a single lecture1 
by way of its elucidation1 it shall be  
my aim to accomplish4 ,i will make a    
clean breast of it4 ,you shall know all 
that is in my heart pertaining to       
,slavery1 its supporters1 and           
apologists4  ,of necessity1 as well as  
of choice1 ,i am a ,garrisonian         
,abolitionist--the most unpopular       
appellation that any man can have       
applied to him1 in the present state of 
public sentiment2 yet1 ,i am more than  
confident1 destined ultimately to be    
honourably regarded by the wise and     
good4 ,for though ,i have never assumed 
to be a leader--have never sought       
conspicuity of position1 or notoriety of
 name--have desired to follow1 if       
others1 better qualified1 would go      
before1 and to be lost sight of in the  
throng of ,liberty's adherents1 as a    

drop is merged in the ocean2 yet1 as the
 appellation alluded to is applied1 not 
with any reference to myself            
invidiously1 but to excite prejudice    
against the noblest movement of the age1
 in order that the most frightful system
 of oppression ever devised by human    
ingenuity and wickedness may be left to 
grow and expand to the latest           
generation--,i accept it as the synonym 
of absolute trust in ,god1 and utter    
disregard of that fear of man which     
bringeth a snare--and so deem it alike  
honourable and praiseworthy4            
,representing1 then1 that phase of      
,abolitionism which is the most         
contemned--to the suppression of which1 
the means and forces of the ,church and 
the ,state are most actively            
directed--,i am here to defend it       
against all its assailants as the       
highest expediency1 the soundest        
philosophy1 the noblest patriotism1 the 
broadest philanthropy1 and the best     
religion extant4 ,to denounce it as     

fanatical1 disorganising1 reckless of   
consequences1 bitter and irreverent in  
spirit1 infidel in heart1 deaf alike to 
the suggestions of reason and the       
warnings of history1 is to call good    
evil1 and evil good2 to put darkness for
 light1 and light for darkness2 to      
insist that ,barabbas is better than    
,jesus2 to cover with infamy the        
memories of patriarchs and prophets1    
apostles and martyrs2 and to inaugurate 
,satan as the ,god of the universe4 ,if1
 like the sun1 it is not wholly         
spotless1 still1 like the sun1 without  
it there is no light4 ,if murky clouds  
obscure its brightness1 still it shines 
in its strength4 ,if1 at a seems to wane
 to its final setting1 it is only to    
reveal itself in the splendour of a new 
ascension1 unquenchable1 glorious1      
sublime4  ,let me define my positions1  
and at the same time challenge any one  
to show wherein they are untenable4  ,i4
 ,i am a believer in that portion of the
 ,declaration of ,american ,independence

 in which it is set forth1 as among     
self-evident truths1 that all men are   
created equal2 that they are endowed by 
their ,creator with certain inalienable 
rights2 that among these are life1      
liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4  
,hence1 ,i am an ,abolitionist4 ,hence1 
,i cannot but regard oppression in every
 form--and most of all1 that which turns
 a man into a thing--with indignation   
and abhorrence4 ,not to cherish these   
feelings would be recreancy to          
principle4 ,they who desire me to be    
dumb on the subject of ,slavery1 unless 
,i will open my mouth in its defence1   
ask me to give the lie to my            
professions1 to degrade my manhood1 and 
to stain my soul4 ,i will not be a liar1
 a poltroon1 or a hypocrite1 to         
accommodate any party1 to gratify any   
sect1 to escape any odium or peril1 to  
save any interest1 to preserve any      
institution1 or to promote any object4  
,convince me that one man may rightfully
 make another man his slave1 and ,i will

 no longer subscribe to the ,declaration
 of ,independence4 ,convince me that    
liberty is not the inalienable          
birthright of every human being1 of     
whatever complexion or clime1 and ,i    
will give that instrument to the        
consuming fire4 ,i do not know how to   
espouse freedom and slavery together4 ,i
 do not know how to worship ,god and    
,mammon at the same time4 ,if other men 
choose to go upon all-fours1 ,i choose  
to stand erect1 as ,god designed every  
man to stand4 ,if1 practically          
falsifying its heaven-attested          
principles1 this nation denounces me for
 refusing to imitate its example1 then1 
adhering all the more tenaciously to    
those principles1 ,i will not cease to  
rebuke it for its guilty inconsistency4 
,numerically1 the contest may be an     
unequal one1 for the time being2 but the
 ,author of liberty and the ,source of  
justice1 the adorable ,god1 is more than
 multitudinous1 and he will defend the  
right4 ,my crime is1 that ,i will not go

 with the multitude to do evil4 ,my     
singularity is1 that when ,i say that   
,freedom is of ,god1 and ,slavery is of 
the devil1 ,i mean just what ,i say4 ,my
 fanaticism is1 that ,i insist on the   
,american people abolishing ,slavery1 or
 ceasing to prate of the rights of man4 
,my hardihood is1 in measuring them by  
their own standard1 and convicting them 
out of their own mouths4      ,woe to   
the rebellions children1 saith the      
,lord1 that take     counsel1 but not of
 me2 and that cover with a covering1 but
     not of my spirit1 that they may add
 sin to sin4      ,that walk to go down 
into ,egypt1 and have not asked at my   
mouth2 to strengthen themselves in the  
strength of ,pharaoh1     and to trust  
in the shadow of ,egypt6      ,therefore
 shall the strength of ,pharaoh be your 
shame1 and the     enact in the shadow  
of ,egypt your confusion4      ,now go1 
write it before them in a table1 and    
note it in a     book1 that it may be   
for the time to come for ever and ever3 

,that this is a rebellious people1 lying
 children1 children     that will not   
hear the law of the ,lord4      ,which  
say to the seers1 ,see not2 and to the  
prophets1 ,prophesy     not unto us     
right things2 speak unto us smooth      
things2     prophesy deceits2 get you   
out of the way1 turn aside out of       
the path1 cause the ,holy ,one of       
,israel to cease from before     us4    
,wherefore thus saith the ,holy ,one of 
,israel3 ,because ye     despise this   
word1 and trust in oppression and       
perverseness1     and stay thereon3     
,therefore this iniquity shall be to you
 as a breach ready to     fall1 swelling
 out in a high wall1 whose breaking     
cometh     suddenly1 at an instant4     
,,ii4 ,notwithstanding the lessons      
taught us by ,pilgrim ,fathers and      
,revolutionary ,sires1 at ,plymouth     
,rock1 on ,bunker ,hill1 at ,lexington1 
,concord and ,yorktown2 notwithstanding 
our ,fourth of ,july celebrations1 and  
ostentatious displays of patriotism2 in 

