,,thoughts ,,on ,,african ,,colonization ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,this e,book is based on a #aifh reprint by ,arno ,press1 ,new ,york1 of the original edition1 published in #ahcb by ,garrison and ,knapp1 ,boston4 ,the ,table of ,contents has been added by the transcriber4 ,inconsistent use of ,mr4 and ,mr2 use of variable numbers of asterisks as ellipses2 irregular and archaic spelling other than noted below2 inconsistent capitalization 7especially ,christian vs4 christian7 and hyphenation1 are as per the original4 #b blank lines between sequential block quotes indicate a new quote2 #a blank line indicates a new paragraph in the same quote2 this is similar to the typesetting of the original4 ,footnotes have been re-indexed sequentially1 using letters where symbols were used and numbers where numbers were used in the original1 and moved to the end of each section to preserve the flow of the text4 ,minor punctuation errors1 in particular inconsistent use of quotation marks1 have been corrected without note4 ,the following typographical errors have been corrected3 ,part ,i4 ,p4 #be 444 was held1 at which ,king ,george1 444 7had ,kings74 ,p4 #cf 444 ,lander1 travellers in ,africa1 represent 444 7had ,afria74 ,p4 #dh 444 operations have been confined to 444 7had confied74 ,p4 #hh 444 superintendence of any government 444 7had goverment74 ,p4 #hi 444 such a measure1 to point 444 7had a a74 ,p4 #ig 444 rid ourselves of a large party 444 7had lage74 ,footnote ,p 444 the authority which compels 444 7had which which74 ,p4 #abf 444 country1 of an anomalous race 444 7had amomalous74 ,p4 #abg 444 transportation of the manumitted 444 7had transportion74 ,p4 #adh 444 that a greater benefit may be 444 7had may may74 ,part ,,ii4 ,p4 #gb 444 a state far to the ,west 444 7had far to far74 ,p4 #gb 444 calculated to impress upon 444 7had calulated74 ,table of ,contents ,,preface xix ,,part ,i4 ,,introductory ,,remarks4 #a ,,section ,i4 #ci ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,pledged ,,not ,,to ,,oppose ,,the ,,system ,,of ,,slavery4 ,,section ,,ii4 #fa ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,apologises ,,for ,,slavery ,,and ,,slaveholders4 ,,section ,,iii4 #fh ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,recognises ,,slaves ,,as ,,property4 ,,section ,,iv4 #gd ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,increases ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,slaves4 ,,section ,v4 #gh ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,the ,,enemy ,,of ,,immediate ,,abolition4 ,,section ,,vi4 #ie ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,nourished ,,by ,,fear ,,and ,,selfishness4 ,,section ,,vii4 #aaa ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,aims ,,at ,,the ,,utter ,,expulsion ,,of ,,the ,,blacks4 ,,section ,,viii4 #abd ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,the ,,disparager ,,of ,,the ,,free ,,blacks4 ,,section ,,ix4 #acd ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,denies ,,the ,,possibility ,,of ,,elevating ,,the ,,blacks ,,in ,,this ,,country4 ,,section ,x4 #aea ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,deceives ,,and ,,misleads ,,the ,,nation4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,sentiments ,,of ,,the ,,people ,,of ,,color4 #a ,,thoughts ,,on ,,african ,,colonization ,illustration3 ,,section ,,of ,a ,,slave ,,ship4 ,from ,walsh's ,notes of ,brazil4 ,,preface4 ,i dedicate this work to my countrymen1 in whose intelligence1 magnanimity and humanity ,i place the utmost reliance4 ,although they have long suffered themselves to be swayed by a prejudice as unmanly as it is wicked1 and have departed widely from the golden rule of the gospel1 in their treatment of the people of color1 to suppose that they will always be the despisers and persecutors of this unfortunate class is1 in my opinion1 to libel their character4 ,a change in their feelings and sentiments is already visible--a change which promises1 ere long1 to redeem their character from the bloody stains which slavery has cast upon it1 and to release the prisoner from his chains4 ,may they be ashamed to persist in a mean and thievish course of conduct1 and afraid to quarrel with the workmanship of ,god6 ,may a righteous indignation be kindled in their breasts against a combination which is holding them up1 for the scorn and contempt of other nations1 as incorrigible oppressors1 whom neither self-respect1 nor the opinions of mankind1 nor the fear of ,god1 can bring to repentance6 ,their duty is plain1 and it may easily be done4 ,slavery must be overthrown either by their own moral strength1 or by the physical strength of the slaves4 ,let them imitate the example of the people of ,great ,britain1 by seeking the immediate overthrow of the horrid system4 ,let a ,national ,anti-,slavery ,society be immediately organized1 the object of which shall be1 to quicken and consolidate the moral influence of the nation1 so that ,congress and the ,state ,legislatures may be burdened with petitions for the removal of the evil--to scatter tracts1 like rain-drops1 over the land1 on the subject of slavery--to employ active and eloquent agents to plead the cause incessantly1 and to form auxiliary societies--to encourage planters to cultivate their lands by freemen1 by offering large premiums2 to promote education and the mechanical arts among the free people of color1 and to recover their lost rights4 ,religious professors1 of all denominations1 must bear unqualified testimony against slavery4 ,they must not support1 they must not palliate it4 ,no slaveholder ought to be embraced within the pale of a christian church2 consequently1 the churches must be purified 'as by fire4' ,slavery in the ,district of ,columbia is sustained in our national capacity3 it ought1 therefore1 to be prostrated at a blow4 ,the clause in the ,constitution should be erased1 which tolerates1 greatly to the detriment and injustice of the non-slaveholding ,states1 a slave representation in ,congress4 ,why should property be represented at the impoverished south1 and not at the opulent north8 ,to impair the force of this exposition1 the ardent advocates of the ,colonization ,society will undoubtedly attempt to evade the ground of controversy1 and lead uncautious minds astray in a labyrinth of sophistry4 ,but the question is not1 whether the climate of ,africa is salubrious1 nor whether the mortality among the emigrants has been excessive1 nor whether the colony is in a prosperous condition1 nor whether the transportation of our whole colored population can be effected in thirty years or three centuries1 nor whether any slaves have been emancipated on condition of banishment2 but whether the doctrines and principles of the ,society accord with the doctrines and principles of the gospel1 whether slaveholders are the just proprietors of their slaves1 whether it is not the sacred duty of the nation to abolish the system of slavery now1 and to recognise the people of color as brethren and countrymen who have been unjustly treated and covered with unmerited shame4 ,this is the question--and the only question4 ,with such a mass of evidence before them1 of the pernicious1 cruel and delusive character of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,i leave the patriot1 the philanthropist and the christian to judge of the fitness of the following inflated and presumptuous assertions of its advocates3--',the plan is of heavenly origin1 against which the gates of hell shall never prevail'--'a circle of philanthropy1 every segment of which tells and testifies to the beneficence of the whole'--'addressing its claims alike to the patriot1 and the christian1 it being emphatically the cause of liberty1 of humanity1 of religion',a--'so full of benevolence and the hallowed impulses of ,heaven's own mercy1 that one might1 with the propriety of truth1 compare its radiant influences to a rainbow1 insufferably bright1 spanning the sombre clouds of human wrong1 that have accumulated on the horizon of our country's prosperity1 and beating back1 with calm and heavenly power1 the blackening storm that always threatens1 in growling thunders1 a heavy retribution',b--'that citizen of the ,united ,states who lifts a finger to retard this institution1 nay1 that man who does not use his persevering efforts to promote its benevolent object1 fails1 in our opinion1 to discharge his duty to his ,god and his country',c#a--'nothing but a distinct knowledge and a calm consideration of the facts in the case1 is wanting to make every man of common intelligence1 common patriotism1 and common humanity1 the earnest friend of the ,colonization ,society'66,d ,there is one important consideration1 which1 owing to the contractedness of my limits1 ,i have omitted to enforce in this work4 ,it is this3 the serious injury which our interests must inevitably suffer by the removal of our colored population4 ,their labor is indispensably necessary and extremely valuable4 ,by whom shall the plantations at the south be cultivated but by them8 ,it is universally conceded that they can resist the intensity of a southern sun1 and endure the fatigues attendant on the cultivation of rice1 cotton1 tobacco and sugar-cane1 better than white laborers3 at least1 their bodies are now inured to this employment4 ,i do not believe that any equivalent would induce the planters to part with their services1 or white laborers to occupy their places4 ,in the great cities1 and in various parts of the southern ,states1 free persons of color constitute a laborious and useful class4 ,in a pecuniary point of view1 the banishment of one-sixth of our population1--of those whom we specially need1--would be an act of suicide4 ,the veriest smatterer in political economy cannot but perceive the ruinous tendency of such a measure4 ,,footnotes3 ,a ,african ,repository4 ,b ,rev4 ,mr ,maffit's ',plea for ,africa4' ,c ,western ,luminary4 ,d ,christian ,spectator4 #a ,the clerical gentleman who presumes to utter this opinion is the same who has also the hardihood to assert that 'many of the best citizens of our land are holders of slaves1 and hold them in strict accordance with the principles of humanity and justice'66 ,,thoughts ,,on ,,african ,,colonization4 ,,part ,i4 ,,introductory ,,remarks4 ,in attacking the system of slavery1 ,i clearly foresaw all that has happened to me4 ,i knew1 at the commencement1 that my motives would be impeached1 my warnings ridiculed1 my person persecuted1 my sanity doubted1 my life jeoparded3 but the clank of the prisoner's chains broke upon my ear--it entered deeply into my soul--,i looked up to ,heaven for strength to sustain me in the perilous work of emancipation--and my resolution was taken4 ,in opposing the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,i have also counted the cost1 and as clearly foreseen the formidable opposition which will be arrayed against me4 ,many of the clergy are enlisted in its support3 their influence is powerful4 ,men of wealth and elevated station are among its contributors3 wealth and station are almost omnipotent4 ,the press has been seduced into its support3 the press is a potent engine4 ,moreover1 the ,society is artfully based upon and defended by popular prejudice3 it takes advantage of wicked and preposterous opinions1 and hence its success4 ,these things grieve1 they cannot deter me4 ',truth is mighty1 and will prevail4' ,it is able to make falsehood blush1 and tear from hypocrisy its mask1 and annihilate prejudice1 and overthrow persecution1 and break every fetter4 ,i am constrained to declare1 with the utmost sincerity1 that ,i look upon the colonization scheme as inadequate in its design1 injurious in its operation1 and contrary to sound principle2 and the more scrupulously ,i examine its pretensions1 the stronger is my conviction of its sinfulness4 ,nay1 were ,jehovah to speak in an audible voice from his holy habitation1 ,i am persuaded that his language would be1 ',who hath required this at your hands8' ,it consoles me to believe that no man1 who knows me personally or by reputation1 will suspect the honesty of my skepticism4 ,if ,i were politic1 and intent only on my own preferment or pecuniary interest1 ,i should swim with the strong tide of public sentiment instead of breasting its powerful influence4 ,the hazard is too great1 the labor too burdensome1 the remuneration too uncertain1 the contest too unequal1 to induce a selfish adventurer to assail a combination so formidable4 ,disinterested opposition and sincere conviction1 however1 are not conclusive proofs of individual rectitude2 for a man may very honestly do mischief1 and not be aware of his error4 ,indeed1 it is in this light ,i view many of the friends of ,african colonization4 ,i concede to them benevolence of purpose and expansiveness of heart2 but in my opinion1 they are laboring under the same delusion as that which swayed ,saul of ,tarsus--persecuting the blacks even unto a strange country1 and verily believing that they are doing ,god service4 ,i blame them1 nevertheless1 for taking this mighty scheme upon trust2 for not perceiving and rejecting the monstrous doctrines avowed by the master spirits in the crusade2 and for feeling so indifferent to the moral1 political and social advancement of the free people of color in this their only legitimate home4 ,in the progress of this discussion ,i shall have occasion to use very plain1 and sometimes very severe language4 ,this would be an unpleasant task1 did not duty imperiously demand its application4 ,to give offence ,i am loath1 but more to hide or modify the truth4 ,i shall deal with the ,society in its collective form--as one body--and not with individuals4 ,while ,i shall be necessitated to marshal individual opinions in review1 ,i protest1 ab origine1 against the supposition that indiscriminate censure is intended1 or that every friend of the ,society cherishes similar views4 ,he to whom my reprehension does not apply1 will not receive it4 ,it is obviously impossible1 in attacking a numerous and multiform combination1 to exhibit private dissimilarities1 or in every instance to discriminate between the various shades of opinion4 ,it is sufficient that exceptions are made4 ,my warfare is against the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society4 ,if ,i shall identify its general1 preponderating and clearly developed traits1 it must stand or fall as they shall prove benevolent or selfish4 ,i bring to this momentous investigation an unbiassed mind1 a lively sense of accountability to ,god1 and devout aspirations for the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,unless ,he 'in whom there is no darkness at all1' pours light upon my path1 ,i shall go astray4 ,i have taken ,him at ,his word3 ',if any man lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 and it shall be given him4' ,confessing my own foolishness1 ,i have sought that knowledge which cannot err4 ,i would premise1 that1 like many others1 ,i formerly supposed the ,colonization ,society was a praiseworthy association1 although ,i always doubted its efficiency4 ,this opinion was formed for me by others1 upon whom ,i placed implicit confidence3 it certainly was not based upon any research or knowledge of my own1 as ,i had not at that time perused a single ,report of the ,society1 nor a page in its organ1 the ,african ,repository4 ,my approval was the offspring of credulity and ignorance4 ,i am explicit on this point1 because my opponents have accused me of inconsistency--though it ought not surely to disgrace a man1 that1 discovering himself to be in error1 he promptly turns to the embrace of truth4 ,as if opinions1 once formed1 must be as irrevocable as the laws of the ,medes and ,persians6 ,if this were so1 accountability would lose its hold on the conscience1 and the light of knowledge be blown out1 and reason degenerate into brutish instinct4 ,much stress has been laid upon the fact1 that1 in #ahbh1 ,i delivered an address in ,park-street meeting-house on the ,fourth of ,july1 on which occasion a collection was made in behalf of the ,american ,colonization ,society4 ,it is true--but whereas ,i was then blind1 now ,i see4 ,my address1 however1 was far from being acceptable to the friends of colonization who were present1 not only on account of my denunciation of slaveholders1 but because ,i inserted only a single sentence in favor of the ,society4 ,in all my writings1 ,i have never commended this combination in as many sentences as ,i have used in making this explanation4 ,so much for my marvellous apostacy6 ,it is only about two years since ,i was induced to examine the claims of the ,colonization ,society upon the patronage and confidence of the nation4 ,i went to this examination with a mind biassed by preconceived opinions favorable to the ,society1 and rather for the purpose of defending it against opposition than of bringing it into disrepute4 ,every thing1 apart from its principles1 was calculated to secure my friendship4 ,nothing but its revolting features could have induced me to turn loathingly away from its embrace4 ,i had some little reputation to sustain2 many of my friends were colonizationists2 ,i saw that eminent statesmen and honorable men were enlisted in the enterprise2 the great body of the clergy gave their unqualified support to it2 every fourth of ,july the charities of the nation were secured in its behalf2 wherever ,i turned my eye in the free ,states1 ,i saw nothing but unanimity2 wherever my ear caught a sound1 ,i heard nothing but excessive panegyric4 ,no individual had ventured to blow the trumpet of alarm1 or exert his energies to counteract the influence of the scheme4 ,if an assailant had occasionally appeared1 he had either fired a random shot and retreated1 or found in the inefficiency of the ,society the only cause for hostility4 ,it was at this crisis1 and with such an array of motives before me to bias my judgment1 that ,i resolved to make a close and candid examination of the subject4 ,i went1 first of all1 to the fountain head--to the ,african ,repository and the ,reports of the ,society4 ,i was not long in discovering sentiments which seemed to me as abhorrent to humanity as contrary to reason4 ,i perused page after page1 first with perplexity1 then with astonishment1 and finally with indignation4 ,i found little else than sinful palliations1 fatal concessions1 vain expectations1 exaggerated statements1 unfriendly representations1 glaring contradictions1 naked terrors1 deceptive assurances1 unrelenting prejudices1 and unchristian denunciations4 ,i collected together the publications of auxiliary societies1 in order to discern some redeeming traits2 but ,i found them marred and disfigured with the same disgusting details4 ,i courted the acquaintance of eminent colonizationists1 that ,i might learn how far their private sentiments agreed with those which were so offensive in print2 and ,i found no dissimilarity between them4 ,i listened to discourses from the pulpit in favor of the ,society2 and the same moral obliquities were seen in minister and people4 ,these discoveries affected my mind so deeply that ,i could not rest4 ,i endeavored to explain away the meaning of plain and obvious language2 ,i made liberal concessions for good motives and unsuspicious confidence2 ,i resorted to many expedients to vindicate the disinterested benevolence of the ,society2 but ,i could not rest4 ,the sun in its mid-day splendor was not more clear and palpable to my vision1 than the anti-christian and anti-republican character of this association4 ,it was evident to me that the great mass of its supporters at the north did not realise its dangerous tendency4 ,they were told that it was designed to effect the ultimate emancipation of the slaves--to improve the condition of the free people of color--to abolish the foreign slave trade--to reclaim and evangelize benighted ,africa--and various other marvels4 ,anxious to do something for the colored population--they knew not what--and having no other plan presented to their view1 they eagerly embraced a scheme which was so big with promise1 and which required of them nothing but a small contribution annually4 ,perceiving the fatality of this delusion1 ,i was urged by an irresistible impulse to attempt its removal4 ,i could not turn a deaf ear to the cries of the slaves1 nor throw off the obligations which my ,creator had fastened upon me4 ,yet in view of the inequalities of the contest1 of the obstacles which towered like mountains in my path1 and of my own littleness1 ,i trembled1 and exclaimed in the language of ,jeremiah1--',ah1 ,lord ,god6 behold ,i cannot speak3 for ,i am a child4' ,but ,i was immediately strengthened by these interrogations3 ',is any thing too hard for the ,lord8' ,is ,error1 though unwittingly supported by a host of good men1 stronger than ,truth8 ,are ,right and ,wrong convertible terms1 dependant upon popular opinion8 ,oh no6 ,then ,i will go forward in the strength of the ,lord of ,hosts--in the name of ,truth--and under the banner of ,right4 ,as it is not by might nor by power1 but by the ,spirit of ,god1 that great moral changes are effected1 ,i am encouraged to fight valiantly in this good cause1 believing that ,i shall 'come off conqueror1 and more than conqueror'--yet not ,i1 but ,truth