what ,european nation is personal       
liberty hold in such contempt as in our 
own8 ,where are there such unbelievers  
in the natural equality and freedom of  
mankind8 ,our slaves outnumber the      
entire population of the country at the 
time of our revolutionary struggle4 ,in 
vain do they clank their chains1 and    
fill the air with their shrieks1 and    
make their supplications for mercy4 ,in 
vain are their sufferings portrayed1    
their wrongs rehearsed1 their rights    
defended4 ,as ,nero fiddled while ,rome 
was burning1 so the slaveholding spirit 
of this nation rejoices1 as one barrier 
of liberty after another is destroyed1  
and fresh victims are multiplied for the
 cotton-field and the auction-block4    
,for one impeachment of the slave       
system1 a thousand defences are made4   
,for one rebuke of the man-stealer1 a   
thousand denunciations of the           
,abolitionists are heard4 ,for one press
 that bears a faithful testimony against
 ,slavery1 a score are ready to be      

prostituted to its service4 ,for one    
pulpit that is not recreant to its      
trust1 there are ten that openly defend 
slaveholding as compatible with         
,christianity1 and scores that are dumb4
 ,for one church that excludes the human
 enslaver from its communion table1     
multitudes extend to him the right hand 
of religious fellowship4 ,the wealth1   
the enterprise1 the literature1 the     
politics1 the religion of the land1 are 
all combined to give extension and      
perpetuity to the ,slave ,power4        
,everywhere to do homage to it1 to avoid
 collision with it1 to propitiate its   
favour1 is deemed essential--nay1 is    
essential to political preferment and   
ecclesiastical advancement4 ,nothing is 
so unpopular as impartial liberty4 ,the 
two great parties which absorb nearly   
the whole voting strength of the        
,republic are pledged to be deaf1 dumb  
and blind to whatever outrages the      
,slave ,power may attempt to perpetrate4
 ,cotton is in their ears--blinds are   

over their eyes--padlocks are upon their
 lips4 ,they are as clay in the hands of
 the potter1 and already moulded into   
vessels of dishonour1 to be used for the
 vilest purposes4 ,the tremendous power 
of the ,government is actively wielded  
to crush out the little ,anti-,slavery  
life that remains in individual hearts1 
and to open new and boundless domains   
for the expansion of the ,slave system4 
,no man known or suspected to be hostile
 to the ,compromise ,measures1 including
 the ,fugitive ,slave ,law1 is allowed  
to hope for any office under the present
 ,administration4 ,the ship of ,state is
 labouring in the trough of the sea--her
 engine powerless1 her bulwarks swept   
away1 her masts gone1 her lifeboats     
destroyed1 her pumps choked1 and the    
leak gaining rapidly upon her2 and as   
wave after wave dashes over her1 all    
that might otherwise serve to keep her  
afloat is swallowed by the remorseless  
deep4 ,god of heaven6 if the ship is    
destined to go down full many a fathom  

deep1 is every soul on board to perish8 
,ho6 a sail6 a sail6 ,the               
weather-beaten1 but staunch ship        
,abolition1 commanded by the ,genius of 
,liberty1 is bearing toward the wreck1  
with the cheering motto1 inscribed in   
legible capitals1 ,,we ,,will ,,not     
,,forsake ,,you6 ,let us hope1 even     
against hope1 that rescue is not wholly 
impossible4  ,to drop what is figurative
 for the actual4 ,i have expressed the  
belief that1 so lost to all self-respect
 and all ideas of justice have we become
 by the corrupting presence of ,slavery1
 in no ,european nation is personal     
liberty held at such discount1 as a     
matter of principle1 as in our own4 ,see
 how clearly this is demonstrated4 ,the 
reasons adduced among us in             
justification of slaveholding1 and      
therefore against personal liberty1 are 
multitudinous4 ,i will enumerate only a 
dozen of these3 #a4 ,the victims are    
black4 #b4 ,the slaves belong to an     
inferior race4 #c4 ,many of them have   

been fairly purchased4 #d4 ,others have 
been honestly inherited4 #e4 ,their     
emancipation would impoverish their     
owners4 #f4 ,they are better off as     
slaves then they would be as freemen4   
#g4 ,they could not take care of        
themselves if set free4 #h4 ,their      
simultaneous liberation would be        
attended with great danger4 #i4 ,any    
interference in their behalf will excite
 the ill-will of the ,south1 and thus   
seriously affect ,northern trade and    
commerce4 #aj4 ,the ,union can be       
preserved only by letting ,slavery      
alone1 and that is of paramount         
importance4 #aa4 ,slavery is a lawful   
and constitutional system1 and therefore
 not a crime4 #ab4 ,slavery is          
sanctioned by the ,bible2 the ,bible is 
the word of ,god2 therefore ,god        
sanctions ,slavery1 and the             
,abolitionists are wise above what is   
written4  ,here1 then1 are twelve       
reasons which are popularly urged in all
 parts of the country1 as conclusive    

against the right of a man to himself4  
,if they are valid1 in any instance1    
what becomes of the ,declaration of     
,independence8 ,on what ground can the  
revolutionary war1 can any struggle for 
liberty1 be justified8 ,nay1 cannot all 
the despotisms of the earth take shelter
 under them8 ,if they are valid1 then   
why is not the jesuitical doctrine1 that
 the end sanctifies them1 and that it is
 right to do evil that good may come1   
morally sound8 ,if they are valid1 then 
how does it appear that ,god is no      
respecter of persons8 or how can he say1
 ,all souls are mine8 or what is to be  
done with ,christ's injunction1 ,call no
 man master8 or with what justice can   
the same duties and the same obligations
 7such as are embodied in the ,decalogue
 and the gospel of ,christ7 be exacted  
of chattels as of men8 ,but they are not
 valid4 ,they are the logic of ,bedlam1 
the morality of the pirate ship1 the    
diabolism of the pit4 ,they insult the  
common sense and shock the moral nature 

of mankind4 ,take them to ,europe1 and  
see with what scorn they will be        
universally treated6 ,go1 first1 to     
,england1 and gravely propound them     
there2 and the universal response will  
proudly be1 in the thrilling lines of   
,cowper1      ,slaves cannot breathe in 
,england2 if their lungs     ,inhale our
 air1 that moment they are free6        
,they touch our country1 and their      
shackles fall6  ,every ,briton1         
indignant at the monstrous claim1 will  
answer1 in the emphatic words of        
,brougham3 ,tell me not of rights2 talk 
not of the property of the planter in   
his slaves6 ,i deny the right--,i       
acknowledge not the property6 ,the      
principles1 the feelings of our nature1 
rise in rebellion against it4 ,be the   
appeal made to the understanding or to  
the heart1 the sentence is the same that
 rejects it4 ,and ,curran1 in words of  
burning eloquence1 shall reply3 ,i speak
 in the spirit of the ,british law1     
which makes liberty commensurate with1  

and inseparable from1 the ,british      
soil--which proclaims1 even to the      
stranger and the sojourner1 that the    
ground on which he treads is holy1 and  
consecrated by the genius of universal  
emancipation4 ,no matter in what        
language his doom may have been         
pronounced2 no matter what complexion an
 ,indian or an ,african sun may have    
burnt upon him2 no matter in what       
disastrous battle his liberty may have  
been cloven down2 no matter with what   
solemnities he may have been offered    
upon the altar of ,slavery2 the first   
moment he touches the sacred soil of    
,britain1 the altar and the god sink    
together in the dust--his spirit walks  
abroad in its own majesty--his body     
swells beyond the measure of his chains1
 and he stands redeemed1 regenerated and
 disenthralled1 by the irresistible     
genius of universal emancipation4       
,again--take these slaveholding pleas to
 ,scotland and from the graves of the   
dead and the homes of the living1 they  

shall be replied to in thunder-tones in 
the language of ,burns3 ,a man's a man1 
for all that4      ,who would be a      
traitor knave8     ,who would fill a    
coward's grave8     ,who so base as be a
 slave8       ,let him turn and flee6   
,pass over to ,ireland1 and there repeat
 those excuses for ,slavery1 and eight  
million voices shall reply1 in the words
 of ,thomas ,moore3      ,to think that 
man1 thou just and loving ,god6         
,should stand before thee with a        
tyrant's rod1     ,o'er creatures like  
himself1 with souls from ,thee1     ,yet
 dare to boast of perfect liberty6      
,away6 away6 ,i'd rather hold my neck   
,by doubtful tenure from a ,sultan's    
beck1     ,in climes where liberty has  
scarce been nam'd1     ,nor any right   
but that of ruling claim'd1     ,than   
thus to live where boasted ,freedom     
waves     ,her fustian flag in mockery  
over slaves6  ,and the testimony of     
,o',connell1 in behalf of all ,ireland1 
shall pass from mouth to mouth3 ,i am an

 ,abolitionist4 ,i am for speedy1       
immediate ,abolition4 ,i care not what  
caste1 creed or colour1 ,slavery may    
assume4 ,whether it be personal or      
political1 mental or corporeal1         
intellectual or spiritual1 ,i am for its
 instant1 its total ,abolition4 ,i am   
for justice1 in the name of humanity1   
and according to the law of the living  
,god4 ,let none of the slave-owners1    
dealers in human flesh1 dare to set a   
foot upon our free soil6 ,we are all    
children of the same ,creator1 heirs of 
the same promise1 purchased by the blood
 of the same ,redeemer--and what        
signifies of what caste colour or creed 
we may be8 ,it is our duty to proclaim  
that the cause of the negro is our      
cause1 and that we will insist upon     
doing away1 to the best of our human    
ability1 the stain of ,slavery1 not only
 from every portion of this mighty      
empire1 but from the whole face of the  
earth4 ,let the ,american ,abolitionists
 be honoured in proportion as the       

slaveholders are execrated4  ,pass over 
to the ,continent1 even into            
,papal-ridden ,italy1 and there urge the
 popular pleas in defence of            
slaveholding1 and1 from the ,vatican1   
,pope ,gregory ,,xvi4 shall reply3 ,we  
urgently invoke1 in the name of ,god1   
all ,christians1 of whatever condition1 
that none henceforth dare to subject to 
,slavery1 unjustly persecute1 or despoil
 of their goods1 ,indians1 ,negroes1 or 
other classes of men1 or to be          
accessories to others1 or furnish them  
aid or assistance in so doing2 and on no
 account henceforth to exercise that    
inhuman traffic1 by which ,negroes are  
reduced to ,slavery1 as if they were not
 men1 but automata or chattels1 and are 
sold in defiance of all the laws of     
justice and humanity1 and devoted to    
severe and intolerable labours4         
,proceed to ,austria1 and there defend  
the practice of reducing men to         
,slavery1 and the ,austrian code shall  
proclaim3 ,every man1 by right of       

nature1 sanctioned by reason1 must be   
considered a free person4 ,every slave  
becomes free from the moment he touches 
the ,austrian soil1 or an ,austrian     
ship4  ,finally1 enter the ,tunisian    
dominions1 and there urge the claim of  
property in man1 and ,musheer ,ahmed    
,bashaw ,bey shall reply3 ,we declare   
that all slaves that shall enter our    
kingdom1 by land or by sea1 shall be    
free2 and further order1 that every one 
born a slave in our dominions shall be  
considered as free from the very instant
 of his birth1 and that he shall neither
 be sold nor bought4  ,thus do ,i prove 
that1 in regard to personal liberty--the
 right of every man to the ownership of 
his own body--even ,italy1 ,austria and 
,tunis are in advance of this boasted   
,republic1 and put it to open shame6    
,,iii4 ,the ,abolitionism which ,i      
advocate is as absolute as the law of   
,god1 and as unyielding as ,his throne4 
,it admits of no compromise4 ,every     
slave is a stolen man2 every slaveholder

 is a man-stealer4 ,by no precedent1 no 
example1 no law1 no compact1 no         
purchase1 no bequest1 no inheritance1 no
 combination of circumstances1 is       
slaveholding right or justifiable4      
,while a slave remains in his fetters1  
the land must have no rest4 ,whatever   
sanctions his doom must be pronounced   
accursed4 ,the law that makes him a     
chattel is to be trampled under foot2   
the compact that is formed at his       
expense1 and cemented with his blood1 is
 null and void2 the church that consents
 to his enslavement is horribly         
atheistical2 the religion that receives 
to its communion the enslaver is the    
embodiment of all criminality4 ,such1 at
 least1 is the verdict of my own soul1  
on the supposition that ,i am to be the 
slave2 that my wife is to be sold from  
me for the vilest purposes2 that my     
children are to be torn from my arms1   
and disposed of to the highest bidder1  
like sheep in the market4 ,and who am ,i
 but a man8 ,what right have ,i to be   

free1 that another man cannot prove     
himself to possess by nature8 ,who or   
what are my wife and children1 that they
 should not be herded with four-footed  
beasts1 as well as others thus sacredly 
related8 ,if ,i am white1 and another is
 black1 complexionally1 what follows8   
,does1 then1 th' immortal principle     
within     ,change with the casual      
colour of the skin8     ,does matter    
govern spirit8 or is mind     ,degraded 
by the form to which 'tis joined8  ,what
 if ,i am rich1 and another is          
poor--strong1 and he is                 
weak--intelligent1 and he is            
benighted--elevated1 and he is depraved8
 ,have we not one ,father8 ,hath not one
 ,god created us8      ,how rich1 how   
poor1 how abject1 how august1     ,how  
complicate1 how wonderful is man6       
,distinguished link in being's endless  
chain1     ,midway from nothing to the  
,deity6     ,a beam ethereal1 sullied   
and absorpt2     ,though sullied and    
dishonoured1 still divine6  ,such is    