and ,justice4 ,it is in such a contest that one shall chase a thousand1 and two put ten thousand to flight4 ',the ,lord disappointeth the devices of the crafty1 so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise4 ,he taketh the wise in their own craftiness2 and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong4' ',because the foolishness of ,god is wiser than men2 and the weakness of ,god is stronger than men4' ,little boldness is needed to assail the opinions and practices of notoriously wicked men2 but to rebuke great and good men for their conduct1 and to impeach their discernment1 is the highest effort of moral courage4 ,the great mass of mankind shun the labor and responsibility of forming opinions for themselves4 ,the question is not--what is true8 but--what is popular8 ,not--what does ,god say8 but--what says the public8 ,not--what is my opinion8 but--what do others believe8 ,if people would pin their faith upon the bible1 and not upon the sleeves of their neighbors1 half of the heresies in the world would instantly disappear4 ,if they would use their own eyes1 their own ears1 their own understandings1 instead of the eyes1 and ears1 and understandings of others1 imbecility1 credulity and folly would be as rare as they are now common in community4 ,but1 unhappily1 to borrow the words of ,ganganelli1 a large majority of mankind are 'mere abortions3' calling themselves rational and intelligent beings1 they act as if they had neither brains nor conscience1 and as if there were no ,god1 no accountability1 no heaven1 no hell1 no eternity4 ',my minister1' says one1 'is a most worthy man4 ,he supports this ,society3 therefore it is a good institution4' ',christians of all denominations are enlisted in this enterprise1' says another3 'therefore it cannot be wrong4' ',do you think1' says a third1 'that honest1 godly men would countenance a scheme which is not really benevolent8' ,but it is unwise for beings1 who are accountable only to ,god1 to reason in this manner4 ,all the good men upon earth cannot make persecution benevolence1 nor injustice equity2 and until they become infallible1 implicit reliance upon their judgment is criminal4 ,ministers and christians1 a few years since1 were engaged in the use and sale of ardent spirits2 but they were all wrong1 and they now acknowledge their error4 ,at the present day1 a large proportion of the professed disciples of the ,prince of ,peace maintain the lawfulness of defensive war1 and the right of the oppressed to fight and kill for liberty2 but they hold this sentiment in direct opposition to the precepts of their ,leader--',i say unto you which hear1 ,love your enemies1 do good to them which hate you1 bless them that curse you1 and pray for them which despitefully use you4' ,surely 'the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of ,god4' ,i must pause1 for a moment1 and count the number of those with whom ,i am about to conflict4 ,if ,i had to encounter only men-stealers and slaveholders1 victory would be easy2 but it is not the south alone that is to be subdued4 ,the whole nation is against me4 ,church after church is to be converted1 and the powerful influence of the clergy broken4 ,the friendship of good men is to be turned into enmity1 and their support into opposition4 ,it is my task to change their admiration into abhorrence2 to convince them that their well-meant exertions have been misdirected1 and productive of greater evil than good2 and to induce them to abandon an institution to which they now fondly cling4 ,to those who neither fear ,god nor regard man--who have sworn eternal animosity to their colored countrymen1 and whose cry is1 ',away with them1 we do not want them here6'--,i make no appeal4 ,disregarding as they do that divine command1 ',thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself1' it would be idle for me to direct my arguments to them4 ,i address myself to high-minded and honorable men1 whose heads and hearts are susceptible to the force of sound logic4 ,i appeal to those1 who have been redeemed from the bondage of sin by the precious blood of ,christ1 and with whom ,i hope to unite in a better world in ascribing glory1 and honor1 and praise to the ,great ,deliverer for ever4 ,if ,i can succeed in gaining their attention1 ,i feel sure of convincing their understandings and securing their support4 ,besides the overwhelming odds which are opposed to me1 ,i labor under other very serious disadvantages4 ,my efforts in the cause of emancipation have been received as if they were intended to bring chaos back again1 and to give the land up to pillage and its inhabitants to slaughter4 ,my calls for an alteration in the feelings and practices of the people toward the blacks have been regarded as requiring a sacrifice of all the rules of propriety1 and as seeking an overthrow of the established laws of nature6 ,i have been thrust into prison1 and amerced in a heavy fine4 ,epithets1 huge and unseemly1 have been showered upon me without mercy4 ,i have been branded as a fanatic1 a madman1 a disturber of the peace1 an incendiary1 a cutthroat1 a monster1 c4 c4 c4 ,assassination has been threatened me in a multitude of anonymous letters4 ,private and public rewards to a very large amount1 by combinations of individuals and by legislative bodies at the south1 have been offered to any persons who shall abduct or destroy me4 ',yea1 mine own familiar friend1 in whom ,i trusted1 which did eat of my bread1 hath lifted up his heel against me4' ,this malignity of opposition and proximity of danger1 however1 are like oil to the fire of my zeal4 ,i am not deliriously enthusiastic--,i do not covet to be a martyr2 but ,i had rather die a thousand deaths1 than witness the horrible oppression under which more than two millions of my countrymen groan1 and be silent4 ,no reproaches1 no dangers shall deter me4 ,at the north or the south1 at the east or the west1--wherever ,providence may call me1--my voice shall be heard in behalf of the perishing slave1 and against the claims of his oppressor4 ,mine is the frank avowal of the excellent ,,wilberforce3--,i can admit of no compromise when the commands of equity and philanthropy are so imperious4 ,i wash my hands of the blood that may be spilled4 ,i protest against the system1 as the most flagrant violation of every principle of justice and humanity4 ,i ,,never ,,will ,,desert ,,the ,,cause4 ,in my task it is impossible to tire3 it fills my mind with complacency and peace4 ,at night ,i lie down with composure1 and rise to it in the morning with alacrity4 ,i ,,never ,,will ,,desist ,,from ,,this ,,blessed ,,work4 ,now that the concentrated execration of the civilized world is poured upon those who engage in the foreign slave trade1 how mild and inefficient1 comparatively speaking1 seem to have been the rebukes of ,pitt1 and ,fox1 and ,wilberforce1 and ,clarkson6 ,yet these rebukes were once deemed fanatical and outrageous by good men--yea1 like flames of fire1 threatening a universal conflagration6 ,so the denunciations which ,i am now hurling against slavery and its abettors1--which seem to many so violent and unmerited1--will be considered moderate1 pertinent and just1 when this murderous1 soul-destroying system shall have been overthrown4 ,fanaticism has been the crime alleged against reformers in all ages4 ',these1' it was said of the apostles1 'that have turned the world upside down1 come hither also4' ,luther was a madman in his day3 what is he now in the estimation of the friends of civil and religious liberty8 ,one of ',those starry lights of virtue1 that diffuse ,through the dark depths of time their vivid flame4' ,that base and desperate men should thus stigmatize those who endure the cross as good soldiers1 and walk as pilgrims and strangers here1 is not wonderful2 but that the professed followers of ,jesus ,christ should join in this hue-and-cry is lamentable4 ,singular enough1 ,i have been almost as cruelly aspersed by ministers of the gospel and church members1 as by any other class of men4 ,unacquainted with me1 and ignorant of my sentiments1 they have readily believed the accusations of my enemies4 ,the introduction of my name into conversation has elicited from them contemptuous sneers or strong denunciations4 ,i have a right to complain of this treatment1 and ,i do strongly protest against it as unchristian1 hurtful and ungenerous4 ,to prejudge and condemn an individual1 on vague and apocryphal rumors1 without listening to his defence or examining evidence1 is tyranny4 ,perhaps ,i am in error--perhaps ,i deserve unqualified condemnation2 but ,i am at least entitled to a privilege which is granted to the vilest criminals1 namely1 the privilege of a fair trial4 ,i ask nothing more4 ,to accuse me of heresy1 madness and sedition1 is one thing2 to substantiate the accusation1 another4 ,should this work chance to fall into the hands of those who have thus ignorantly reprobated my course1 ,i appeal to their sense of rectitude whether they are not bound to give it a candid and deliberate perusal2 and if they shall find in my writings nothing contrary to the immutable principles of justice1 whether they ought not to be as strenuous in my defence as they have been hitherto in seeking my overthrow4 ,to show that ,i do not vacate any pledge which ,i have given to the public1 ,i shall here insert all the specifications1 which1 from time to time1 ,i have brought against the ,american ,colonization ,society4 ,in ',the ,liberator' of ,april #bc1 #ahca1 is the following serious compend3 ',i am prepared to show1 that those who have entered into this ,,conspiracy ,,against ,,human ,,rights are unanimous in abusing their victims2 unanimous in their mode of attack2 unanimous in proclaiming the absurdity1 that our free blacks are natives of ,africa2 unanimous in propagating the libel1 that they cannot be elevated and improved in this country2 unanimous in opposing their instruction2 unanimous in exciting the prejudices of the people against them2 unanimous in apologising for the crime of slavery2 unanimous in conceding the right of the planters to hold their slaves in a limited bondage2 unanimous in their hollow pretence for colonizing1 namely1 to evangelize ,africa2 unanimous in their true motive for the measure--a terror lest the blacks should rise to avenge their accumulated wrongs4 ,it is a conspiracy to send the free people of color to ,africa under a benevolent pretence1 but really that the slaves may be held more securely in bondage4 ,it is a conspiracy based upon fear1 oppression and falsehood1 which draws its aliment from the prejudices of the people1 which is sustained by duplicity1 which really upholds the slave system1 which fascinates while it destroys1 which endangers the safety and happiness of the country1 which no precept of the bible can justify1 which is implacable in its spirit1 which should be annihilated at a blow4 ',these are my accusations2 and if ,i do not substantiate them1 ,i am willing to be covered with reproach4' ,the following is copied from an editorial article of ,july #i1 #ahca3 ',the superstructure of the ,colonization ,society rests upon the following pillars3 '#ast4 ,persecution4 ,it declares that the whole colored population must be removed to ,africa2 but as the free portion are almost unanimously opposed to a removal1 it seems to be the determination of the ,society to make their situations so uncomfortable and degraded here1 as to compel them to migrate3 consequently it discourages their education and improvement in this their native home4 ,this is persecution4 '#b;d4 ,falsehood4 ,it stigmatises our colored citizens as being natives of ,africa1 and talks of sending them to their native land2 when they are no more related to ,africa than we are to ,great ,britain4 '#c;d4 ,cowardice4 ,it avows as a prominent reason why colored citizens ought to be removed1 that their continuance among us will be dangerous to us as a people6 ,this is a libel upon their character4 ,instead of demanding justice for this oppressed class1 the ,society calls for their removal6 '#dth4 ,infidelity4 ,it boldly denies that there is power enough in the gospel to melt down the prejudices of men1 and insists1 that1 so long as the people of color remain among us1 we must be their enemies6--,every honest man should abhor the doctrine4' ,in ',the ,liberator' of ,july #cj1 #ahca1 alluding to the present work1 ,i used the following language3 ',i shall be willing to stake my reputation upon it for honesty1 prudence1 benevolence1 truth and sagacity4 ,if ,i do not prove the ,colonization ,society to be a creature without heart1 without brains1 eyeless1 unnatural1 hypocritical1 relentless1 unjust1 then nothing is capable of demonstration--then let me be covered with confusion of face4' ,the following paragraph is extracted from ',the ,liberator' of ,november #ai1 #ahca3 ',it is the enemy of immediate restitution to the slaves2 it courts and receives the approbation of notorious slave owners2 it deprecates any interference with slave property2 it discourages the improvement of the colored population1 except they are removed to the shores of ,africa2 it is lulling the country into a fatal sleep1 pretending to be something when it is nothing2 it is utterly chimerical1 as well as intolerant1 in its design2 it serves to increase the value of the slaves1 and to make brisk the foreign and domestic slave trade2 it nourishes and justifies the most cruel prejudices against color2 it sneers at those who advocate the bestowal of equal rights upon our colored countrymen2 it contends for an indefinite1 dilatory1 far-off emancipation2 it expressly declares that it is more humane to keep the slaves in chains1 than to give them freedom in this country6 ,in short1 it is the most compendious and best adapted scheme to uphold the slave system that human ingenuity can invent4 ,moreover1 it is utterly and irreconcileably opposed to the wishes and sentiments of the great body of the free people of color1 repeatedly expressed in the most public manner1 but cruelly disregarded by it4' ,the following passages are taken from my ,address to the ,people of ,color1 delivered in various places in ,june1 #ahca3 ',let me briefly examine the doctrines of colonizationists4 ,they generally agree in publishing the misstatement1 that you are strangers and foreigners4 ,surely they know better4 ,they know1 that1 as a body1 you are no more natives of ,africa1 than they themselves are natives of ,great ,britain4 ,yet they repeat the absurd charge2 and they do so1 in order to cover their anti-republican crusade4 ,but suppose you were foreigners3 would such an accident justify this persecution and removal8 ,and1 if so1 then all foreigners must come under the same ban1 and must prepare to depart4 ,there would be1 in that case1 a most alarming deduction from our population4 ,suppose a philanthropic and religious crusade were got up against the ,dutch1 the ,french1 the ,swiss1 the ,irish1 among us1 to remove them to ,new ,holland1 to enlighten and civilize her cannibals8 ,who would not laugh at the scheme--who would not actively oppose it8 ,would any one blame the above classes for steadfastly resisting it8 ,just so1 then1 in regard to ,african colonization4 ,but our colored population are not aliens2 they were born on our soil2 they are bone of our bone1 and flesh of our flesh2 their fathers fought bravely to achieve our independence during the revolutionary war1 without immediate or subsequent compensation2 they spilt their blood freely during the last war2 they are entitled1 in fact1 to every inch of our southern1 and much of our western territory1 having worn themselves out in its cultivation1 and received nothing but wounds and bruises in return4 ,are these the men to stigmatize as foreigners8 ',colonizationists generally agree in asserting that the people of color cannot be elevated in this country1 nor be admitted to equal privileges with the whites4 ,is not this a libel upon humanity and justice--a libel upon republicanism--a libel upon the ,declaration of ,independence--a libel upon christianity8 ,all men are born equal1 and endowed by their ,creator with certain inalienable rights--among which are life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4 ,what is the meaning of that declaration8 ,that all men possess these rights--whether they are six feet five inches high1 or three feet two and a half--whether they weigh three hundred or one hundred pounds--whether they parade in broadcloth or flutter in rags--whether their skins are jet black or lily white--whether their hair is straight or woolly1 auburn or red1 black or gray--does it not8 ,we1 who are present1 differ from each other in our looks1 in our color1 in height1 and in bulk2 we have all shades1 and aspects1 and sizes4 ,now1 would it not be anti-republican and anti-christian for us to quarrel about sitting on this seat or that1 because this man's complexion is too dark1 or that man's looks are too ugly8 and to put others out of the house1 because they happen to be ignorant1 or poor1 or helpless8 ,to commit this violence would be evidently wrong3 then to do it in a large assemblage--in a community1 in a state1 or in a nation1 it is equally unjust4 ,but is not this the colonization principle8 ,who are the individuals that applaud1 that justify1 that advocate this exclusion8 ,who are they that venture to tell the ,american people1 that they have neither honesty enough1 nor patriotism enough1 nor morality enough1 nor religion enough1 to treat their colored brethren as countrymen and citizens8 ,some of them--,i am sorry to say--are professedly ministers of the gospel2 others are christian professors2 others are judges and lawyers2 others are our ,senators and ,representatives2 others are editors of newspapers4 ,these ministers and christians dishonor the gospel which they profess2 these judges and lawyers are the men spoken of by the ,saviour1 who bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne1 and lay them on men's shoulders2 but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers4 ,these ,senators and ,representatives ought not to receive the suffrages of the people4 ,these editors are unworthy of public patronage4 ',colonizationists too generally agree in discouraging your instruction and elevation at home4 ,they pretend that ignorance is bliss2 and therefore 'tis folly to be wise4 ,they pretend that knowledge is a dangerous thing in the head of a colored man2 they pretend that you have no ambition2 they pretend that you have no brains2 in fine1 they pretend a thousand other absurd things--they are a combination of pretences4 ,what tyranny is this6 ,shutting up the human intellect--binding with chains the inward man--and perpetuating ignorance4 ,may we not address them in the language of ,christ8 ,wo unto you1 scribes and pharisees1 hypocrites6 for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men3 for ye neither go in yourselves1 neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in6 ,ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin1 and have omitted the weightier matters of the law1 judgment1 mercy and faith4 ',colonizationists generally agree in apologising for the crime of slavery4 ,they get behind the contemptible subterfuge1 that it was entailed upon the planters4 ,as if the continuance of the horrid system were not criminal6 as if the robberies of another generation justify the robberies of the present6 as if the slaves had not an inalienable right to freedom6 as if slavery were not an individual as well as a national crime6 as if the tearing asunder families1 limb from limb1--branding the flesh with red hot irons1--mangling the body with whips and knives1--feeding it on husks and clothing it with rags1--crushing the intellect and destroying the soul1--as if such inconceivable cruelty were not chargeable to those who inflict it6 ',as to the effect of colonization upon slavery1 it is rather favorable than injurious to the system4 ,now and then1 indeed1 there is a great flourish of trumpets1 and glowing accounts of the willingness of planters to emancipate their slaves on condition of transportation to ,africa4 ,now and then a slave is actually manumitted and removed1 and the incident is dwelt upon for months4 ,why1 my friends1 hundreds of worn-out slaves are annually turned off to die1 like old horses4 ,no doubt their masters will thank the ,colonization ,society1 or any one else1 to send them out of the country2 especially as they will gain much glorification in the newspapers1 for their disinterested sacrifices4 ,let no man be deceived by these manoeuvres4 ',my time is consumed--and yet ,i have scarcely entered upon the threshold of my argument4 ,now1 what a spectacle is presented to the world6--the ,american people1 boasting of their free and equal rights--of their abhorrence of aristocratical distinctions--of their republican equality2 proclaiming on every wind1 that all men are born equal1 and endowed with certain inalienable rights1 and that this land is an asylum for the persecuted of all nations2 and yet as loudly proclaiming that they are determined to deprive millions of their own countrymen of every political and social right1 and to send them to a barbarous continent1 because the ,creator has given them a sable complexion4 ,where exists a more rigorous