man1 in every clime--above all compacts1
 greater than all institutions1 sacred  
against every outrage1 priceless1       
immortal6  ,by this sure test1 every    
institution1 every party1 every form of 
government1 every kind of religion1 is  
to be tried4 ,god never made a human    
being either for destruction or         
degradation4 ,it is plain1 therefore1   
that whatever cannot flourish except at 
the sacrifice of that being1 ought not  
to exist4 ,show me the party that can   
obtain supremacy only by trampling upon 
human individuality and personal        
sovereignty1 and you will thereby       
pronounce sentence of death upon it4    
,show me the government which can be    
maintained only by destroying the rights
 of a portion of the people2 and you    
will indicate the duty of openly        
revolting against it4 ,show me the      
religion which sanctions the ownership  
of one man by another1 and you will     
demonstrate it to be purely infernal in 
its origin and spirit4  ,no man is to be

 injured in his person1 mind1 or estate4
 ,he cannot be1 with benefit to any     
other man1 or to any state of society4  
,whoever would sacrifice him for any    
purpose is both morally and politically 
insane4 ,every man is equivalent to     
every other man4 ,destroy the           
equivalent1 and what is left8 ,so ,god  
created man in his own image--male and  
female created he them4 ,this is a      
death-blow to all claims of superiority1
 to all charges of inferiority1 to all  
usurpation1 to all oppressive dominion4 
,but all three declarations are truisms4
 ,most certainly2 and they are all that 
is stigmatized as ,garrisonian          
,abolitionism4 ,i have not1 at any time1
 advanced an ultra sentiment1 or made an
 extravagant demand4 ,i have avoided    
fanaticism on the one hand1 fully on the
 other4 ,no man can show that ,i have   
taken one step beyond the line of       
justice1 or forgotten the welfare of the
 master in my anxiety to free the slave4
 ,why1 citizens of the ,empire ,state1  

did you proclaim liberty to all in      
bondage on your soil1 in #ahbg1 and     
forevermore8 ,certainly1 not on the     
ground of expediency1 but of principle4 
,why do you make slaveholding unlawful  
among yourselves8 ,why is it not as easy
 to buy1 breed1 inherit1 and make slaves
 in this ,state1 compatible with        
benevolence1 justice1 and right1 as it  
is in ,carolina or ,georgia8 ,why do you
 compel the unmasked refugee from ,van  
,dieman's ,land to sigh for a plantation
 well stocked with healthy negroes in   
,alabama1 and not allow him the right to
 own and flog slaves in your presence8  
,if slaveholding is not wrong under all 
circumstances1 why have you decreed it  
to be so1 within the limits of your     
,state jurisdiction8 ,nay1 why do you   
have a judiciary1 a legislative         
assembly1 a civil code1 the ballot box1 
but to preserve your rights as one man8 
,on what other ground1 except that you  
are men1 do you claim a right to        
personal freedom1 to the ties of        

kindred1 to the means of improvement1 to
 constant development1 to labour when   
and for whom you choose1 to make your   
own contracts1 to read and speak and    
print as you please1 to remain at home  
or travel abroad1 to exercise the       
elective franchise1 to make your own    
rulers8 ,what you demand for yourselves1
 in virtue of your manhood1 ,i demand   
for the enslaved at the ,south1 on the  
same ground4 ,how is it that ,i am a    
madman1 and you are perfectly rational8 
,wherein is my ultraism apparent8 ,if   
the slaves are not men2 if they do not  
possess human instincts1 passions1      
faculties and powers2 if they are below 
accountability1 and devoid of reason2 if
 for them there is no hope of           
immortality1 no ,god1 no heaven1 no     
hell2 if1 in short1 they are1 what the  
,slave ,code declares them to be1       
rightly deemed1 sold1 taken1 reputed and
 adjudged in law to be chattels personal
 in the hands of their owners and       
possessors1 and their executors1        

administrators and assigns1 to all      
intents1 constructions1 and purposes    
whatsoever2 then1 undeniably1 ,i am mad1
 and can no longer discriminate between 
a man and a beast4 ,but1 in that case1  
away with the horrible incongruity of   
giving them oral instruction1 of        
teaching them the catechism1 of         
recognising them as suitably qualified  
to be members of ,christian churches1 of
 extending to them the ordinance of     
baptism1 and admitting them to the      
communion table1 and enumerating many of
 them as belonging to the household of  
faith6 ,let them be no more included in 
our religious sympathies or             
denominational statistics than are the  
dogs in our streets1 the swine in our   
pens1 or the utensils in our dwellings4 
,it is right to own1 to buy1 to sell1 to
 inherit1 to breed1 and to control them1
 in the most absolute sense4 ,all       
constitutions and laws which forbid     
their possession ought to be so far     
modified or repealed as to concede the  

right4  ,but1 if they are men2 if they  
are to run the same career of           
immortality with ourselves2 if the same 
law of ,god is over them as over all    
others2 if they have souls to be saved  
or lost2 if ,jesus included them among  
those for whom he laid down his life2 if
 ,christ is within many of them the hope
 of glory2 then1 when ,i claim for them 
all that we claim for ourselves1 because
 we are created in the image of ,god1 ,i
 am guilty of no extravagance1 but am   
bound1 by every principle of honour1 by 
all the claims of human nature1 by      
obedience to ,almighty ,god1 to remember
 them that are in bonds as bound with   
them1 and to demand their immediate and 
unconditional emancipation4  ,i am ultra
 and fanatical1 forsooth6 ,in what      
direction1 or affecting what parties8   
,what have ,i urged should be done to   
the slaveholders8 ,their punishment as  
felons of the deepest dye8 ,no4 ,i have 
simply enunciated in their ear the      
divine command1 ,loose the bands of     

wickedness1 undo the heavy burdens1     
break every yoke1 and let the oppressed 
go free1 accompanying it with the       
cheering promises1 ,then shall thy light
 rise obscurity1 and thy darkness be as 
the noon-day4 ,and the ,lord shall guide
 thee continually1 and satisfy thy soul 
in drought1 and make fat thy bones2 and 
thou shalt be like a watered garden1 and
 like a spring of water whose waters    
fail not4 ,and they that shall be of    
thee shall build the old waste places2  
thou shalt raise up the foundations of  
many generations2 and thou shalt be     
called1 ,the repairer of the breach1    
,the restorer of paths to dwell in4     
,yet1 if ,i had affirmed that they ought
 to meet the doom of pirates1 ,i should 
have been no more personal1 no more     
merciless1 than is the law of ,congress1
 making it a piratical act to enslave a 
native ,african1 under whatever pretence
 or circumstances2 for in the eye of    
reason1 and by the standard of eternal  
justice1 it is as great a crime to      

enslave one born on our own soil1 as on 
the coast of ,africa2 and as1 in the    
latter case1 neither the plea of having 
fairly purchased or inherited him1 nor  
the pretence of seeking his temporal and
 eternal good1 by bringing him to a     
civilized and ,christian country1 would 
be regarded as of any weight1 so1 none  
of the excuses offered for slaveholding 
in this country are worthy of the least 
consideration4 ,the act1 in both cases1 
is essentially the same--equally        
inhuman1 immoral1 piratical4 ,oppression
 is not a matter of latitude or         
longitude2 here excusable1 there to be  
execrated2 here to elevate the oppressor
 to the highest station1 there to hang  
him by the neck till he is dead2 here   
compatible with ,christianity1 there to 
be branded and punished as piracy4 ,he  
that stealeth a man1 and selleth him1 or
 if he be found in his hand1 he shall   
surely be put to death4 ,so reads the   
,mosaic code1 and by it every ,american 
,slaveholder is convicted of a capital  

crime4 ,by the ,declaration of          
,independence1 he is pronounced a       
man-stealer4 ,as for myself1 ,i have    
simply exposed his guilt1 besought him  
to repent1 and to go and sin no more4   
,what extravagant claim have ,i made in 
behalf of the slaves8 ,will it be       
replied1 ,their immediate liberation6   
,then ,god1 by his prophet1 is guilty of
 extravagance6 ,then ,thomas ,jefferson1
 who wrote the ,declaration of          
,independence1 and all who signed that  
instrument1 and all who joined in the   
,revolutionary struggle1 were deceivers 
in asserting it to be a self-evident    
truth1 that all men are endowed by their
 ,creator with an inalienable right to  
liberty6 ,the issue is not with me1 but 
with them1 and with ,god4 ,what6 is it  
going too far to ask1 for those who have
 been outraged and plundered all their  
lives long1 nothing but houseless1      
penniless1 naked freedom6 ,no           
compensation whatever for their past    
unrequited toil2 no redress for their   

multitudinous wrongs2 no settlement for 
sundered ties1 bleeding backs1 countless
 lacerations1 darkened intellects1      
ruined souls6 ,the truth is1 complete   
justice has never been asked for the    
enslaved4  ,how has the slave system    
grown to its present enormous           
dimensions8 ,through compromise4 ,how is
 it to be exterminated8 ,only by an     
uncompromising spirit4 ,this is to be   
carried out in all the relations of     
life--social1 political1 religious4 ,put
 not on the list of your friends1 nor   
allow admission to your domestic circle1
 the man who on principle defends       
,slavery1 but treat him as a moral      
leper4 ,if an ,american addresses you1  
said ,daniel ,o',connell to his         
countrymen1 find out at once if he be a 
slaveholder4 ,he may have business with 
you1 and the less you do with him the   
better2 but the moment that is over1    
turn from him as if he had the cholera  
or the plague--for there is a moral     
cholera and a political plague upon him4

 ,he belongs not to your country or your
 clime--he is not within the pale of    
civilization or ,christianity4 ,on      
another occasion he said3 ,an ,american 
gentleman waited upon me this morning1  
and ,i asked him with some anxiety1     
',what part of ,america do you come     
from8' ',i came from ,boston4' ,do me   
the honour to shake hands2 you came from
 a ,state that has never been tarnished 
with ,slavery--a ,state to which our    
ancestors fled from the tyranny of      
,england--and the worst of all          
tyrannies1 the attempt to interfere     
between man and his ,god--a tyranny that
 ,i have in principle helped to put down
 in this country1 and wish to put down  
in every country upon the face of the   
globe4 ,it is odious and insolent to    
interfere between a man and his ,god2 to
 fetter with law the choice which the   
conscience makes of its mode of adoring 
the eternal and adorable ,god4 ,i cannot
 talk of toleration1 because it supposes
 that a boon has been given to a human  

being1 in allowing him to have his      
conscience free4 ,it was in that        
struggle1 ,i said1 that your fathers    
left ,england2 and ,i rejoice to see an 
,american from ,boston2 but ,i should be
 sorry to be contaminated by the touch  
of a man from those ,states where       
,slavery is continued4 ',oh1' said he1  
'you are alluding to ,slavery though ,i 
am no advocate for it1 yet1 if you will 
allow me1 ,i will discuss that question 
with you4' ,i replied1 that if a man    
should propose to me a discussion on the
 propriety of picking pockets1 ,i would 
turn him out of my study1 for fear he   
should carry his theory into practice4  
',and meaning you no sort of offence2 ,i
 added1 'which ,i cannot mean to a      
gentleman who does me the honour of     
paying me a civil visit1 ,i would as    
soon discuss the one question with you  
as the other4 ,the one is a paltry      
theft4      ',he that steals my purse   
steals trash2 'tis something1 nothing2  
',twas mine1 'tis his1 and has been     

slave to thousands'--  but he who thinks
 he can vindicate the possession of one 
human being by another--the sale of soul
 and body--the separation of father and 
mother--the taking of the mother from   
the infant at her breast1 and selling   
the one to one master1 and the other to 
another--is a man whom ,i will not      
answer with words--nor with blows1 for  
the time for the latter has not yet     
come4'  ,if such a spirit of manly      
indignation and unbending integrity     
pervaded the ,northern breast1 how long 
could ,slavery stand before it8 ,but    
where is it to be found8 ,alas6 the man 
whose hands are red with blood is       
honoured and caressed in proportion to  
the number of his victims2 while he who 
departs from evil makes himself a prey4 
,this is true1 universally1 in our land4
 ,why should not the ,slave ,power make 
colossal strides over the continent8    
,there is no ,north4 ,a sordid1         
truckling1 cowardly1 compromising       
spirit1 is everywhere seen4 ,no insult  

or outrage1 no deed of impiety or blood1
 on the part of the ,south1 can startle 
us into resistance1 or inspire us with  
self-respect4 ,we see our free coloured 
citizens incarcerated in ,southern      
prisons1 or sold on the auction-block1  
for no other crime than that of being   
found on ,southern soil2 and we dare not
 call for redress4 ,our commerce with   
the ,south is bound with the shackles of
 the plantation--,free-,trade and       
,sailors'-,rights are every day violated
 in ,southern ports2 and we tamely      
submit to it as the slave does to the   
lash4 ,our natural1 ,god-given right of 
free speech1 though constitutionally    
recognised as sacred in every part of   
the country1 can be exercised in the    
slaveholding ,states only at the peril  
of our lives4 ,slavery cannot bear one  
ray of light1 or the slightest          
criticism4 ,the character of ,slavery1  
says ,gov4 ,swain1 of ,north ,carolina1 
is not to be discussed--meaning at the  
,south4 ,but he goes beyond this1 and   

adds1 ,we have an indubitable right to  
demand of the ,free ,states to suppress 
such discussion1 totally and promptly4  
,gov4 ,tazewell1 of ,virginia1 makes the
 same declaration4 ,gov4 ,lumpkin1 of   
,georgia1 says3 ,the weapons of reason  
and argument are insufficient to put    
down discussion2 we can therefore hear  
no argument upon the subject1 for our   
opinions are unalterably fixed4 ,and he 
adds1 that the ,slave ,states will      
provide for their own protection1 and   
those who speak against ,slavery will do
 well to keep out of their bounds1 or   
they will punish them4 ,the ,charleston 
,courier declares1 ,the gallows and the 
stake 7i4e4 burning alive and hanging7  
await the ,abolitionists who shall dare 
to appear in person among us4 ,the      
,colombia ,telescope says3 ,let us      
declare through the public journals of  
our country1 that the question of       
,slavery is not and shall not be open to
 discussion2 that the system is too     
deep-rooted among us1 and must remain   