despotism8 ,what conspiracy was ever more cruel8 ,what hypocrisy and tergiversation so enormous8 ,the story is proclaimed in our pulpits1 in our state and national assemblies1 in courts of law1 in religious and secular periodicals1--among all parties1 and in all quarters of the country1--that there is a moral incapacity in the people to do justly1 love mercy1 and to walk uprightly--that they must always be the enemies and oppressors of the colored people--that no love of liberty1 no dictate of duty1 no precept of republicanism1 no dread of retribution1 no claim of right1 no injunction of the gospel1 can possibly persuade them to do unto their colored countrymen1 as they would that they should do unto them in a reversal of circumstances4 ,now1 to these promulgators of unrighteousness1 with the ,declaration of ,independence in one hand1 and the ,bible in the other1 ,i fearlessly give battle4 ,rich and mighty and numerous as they are1 by the help of the ,lord ,i will put them to open shame4 ,they shall not libel me1 they shall not libel my country1 with impunity4 ,they shall not make our boasted republicanism a by-word and a hissing among all nations1 nor sink the christian religion below heathen idolatry2 and if they persist in publishing their scandalous proclamations1 they shall be labelled as the enemies of their species and of the republic1 and treated accordingly4 ',the ,colonization ,society1 therefore1 instead of being a philanthropic and religious institution1 is anti-republican and anti-christian in its tendency4 ,its pretences are false1 its doctrines odious1 its means contemptible4 ,if we are to send away the colored population because they are profligate and vicious1 what sort of missionaries will they make8 ,why not send away the vicious among the whites1 for the same reason and the same purpose8 ,if ignorance be a crime1 where shall we begin to select8 ,how much must a man know to save him from transportation8 ,how white must he be8 ,if we send away a mixed breed1 how many will be left8 ,if foreigners only1 then the people of color must remain--for they are our countrymen4 ,would foreigners submit8 ,no--not for an instant4 ,why should the ,american people make this enormous expenditure of life and money8 ,why not use the funds of the ,society to instruct and elevate our colored population at home8 ,this would be rational and serviceable4 ,instead of removing men from a land of civilization and knowledge--of schools1 and seminaries1 and colleges--to give them instruction in a land of darkness and desolation--would it not be wiser and better to reverse the case1 and bring the ignorant here for cultivation8' ,the foregoing accusations are grave1 weighty1 positive--involving a perilous responsibility1 and requiring ample and irrefragable proof4 ,they are expressed in vehement terms3 but to measure the propriety of language1 we must first examine the character of the system1 or the nature of the object1 against which it is directed4 ,if we see a person wilfully abusing the goods of an individual1 we may reprehend him1 but with comparative mildness4 ,if we see him maiming1 or in any way maltreating another man's cattle1 we may increase the severity of our rebuke4 ,but if we see him violating all the social and sacred relations of life1--daily defrauding a number of his fellow creatures of the fruits of their toil1 calling them his property1 selling them for money1 lacerating their bodies1 and ruining their souls1--we may use the strongest terms of moral indignation4 ,nor is plain and vehement denunciation of crime inconsistent with the most benevolent feelings towards the perpetrators of it4 ,we are sustained in these positions by the example of ,christ1 and the apostles1 and the prophets1 and the reformers4 ,so1 also1 if there be an institution1 the direct tendency of which is to perpetuate slavery1 to encourage persecution1 and to invigorate prejudice1--although many of its supporters may be actuated by pure motives1--it ought to receive unqualified condemnation4 ,it is proper to call things by their right names4 ,what does the law term him who steals your pocket-book1 or breaks into your dwelling1 or strips you on the highway8 ,a robber6 ,is the charge inflammatory or unjust8 or will it please the villain8 ,the abuse of language is seen only in its misapplication4 ,those who object to the strength of my denunciation must prove its perversion before they accuse me of injustice4 ,probably ,i may be interrogated by individuals1--',why do you object to a colony in ,africa8 ,are you not willing people should choose their own places of residence8 ,and if the blacks are willing to remove1 why throw obstacles in their path or deprecate their withdrawal8 ,all go voluntarily3 of what1 then1 do you complain8 ,is not the colony at ,liberia in a flourishing condition1 and expanding beyond the most sanguine expectations of its founders8' ,pertinent questions deserve pertinent answers4 ,i say1 then1 in reply1 that ,i do not object to a colony1 in the abstract--to use the popular phraseology of the day4 ,in other words1 ,i am entirely willing men should be as free as the birds in choosing the time when1 the mode how1 and the place where they shall migrate4 ,the power of locomotion was given to be used at will2 as beings of intelligence and enterprise1 ',the world is all before them1 where to choose ,their place of rest1 and ,providence their guide4' ,the emigration from ,new-,england to the far ,west is constant and large4 ,almost every city1 town or village suffers annually by the departure of some of its adventurous inhabitants4 ,companies have been formed to go and possess the ,oregon territory--an enterprise hazardous and unpromising in the extreme4 ,the old ,states are distributing their population over the whole continent1 with unexampled fruitfulness and liberality4 ,but why this restless1 roving1 unsatisfied disposition8 ,is it because those who cherish it are treated as the offscouring of all flesh1 in the place of their birth8 or because they do not possess equal rights and privileges with other citizens8 or because they are the victims of incorrigible hate and prejudice8 or because they are told that they must choose between exilement and perpetual degradation8 or because the density of population renders it impossible for them to obtain preferment and competence here8 or because they are estranged by oppression and scorn8 or because they cherish no attachment to their native soil1 to the scenes of their childhood and youth1 or to the institutions of government8 or because they consider themselves as dwellers in a strange land1 and feel a burning desire1 a feverish longing to return home8 ,no4 ,they lie under no odious disabilities1 whether imposed by public opinion or by legislative power2 to them the path of preferment is wide open2 they sustain a solid and honorable reputation2 they not only can rise1 but have risen1 and may soar still higher1 to responsible stations and affluent circumstances2 no calamity afflicts1 no burden depresses1 no reproach excludes1 no despondency enfeebles them2 and they love the spot of their nativity almost to idolatry4 ,the air of heaven is not freer or more buoyant than they4 ,theirs is a spirit of curiosity and adventurous enterprise1 impelled by no malignant influences1 but by the spontaneous promptings of the mind4 ,far different is the case of our colored population4 ,their voluntary banishment is compulsory--they are forced to turn volunteers1 as will be shown in other parts of this work4 ,the following proposition is self-evident3 ,the success of an enterprise furnishes no proof that it is in accordance with justice1 or that it meets the approbation of ,god1 or that it ought to be prosecuted to its consummation1 or that it is the fruit of disinterested benevolence4 ,i do not doubt that the ,colony at ,liberia1 by a prodigal expenditure of life and money1 will ultimately flourish2 but a good result would no more hallow that persecution which is seeking to drag the blacks away1 than it would if we should burn every distillery1 and shut up in prison every vender of ardent spirits1 in order to do good and to prevent people from becoming drunkards4 ,because ,jehovah overrules evil for good1 shall we therefore continue to do evil8 ,if ten thousand white mechanics1 farmers1 merchants1 c4 c4 were to emigrate to ,africa1 does any man doubt whether permanent good would result from the enterprise--good to that benighted continent1 which would counterbalance all the sacrifices and sufferings attending it8 ,and yet is there a single mechanic1 farmer or merchant1 who feels it to be his duty1 or would be willing to go8 ,suppose the people of color should get the power into their hands to-morrow1 and should argue that the whites must not be admitted to equal privileges with themselves2 but that1 having so long plundered ,africa1 and oppressed her children1 justice demanded that they should be sent to that desolate land to build up colonies1 and carry the light of civilization and knowledge1 as a sort of reparation--and that1 having superior instruction in literature and science1 they were peculiarly qualified for such a mission--how would this doctrine relish8 ',it is a poor rule that will not work both ways1' says the proverb4 ,yet this logic would be more sound than is our own with regard to the colonization of the blacks4 ,on this point1 deception is practised to a great extent4 ,the advocates of the ,colonization ,society are constantly aiming to divert public attention from the only proper subject of inquiry1 namely1 ',is it based upon benevolence and justice8'--to the success of the colony4 ,granting all that they assert1 it proves nothing2 but of this success ,i shall have occasion1 doubtless1 to speak hereafter4 ,fine stories are trumpeted all over the country1 of the happiness1 intelligence1 industry1 virtue1 enterprise and dignity of the colonists2 and changes1 absolutely miraculous1 are gravely recorded for the admiration and credulity of community4 ',the simple1' says ,solomon1 'believeth every word3 but the prudent man looketh well to his going4' ,the doctrine1 that the 'end sanctifies the means1' belongs1 ,i trust1 exclusively to the creed of the ,jesuits4 ,if ,i were sure that the ,society would accomplish the entire regeneration of ,africa by its present measures1 my detestation of its principles would not abate one jot1 nor would ,i bestow upon it the smallest modicum of praise4 ,never shall the fruits of the mercy and overruling providence of ,god1--ever bringing good out of evil and light out of darkness1--be ascribed to the prejudice and sin of man4 ,it is certain that many a poor native ,african has been led to embrace the gospel1 in consequence of his transportation to our shores1 who else had lived and died a heathen4 ,is the slave trade therefore a blessing8 ,suppose one of those wretches who are engaged in this nefarious commerce were brought before the ,supreme ,court1 and being convicted1 should be asked by the ,judge1 whether he had aught to say why sentence of death should not be pronounced upon him8 ,and suppose the culprit should espy some of his sable victims in court1 whom he knew had made a profession of faith1 and he should boldly reply--',may it please your ,honor1 ,i abducted these people away from their homes1 it is true2 but they were poor1 miserable1 benighted idolators1 and must have inevitably remained as such unto the hour of their death1 if ,i had not brought them to this land of christianity and bibles1 where they have been taught a knowledge of the true ,god1 and are now rejoicing in hope of a glorious immortality4 ,i therefore offer as a conclusive reason why sentence should not be pronounced1 that ,i have rescued souls from perdition1 and thus enlarged the company of the saints in light4' ,would the villain be acquitted1 and1 instead of a halter1 receive the panegyric of the ,court for his conduct8 ,our pilgrim fathers1 not being able to worship ,god according to the dictates of their own consciences in the mother country1 were compelled by ecclesiastical despotism to seek a refuge in this rude and barbarous continent4 ,wonderful have been the fruits of their expulsion6 ,a mighty republic established--the freest1 the wisest1 the most religious on earth6--influencing the world by its example1 and exciting the emulation of all nations6 ,now suppose we should occasionally find in the pages of the ,edinburgh or ,quarterly ,review1 or in the columns of the ,english newspapers1 not only a full justification of this oppressive treatment in view of its astonishing consequences1 but a claim to approbation on account of its exercise4 ,would not such effrontery amaze us8 ,would not an honest indignation burn within us8 ,should we look with a more complacent aspect upon the bigots who kindled those fires of persecution around the ,puritans1 which1 but for the interposition of ,heaven1 had consumed them to ashes8 ,the death of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ was essential to the salvation of the world4 ,suppose ,judas1 at the judgment day1 should build upon this fact in extenuation of his dreadful crime4 ,what would be the decision of the assembled universe8 ,yea1 what was the condemnation passed upon him by the ,illustrious ,sufferer8 ',wo to that man by whom the ,son of man is betrayed6 good were it for that man if he had never been born6' ,let not1 then1 any imaginary or real prosperity of the settlement at ,liberia lead any individual to applaud the ,colonization ,society1 reckless whether it be actuated by mistaken philanthropy1 or perverted generosity1 or selfish policy1 or unchristian prejudice4 ,i should oppose this ,society1 even were its doctrines harmless4 ,it imperatively and effectually seals up the lips of a vast number of influential and pious men1 who1 for fear of giving offence to those slaveholders with whom they associate1 and thereby leading to a dissolution of the compact1 dare not expose the flagrant enormities of the system of slavery1 nor denounce the crime of holding human beings in bondage4 ,they dare not lead to the onset against the forces of tyranny2 and if they shrink from the conflict1 how shall the victory be won8 ,i do not mean to aver1 that1 in their sermons1 or addresses1 or private conversations1 they never allude to the subject of slavery2 for they do so frequently1 or at least every ,fourth of ,july4 ,but my complaint is1 that they content themselves with representing slavery as an evil1--a misfortune1--a calamity which has been entailed upon us by former generations1--and not as an individual ,,crime1 embracing in its folds robbery1 cruelty1 oppression and piracy4 ,they do not identify the criminals2 they make no direct1 pungent1 earnest appeal to the consciences of men-stealers2 by consenting to walk arm-in-arm with them1 they virtually agree to abstain from all offensive remarks1 and to aim entirely at the expulsion of the free people of color2 their lugubrious exclamations1 and solemn animadversions1 and reproachful reflections1 are altogether indefinite2 they 'go about1 and about1 and all the way round to nothing2' they generalize1 they shoot into the air1 they do not disturb the repose nor wound the complacency of the sinner2 'they have put no difference between the holy and profane1 neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean4' ,thus has free inquiry been suppressed1 and a universal fear created1 and the tongue of the boldest silenced1 and the sleep of death fastened upon the nation4 ',truth has fallen in the streets1 and equity cannot enter4' ,the plague is raging with unwonted fatality2 but no cordon sanitaire is established--no adequate remedy sought4 ,the tide of moral death is constantly rising and widening2 but no efforts are made to stay its desolating career4 ,the fire of ,god's indignation is kindling against us1 and thick darkness covers the heavens1 and the hour of retribution is at hand2 but we are obstinate in our transgression1 we refuse to repent1 we impiously throw the burden of our guilt upon our predecessors1 we affect resignation to our unfortunate lot1 we descant upon the mysterious dispensations of ,providence1 we deem ourselves objects of ,god's compassion rather than of his displeasure4 ',shall ,i not visit for these things8 saith the ,lord4 ,shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this8' ,were the ,american ,colonization ,society bending its energies directly to the immediate abolition of slavery2 seeking to enlighten and consolidate public opinion1 on this momentous subject2 faithfully exposing the awful guilt of the owners of slaves2 manfully contending for the bestowal of equal rights upon our free colored population in this their native land2 assiduously endeavoring to uproot the prejudices of society2 and holding no fellowship with oppressors2 my opposition to it would cease4 ,it might continue to bestow its charities upon those who should desire to seek another country1 and at the same time launch its thunders against the system of oppression4 ,but1 alas6 it looks to the banishment of the free people of color as the only means to abolish slavery1 and conciliate the feelings of the planters4 ,the popularity of the ,society is not attributable to its merits1 but exclusively to its congeniality with those unchristian prejudices which have so long been cherished against a sable complexion4 ,it is agreeable to slaveholders1 because it is striving to remove a class of persons who they fear may stir up their slaves to rebellion2 all who avow undying hostility to the people of color are in favor of it2 all who shrink from acknowledging them as brethren and friends1 or who make them a distinct and inferior caste1 or who deny the possibility of elevating them in the scale of improvement here1 most heartily embrace it4 ,having ample funds1 it has been able to circulate its specious appeals in every part of the country2 and to employ active and eloquent agents1 who have glowingly described to the people the immense advantages to be reaped from the accomplishment of its designs4 ,with this entire preoccupancy of the ground1 and these common though unworthy dispositions in its favor1 the wonder is1 that it is not more popular4 ,much cleverness is not requisite to tell a fine story2 and a fine story is always agreeable to a credulous listener4 ,an agent of the ,society goes into a place1 and finds no difficulty in procuring a pulpit from which to address a congregation4 ,the benevolent pastor1 who1 perhaps1 has had neither time nor opportunity to examine the principles of the ,society1 readily officiates on the occasion1 and1 in the fulness of his heart1 believing that he is not asking amiss1 supplicates the benediction of ,heaven upon the object of the meeting4 ,this co-operation of the pastor with the agent makes an impression decidedly favorable to the latter upon the minds of the audience1 and prepares them to receive his statements with confidence4 ,he first dwells upon the miserable condition of ,africa--desolated with civil wars--the prey of kidnappers--given up to idolatry--full of intellectual darkness and spiritual death--and bleeding at every pore4 ,he next depicts the horrors of the slave trade1 and shows how inefficient have been the laws enacted for its suppression4 ,he finally expatiates upon the evils and dangers of slavery2 and is particularly minute in describing the degradation of the free people of color1 which he declares to be irreclaimable in this land of gospel light4 ',now1 my christian brethren and friends1' he continues1 'the object of the ,american ,colonization ,society is to stay the effusion of blood1 to give light to them who sit in darkness1 and to make reparation for the wrongs which have been inflicted upon the sable sons of ,africa4 ,as the people of color must evidently be a distinct and degraded class while they reside in this country1 and as they are threatened with universal proscription1 the ,society benevolently proposes to send them back to their native country1 by their own voluntary consent1 together with those slaves who may be emancipated for this purpose1 where they may enjoy equal rights and privileges1 nor longer retain any sense of inferiority to the whites4 ,every emigrant will go as a missionary to reclaim the poor natives from their barbarism1 and to spread the tidings of salvation throughout the ,african continent4 ,by forming a chain of colonies along the coast1 a speedy check will be given to the accursed slave trade1--a trade which cannot be destroyed in any other manner4 ,who does not desire to see ,africa civilized and evangelized8 ,whose heart does not leap in view of the suppression of the slave trade8 ,who does not pray for deliverance from the evils of slavery8 ,who does not wish to behold the free people of color1--cursed with ineffectual freedom here1--recalled from their banishment1 and placed where no obstacles will impede their march to affluence1 preferment and honor8 ,the ,colonization ,society1 then1 powerfully commends itself to the christian1 the philanthropist and the patriot--to every section of our country and to all denominations of men4' ,exquisite6 ,the picture is crowded with attractions1 delightful to the eye4 ,the story is skilfully told1 and implicitly believed2 but1 like every other story1 it has two sides to it4 ,so complete is the delusion1 however1 that many good people are ready to class those who denounce the ,colonization ,society1 among the opposers of foreign missions1 bible and tract societies1 and the other benevolent operations of the age6 ,far be it from me to accuse the agents of the ,society of intentionally perverting the truth or deliberately imposing upon the credulity of the public4 ,some--perhaps all of them1 are men of sincerity and probity2 but1 deluded themselves1 they help to delude others4 ,their vision is imperfect2 and 'if the blind lead the blind1' we may expect to find them in the same ditch together4 ,great complacency has been manifested on various occasions1 by the advocates of the ,society1 on the ground that it was at first suspected of sinister designs1 both at the north and the south1 but is now receiving the countenance of both4 ,this exultation is premature4 ,the opposition formerly manifested to the ,society by the holders of slaves1 grew out of their ignorance of its purpose2 but a very large majority of them now perceive that it is their devoted servant1 crouching down at their feet1 shielding them from reproach1 dragging those away whom they dread1 allowing them to sin with impunity1 and generously granting them and their children whole centuries in which to repent1 and to surrender what they have stolen6 ,it dissuades them from emancipating their slaves faster than they can be transported to ,africa2 and thus regards their persistance in robbery and oppression as evidence of wisdom1 benevolence and sanity6 ,it is natural1 that1 discovering their mistake1 they should now rally in a body around the ,society2 and1 consequently1 we find that the legislatures of the several slaveholding ,states are passing encomiums upon it1 and in some instances appropriating sums of money to be paid over to it by instalments4 ,the people of the north have been shamefully duped by this scheme2 but1 like the slaveholders1 they begin to discover their error4 ,unlike them1 however1 they are withdrawing their support1 in obedience to the injunction of the ,apostle3 ',be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers3 for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness8 and what communion hath light with darkness8 and what concord hath ,christ with ,belial8 ,wherefore come out from among them1 and be ye separate1 saith the ,lord1 and touch not the unclean thing2 and ,i will receive you4' ,to ,africa this country owes a debt larger than she is able to liquidate4 ,most intensely do ,i desire to see that ill-fated continent transformed into the abode of civilization1 of the arts and sciences1 of evangelical piety1 of liberty1 and of all that adds to the dignity1 the renown1 and the temporal and eternal happiness of man4 ,shame and confusion of face belong to the ,church1 that she has so long disregarded the claims of ,africa upon her sympathies1 and prayers1 and liberality--claims as much superior as its wrongs to those of any other portion of the globe4 ,it is indeed most strange that1 like the ,priest and the ,levite1 she should have 'passed by on the other side1' and left the victim of thieves to bleed and sicken and die4 ,as the ,africans were the only people doomed to perpetual servitude1 and to be the prey of kidnappers1 she should have long since directed almost her undivided efforts to civilize and convert them1--not by establishing colonies of ignorant and selfish foreigners among them1 who will seize every opportunity to overreach or oppress1 as interest or ambition shall instigate1--but by sending intelligent1 pious missionaries2 men fearing ,god and eschewing evil--living evidences of the excellence of christianity--having but one object1 not the possession of wealth or the obtainment of power or the gratification of selfishness1 but the salvation of the soul4 ,had she made this attempt1 as she was bound to have made it by every principle of justice and every feeling of humanity1 a century ago1 ,africa would have been1 at the present day1 'redeemed1 regenerated1 and disenthralled1' and the slavery of her children brought to an end4 ,no pirates would now haunt her coast to desolate her villages with fire and sword1 in order to supply a christian people with hewers of wood and drawers of water4 ,how much has been needlessly lost to the world by this criminal neglect6 ,the conception of evangelizing a heathenish country by sending to it an illiterate1 degraded and irreligious population1 belongs exclusively to the advocates of ,african colonization4 ,for absurdity and inaptitude1 it stands1 and must forever stand1 without a parallel4 ,of all the offspring of prejudice and oppression1 it is the most shapeless and unnatural4 ,but more of this hereafter4 ,history is full of instruction on the subject of colonization4 ,the establishment of colonies1 in all ages1 with scarcely an exception1 has resulted either in their subversion by the vices or physical strength of the natives1 or by a fatal amalgamation with them2 or else in the rapid destruction of the natives by the superior knowledge and greedy avarice of the new settlers4 ,it is presumption to suppose that the colony at ,liberia1 composed of the worst materials imaginable1 will present an example of forbearance1 stability and good faith1 hitherto unwitnessed in the world4 ,soon after its establishment1 the colony narrowly escaped a bloody extirpation1 and was the cause of a murderous warfare in which several of the colonists and a large number of the natives were slain4 ,the steady growth of the colony excited the jealousy and alarm of some of the neighboring tribes2 and1 accordingly1 a consultation was held1 at which ,king ,george1 ,governor1 and all the other head men1 contended that ',the ,americans were strangers who had forgot their attachment to the land of their fathers2 for if not1 why had they not renounced their connexion with white men altogether1 and placed themselves under the protection of the kings of the country8 ,king ,george had already been under the necessity of removing from his town1 and leaving the ,cape in their hands4 ,this was but the first step of their encroachments4 ,if left alone1 they must1 in a very few years1 master the whole country4 ,and as all other places were full1 their own tribe must be without a home1 and cease any longer to remain a nation4',e ,this appeal 7which evinces an intimate acquaintance with human nature and much foresight7 induced the attack to which allusion has been made4 ,a single paragraph from the ,rev4 ,mr ,ashmun's account of the battle with the natives may suffice to give the reader an idea of its destructiveness3 ',a few musketeers with ,e4 ,johnson at their head1 by passing round upon the enemy's flank1 served to increase the consternation which was beginning to pervade their unwieldy body4 ,in about twenty minutes after the settlers had taken their stand1 the front of the enemy began to recoil4 ,but from the numerous obstructions in their rear1 the entire absence of discipline1 and the extreme difficulty of giving a reversed motion to so large a body1 a small part only of which was directly exposed to danger1 and the delay occasioned by the practice of carrying off all their dead and wounded1 rendered a retreat for some minutes longer1 impossible4 ,the very violence employed by those in the front1 in their impatience to hasten it1 by increasing the confusion1 produced an effect opposite to that intended4 ,the ,americans perceiving their advantage1 now regained possession of the western post1 and instantly brought the long nine to rake the whole line of the enemy4 ,imagination can scarcely figure to itself a throng of human beings in a more capital state of exposure to the destructive power of the machinery of modern warfare6 ,eight hundred men were here pressed shoulder to shoulder1 in so compact a form1 that a child might easily walk upon their heads from one end of the mass to the other1 presenting in their rear a breadth of rank equal to twenty or thirty men1 and all exposed to a gun of great power1 raised on a platform1 at only thirty to sixty yards distance6 ,every shot literally spent its force in a solid mass of living human flesh6 ,their fire suddenly terminated4 ,a savage yell was raised1 which filled the dismal forest with a momentary horror4 ,it gradually died away2 and the whole host disappeared4 ,at #h o'clock1 the well known signal of their dispersion and return to their homes was sounded1 and many small parties seen at a distance1 directly afterwards1 moving off in different directions4 ,one large canoe1 employed in reconveying a party across the mouth of the ,montserado1 venturing within the range of the long gun1 was struck by a shot1 and several men killed4',f ,the above 7which cannot be perused without a thrill of horror7 is one of the legitimate fruits of foreign colonization4 ,subsequent to this bloody affair1 another battle took place1 which resulted in the defeat of the natives and the loss of many lives4 ,it is true1 the colony since that period has received little molestation1 and has succeeded1 moreover1 in making some amicable treaties with the natives2 but in proportion to its means of defence and numerical force will be its liability to encroach upon the rights of the ,africans1 and thus to provoke hostilities4 ,if this prophecy should not be fulfilled1 history will have spoken in vain1 and human nature experienced a total regeneration4 ,no man of refined sensibility can contemplate the fate of the aborigines of this country1 without shuddering at the consequences of colonization2 and if they melted away at the presence of the pilgrims and their descendants1 like frost before the meridian blaze of the sun1--if they fell to the earth1 like the leaves of the forest before the autumnal blast1 by the settlement of men reputedly humane1 wise and pious1 in their vicinage1--what can be our hope for the preservation of the ,africans1 associated with a population degraded by slavery1 and1 to a lamentable extent1 destitute of religious and secular knowledge8 ,the argument1 that the difference of complexion between our forefathers and the aborigines 7which is not a distinctive feature between the settlers at ,liberia and the natives7 was the real cause of this deadly enmity1 is more specious than solid4 ,conduct1 not color1 secures friendship or excites antipathy1 as it happens to be just or unjust4 ,the venerated ,william ,penn and his pacific followers furnish a case in point4 ,i avow it--the natural tendency of the colony at ,liberia excites the most melancholy apprehensions in my mind4 ,its birth was conceived in blood1 and its footsteps will be marked with blood down to old age--the blood of the poor natives--unless a special interposition of ,divine ,providence prevent such a calamity4 ,the emigrants will be eager in the acquisition of wealth1 ease and power2 and1 having superior skill and discernment in trade1 they will outwit and defraud the natives as often as occasion permits4 ,this knavish treatment once detected1--as it surely will be1 for even an uncivilized people may soon learn that they have been cheated1--will provoke retaliation1 and stir up the worst passions of the human breast4 ,bloody conflicts will ensue1 in which the colonists will be victorious4 ,this success will serve to increase the enmity of the natives1 and to perpetuate the murderous struggle4 ,the extirpation of one generation may put the colonists in undisputed possession of the land4 ,this is not a fancy sketch--it is not improbable3 on the contrary1 it is the obvious and hitherto certain consequence of bringing hastily together large bodies of civilized men with unlettered barbarians4 ,jealousy will be another fruitful source of contention4 ,the population of ,africa is divided into a vast number of tribes1 governed by petty kings1--sometimes indeed united by an amicable league1 but commonly distinct and independent4 ,some of these tribes will form alliances with the colonists1 either to obtain protection from their more formidable rivals or from motives of fear1 curiosity or selfishness4 ,in this manner1 tribe will be arrayed against tribe throughout that vast continent2 the tide of commotion1 gathering fresh impetuosity in its headlong career1 will rush from the mountains down to the ocean1 devastating all that is beautiful1 and swiftly defacing that which will require the labors of centuries to restore to its pristine excellence2 there will be wars and rumors of wars1 succeeded by deceitful and unstable treaties ratified only to be broken at a favorable moment2 and these collisions will not cease until the colonists obtain an undisputed mastery over the natives4 ,would to ,heaven these fears might prove to be but the offspring of a distracted mind6 ,may the colonists be so just in their intercourse with the ,africans1 as never to impeach their own integrity2 so pacific1 as to disarm retaliation and perpetuate good will2 so benevolent1 as to excite gratitude and diffuse joy wherever their names shall be known2 and so holy1 as to exalt the christian religion in the eyes of an idolatrous nation6 ,but he must be grossly ignorant of human nature1 or strangely infatuated1 who believes that they will always1 or commonly1 exhibit this unexceptionable conduct4 ,it is my sober conviction1 that no contrivance or enterprise could possibly be planned more fatally calculated to obstruct the progress of christianity in a heathenish country1 than the establishment of a colony1 or colonies1 of selfish1 ignorant1 or even intelligent and high-minded men1 on its shores4 ,in every settlement of this kind1--no matter how choice the original materials1--vice will soon preponderate over virtue1 intemperance over sobriety1 knavery over honesty1 oppression over liberty1 and impiety over godliness4 ,the natives will see just enough of christianity to hate and shun it2 finding that its fruits are generally bad--that it has no restraining influence upon the mass of its nominal professors1--they will not easily comprehend the utility of abandoning their own idolatrous worship2 looking only to the pernicious examples of the intruders1 they will spurn with contempt the precepts of the gospel4 ,their confidence will be abused--their lands craftily trafficked for nought--their ignorance cheated--their inferiority treated oppressively2 and then what must naturally follow8 ,why--,,war--a war of retaliation4 ,all the vices1 and few of the virtues1 of the instructers1 will be faithfully copied2 and thus barriers will be erected against the progress of the ,christian religion1 not absolutely insurmountable1 it is true1 but sufficiently tall and strong to retard its noble career--barriers not only of superstition and ignorance1 but of hatred and revenge4 ,these reflections might be extended to the size of a volume2 but they are probably sufficient to convince every unprejudiced1 discerning mind1 that the establishment of foreign colonies in a barbarous land is the surest way to prevent its speedy evangelism and civilization4 ,in reply to this reasoning1 some of the advocates of ,african colonization may argue1 that schools and houses of worship1 multiplying with the growth of the settlement at ,liberia1 will check the evil propensities and passions of the emigrants1 and qualify them to act as missionaries or instructers among the natives2 and thus great good will be bestowed upon ,africa4 ,this is at least a summary1 if not a sure mode of obviating these difficulties4 ,in the first place1 it is by no means certain--nay1 it is not probable1 especially if the number of emigrants annually exported to ,liberia swell from hundreds to thousands1 7and this increase of transportation is positively promised by the ,parent ,society1 and absolutely necessary to cause a perceptible diminution in the annual enlargement of our colored population7--,i say1 it is neither certain nor probable that the multiplication of literary and religious privileges will keep pace with the unnatural and enormous growth of the colony4 ,nine years after the first settlement of ,liberia1 it appears by the following extract of a letter from a highly respectable colored emigrant1 7the ,rev4 ,george ,m4 ,erskine17 there was but the 'remnant of a school' left6 ,this letter is dated ',caldwell1 ,liberia1 ,april #c1 #ahcj4' ',sir1 the state of things1 with regard to schools1 is truly lamentable4 ,the only school in the ,colony at this time1 is a remnant of one at the ,cape4 ,among the present emigrants1 there are seventeen out of forty-eight that can read the ,holy ,scriptures1 leaving thirty-one that cannot4 ,now1 ,sir1 suppose each company of emigrants to this place bring a like proportion of illiterate persons into the ,colony1 then what state1 think you1 it must be in8 ,but again1 ,sir3 ,i am greatly mistaken if this ,colony is not1 for several years yet to come1 mostly to be peopled with slaves sent out by their present owners1 without any education themselves1 and without means and very little desire to have their children instructed2 and add to the above1 that this people is planted in the midst1 and are daily conversant with1 a people that are not only heathen1 but a people extremely partial in favor of their grovelling superstition4 ,my dear ,sir1 this being the case1 whether is it probable that they will come over to us1 or we go down to them8 ,to me the latter is the most likely1 as it is the very essence of human nature to seek the lowest depth of degradation4 ,permit me to say1 ,sir1 there must be a great revolution in this ,colony before it can have a salutary influence on the surrounding natives2 that is1 before it can have a moral influence over them4',g ,subsequent accounts1 ,i am happy to state1 present a better aspect in relation to the education of this outcast and persecuted people3 their wants1 however1 are only partially supplied4 ,the annual increase of the free colored and slave population in the ,united ,states is variously estimated from sixty to seventy-five thousand4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society proposes the annual removal of this vast body1--and more1 if it be possible1--provided the energies and patronage of the ,general ,government be enlisted in this expulsive crusade4 ,now1 suppose the entire transportation effected1 let any candid man decide how extremely difficult1 not to say impracticable1 it would be to discipline and instruct such an overwhelming mass of ignorance1 or any considerable portion of it--and how pernicious must be the consequences to the colony and the natives1 if it should not receive immediate culture6 ,secondly4 ,it is neither certain nor probable that1 allowing all that is assumed by colonizationists1 the influence of secular and religious instruction would be sufficient to restrain the selfish desires and knavish propensities of those whose main object is1 not to evangelize the natives1 but to secure1 by a summary process1 competence and power for themselves4 ,indeed1 their juxtaposition with the natives would be eminently calculated to induce the fever of avarice1 and to generate the lust of dominion4 ,it is well known that so eager are the colonists to acquire a rapid accumulation of wealth1 by trafficking their paltry beads and poisonous rum and tobacco for ivory1 camwood and gold dust1 it is with the utmost difficulty any considerable portion of them are persuaded to cultivate the soil and engage in agricultural pursuits4 ,thus we are presented with the disgraceful1 if not singular spectacle of a rivalry in cunning and trickishness between a colony of soi-disant missionaries 7really avaricious and unscrupulous foreigners7 and the tribes who are to come under their pious pupilage4 ,if equal dexterity in trade is not apparent1 each party is equally pleased with its successful attempts at deception1 and both renew the fraudulent commerce with fresh alacrity--the one to gain a new triumph1 and the other to retrieve an old defeat4 ,and this is the mode of colonizationists to evangelize ,africa6 and this their mode to suppress the slave trade6 and this their mode to elevate the free people of color6 and this their mode to emancipate the slaves6 ,it combines the folly and absurdity of a farce with the solemnity and murderment of a tragedy4 ,far be it from me to leave the impression upon the mind of the reader1 from these representations1 that all the colonists are actuated by the same selfish motives1 or that they have exhibited any new and extraordinary traits of character in their commerce with the ,africans4 ,many of them1 ,i believe1 are men who fear ,god and desire the welfare of his creatures3 all of them have behaved as honorably1 perhaps1 and trafficked as equitably1 as any other body of men1 white or yellow1 would have done in the same situation and under the same circumstances4 ,dishonesty in trade is no prodigy1 even in this country4 ,to bring accusations of fraud1 cupidity and cunning against human nature1 is not libellous4 ,i am persuaded that robbery1--well contrived1 deliberately executed robbery1--is perpetrated in every community among ourselves1 without any due estimate of its moral turpitude1 by reputable merchants and traders upon their customers1 to a larger extent than all the avowed and heinous thefts collectively1 which are