forever2 that the very moment any       
private individual attempts to lecture  
us upon its evils and immorality1 and   
the necessity of putting means in       
operation to secure us from them1 in the
 same moment his tongue shall be cut out
 and cast upon the dunghill4 ,the       
,missouri ,argus says3 ,abolition       
editors in slave ,states will not dare  
to avow their opinions4 ,it would be    
instant death to them4 ,finally1 the    
,new ,orleans ,true ,american says3 ,we 
can assure those1 one and all1 who have 
embarked in the nefarious scheme of     
abolishing ,slavery at the ,south1 that 
lashes will hereafter be spared the     
backs of their emissaries4 ,let them    
send out their men to ,louisiana2 they  
will never return to tell their         
suffering1 but they shall expiate the   
crime of interfering in our domestic    
institutions1 by being burned at the    
stake4 ,and ,northern men cower at this1
 and consent to have their lips         
padlocked1 and to be robbed of their    

constitutional right1 aye1 and their    
natural right1 while travelling         
,southward2 while the lordly slaveholder
 traverses the length and breadth of the
 ,free ,states1 with open mouth and     
impious tongue1 cursing freedom and its 
advocates with impunity1 and choosing   
,plymouth ,rock1 and the celebration of 
the landing of the ,pilgrims upon it1 as
 the place and the occasion specially   
fitting to eulogize ,slavery and the    
,fugitive ,slave ,bill6      ,now1 by   
our fathers' ashes6 where's the spirit  
,of the true-hearted and th' unshackled 
gone8     ,sons of old freemen6 do we   
but inherit             ,their names    
alone8      ,is the old ,pilgrim spirit 
quenched within us1       ,stoops the   
proud manhood of our souls so low1      
,that ,passion's wile or ,party's lure  
can win us             ,to silence now8 
,whatever may be the guilt of the       
,south1 the ,north is still more        
responsible for the existence1 growth   
and extension of ,slavery4 ,in her hand 

has been the destiny of the ,republic   
from the beginning4 ,she could have     
emancipated every slave1 long ere this1 
had she been upright in heart and free  
in spirit4 ,she has given               
respectability1 security1 and the means 
of sustenance and attack to her         
deadliest foe4 ,she has educated the    
whole country1 and particularly the     
,southern portion of it1 secularly1     
theologically religiously2 and the      
result is1 three millions and a half of 
slaves1 increasing at the appalling rate
 of one hundred thousand a year1 three  
hundred a day1 and one every five       
minutes--the utter corruption of public 
sentiment1 and general skepticism as to 
the rights of man--the inauguration of  
,mammon in the place of the living      
,god--the loss of all self-respect1 all 
manhood1 all sense of shame1 all regard 
for justice--the ,book styled holy1 and 
claimed to be divinely inspired1        
everywhere expounded and enforced in    
extenuation or defence of slaveholding1 

and against the ,anti-,slavery          
movement--colour-phobia infecting the   
life-blood of the people--political     
profligacy unparalleled--the religious  
and the secular press generally hostile 
to ,abolitionism as either infidel or   
anarchical in its spirit and            
purpose--the great mass of the churches 
with as little vitality as a            
grave-yard--the pulpits1 with rare      
exceptions1 filled with men as careful  
to consult the popular will as though   
there were no higher law--synods1       
presbyteries1 general conferences1      
general assemblies1 buttressing the     
slave power--the ,government openly     
pro-slavery1 and the ,national ,district
 the head-quarters of slave             
speculators--fifteen ,slave ,states--and
 now1 the repeal of the ,missouri       
,compromise1 and the consecration of    
five hundred thousand square miles of   
free territory forever to the service of
 the ,slave ,power6  ,and what does all 
this demonstrate8 ,that the sin of this 

nation is not geographical--is not      
specially ,southern--but deep-seated and
 universal4 ,the whole head is sick1 and
 the whole heart faint4 ,we are full of 
wounds1 and bruises1 and putrifying     
sores4 ,it proves1 too1 the folly of all
 plasters and palliatives4 ,some men are
 still talking of preventing the spread 
of the cancer1 but leaving it just where
 it is4 ,they admit that1               
constitutionally1 it has now a right to 
ravage two-thirds of the body           
politic--but they protest against its   
extension4 ,this in moral quackery4     
,even some1 whose zeal in the           
,anti-,slavery cause is fervent1 are so 
infatuated as to propose no other remedy
 for ,slavery but its non-extension4    
,give it no more room1 they say1 and it 
may be safely left to its fate4 ,yes1   
but who shall bell the cat8 ,besides1   
with fifteen ,slave ,states1 and more   
than three millions of ,slaves1 how can 
we make any moral issue with the ,slave 
,power against its further extension8   

,why should there not be twenty1 thirty1
 fifty ,slave ,states1 as well as       
fifteen8 ,why should not the            
star-spangled banner wave over ten1 as  
well as over three millions of ,slaves8 
,why should not ,nebraska be cultivated 
by ,slave labour1 as well as ,florida or
 ,texas8 ,if men1 under the ,american   
,constitution1 may hold slaves at       
discretion and without dishonour in     
one-half of the country1 why not in the 
whole of it8 ,if it would be a damning  
sin for us to admit another ,slave      
,state into the ,union1 why is it not a 
damning sin to permit a ,slave ,state to
 remain in the ,union8 ,would it not be 
the acme of effrontery for a man1 in    
amicable alliance with fifteen          
pickpockets1 to profess scruples of     
conscience in regard to admitting       
another pilfering rogue to the          
fraternity8 ,thou that sayest1 ,a man   
should not steal1 dost thou steal1 or   
consent1 in any instance1 to stealing8  
,if the ,lord be ,god1 serve ,him2 but  

if ,baal1 then serve him4 ,the ,south   
may well laugh to scorn the affected    
moral sensibility of the ,north against 
the extension of her slave system4 ,it  
is nothing1 in the present relations of 
the ,states1 but sentimental hypocrisy4 
,it has no stamina--no back-bone4 ,the  
argument for non-extension is an        
argument for the dissolution of the     
,union4 ,with a glow of moral           
indignation1 ,i protest against the     
promise and the pledge1 by whomsoever   
made1 that if the ,slave ,power will    
seek no more to lengthen its cords and  
strengthen its stakes1 it may go        
unmolested end unchallenged1 and survive
 as long as it can within its present   
limits4 ,i would as soon turn pirate on 
the high seas as to give my consent to  
any such arrangement4 ,i do not         
understand the moral code of those who1 
screaming in agony at the thought of    
,nebraska becoming a ,slave ,territory1 
virtually say to the ,south3 ,only      
desist from your present designs1 and we