committed against society4 ,it is lamentable to see how studiously conscience and fair dealing are excluded from the secular business of the world4 ,if we see1 every day1 illustrations of this dishonest conduct1 given by men of refinement1 intelligence and good character1 what should we expect from those whose fetters have hardly fallen from their limbs2 who have been systematically degraded by slavery2 who have not consequently that lively sense of moral obligation which accompanies intelligence2 who are beyond the influence of public sentiment1 and surrounded by a barbarous people8 ,the establishment of a colony of speculators1 then1 to evangelize ,africa1 does not discover much wisdom or promise much success2 but1 on the contrary1 exhibits a total blindness of vision and a most unfavorable aspect4 ,let it be remembered1 however1 that rum and tobacco 7two poisons which are exactly adapted to destroy both soul and body7 are the principal articles given to the natives--because pertinaciously demanded by them--in exchange for their own4 ,their appetite for spirituous liquor1 first created by the slave traders and subsequently excited by the colonists1 is insatiate4 ,even the justly lamented ,,ashmun1 if ,i do not mistake1 for ,i have not his letter now before me1 was so imprudent in one of his epistles to the ,board of ,managers as to concede the fatal necessity of selling rum freely to the natives1 in order to maintain a commercial intercourse with them4 ,rum they would have1 or nothing2 and rum they obtained then1 and do now obtain4 ,any one who will take the trouble to read the advertisements in the ,liberia ,herald will discover that ardent spirits form a prominent item in the list of articles offered for sale4 ,of the sobriety of the colonists1 however1 common report speaks in the most gratifying manner2 but as their number is to be increased by a redundant importation1 we have reason to fear a declension of morals4 ,thirdly4 ,colonizationists strenuously contend that our colored population are destined always to remain a degraded class in this country4 ,if educated any where1 they must be educated in ,africa4 ,we must take them in their ignorance1 and just released from bondage1 and translate them to another continent on the wings of the wind4 ,delay would be injurious to ourselves1 and calamitous to them4 ,they must go in large bodies--by thousands and tens of thousands annually--till the whole be expelled from our shores4 ,for it seems1 according to the logic of colonizationists1 every individual tainted with black blood must be transported1 to insure the regeneration of ,africa6 ,neither fifty thousand1 nor one hundred thousand1 nor half a million of these missionaries will be able to accomplish the task2 but two millions of slaves and four hundred thousand free people of color1 and all their descendants in time to come1 here--even little babes 7pretty prattling reformers67 and children--the maimed1 the halt1 and the blind--all must be sent off--else alas6 alas6 for poor benighted ,africa6 ,this is no caricature4 ,an ugly face is sure to quarrel with its own likeness4 ,but what is the portrait worth1 if it bear no resemblance to the living original8 ,they who place themselves in a ridiculous attitude must not claim exemption from ridicule4 ,let us turn to the picture once more4 ,it is worth our while to contemplate it a few moments longer4 ,what do we see8 ,more than one-sixth portion of the ,american people--confessedly the most vicious1 degraded and dangerous portion--crowded on the shores of ,africa1 by means which are hereafter to be considered1 and at an expense which we shall not stop now to calculate1 for the purpose of civilizing and evangelizing ,africa1 and of improving their own condition6 ,here1 then1 are two ignorant and depraved nations to be regenerated instead of one6--if we may call all the natives that occupy that vast continent a nation--two huge and heterogeneous masses of contagion mingled together for the preservation of each6 ,one of these nations is so incorrigibly stupid1 or unfathomably deep in pollution1 7for such is the argument17 that1 although surrounded by ten millions of people living under the full blaze of gospel light1 and having every desirable facility to elevate and save it1 it never can rise until it be removed at least three thousand miles from their vicinage6--and yet it is first to be evangelized in a barbarous land1 by a feeble1 inadequate process1 before it can be qualified to evangelize the other nation6 ,in other words1 men who are intellectually and morally blind are violently removed from light effulgent into thick darkness1 in order that they may obtain light themselves and diffuse light among others6 ,ignorance is sent to instruct ignorance1 ungodliness to exhort ungodliness1 vice to stop the progress of vice1 and depravity to reform depravity6 ,all that is abhorrent to our moral sense1 or dangerous to our quietude1 or villanous in human nature1 we benevolently disgorge upon ,africa for her temporal and eternal welfare6 ,we propose to build upon her shores1 for her glory and defence1 colonies framed of materials which we discard as worthless for our own use1 and which possess no fitness or durability6 ,admirable consistency6 surprising wisdom6 unexampled benevolence6 ,as rationally might we think of exhausting the ocean by multiplying the number of its tributaries1 or extinguishing a fire by piling fuel upon it4 ,lastly4 ,any scheme to proselytize which requires for its protection the erection of forts and the use of murderous weapons1 is opposed to the genius of christianity and radically wrong4 ,if the gospel cannot be propagated but by the aid of the sword1--if its success depend upon the muscular power and military science of its apostles1--it were better to leave the pagan world in darkness4 ,the first specimen of benevolence and piety1 which the colonists gave to the natives1 was the building of a fort1 and supplying it with arms and ammunition6 ,this was an earnest manifestation of that 'peace on earth1 good will to man1' which these expatriated missionaries were sent to inculcate6 ,how eminently calculated to inspire the confidence1 excite the gratitude1 and accelerate the conversion of the ,africans6 ,their 'dread of the great guns of the ,islanders1' 7to adopt the language of ,mr ,ashmun17 must from the beginning have made a deep and salutary impression upon their minds2 and when1 not long afterward1 'every shot' from these guns 'spent its force in a solid mass of living human flesh'--their own flesh--they must have experienced a total regeneration4 ,bullets and cannon balls argue with resistless effect1 and as easily convert a barbarous as civilized people4 ,one sanguinary conflict was sufficient to spread the glad tidings of salvation among a thousand tribes1 almost with the rapidity of light6--,but even irony1 though appropriate1 is painful4 ,i forbear4 ,but--says an objector--these reflections come too late4 ,the colony is planted1 whatever may be its influence4 ,what do you recommend8 ,its immediate abandonment to want and ruin8 ,shall we not bestow upon it our charities1 and commend it to the protection of ,heaven8 ,i answer--,let the colony continue to receive the aid1 and elicit the prayers of the good and benevolent4 ,still let it remain within the pale of christian sympathy4 ,blot it not out of existence4 ,but let it henceforth develope itself naturally4 ,crowd not its population4 ,let transportation cease4 ,seek no longer to exile millions of our colored countrymen4 ,for1 assuredly1 if the ,colonization ,society succeed in its efforts to remove thousands of their number annually1 it could not inflict a heavier curse upon ,africa1 or more speedily assist in the entire subversion of the colony4 ,but--the objector asks--how shall we evangelize ,africa8 ,in the same manner as we have evangelized the ,sandwich and ,society ,islands1 and portions of ,burmah1 ,hindostan1 and other lands4 ,by sending missionaries of the ,cross indeed1 who shall neither build forts nor trust in weapons of war2 who shall be actuated by a holy zeal and genuine love2 who shall be qualified to instruct1 admonish1 enlighten1 and proselyte2 who shall not by their examples impugn the precepts1 or subject to suspicion the inspiration of the ,word of ,life2 who shall not be covered with pollution and shame as with a garment1 or add to the ignorance1 sin and corruption of paganism2 and who shall abhor dishonesty1 violence and treachery4 ,such men have been found to volunteer their services for the redemption of a lost world2 and such men may be found now to embark in the same glorious enterprise4 ,a hundred evangelists like these1 dispersed along the shores and in the interior of ,africa1 would destroy more idols1 make more progress in civilizing the natives1 suppress more wars1 unite in amity more hostile tribes1 and convert more souls to ,christ1 in ten years1 than a colony of twenty-thousand ignorant1 uncultivated1 selfish emigrants in a century4 ,such a mission would be consonant with reason and common sense2 nor could it fail to receive the approbation of ,god4 ,how simple was the command of our blessed ,saviour to his disciples6--',go ye forth into all the world1 and preach the gospel to every creature4' ,not--',send out from among yourselves those whom you despise or against whom you cherish a strong antipathy2 those who need to be instructed and converted themselves2 those who are the dregs of society1 made vicious and helpless by oppression and public opinion2 those who are beyond the reach of the gospel in a ,christian land2 those whose complexions are not precisely like yours1 or who have any personal blemishes whatever that excite your dislike2--send out all these to evangelize the nations which sit in darkness and in the regions of the shadow of death6' ,denham1 ,clapperton1 and ,lander1 travellers in ,africa1 represent the natives in a light most favorable for the introduction of christianity2 as eager to learn and become a civilized and great people like the ,europeans4 ,excepting the followers of ,mohammed1 they are not tenacious of their forms of religious worship2 and a considerable portion of them are totally indifferent to devotional exercises4 ,it seems apparent1 that the fruits of a mission in ,africa would be thrice as numerous as those of one in ,india1 because the obstacles to be surmounted are far less formidable4 ,but--says the objector--the climate of ,africa is fatal to white men4 ,so is the climate of ,india4 ,but our missionaries have not counted their lives dear unto themselves2 and1 as fast as one is cut down1 another stands ready to supply his place4 ,i do not believe that the ,creator has immoveably fixed the habitations of any people within a boundary narrower than the circumference of the globe4 ,i believe that rapid transitions from intensity of heat and cold1 and cold and heat1 are destructive to animal life2 but ,i also believe that the human body is easily acclimated1 in any region of the world4 ,i believe the time is swiftly approaching when empires and continents shall as freely commingle their population as do states and neighborhoods4 ,to limit or obstruct this intercourse1 is to impoverish and circumscribe human happiness4 ,civilization will remove those causes which now engender pestilence and death1 and neutralize the effects of atmospherical contagion4 ,hence it will be seen that ,i do not assail the ,colonization ,society1 as many others have done1 simply because the settlement at ,liberia is unhealthy4 ,it is true1 the mortality among the emigrants has been excessive2 and so it was among the first settlers of ,new-,england4 ,but the climate of ,new-,england is no longer pestiferous2 and the climate of ,africa will grow sweet and salubrious as her forests disappear1 and the purifying influences of ,christianity penetrate into the interior4 ,i expressly contend1 however1 that it is murderous1 indiscriminately to colonize large bodies of men1 women and children1 in a foreign land1 before the natives are to some extent elevated by missionary effort3 and therefore ,i consider the ,colonization ,society as responsible for the lives of those who have perished prematurely at ,liberia4 ,but the objection is fallacious4 ,if white missionaries cannot1 black ones can survive in ,africa4 ,what1 then1 is our duty8 ,obviously to educate colored young men of genius1 enterprise and piety1 expressly to carry the 'glad tidings of great joy' to her shores4 ,enough1 ,i venture to affirm1 stand ready to be sent1 if they can first be qualified for their mission4 ,if our free colored population were brought into our schools1 and raised from their present low estate1 ,i am confident that an army of christian volunteers would go out from their ranks1 by a divine impulse and under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit1 to redeem their ,african brethren from the bondage of idolatry and the dominion of spiritual death4 ,whatever may be the result of this great controversy1 ,i shall have the consolation of believing that no efforts were lacking1 on my part1 to uproot the prejudices of my countrymen1 to persuade them to walk in the path of duty and shun the precipice of expediency1 to unloose the heavy burdens and let the prisoners go free at once1 to warn them of the danger of expelling the people of color from their native land1 and to convince them of the necessity of abandoning a dangerous and chimerical1 as well as unchristian and anti-republican association4 ,for these efforts ,i have hitherto suffered reproach and persecution1 and must expect to suffer till ,i perish4 ,this book will doubtless increase the rage of my enemies2 but no torrent of invective shall successfully whelm it1 no sophistry impair its force1 no activity destroy its influence1 no misrepresentation defeat its usefulness4 ,i commend it1 particularly1 to the candid attention of the two most powerful classes in this country--editors of newspapers and the clergy4 ,it is not a light matter for either of them to propagate false doctrines and excite delusive hopes1 on the subject of politics or religion4 ,although the press is committed to a wide extent1 ,i place too much reliance upon the good sense and liberal patriotism of its conductors to believe that the evidence which is presented in these pages of the inefficiency and injustice of the colonization scheme1 will fail to convince their understanding4 ,i cherish still higher expectations of its salutary influence upon ministers of the gospel4 ,it may grieve them to discover that they have been misled themselves1 and that they have unwittingly misled others4 ,to say to their flocks--',we have erred in this matter2 we have solicited your charities for an institution which is built upon prejudice and persecution2 we have hastily adopted the mistaken opinions of others'--such a confession may indeed require much grace in the heart1 but this grace1 ,i am persuaded1 they will obtain4 ,as apostles of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 sustaining high and awful responsibilities1 and exerting an influence which measurably decides the eternal destiny of the souls of men1 they will not shut their eyes1 or stop their ears1 or refuse to examine1 or disregard the truth1 in a case involving the temporal and eternal happiness of millions of their fellow creatures4 ,,footnotes3 ,e ,memoir of ,american ,colonists--vide ',the ,african ,repository1' vol4 #b1 p4 #agd4 ,f ,african ,repository1 vol4 #b1 p4 #agi4 ,g ,african ,repository1 vol4 #f1 p4 #aba4 ,,section ,i4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,pledged ,,not ,,to ,,oppose ,,the ,,system ,,of ,,slavery4 ,having concluded my introductory remarks1 ,i now proceed to substantiate my accusations against the ,american ,colonization ,society1 by marshalling in review the sentiments of those who first originated it1 and who are its efficient managers and advocates4 ,it is obvious that1 with my limited means1 and in a book designed for a cheap circulation1 ,i shall not be able to enter into so minute a detail as the present exigency demands1 or make those comments which might serve more fully to illustrate the character of this association4 ,it should be stated1 moreover1 that ,i have not made any particular effort to procure materials for this work1 being satisfied that those which have almost accidentally fallen into my hands1 contain ample and conclusive evidence of the unworthiness of the ,society4 ,a vast number of the ,reports of auxiliary bodies in various parts of the country1 of orations and sermons and essays in favor of ,african colonization1 are beyond my reach1 and must remain unconsulted4 ,if more proof be demanded1 it shall be given to the public4 ,there is not a sound timber in this great ,babel3 from the foundation to the roof1 it is rotten and defective4 ,i shall not stop to interrogate the motives of those who planned the ,society4 ,some of them1 undoubtedly1 were actuated by a benevolent desire to promote the welfare of our colored population1 and could never have intended to countenance oppression4 ,but the question is not1 whether their motives were good or bad4 ,suppose they were all good--would this fact prove infallibly that they could not err in judgment8 ,do we not almost daily see men running headlong into wild and injurious enterprises with the very best intentions8 ,there is a wide difference between meaning well and doing well4 ,the slave trade originated in a compassionate regard for the benighted ,africans2 and yet we hang those who are detected in this traffic4 ,i am willing to concede that ,robert ,finley and ,elias ,b4 ,caldwell were philanthropic individuals2 and that a large number of their followers are men of piety1 benevolence and moral worth4 ,what then8 ,is the ,american ,colonization ,society a beneficial institution8 ,we shall see hereafter4 ,the history of this ,society is familiar to the public4 ,it was organized about the commencement of the year #ahag4 ,the first public meeting to consider the expediency of such an organization was held on the #bast of ,december1 #ahaf1 at which the ,hon4 ,henry ,clay presided2 but ,i have never seen its official proceedings4 ,it was addressed by ,mr ,clay1 ,mr ,randolph1 ,mr ,caldwell1 and other gentlemen1 from whose speeches extracts will shortly be given4 ,it is my purpose in this section to show1 first1 the original design of the ,society2 secondly1 that it is still strictly adhered to2 and1 lastly1 that the ,society is solemnly pledged not to interfere with the system of slavery1 or in any manner to disturb the repose of the planters4 ,upon the rigid observance of this sinful pledge depends its existence2 a single violation of it would be fatal4 ,i want no better reason than this1 to wage an uncompromising warfare against it4 ,no man has a right to form an alliance with others1 which prevents him from rebuking sin or exposing the guilt of sinners4 ,every individual is bound to oppose the system of slavery in the most direct1 strenuous1 unfaltering manner--bound by the ties of brotherhood1 by the spirit of ,christianity1 by the genius of republicanism1 by the dictates of humanity1 by the requirements of justice1 by the love of country1 by duty to his ,god4 ,he cannot suppress his voice1 nor stop his ears to the groans of the prisoners1 and be innocent4 ,if he hide the truth because it may give offence--if he strike hands in amity with a thief--if he leave the needy and oppressed to perish--,god will visit him with plagues4 ,now the language of the non-slaveholding members of the ,colonization ,society to the owners of slaves is virtually as follows3--',the free people of color are a nuisance to us1 and plotters of sedition among your slaves4 ,if they be not speedily removed1 your property will be lost1 and your lives destroyed4 ,we therefore do solemnly agree1 that1 if you will unite with us in expelling this dangerous class from our shores1 we will never accuse you of robbery or oppression1 or irritate your feelings by asserting the right of the slaves to immediate freedom1 or identify any one of you as a criminal2 but1 on the contrary1 we will boldly assert your innocence1 and applaud you as wise and benevolent men for holding your slaves in subjection until you can cast them out of the country4' ,i say1 this is virtually their language1 as ,i shall soon indisputably show4 ,thus we are presented with the strange spectacle of a procession composed of the most heterogeneous materials4 ,there go1 arm-in-arm1 a ,new-,england divine and a southern kidnapper2 and there an ungodly slaveholder and a pious deacon2 each eyeing the other with distrust1 and fearful of exciting a quarrel1 both denouncing the poor1 neglected1 despised free black man as a miserable1 good-for-nothing creature1 and both gravely complimenting their foresight and generosity in sending this worthless wretch on a religious mission to ,africa6 ,i cannot exhibit the folly and wickedness of this alliance in a clearer light than by inserting the following extract of a letter from ,capt4 ,charles ,stuart1 of the ,english ,royal ,navy1 one of the most indefatigable philanthropists in ,england3 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society looks abroad over its own country1 and it finds a mass of its brethren1 whom ,god has been pleased to clothe with a darker skin4 ,it finds one portion of these free6 another enslaved6 ,it finds a cruel prejudice1 as dark and false as sin can make it1 reigning with a most tyrannous sway against both4 ,it finds this prejudice respecting the free1 declaring without a blush1 ,we are too wicked ever to love them as ,god commands us to do--we are so resolute in our wickedness as not even to desire to do so--and we are so proud in our iniquity that we will hate and revile whoever disturbs us in it--,we want1 like the devils of old1 to be let alone in our sin--,we are unalterably determined1 and neither ,god nor man shall move us from this resolution1 that our free colored fellow subjects never shall be happy in their native land4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,i say1 finds this most base and cruel prejudice1 and lets it alone2 nay more1 it directly and powerfully supports it4 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society finds #b1jjj1jjj of its fellow subjects most iniquitously enslaved--and it finds a resolution as proud and wicked as the very spirit of the pit can make it against obeying ,god and letting them go free in their native land4 ,it lets this perfectly infernal resolution alone1 nay more1 it powerfully supports it2 for it in fact says1 as a fond and feeble father might say to some overgrown baby before whose obstinate wickedness he quailed1 ,never mind1 my dear1 ,i don't want to prevent your beating and abusing your brothers and sisters--let that be--but here is a box of sugar plums--do pray give them one or two now and then4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society says practically to the slaveholders and the slave party in the ,united ,states1 ,we don't want to prevent your plundering #b1jjj1jjj of our fellow subjects of their liberty and of the fruits of their toil2 although we know that by every principle of law which does not utterly disgrace us by assimilating us to pirates1 that they have as good and as true a right to the equal protection of the law as we have2 and although we ourselves stand prepared to die1 rather than submit even to a fragment of the intolerable load of oppression to which we are subjecting them--yet never mind--let that be--they have grown old in suffering1 and we in iniquity--and we have nothing to do now but to speak peace1 peace to one another in our sins4 ,but if any of their masters1 whether from benevolence1 an awakened conscience1 or political or personal fear1 should emancipate any1 let us send them to ,liberia--that is1 in fact1 let us give a sugar plum here and there to a few1 while the many are living and dying unredressed--and while we are thus countenancing the atrocious iniquity beneath which they are perishing4 ,in this aspect ,i find the ,american ,colonization ,society declaring itself a substitute for emancipation1 and it is in this aspect that ,i contend with it1 and that ,i proclaim it1 as far as it has this character1 no farther1 a bane to the colored people1 whether enslaved or free1 and a snare and a disgrace to its country4' ,the second article of the ,constitution of this ,society is in the following language3 ',the object to which its attention is to be exclusively directed1 is to promote and execute a plan for colonizing 7with their consent7 the free people of color residing in our country1 in ,africa1 or such other place as ,congress shall deem most expedient4 ,and the ,society shall act1 to effect this object1 in co-operation with the ,general ,government1 and such of the ,states as may adopt regulations upon the subject4' ,the following citations abundantly sustain the charge1 that the ,society has not swerved from its original design1 and does not oppose the system of slavery3 ',whilst he was up1 he would detain the ,society for a few moments4 ,it was proper again and again to repeat1 that it was far from the intention of the ,society to affect1 in any manner1 the tenure by which a certain species of property is held4 ,he was himself a slaveholder2 and he considered that kind of property as inviolable as any other in the country4 ,he would resist as soon1 and with as much firmness1 encroachments upon it as he would encroachments upon any other property which he held4 ,nor was he disposed even to go as far as the gentleman who had just spoken1 7,mr ,mercer7 in saying that he would emancipate his slaves1 if the means were provided of sending them from the country4'--,speech of ,henry ,clay4--,first ,annual ,report4 ',it was proper and necessary distinctly to state1 that he understood it constituted no part of the object of this meeting1 to touch or agitate in the slightest degree1 a delicate question1 connected with another portion of the colored population of our country4 ,it was not proposed to deliberate upon or consider at all1 any question of emancipation1 or that which was connected with the abolition of slavery4 ,it was upon that condition alone1 he was sure1 that many gentlemen from the ,south and ,west1 whom he saw present1 had attended1 or could be expected to co-operate4 ,it was upon that condition only1 that he himself had attended4'--,speech of ,mr ,clay before the ,society1 ,jan4 #a1 #ahah4--,second ,annual ,report4 ',it had been properly observed by the chairman1 as well as by the gentleman from this ,district 7,messrs ,clay and ,caldwell7 that there was nothing in the proposition submitted to consideration which in the smallest degree touched another very important and delicate question1 which ought to be left as much out of view as possible1 7,negro slavery47 99 99 99 ,mr ,r4 concluded by saying1 that he had thought it necessary to make these remarks1 being a slaveholder himself1 to shew1 that1 so far from being connected with the abolition of slavery1 the measure proposed would prove one of the greatest securities to enable the master to keep in possession his own property4'--,speech of ,john ,randolph at the same meeting4 ',your committee would not thus favorably regard the prayer of the memorialists1 if it sought to impair1 in the slightest degree1 the rights of private property1 or the yet more sacred rights of personal liberty1 secured to every description of freemen in the ,united ,states4 ',the resolution of the legislature of ,virginia1 the subsequent acts and declarations1 as well as the high character of the memorialists themselves1 added to the most obvious interest of the states who have recently sanctioned the purpose1 or recognized the existence of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 exclude the remotest apprehension of such injustice and inhumanity4' --,report of the committee of the ,house of ,representatives of the ,united ,states1 on the memorial of the ,president and ,board of ,managers of the ,colonization ,society4--,second ,annual ,report4 ',an effort for the benefit of the blacks1 in which all parts of the country can unite1 of course must not have the abolition of slavery for its immediate object4 ,,nor ,,may ,,it ,,aim ,,directly ,,at ,,the ,,instruction ,,of ,,the ,,blacks4 ,in either case1 the prejudices and terrors of the slaveholding ,states would be excited in a moment2 and with reason too1 for it is a well-established point1 that the public safety forbids either the emancipation or the general instruction of the slaves4' 99 99 99 ',it ,african ,colonization is an enterprise in which all parts of the country can unite4 ,the grand objection to every other effort is1 that it excites the jealousies and fears of the south4 ,but here is an effort in which the southern people are the first to engage1 and which numbers many of their most distinguished men among its advocates and efficient supporters4'--,review of the ,reports of the ,society1 from the ,christian ,spectator4--,seventh ,annual ,report4 ',it will be seen at home and abroad1 that the ,american ,colonization ,society1 while it properly enough stands aloof from the question of slavery1 and the abolition of slavery1' c4--,report of ,william ,mc,kenney4--,eighth ,annual ,report4 ',the objects of this institution are well known to the world2 for no concealment whatever has ever been intended4 ,the ,society aims at the removal of free persons of color2 it interferes1 in no way whatever1 with the rights of property4'--,speech of ,g4 ,w4 ,custis1 ,esq4--,ninth ,annual ,report4 ',we are reproached with doing mischief by the agitation of this question4 ,the ,society goes into no household to disturb its domestic tranquillity2 it addresses itself to no slaves to weaken their obligations of obedience4 ,it seeks to affect no man's property4'--,speech of ,mr ,clay4--,tenth ,annual ,report4 ',the ,committee to whom was referred the memorial of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 have had the subject under consideration1 and now report3 ',that upon due consideration of the said memorial1 and from all other information which your committee has obtained1 touching that subject1 they are fully satisfied that no jealousies ought to exist1 on the part of this or any other slaveholding ,state1 respecting the objects of this ,society1 or the effects of its labors4'--,report of a committee of the ,legislature of ,delaware1 ,feb4 #hth1 #ahbg4 ',the ,society has reiterated the declaration that it has no ulterior views diverse from the object avowed in the constitution2 and having declared that it is in nowise allied to any ,abolition ,society in ,america or elsewhere1 is ready whenever there is need ,,to ,,pass ,a ,,censure ,,upon ,,such ,,societies ,,in ,,america4'--,speech of ,mr ,harrison of ,virginia4--,eleventh ,annual ,report4 ',we have the same interests in this subject with our southern brethren--the same opportunity of understanding it1 and of knowing with what care and prudence it should be approached4 ,what greater pledge can we give for the moderation and safety of our measures than our own interests as slaveholders1 and the ties that bind us to the slaveholding communities to which we belong8'--,speech of ,mr ,key4--,same ,report4 ',the second objection may be resolved into this2 that the ,society1 under the specious pretext of removing a vicious and noxious population1 is secretly undermining the rights of private property4 ,this is the objection expressed in its full force1 and if your memorialists could for a moment believe it to be true in point of fact1 they would never1 slaveholders as they are1 have associated themselves together for the purpose of co-operating with the ,parent ,society2 and far less would they have appeared in the character in which they now do1 before the legislative bodies of a slaveholding ,state4 ,and1 if any instance could be now adduced1 in which the ,society has ever manifested even an intention to depart from the avowed object1 for the promotion of which it was originally instituted1 none would with more willingness and readiness withdraw from it their countenance and support4 ,but1 from the time of its formation1 down to the present period1 all its operations have been directed exclusively to the promotion of its one grand object1 namely1 the colonization in ,africa of the free people of color of the ,united ,states4 ,it has always protested1 and through your memorialists it again protests1 that it has no wish to interfere with the delicate but important subject of slavery4 ,it has never1 in a solitary instance1 addressed itself to the slave4 ,it has never sought to invade the tranquillity of the domestic circle1 nor the peace and safety of society4'--,memorial of the ,auxiliary ,colonization ,society of ,powhatan1 to the ,legislature of ,virginia4--,twelfth ,annual ,report4 ',therefore she looked1 and well might she look1 to colonization and to colonization alone4 ,to abolition she could not look1 and need not look4 ,whatever that scheme may have done1 heretofore1 in the ,states now free1 it had done nothing and could do nothing in the slave ,states for the cause of humanity4 ,this subject he rejoiced to know was now better understood1 and all began to see that it was wiser and safer to remove1 by colonization1 a great and otherwise insuperable impediment to emancipation1 than to act upon the subject of emancipation itself4'--,speech of ,mr ,key4--,thirteenth ,annual ,report4 ',our ,society has nothing to do directly with the question of slavery4' 99 99 99 ',whilst the ,society protests that it has no designs on the rights of the master in the slave--or the property in his slave1 which the laws guarantee to him1' c4--,speech of ,gerrit ,smith1 ,esq4--,fourteenth ,annual ,report4 ',its primary object now is1 and ever has been1 to colonize1 with their own consent1 free people of color on the coast of ,africa1 or elsewhere1 as ,congress may deem expedient4 ,and1 ,sir1 ,i am unwilling to admit1 under any circumstances1 and particularly in this ,hall1 that it ever has swerved from this cardinal object4'--,speech of ,mr ,benham4--,fourteenth ,annual ,report4 ',something he must yet be allowed to say1 as regarded the object the ,society was set up to accomplish4 ,this object1 if he understood it aright1 involved no intrusion on property1 ,,nor ,,even ,,upon ,,prejudice4'--,speech of ,mr ,archer of ,virginia4--,fifteenth ,annual ,report4 ',that the effort made by the ,society should be such as to unite all parts of the country--such as to be in any degree ultimately successful1 it was necessary to disclaim all attempts for the immediate abolition of slavery1 or the instruction of the great body of the blacks4 ,such attempts would have excited alarm and jealousy1 would have been inconsistent with the public safety1 and defeated the great purposes of the ,society4' 99 99 99 ',it is pleasing to learn that the ,friends1 who at first were not favorable to the ,society1 having been inclined to the immediate abolition of slavery1 are coming into what we deem the more wise policy of encouraging emancipation by colonization4'--,speech of ,harmanus ,bleecker1 ,esq4 at the ,second ,anniversary ,meeting of the ,new-,york ,colonization ,society1 ,april #ad1 #ahca4 ',the plan of colonization seems the only one entitled to the least consideration4'--,speech of ,m4 ,c4 ,paterson1 ,esq4 on the same occasion4 ',nor will their brethren of the ,north desire to interfere with their constitutional rights1 or rashly to disturb a system interwoven with their feelings1 habits1 and prejudices4 ,a golden mean will be pursued1 which1 at the same time that it consults the wishes1 and respects the prejudices of the ,south1 will provide for the claims of justice and ,christianity1 and avert the storm of future desolation4'--,speech of ,lucius ,q4 ,c4 ,elmer1 ,esq4--,first ,annual ,report of the ,new-,jersey ,colonization ,society4 ',views are attributed to us1 that were never entertained1 and our plan is tortured into a design to emancipate the ,slaves of the ,south4 ,we are made to disregard this description of property1 and to touch without reserve the rights of our neighbors4 ,we are said to tread this almost forbidden ground with firm step1 and a hardihood of effort is imputed to us1 which1 if true1 might well excite the indignation of our southern citizens4--,but1 ,sir1 our ,society and the friends of colonization wish to be distinctly understood upon this point4 ,from the beginning they have disavowed1 and they do yet disavow1 that their object is the emancipation of the slaves4 ,they have no wish1 if they could1 to interfere in the smallest degree with what they deem the most interesting and fearful subject which can be pressed upon the ,american public4' 99 99 99 ',there is no people that treat their slaves with so much kindness and with so little cruelty4 ,nor can ,i believe that we shall meet with any serious opposition from that quarter1 when our object is distinctly understood--when it is known that our operations are confined exclusively to the free black population4 ,that this is our sole object1 ,i appeal with entire confidence to the constitution of our ,society and to the constitution and ,annual ,reports of the ,parent ,institution4' 99 99 99 ',we again repeat--that our operations are confined to the free black population1 and that there is no ground for fear on the part of our southern friends4 ,we hold their slaves as we hold their other property1 ,,sacred4 ,let not then this slander be repeated4'--,speech of ,james ,s4 ,green1 ,esq4 on the same occasion4 ',nothing has contributed more to retard the operations of the ,colonization ,society than the mistaken notion that it interferes directly with slavery4 ,this objection is rapidly vanishing away1 and many of the slaveholding ,states are becoming efficient supporters of the national society4 ,in the ,senate of ,louisiana during its last session1 resolutions were adopted expressive of the opinion that the object of this ,society was deserving the patronage of the general government4 ,an enlightened community now see1 that this ,society infringes upon no man's rights1 that its object is noble and benevolent--to remedy an evil which is felt and acknowledged at the north and south--to give the free people of color the privileges of freemen4'--,from a ,tract issued by the ,massachusetts ,colonization ,society in #ahca1 for gratuitous distribution4 ',this institution proposes to do good by a single specific course of measures4 ,its direct and specific purpose is not the abolition of slavery1 or the relief of pauperism1 or the extension of commerce and civilization1 or the enlargement of science1 or the conversion of the heathen4 ,the single object which its constitution prescribes1 and to which all its efforts are necessarily directed1 is1 ,african colonization from ,america4 ,it proposes only to afford facilities for the voluntary emigration of free people of color from this country to the country of their fathers4'--,review on ,african ,colonization4--,christian ,spectator for ,september1 #ahcj4 ',it interferes in nowise with the right of property1 and hopes and labors for the gradual abolition of slavery1 by the voluntary and gradual manumission of slaves1 when the free persons of color shall have first been transferred to their aboriginal climate and soil4'--,g4 ,w4 ,p4 ,custis1 ,esq4--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #ci4 ',does this ,society wish to meddle with our slaves as our rightful property8 ,i answer no1 ,i think not4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ac4 ',they have been denounced by some as fanatical and visionary innovators1 pursuing without regard to means or consequences1 an object destructive of the rights of property1 and dangerous to the public peace4' 99 99 99 ',the sole object of the ,society1 as declared at its institution1 and from which it can never be allowed to depart1 is 'to remove with their own consent1 to the coast of ,africa1 the free colored population1 now existing in the ,united ,states1 and such as hereafter may become free4'' 99 99 99 ',in pursuing their object1 therefore1 7although such consequences may result from a successful prosecution of it17 the ,society cannot be justly charged with aiming to disturb the rights of property or the peace of society4 ,your memorialists refer with confidence to the course they have pursued1 in the prosecution of their object for nine years past1 to shew that it is possible1 without danger or alarm1 to carry on such an operation1 notwithstanding its supposed relation to the subject of slavery1 and that they have not been regardless1 in any of their measures1 of what was due to the state of society in which they live4 ,they are1 themselves1 chiefly slaveholders1 and live1 with all the ties of life binding them to a slaveholding community4 ,they know when to speak and when to forbear upon topics connected with this painful and difficult subject4 ,they put forth no passionate appeals before the public1 seek to excite no feeling1 and avoid1 with the most sedulous care1 every measure that would endanger the public tranquillity4' 99 99 99 ',the managers could1 with no propriety1 depart from their original and avowed purpose1 and make emancipation their object4 ,and they would further say1 that if they were not thus restrained by the terms of their association1 they would still consider any attempts to promote the increase of the free colored population by manumission1 unnecessary1 premature1 and dangerous4' 99 99 99 ',it seems now to be admitted that1 whatever has any bearing upon that question1 must be managed with the utmost consideration2 that the peace and order of society must not be endangered by indiscreet and ill-timed efforts to promote emancipation2 and that a true regard should be manifested to the feelings and the fears1 and even the prejudices of those1 whose co-operation is essential4'--,memorial of the ,society to the several ,states4--,a4 ,r4 vol4 ii4 pp4 #eg1 #eh1 #fj4 ',to found in ,africa an empire of christians and republicans2 to reconduct the blacks to their native land1 without disturbing the order of society1 the laws of property1 or the rights of individuals2 rapidly1 but legally1 silently1 gradually1 to drain them off2 these are the noble ends of the colonization scheme4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cge4 ',nor have ,i ever been able to see1 for my part1 why the patronage of ,congress to a benevolent and patriotic ,society1 which1 without interfering1 in the smallest