 will leave you to flog1 and lacerate1  
and plunder1 and destroy the millions of
 hapless wretches already within your   
grasp4 ,if you will no longer agitate   
the subject1 we will not4 ,there is no  
sense1 no principle1 no force in such an
 issue4 ,not a solitary slaveholder will
 ,i allow to enjoy repose on any other  
condition than instantly ceasing to be  
one4 ,not a single slave will ,i leave  
in his chains1 on any conditions1 or    
under any circumstances4 ,i will not try
 to make as good a bargain for the ,lord
 as the ,devil will let me1 and plead   
the necessity of a compromise1 and      
regret that ,i cannot do any better1 and
 be thankful that ,i can do so much4    
,the ,scriptural injunction is to be    
obeyed3 ,resist the devil1 and he will  
flee from you4 ,my motto is1 ,no union  
with slaveholders1 religiously or       
politically4 ,their motto is ,slavery   
forever6 ,no alliance with              
,abolitionists1 either in ,church or    
,state6 ,the issue is clear1 explicit1  

determinate4 ,the parties understand    
each other1 and are drawn in battle     
array4 ,they can never be               
reconciled--never walk together--never  
consent to a truce--never deal in       
honeyed phrases--never worship at the   
same altar--never acknowledge the same  
,god4 ,between them there is an         
impassable gulf4 ,in manners1 in morals1
 in philosophy1 in religion1 in ideas of
 justice1 in notions of law1 in theories
 of government1 in valuations or men1   
they are totally dissimilar4  ,i would  
to ,god that we might be1 what we have  
never been--a united people2 but ,god   
renders this possible only by           
proclaiming liberty throughout all the  
land1 unto all the inhabitants thereof4 
,by what miracle can ,freedom and       
,slavery be made amicably to strike     
hands8 ,how can they administer the same
 ,government1 or legislate for the same 
interests8 ,how can they receive the    
same baptism1 be admitted to the same   
communion-table1 believe in the same    

,gospel1 and obtain the same heavenly   
inheritance8 ,i speak as unto wise men2 
judge ye4 ,certain propositions have    
long since been ceded to be plain1      
beyond contradiction4 ,the apostolic    
inquiry has been regarded as equally    
admonitory and pertinent3 ,what concord 
hath ,christ with ,belial8 or what      
fellowship hath light with darkness8    
,fire and gunpowder1 oil and water1     
cannot coalesce2 but1 assuredly1 these  
are not more antagonistical than are the
 elements of ,freedom and ,slavery4 ,the
 present ,american ,union1 therefore1 is
 only one in form1 not in reality4 ,it  
is1 and it always has been1 the absolute
 supremacy of the ,slave ,power over the
 whole country--nothing more4 ,what     
sectional heart-burnings or conflictive 
interests exist between the several     
,free ,states8 ,none4 ,they are         
homogeneous1 animated by the same       
spirit1 harmonious in their action as   
the movement of the spheres4 ,it is only
 when we come to the dividing line      

between the ,free ,states and the ,slave
 ,states that shoals1 breakers and      
whirlpools beset the ship of ,state1 and
 threaten to engulf or strand it4 ,then 
the storm rages loud and long1 and the  
ocean of popular feeling is lashed into 
fury4  ,while the present ,union exists1
 ,i pronounce it hopeless to expect any 
repose1 or that any barrier can be      
effectually raised against the extension
 of ,slavery4 ,with two thousand million
 dollars' worth of property in human    
flesh in its hands1 to be watched and   
wielded as one vast interest for all the
 ,south--with forces never divided1 and 
purposes never conflictive--with a      
spurious1 negro-hating religion         
universally diffused1 and everywhere    
ready to shield it from harm--with a    
selfish1 sordid1 divided ,north1 long   
since bereft of its manhood1 to cajole1 
bribe and intimidate--with its foot     
planted on two-thirds of our vast       
national domains1 and there             
unquestioned1 absolute and bloody in its

 sway--with the terrible strength and   
boundless resources of the whole country
 at its command--it cannot be otherwise 
than that the ,slave ,power will        
consummate its diabolical purposes to   
the uttermost4 ,the ,northwest          
,territory1 ,nebraska1 ,mexico1 ,cuba1  
,hayti1 the ,sandwich ,islands1 and     
colonial possessions in the tropics--to 
seize and subjugate these to its        
accursed reign1 and ultimately to       
re-establish the foreign ,slave ,trade  
as a lawful commerce1 are among its     
settled designs4 ,it is not a question  
of probabilities1 but of time4 ,and whom
 will a just ,god hold responsible for  
all these results8 ,all who despise and 
persecute men on account of their       
complexion2 all who endorse a           
slaveholding religion as genuine2 all   
who give the right hand of ,christian   
fellowship to men whose hands are       
stained with the blood of the slave2 all
 who regard material prosperity as      
paramount to moral integrity1 and the   

law of the land as above the law of     
,god2 all who are either hostile or     
indifferent to the ,anti-,slavery       
movement2 and all who advocate the      
necessity of making compromises with the
 ,slave ,power1 in order that the ,union
 may receive no detriment4  ,in itself1 
,slavery has no resources and no        
strength4 ,isolated and alone1 it could 
not stand an hour2 and1 therefore1      
further aggression and conquest would be
 impossible4  ,says the ,editor of the  
,marysville 7,tenn47 ,intelligencer1 in 
an article on the character and         
condition of the slave population3      
,we of the ,south are emphatically      
surrounded by dangerous     class of    
beings--degraded1 stupid savages--who1  
if they could     but once entertain the
 idea that immediate and unconditional  
death would not be their portion1 would 
re-enact the ,st4     ,domingo tragedy4 
,but the consciousness1 with all their  
stupidity1 that a ten-fold force1       
superior in discipline1 if     not in   

barbarity1 would gather from the four   
corners of the     ,united ,states and  
slaughter them1 keeps them in           
subjection4     ,but1 to the            
non-slaveholding ,states1 particularly1 
we are     indebted for a permanent     
safeguard against insurrection4         
,without their assistance1 the while    
population of the ,south     would be   
too weak to quiet that insane desire for
 liberty     which is ever ready to act 
itself out with every rational          
creature4  ,in the debate in ,congress  
on the resolution to censure ,john      
,quincy ,adams1 for presenting a        
petition for the dissolution of the     
,union1 ,mr4 ,underwood1 of ,kentucky1  
said3      ,they 7the ,south7 were the  
weaker portion1 were in the             
minority4 ,the ,north could do what they
 pleased with them2     they could adopt
 their own measures4 ,all he asked was1 
that     they would let the ,south know 
what those measures were4 ,one     thing
 he knew well2 that ,state1 which he in 