degree1 with that delicate interest1 only aims to remove what we all consider as a great evil--our free people of color--7and which evil does interfere with that interest17 should excite the jealousy or spleen of our most watchful and determined advocates of state rights4'--,idem1 p4 #chc4 ',recognising the constitutional and legitimate existence of slavery1 it seeks not to interfere1 either directly or indirectly1 with the rights which it creates4 ,acknowledging the necessity by which its present continuance and the rigorous provisions for its maintenance are justified1 it aims only at furnishing the ,states1 in which it exists1 the means of immediately lessening its severities1 and of ultimately relieving themselves from its acknowledged evils4'--,opimius in reply to ,caius ,gracchus4--,african ,repository1 vol4 iii4 p4 #af4 ',it is no abolition ,society2 it addresses as yet arguments to no master1 and disavows with horror the idea of offering temptations to any slave4 ,,it ,,denies ,,the ,,design ,,of ,,attempting ,,emancipation1 ,,either ,,partial ,,or ,,general2 it denies1 with us1 that the ,general ,government have any power to emancipate2 and declares that the ,states have exclusively the right to regulate the whole subject of slavery4 ,the scope of the ,society is large enough1 but it is in nowise mingled or confounded with the broad sweeping views of a few fanatics in ,america1 who would urge us on to the sudden and total abolition of slavery4' 99 99 99 ',the first great material objection is that the ,society does1 in fact1 in spite of its denial1 meditate and conspire the emancipation of the slaves4 ,to the candid1 let me say that there are names on the rolls of the ,society too high to be rationally accused of the duplicity and insidious falsehood which this implies2 farther1 the ,society and its branches are composed1 in by far the larger part1 of citizens of slaveholding ,states1 who cannot gravely be charged with a design so perilous to themselves4 ,to the uncandid disputant1 ,i say1 let him put his finger on one single sentiment1 declaration or act of the ,society1 or of any person1 with its sanction1 which shows such to be their object3 there is in fact no pretext for the charge4' 99 99 99 ',let me repeat1 the friends of the ,colonization ,society1 three-fourths of them are ,,slaveholders2 the legislatures of ,maryland1 ,georgia1 ,kentucky and ,tennessee1 all slaveholding ,states1 have approved it2 every member of this auxiliary ,society is1 either in himself1 or his nearest relatives1 interested in holding slaves4' 99 99 99 ',once more2 this ,society is no way connected with certain ,abolition ,societies in the country4 ,to these the ,colonization ,society would say1 ,your object is unattainable1 your zeal dangerous1 and nothing can give it the right direction or the right temperature1 but your surrendering your plan to ours3 be convinced1 that if the blacks are ever to be removed from us1 it will be by the free will of the owners1 and by means of the opportunity which our innocent plan of an asylum for such as may be sent will afford4'--',the ,col4 ,society ,vindicated4'--,idem1 pp4 #aig1 #bjj1 #bjb1 #bjc4 ',they can impress upon the southern slaveholder1 by the strength of facts1 and by the recorded declarations of honest men1 that the objects of the ,colonization ,society are altogether pure and praiseworthy1 and that it has no intention to open the door to universal liberty1 but only to cut out a channel1 where the merciful providence of ,god may cause those dark waters to flow off4'--,idem1 vol4 iv4 p4 #ade4 ',about twelve years ago1 some of the wisest men of the nation1 7mostly slaveholders17 formed1 in the city of ,washington1 the present ,american ,colonization ,society4 ,among them were men high in office1 who had spent many years in studying the interests of their country1 and who could not1 therefore1 be suspected of short-sighted enthusiasm1 or any secret design of disturbing the rights or the safety of our southern citizens4' 99 99 99 ',you will observe1 first1 that there is to be no intermeddling with property in slaves4 ,,the ,,rights ,,of ,,masters ,,are ,,to ,,remain ,,sacred ,,in ,,the ,,eyes ,,of ,,the ,,society4 ,the tendency of the scheme1 and one of its objects1 is to secure slaveholders1 and the whole southern country1 against certain evil consequences1 growing out of the three-fold mixture of our population4'--,address of the ,rockbridge ,col4 ,society4--,idem1 p4 #bgd4 ',it is true1 their operations have been confined to the single object1 colonization4--,they do nothing directly to effect the manumission of slaves4--,they think nothing can be advantageously done in favor of emancipation1 but by means of colonization1 of which emancipation will be a certain consequence that may be safely and quietly awaited4'--,mr ,key's ,address4--,idem1 p4 #cjc4 ',the ,colonization ,society1 as such1 have renounced wholly the name and the characteristics of abolitionists4 ,on this point they have been unjustly and injuriously slandered4 ,they need no such barrier to restrict them1 as the sentiment of ,mr ,harrison1 for their operations are entirely in a different department4 ,,into ,,their ,,accounts ,,the ,,subject ,,of ,,emancipation ,,does ,,not ,,enter ,,at ,,all4'--',n4 ,e4'--,idem1 p4 #cjf4 ',being1 chiefly1 slaveholders ourselves1 we well know how it becomes us to approach such a subject as this in a slaveholding state1 and in every other4 ,if there were room for a reasonable jealousy1 we among the first should feel it2 being as much interested in the welfare of the community1 and having as much at heart1 as any men can have1 the security of ourselves1 our property and our families4' 99 99 99 ',our object is1 not to prevail upon the master to part with his slave1 for that we leave to his own reflection and ,,convenience2 but to afford to those masters who have determined1 or may determine1 to manumit their slaves2 provided they can be removed from this country1 the means of removing them to a place where they may be really free1 virtuous1 respectable and happy4--,nothing can be more innocent and less alarming4'--,review of ,mr ,tazewell's ,report4--,idem1 p4 #cda4 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society has1 at all times1 solemnly disavowed any purpose of interference with the institutions or rights of our ,southern communities4'--,idem1 vol4 v4 p4 #cjg4 ',from its origin1 and throughout the whole period of its existence1 it has constantly disclaimed all intention whatever of interfering1 in the smallest degree1 with the rights of property1 or the object of emancipation1 gradual or immediate4 ,it is not only without inclination1 but it is without power1 to make any such interference4 ,it is not even a chartered or incorporated company2 and it has no other foundation than that of ,bible ,societies1 or any other christian or charitable unincorporated companies in our country4 ,it knows that the subject of emancipation belongs exclusively to the several ,states in which slavery is tolerated1 and to individual proprietors of slaves in those ,states1 under and according to their laws4' 99 99 99 ',the ,society presents to the ,american public no project of emancipation4' 99 99 99 ',its exertions have been confined exclusively to the free colored people of the ,united ,states1 and to those of them who are willing to go4 ,it has neither purpose nor power to extend them to the larger portion of that race held in bondage4 ,throughout the whole period of its existence1 this disclaimer has been made1 and incontestible facts establish its truth and sincerity4 ,it is now repeated1 in its behalf1 that the spirit of misrepresentation may have no pretext for abusing the public ear4'--,mr ,clay's ,speech4--,african ,repository1 vol4 vi4 pp4 #ac1 #ag1 #ai4 ',the ,society1 from considerations like these1 whilst it disclaims the remotest idea of ever disturbing the right of property in slaves1 conceives it to be possible that the time may arrive1 when1 with the approbation of their owners1 they shall all be at liberty2 and1 with those already free1 be removed1 with their own consent1 to the land of their ancestors4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vi4 p4 #fi4 ',it is not the object of this ,society to liberate slaves1 or touch the rights of property4 ,,to ,,set ,,them ,,loose ,,among ,,us ,,would ,,be ,,an ,,evil ,,more ,,intolerable ,,than ,,slavery ,,itself4 ,it would make our situation insecure and dangerous4'--,report of the ,kentucky ,col4 ,soc4--,idem1 p4 #ha4 ',it contemplates no purpose of abolition3 it touches no slave until his fetters have been voluntarily stricken off by the hand of his own master4'--,speech of ,john ,a4 ,dix1 ,esq4--,idem1 p4 #afe4 ',what has awakened that spirit of suspicion and enmity which is now manifested by these men in every form of open and active hostility8 ,can it be attributed to any departure of the ,society from its avowed original design and principles8 ,we maintain that it cannot2 we maintain that the character of the ,society has from the commencement been uniformly the same1 and that its proceedings have been consistent with its character4 ,were or are the design and principles of the ,society hostile to the rights and interest of the ,southern ,states8 ,we maintain that they were and are not2 but on the contrary1 are worthy to be cherished by the citizens of these ,states1 and to be sustained with all their energies as means of their political and moral strength4' 99 99 99 ',the free people of color alone are to be colonized by the ,society1 and whether the benefits of its scheme are ever to be extended to others1 is a question referred to those to whom it pertains as a matter of right and duty to decide4' 99 99 99 ',the ,colonization ,society would be the last ,institution in the world to disturb the domestic tranquillity of the ,south4'--,defence of the ,society4--,idem1 pp4 #aig1 #bjg1 #bji4 ',this ,society1 here in the outset1 most explicitly disclaims all intention to interfere in the smallest degree with the slave population4 ,it is with the free colored population alone1 and that too1 with their own consent1 that this ,society proposes to act4'--,address of the ,maryland ,state ,colonization ,society to the ,people of ,maryland4 ',to the slaveholder1 who had charged upon them the wicked design of interfering with the rights of property under the specious pretexts of removing a vicious and dangerous free population1 they address themselves in a tone of conciliation and sympathy4 ,we know your rights1 say they1 and we respect them--we know your difficulties1 and we appreciate them4 ,being mostly slaveholders ourselves1 having a common interest with you in this subject1 an equal opportunity of understanding it1 and the same motives to prudent action1 what better guarantee can be afforded for the just discrimination1 and the safe operation of our measures8 ,and what ground for apprehension that we1 who are bound to you by the strongest ties of interest and of sympathy1 should intrude upon the repose of the domestic circle1 or invade the peace and security of society8 ,have not the thirteen years' peaceful1 yet efficient1 operations of our ,society attested the moderation of our views and the safety of our plans8 ,we have protested from the commencement1 and during our whole progress1 and we do now protest1 that we have never entertained the purpose of intermeddling with the private property of individuals4 ,we know that we have not the power1 even if we had the inclination1 to do so4 ,your rights1 as guarantied by the ,constitution1 are held sacred in our eyes2 and we should be among the foremost to resist1 as a flagrant usurpation1 any encroachment upon those rights4 ,our only object1 as at all times avowed1 is to provide for the removal to the coast of ,africa1 with their own consent1 of such persons of color as are already free1 and of such others as the humanity of individuals1 or the laws of the different states1 may hereafter liberate4 ,is there any thing1 say they1 in this proposition at war with your interest1 your safety1 your honor1 or your happiness8 ,do we not all regard this mixed and intermediate population of free blacks1 made up of slaves or their immediate descendants1 as a mighty and a growing evil1 exerting a dangerous and baneful influence on all around them8'--,address of ,cyrus ,edwards1 ,esq4 of ,illinois4--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 p4 #ajj4 ',it was never the intention of the ,society to interfere with the rights of the proprietors of slaves2 nor has it at any time done so4'--,address of ,r4 ,j4 ,breckenridge of ,kentucky4--,idem p4 #agf4 ',the specific object to which the entire funds of the ,institution are devoted1 is simple and plainly unexceptionable in this respect1 that it interferes with no rights of individuals1 and with no law of the land4' 99 99 99 ',it embraces in its provisions only the free4 ,it does not interfere--it desires not to interfere1 in any way1 with the rights or the interests of the proprietors of slaves4 ,it condemns no man because he is a slaveholder2 it seeks to quiet all unkind feelings between the sober and virtuous men of the ,north and of the ,south on the subject of slavery2 it sends abroad no influence to disturb the peace1 and endanger the security and prosperity of any portion of the country4'--,character and ,influence of the ,colonization ,society4--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #aid1 #bjj4 ',can it be a ruthless scheme of political speculation1 which would trample1 with rude and unhallowed step1 upon the rights of property1 to gratify the visionary and fanatical projects of its authors8 ,no3 this is impossible4 ,yet such is the language of intemperate opposition1 with which this ,society has been assailed by its enemies4' 99 99 99 ',equally absurd and false is the objection1 that this ,society seeks indirectly to disturb the rights of property1 and to interfere with the well-established relation subsisting between master and slave4 ,the man who avows such monstrous purposes as these1 and seeks to shelter himself under the sanction and authority of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 is a base traitor to the cause which it seeks to advance--,,an ,,enemy ,,of ,,the ,,worst ,,and ,,most ,,dangerous ,,stamp1 because he assumes the specious garb of a friend and coadjutor4 ,let him stand1 or let him fall1 by the verdict of an insulted and outraged community--but do not make liable for his acts a great ,institution1 whose real friends will be the first to reject and discountenance him1 and to mark upon his forehead in indelible characters1 ,this is a traitor to the cause of his country and the cause of humanity4--,it is true that the friends of the ,american ,colonization ,society have permitted themselves to entertain the high and exalted hope1 that1 by its influences1 ultimate and remote1 the burdens which are incident to slavery may be greatly mitigated1 and possibly the evil itself at some future day be entirely removed4 ,but mark1 ,mr ,president1 and mark well1 ye hearers1 the grounds upon which this hope is founded4 ,it could not be sustained by any effort1 direct or indirect1 to invade the rights of the slaveholding community1 for the plain and palpable reason1 that the effort itself would furnish the most certain means of defeating the object in view1 even supposing the friends of the ,society reckless enough to entertain it4 ,it would denote on the part of those who made it1 an extremity of madness and folly1 wholly unprecedented in the history of the world1 and if persevered in1 would dissolve the government into its original elements1 even though the principle of union which holds it together were a thousand-fold stronger than it is4' 99 99 99 ',surely the friends of the ,colonization ,society have done nought either to alarm the honest fears of the patriot1 or excite the morbid sensibilities of the slaveholder4'--,address delivered before the ,lynchburg ,auxiliary ,colonization ,society1 ,august #ah1 #ahca4 ',while1 therefore1 they determined to avoid the question of slavery1 they proposed the formation of a colony on the coast of ,africa1 as an asylum for free people of color4' 99 99 99 ',the emancipation of slaves or the amelioration of their condition1 with the moral1 intellectual1 and political improvement of people of color within the ,united ,states1 are subjects foreign to the powers of this ,society4'--,address of the ,board of ,managers of the ,american ,colonization ,society to its ,auxiliary ,societies4--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #bij1 #bia4 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society was formed with special reference to the free blacks of our country4 ,with the delicate subject of slavery it presumes not to interfere4 ,and yet doubtless from the first it has cherished the hope of being in some way or other a medium of relief to the entire colored population of the land4 ,such a hope is certainly both innocent and benevolent4 ,and so long as the ,society adheres to the object announced in its constitution1 as it hitherto has done1 the master can surely find no reasonable cause of anxiety4 ,and it is a gratifying circumstance that the ,society has from the first obtained its most decided and efficient support from the slaveholding ,states4'--,sermon1 delivered at ,springfield1 ,mass41 ,july #dth1 #ahbi1 before the ,auxiliary ,colonization ,society of ,hampden ,county1 by ,rev4 ,b4 ,dickinson4 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society in no way directly meddles with slavery4 ,it disclaims all such interference4'--,correspondent of the ,southern ,religious ,telegraph4 ',this system is sanctioned by the laws of independent and sovereign states4 ,congress cannot constitutionally pass laws which shall tend directly to abolish it4 ,if it ever be abolished by legislative enactments1 it must be done by the respective legislatures of the ,states in which it exists4 ,it never designed to interfere with what the laws consider as the rights of masters--it has made no appeals to them to release their slaves for colonization1 nor to their slaves to abandon their masters4 ,with this delicate subject1 the ,society has avowedly nothing to do4 ,its ostensible object is necessarily the removal of our free colored population4'--,middletown 7,connecticut7 ,gazette4 ',with slaves1 however1 the ,american ,colonization ,society has no concern whatever1 except to transport to ,africa such as their owners may liberate for that purpose4'--,oration delivered at ,newark1 ,n4 ,j41 ,july #dth1 #ahca1 by ,gabriel ,p4 ,disosway1 ,esq4 ',it disclaims1 and always has disclaimed1 all intention whatever1 of interfering in the smallest degree1 direct or indirect1 with the rights of slaveholders1 the right of property1 or the object of emancipation1 gradual or immediate4 ,it knows that the owners of slaves are the owners1 and no one else--it does not1 in the most remote degree1 touch that delicate subject4 ,every slaveholder may1 therefore1 remain at ease concerning it or its progress or objects4'--,an advocate of the ,society in the ,new-,orleans ,argus4 ,it were needless to multiply these extracts4 ,so precisely do they resemble each other1 that they seem rather as the offspring of a single mind1 than of many minds4 ,a large majority of them come in the most official and authoritative shape1 and their language is explicit beyond cavil4 ,here1 then1 is a combination1 embracing able and influential men in all parts of the country1 pledging itself not only to respect the system of slavery1 but to frown indignantly upon those who shall dare to assail it4 ,and what is this system which is to be held in so much reverence1 and avoided with so much care8 ,it is a system which has in itself no redeeming feature1 but is full of blood--the blood of innocent men1 women and children2 full of adultery and concupiscence2 full of darkness1 blasphemy and wo2 full of rebellion against ,god and treason against the universe2 full of wrath--impurity--ignorance--brutality--a nd awful impiety2 full of wounds and bruises and putrefying sores2 full of temporal suffering and eternal damnation4 ,it is1 says ,pitt1 a mass1 a system of enormities1 which incontrovertibly bid defiance to every regulation which ingenuity can devise1 or power effect1 but a total extinction2 a system of incurable injustice1 the complication of every species of iniquity1 the greatest practical evil that ever has afflicted the human race1 and the severest and most extensive calamity recorded in the history of the world4 ,fox calls it a most unjust and horrible persecution of our fellow creatures4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,thomson declares it is a system hostile to the original and essential rights of humanity--contrary to the inflexible and paramount demands of moral justice--at eternal variance with the spirit and maxims of revealed religion--inimical to all that is merciful in the heart1 and holy in the conduct--and on these accounts1 necessarily exposed and subject to the curse of ,almighty ,god4 ,it is1 says ,rowland ,hill1 made up of every crime that treachery1 cruelty and murder can invent4 ,wilberforce says1 it is the full measure of pure1 unmixed1 unsophisticated wickedness2 and