part represented1     had perhaps a     
deeper interest in this subject than any
 other1     except ,maryland and a small
 portion of ,virginia4 ,and why8        
,because he knew that to dissolve the   
,union1 and separate the     different  
,states composing the confederacy1      
making the ,ohio     ,river and the     
,mason and ,dixon's line the boundary   
line1 he     knew as soon as that was   
done1 ,slavery was done in ,kentucky1   
,maryland and a large portion of        
,virginia1 and it would extend     to   
all the ,states ,south of this line4    
,the dissolution of the     ,union was  
the dissolution of ,slavery4 ,it has    
been the common     practice for        
,southern men to get up on this floor1  
and say1     ',touch this subject1 and  
we will dissolve this ,union as a       
remedy4' ,their remedy was the          
destruction of the thing which     they 
wished to save1 and any sensible man    
could see it4 ,if     the ,union was    
dissolved into two parts1 the slave     

would cross     the line1 and then turn 
round and curse the master from the     
other shore4  ,the declaration of ,mr4  
,underwood as to the entire dependence  
of the slave masters on the citizens of 
the nominally ,free ,states to guard    
their plantations1 and secure them      
against desertion1 is substantially     
confirmed by ,thomas ,d4 ,arnold1 of    
,tennessee1 who1 in a speech on the name
 subject1 assures us that they are      
equally dependent on the ,north for     
personal protection against their       
slaves4 ,in assigning his reasons for   
adhering to the ,union1 ,mr4 ,arnold    
makes use of the following language3    
,the ,free ,states had a majority of #dd
 in that ,house4 ,under the     new     
census1 they would have #ec4 ,the cause 
of the slaveholding     ,states was     
getting weaker and weaker1 and what were
 they to     do8 ,he would ask his      
,southern friends what the ,south had to
     rely on1 if the ,union were        
dissolved8 ,suppose the dissolution     

could be peaceably effected 7if that did
 not involve a     contradiction in     
terms71 what had the ,south to depend   
upon8     ,all the crowned heads were   
against her4 ,a million of slaves       
were ready to rise and strike for       
freedom at the first tap of     the     
drum4 ,if they were cut loose from their
 friends at the     ,north 7friends that
 ought to be1 and without them1 the     
,south     had no friends71 whither were
 they to look for protection8     ,how  
were they to sustain an assault from    
,england or ,france1     with the cancer
 at their vitals8 ,the more the ,south  
reflected1     the more clearly she must
 see that she has a deep and vital      
interest in maintaining the ,union4     
,these witnesses can neither be         
impeached nor ruled out of ,court1 and  
their testimony is true4 ,while1        
therefore1 the ,union is preserved1 ,i  
see no end to the extension or          
perpetuity of ,chattel ,slavery--no hope
 for peaceful deliverance of the        

millions who are clanking their chains  
on our blood-red soil4 ,yet ,i know that
 ,god reigns1 and that the slave system 
contains within itself the elements of  
destruction4 ,but how long it is to     
curse the earth1 and desecrate his      
image1 he alone foresees4 ,it is        
frightful to think of the capacity of a 
nation like this to commit sin1 before  
the measure of its iniquities be filled1
 and the exterminating judgments of ,god
 overtake it4 ,for what is left us but a
 fearful looking for of judgment and    
fiery indignation8 ,or is ,god but a    
phantom1 and the ,eternal ,law but a    
figment of the imagination8 ,has an     
everlasting divorce been effected       
between cause and effect1 and is it an  
absurd doctrine that1 as a nation sows1 
so shall it also reap8 ,wherefore1 hear 
the word of the ,lord1 ye scornful men  
that rule this people3 ,because ye have 
said1 ,we have made a covenant with     
death1 and with hell are we at          
agreement2 when the overflowing scourge 

shall pass through1 it shall not come   
unto us2 for we have made lies our      
refuge1 and under falsehood have we hid 
ourselves3 ,therefore1 thus saith the   
,lord ,god1 ,judgment will ,i lay to the
 line1 and righteousness to the plummet2
 and the hail shall sweep away the      
refuge of lies1 and the waters shall    
overflow the hiding-place3 ,and your    
covenant with death shall be annulled1  
and your agreement with hell shall not  
stand2 when the overflowing scourge     
shall pass through1 then ye shall be    
trodden down by it4  ,these are solemn  
times4 ,it is not a struggle for        
national salvation2 for the nation1 as  
such1 seems doomed beyond recovery4 ,the
 reason why the ,south rules1 and ,north
 falls prostrate in servile terror1 is  
simply this3 ,with the ,south1 the      
preservation of ,slavery is paramount to
 all other considerations--above party  
success1 denominational unity1 pecuniary
 interest1 legal integrity1 and         
constitutional obligation4 ,with the    

,north1 the preservation of the ,union  
is placed above all other things--above 
honour1 justice1 freedom1 integrity of  
soul1 the ,decalogue and the ,golden    
,rule--the ,infinite ,god himself4 ,all 
these she is ready to discard for the   
,union4 ,her devotion to it is the      
latest and the most terrible form of    
idolatry4 ,she has given to the ,slave  
,power a carte blanche1 to be filled as 
it may dictate--and if1 at any time1 she
 grows restive under the yoke1 and      
shrinks back aghast at the new atrocity 
contemplated1 it is only necessary for  
that ,power to crack the whip of        
,disunion over her head1 as it has done 
again and again1 and she will cower and 
obey like a plantation slave--for has   
she not sworn that she will sacrifice   
everything in heaven and on earth1      
rather than the ,union8  ,what then is  
to be done8 ,friends of the slave1 the  
question is not whether by our efforts  
we can abolish ,slavery1 speedily or    
remotely--for duty is ours1 the result  

is with ,god2 but whether we will go    
with the multitude to do evil1 sell our 
birthright for a mess of pottage1 cease 
to cry aloud and spare not1 and remain  
in ,babylon when the command of ,god is1
 ,come out of her1 my people1 that ye be
 not partakers of her sins1 and that ye 
receive not of her plagues4 ,let us     
stand in our lot1 and having done all1  
to stand4 ,at least1 a remnant shall be 
saved4 ,living or dying1 defeated or    
victorious1 be it ours to exclaim1 ,no  
compromise with ,slavery6 ,liberty for  
each1 for all1 forever6 ,man above all  
institutions6 ,the supremacy of ,god    
over the whole earth6         99        
99       99       99       99           
----------------------------------------
-------------------      ,typographical 
errors corrected in text3               
,page  #g3 ,eurpean replaced with       
,european                         ,page 
#i3 justication replaced with           
justification                ,page #bf3 
appaling replaced with appalling        

,on page #af there is a partially       
blocked word in the             scanned 
image4 ,from the context it is very     
likely that          the word is        
'demand'3                               
,i have not1 at any time1 advanced an   
ultra sentiment1          or made an    
extravagant ----nd4 ,i have avoided     
fanaticism on the one hand1 fully on the
 other4                                 
----------------------------------------
-------------------         99       99 
99       99       99