scorning all competition or comparison1 it stands without a rival in the secure1 undisputed possession of its detestable pre-eminence4 ,in this country1 slavery is a system which leaves the chastity of one million females without any protection6 which condemns more than two millions of human beings to remediless bondage6 which authorises their sale at public vendue in company with horses1 sheep and hogs1 or in a private manner1 at the pleasure of their owners6 which1 under penalty of imprisonment1 and even death1 forbids their being taught the lowest rudiments of knowledge6 which1 by the exclusion of their testimony in courts1 subjects them to worse than brutal treatment6 which recognizes no connubial obligations1 ruthlessly severs the holiest relations of life1 tears the scarcely weaned babe from the arms of its mother1 wives from their husbands1 and parents from their children6 ,but who is adequate to the task of delineating its horrors1 or recording its atrocities1 in full8 ,who can number the stripes which it inflicts1 the groans and tears and imprecations which it extorts1 the cruel murders which it perpetrates8 or who measure the innocent blood which it spills1 or the degradation which it imposes1 or the guilt which it accumulates8 or who reveal the waste of property1 the perversion of intellect1 the loss of happiness1 the burial of mind1 to which it is accessary8 or who trace its poisonous influence and soul-destroying tendency back for two hundred years down to the end of time8 ,none--none but ,god himself6 ,it is corrupt as death--black as perdition--cruel and insatiate as the grave4 ,to adopt the nervous language of another3--,the thing ,i say is true4 ,i speak the truth1 though it is most lamentable4 ,i dare not hide it1 ,i dare not palliate it2 else the horror with which it covereth me would make me do so4 ,wo unto such a system6 wo unto the men of this land who have been brought under its operation6 ,it is not felt to be evil1 it is not acknowledged to be evil1 it is not preached against as evil2 and1 therefore1 it is only the more inveterate and fearful an evil4,h ,it hath become constitutional4 ,,it ,,is ,,fed ,,from ,,the ,,stream ,,of ,,our ,,life1 and it will grow more and more excessive1 until it can no longer be endured by ,god1 nor borne with by man4 ,and this is the system1 with which1 as the reader has seen1 the ,american ,colonization ,society is resolved not to interfere2 and with the upholders of which1 ministers of the gospel and professors of religion of all denominations have made a treaty of peace6 ,tell it not abroad--publish it not in the capitals of ,europe--lest the despots of the old world take courage1 and infidelity strengthen its stakes6 ,if men who are reputedly wise and good--if religious teachers and political leaders1 those whose opinions are almost implicitly adopted1 and whose examples are readily followed by the mass of the people--if such men suppress their voices on this momentous subject1 and turn their eyes from its contemplation1 and give the right hand of fellowship to the buyers and sellers of human flesh1 is there not cause for lamentation and alarm8 ,the pulpit is false to its trust1 and a moral paralysis has seized the vitals of the church4 ,the sanctity of religion is thrown1 like a mantle1 over the horrid system4 ,under its auspices1 robbery and oppression have become popular and flourishing4 ,the press1 too1 by its profound silence1 or selfish neutrality1 or equivocal course1 or active partizanship1 is enlisted in the cause of tyranny--the mighty press1 which has power1 if exerted aright1 to break every fetter1 and emancipate the land4 ,if this state of things be not speedily reversed1 'we be all dead men4' ,unless the pulpit lift up the voice of warning1 supplication and wo1 with a fidelity which no emolument can bribe1 and no threat intimidate2 unless the church organise and plan for the redemption of the benighted slaves1 and directly assault the strong holds of despotism2 unless the press awake to its duty1 or desist from its bloody co-operation2 as sure as ,jehovah lives and is unchangeable1 he will pour out his indignation upon us1 and consume us with the fire of his wrath1 and our own way recompense upon our heads4 ',ah1 sinful nation1 a people laden with iniquity1 a seed of evil doers1 children that are corrupters6 ,when ye spread forth your hands1 ,i will hide mine eyes from you2 yea1 when ye make many prayers1 ,i will not hear3 your hands are full of blood4 ,wash you1 make you clean2 put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes2 cease to do evil2 learn to do well2 seek judgment1 relieve the oppressed1 judge the fatherless1 plead for the widow4 ,if ye be willing and obedient1 ye shall eat the good of the land3 but if ye refuse and rebel1 ye shall be devoured with the sword3 for the mouth of the ,lord hath spoken it4' ,i know the covert behind which colonizationists take refuge4 ,they profess to be--and1 doubtless1 in many instances are--aiming at the ultimate emancipation of the slaves2 but they are all for gradual abolition--all too courteous to give offence--too sober to be madmen--too discreet to adopt rash measures4 ,but ,i shall show1 in the progress of this work1 that they not only shield the holders of slaves from reproach1 7and thus1 by assuring them of their innocence1 destroy all motives for repentance17 but earnestly dissuade them from emancipating their slaves without an immediate expulsion4 ,fine conceptions of justice6 ,enemies of slavery1 with a vengeance6 ,suppose a similar course had been pursued by the friends of ,temperance--when would have commenced that mighty reformation which has taken place before our eyes--unparalleled in extent1 completeness and rapidity8 ,suppose1 instead of exposing the guilt of trafficking in ardent spirits1 and demanding instant and entire abstinence1 they had associated themselves together for the exclusive purpose of colonizing all the drunkards in the land1 as a class dangerous to our safety and irremediably degraded1 on a spot where they could not obtain the poisonous alcohol1 but could rise to respect and affluence--how would such an enterprise have been received8 ,suppose they had pledged themselves not to 'meddle' with the business of the traders in spirituous liquors1 or to injure the 'property' of distillers1 and had dwelt upon the folly and danger of 'immediate' abstinence1 and had denounced the advocates of this doctrine as madmen and fanatics1 and had endeavored1 moreover1 to suppress inquiry into the lawfulness of rum-selling--how many importers1 makers and venders of the liquid poison would have abandoned their occupation1 or how many of the four hundred thousand individuals1 who are now enrolled under the banner of entire abstinence1 would have been united in this great enterprise8 ,suppose1 further1 that1 in a lapse of fifteen years1 this association had transported two thousand drunkards1 and the tide of intemperance had continued to rise higher and higher1 and some faithful watchmen had given the alarm and showed the fatal delusion which rested upon the land1 and the ,society should have defended itself by pointing to the two thousand sots who had been saved by its instrumentality--would the public attention have been successfully diverted from the immense evil to the partial good8 ,suppose1 once more1 that this ,society1 composed indiscriminately of rum-sellers and sober1 pious men1 on being charged with perpetuating the evils of intemperance1 with removing only some of the fruits thereof instead of the tree itself1 should have indignantly repelled the charge1 and said--',we are as much opposed to drunkenness1 and as heartily deprecate its existence1 as any of our violent1 fanatical opposers2 but the holders of ardent spirit have invested their capital in it1 and to destroy its sale would invade the right of property2 policy at least1 bids us not to assail their conduct1 as otherwise we might exasperate them1 and so lose their aid in colonizing the tipplers4' ,what would have been accomplished8 ,but no such logic was used3 the duty of immediate reform was constantly pressed upon the people1 and a mighty reform took place4 ,colonizationists boast inordinately of having emancipated three or four hundred slaves by their scheme1 and contemptuously inquire of abolitionists1 ',what have you effected8' ,many persons have been deceived by this show of success1 and deem it conclusive evidence of the usefulness of the ,colonization ,society4 ,but1 in the first place1 it is very certain that none of these slaves were liberated in consequence of the faithful appeals of the ,society to the consciences of the masters2 for it has never troubled their consciences by any such appeals4 ,secondly1 it is obvious that these manumissions are the fruits of the uncompromising doctrines of abolitionists2 for they are calculated to bring slaveholders to repentance1 and they will yet liberate other slaves to be caught up and claimed by the ,society as trophies of its success4 ,thirdly1 it has been shown that while this ,society 7allowing it the utmost that it claims7 is effecting very little and very doubtful good1 it is inflicting upon the nation great and positive evil1 by refusing to arraign the oppressors at the bar of eternal justice1 and by obstructing the formation of abolition societies4 ,it rivets a thousand fetters where it breaks one4 ,it annually removes1 on an average1 two hundred of our colored population1 whereas the annual increase is about seventy thousand4 ,it releases some scores of slaves1 and says to the owners of more than two millions--',hold on6 don't emancipate too fast6' ,what have the abolitionists done8 ,they have done more1 during the past year1 to overthrow the system of slavery1 than has been accomplished by the gradualists in half a century4 ,they have succeeded in fastening the attention of the nation upon its enormities1 and in piercing the callous consciences of the planters4 ,they are reforming and consolidating public opinion1 dispelling the mists of error1 inspiring the hearts of the timid1 enlightening the eyes of the blind1 and disturbing the slumbers of the guilty4 ,colonizationists gather a few leaves which the tree has cast off1 and vaunt of the deed3 abolitionists 'lay the axe at once to its roots1 and put their united nerve into the steel'--nor shall their strokes be in vain--for soon shall 'this great poison-tree of lust and blood1 and of all abominable and heartless iniquity1 fall before them2 and law and love1 and ,god and man1 shout victory over its ruin4' ,has the reader duly considered the fatal admissions of the advocates of the colonization scheme1 presented in the preceding pages8 ,some of them it may be serviceable to the cause of truth and justice to recapitulate4 #a4 ,the ,society does not aim directly at the instruction of the blacks3 their moral1 intellectual and political improvement within the ,united ,states1 is foreign to its powers4 #b4 ,the public safety forbids either the emancipation or the general instruction of the slaves4 #c4 ,the ,society properly enough stands aloof from the question of slavery4 #d4 ,it is ready to pass censure upon abolition societies4 #e4 ,it involves no intrusion on property1 nor even upon prejudice4 #f4 ,it has no wish1 if it could1 to interfere in the smallest degree with the system of slavery4 #g4 ,it acknowledges the necessity by which the present continuance of the system and the rigorous provisions for its maintenance are justified4 #h4 ,it denies the design of attempting emancipation either partial or general3 into its accounts the subject of emancipation does not enter at all3 it has no intention to open the door to universal liberty4 #i4 ,the rights of masters are to remain sacred in the eyes of the ,society4 #aj4 ,it condemns no man because he is a slaveholder4 ,each of these particulars deserves a volume of comments1 but ,i am compelled to dismiss them in rotation with a single remark4 #a4 ,one reason assigned by the ,society for refusing to promote the education of our colored population1 is1 a dread of exciting 'the prejudices and terrors of the slaveholding ,states'6 ,is it credible8 ,as far1 then1 as this ,society extends its influence1 more than two millions of ignorant1 degraded beings in this boasted land of liberty and light have nothing to hope3 their moral1 intellectual and political improvement is foreign to its powers6 ,cruel neglect6 barbarous coalition6 ,a sinful fear of rousing the prejudices of oppressors outweighs the claims of the contemned blacks1 the requirements of the gospel1 the dictates of humanity1 and the convictions of duty4 ,will this plea avail aught at the bar of ,god8 ,millions of our countrymen purposely kept in darkness1 although we are able to pour daylight upon their vision1 merely to gratify and protect their buyers and sellers6 #b4 ,there never was a more abominable or more absurd heresy propagated1 than the assumption that the public safety would be jeoparded by an immediate compliance with the demands of justice3 yet it has obtained among all orders of society4 ,even ministers of the gospel1 who are bound to cry aloud1 and spare not1--to lift up their voices like a trumpet1 and show this guilty nation its sins1--to say to the holders of slaves1 ',loose the bands of wickedness1 undo the heavy burdens1 let the oppressed go free1 and break every yoke1'--even they fly to this subterfuge1 and deprecate a general emancipation4 ,on this subject1 'they know not what they do2' they reason like madmen or atheists2 they advance sentiments which unhinge the moral government of the universe1 and directly encourage the commission of the most heinous crimes4 ,how long would any one of their number retain his situation1 if he were to preach in explicit terms to his congregation as follows8--',my dear hearers1 if any among you are daily oppressing the weak1 or defrauding the poor1 do not cease from your robbery and cruelty at once1 as you value your own happiness and the welfare of society6 ,relax your tyrannous grasp gradually from the throat of your neighbor1 and steal not quite so much from him this year as you did the last6'--,but they emphatically hold this language whenever they advise slaveholders not to repent en masse1 or too hastily4 ,the public safety1 they say1 forbids emancipation6 or1 in other words1 the public safety depends upon your persistance in cheating1 whipping1 starving1 debasing your slaves6 ,nay1 more--many of them1 horrible to tell1 are traffickers in human flesh6 ',for this thing which it cannot bear1 the earth is disquieted4 ,the gospel of peace and mercy preached by him who steals1 buys and sells the purchase of ,messiah's blood6--rulers of the church making merchandize of their brethren's souls6--and ,christians trading the persons of men6',i #c4 ,the system of slavery is full of danger1 outrage1 desolation and death--'a volcano in full operation'--a monster that is annually supplied with sixty thousand new victims1 devoured as soon as born--and yet the ,colonization ,society 'properly enough stands aloof' from it66 ,it utters no lamentations--makes no supplications--gives no rebukes--presents no motives for repentance6 #d4 ,the ,society is not only ready to pass1 but it is constantly bestowing its censure upon abolition societies4 ,it represents their members as guided by a visionary1 wild and fanatical spirit1 as invaders of rights which are sacred1 incendiaries1 disturbers of the peace of society1 and enemies to the safety and happiness of the planters4 ,determining itself to avoid the question of emancipation--to leave millions of human beings to pine in bondage without exposing the guilt of the oppressors--it endeavors to prevent any other association agitating the subject4 ,hence between colonization and abolition societies there is no affinity of feeling or action2 and hence arises the cause1 inexplicable to many1 why they cannot pursue their objects amicably together4 #e4 ,the attempt of the ,society to conciliate the holders of slaves must result either in disappointment1 or in an abandonment of the path of duty4 ,if they are guilty of robbery and oppression1 they must be arraigned as criminals1 or they never will reform3 for why should honest1 benevolent men change their conduct8 ,if1 through a false delicacy of feeling or cringing policy1 their wickedness be covered up1 alas for the slaves1 and alas for the regeneration of the south6 all hope is lost4 #f4 ,the ,society has no wish1 if it could1 to interfere with the system of slavery6 ,monstrous indifference1 or barbarous cruelty6 ,and yet it presumes to occupy the whole ground of the controversy1 and to direct the actions of the friends of the blacks throughout the land6 ,by the phrase 'interfere1' is meant no desire to contest the claims of the planters to their bondmen1 or to kindle the indignation of the people against their atrocious practices4 #g4 ,it appears that all those terrible enactments which have been made for the government of the slaves--such1 for example1 as forbid their learning to read under the penalty of stripes1 and even death--are acknowledged by the ,society to be necessary for the maintenance of order6 ,what a concession6 #h4 ,sometimes we are told that the ,society is aiming at the liberation of all the slaves1 and then that it has no design of attempting either partial or general emancipation3 so contradictory are its assurances6 ,it is manifest that it does not mean to touch the question of slavery2 and hence the imperious necessity of forming abolition societies4 #i4 ,the rights of masters are to remain sacred in the eyes of the ,society6 ,what rights8 ,those by which the intelligent creatures of ,god are bought and sold and used like cattle8 those which are founded upon piracy1 cruelty and outrage8,j ,yes6 ,this1 then1 is an abandonment of the ground of right and justice1 and ends the controversy between truth and error4 #aj4 ,it condemns no man because he is a slaveholder6 ,certainly1 then1 it allows that slaveholders are upright men--not guilty of fraud--not oppressors--not extortioners6 and that the slaves are truly and justly their property--not entitled to freedom--not better than cattle--not conscious of evil treatment--not worthy of remuneration for their toil--not rational and accountable beings6 ,,footnotes3 ,h ,the term evil is used here in a criminal sense4 ,i know that colonizationists regard slavery as an evil2 but an evil which has been entailed upon this land1 for the existence of which we are no more to blame than for the prevalence of plague or famine4 ,i ',if the most guilty and daring transgressor be sought1 he is a ,gospel ,minister1 who solemnly avows his belief of the ,presbyterian ,confession of ,faith1 or the ,methodist ,discipline1 and notwithstanding himself is a ,negro ,pedler1 who steals1 buys1 sells1 and keeps his brethren in slavery1 or supports by his taciturnity1 or his smooth prophesying1 or his direct defence1 the ,christian professor who unites in the kidnapping trade4 ,truth forces the declaration1 that every church officer1 or member1 who is a slaveholder1 records himself1 by his own creed1 a hypocrite6' 99 99 ',to pray and kidnap6 to commune and rob men's all6 to preach justice1 and steal the laborer with his recompense6 to recommend mercy to others1 and exhibit cruelty in our own conduct6 to explain religious duties1 and ever impede the performance of them6 to propound the example of ,christ and his ,apostles1 and declare that a slaveholder imitates them6 to enjoin an observance of the ,lord's day1 and drive the slaves from the temple of ,god6 to inculcate every social affection1 and instantly exterminate them6 to expatiate upon bliss eternal1 and preclude sinners from obtaining it6 to unfold the woes of ,tophet1 and not drag men from its fire6 are the most preposterous delusion1 and the most consummate mockery4' 99 99 99 ',the ,church of ,god groans4 ,it is the utmost ,satanic delusion to talk of religion and slavery4 ,be not deceived3 to affirm that a slaveholder is a genuine disciple of ,jesus ,christ1 is most intelligible contradiction4 ,a brother of ,him who went about doing good1 and steal1 enslave1 torment1 starve and scourge a man because his skin is of a different tinge6 ,such ,christianity is the ,devil's manufacture to delude souls to the regions of wo4'--,,rev4 ,,george ,,bourne4 ,j ',we are told not to meddle with vested rights3 ,i have a sacred feeling about vested rights2 but when vested rights become vested wrongs1 ,i am less scrupulous about them4'--,speech of ,rev4 ,mr4 ,burnett1 of ,england4 ,,section ,,ii4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,apologises ,,for ,,slavery ,,and ,,slaveholders4 ,my charges against the ,american ,colonization ,society acquire breadth and solemnity as ,i progress in my task4 ,i have fairly and abundantly sustained my first1--that the ,society is not the enemy of the slave-system2 and ,i now proceed to prove my second1--that it apologises for slavery and slaveholders4 ',there is a golden mean1 which all who would pursue the solid interest and reputation of their country may discern at the very heart of their confederation1 and will both advocate and enforce--a principle1 of justice1 conciliation and humanity--a principle1 sir1 which is not inconsistent with itself1 and yet can sigh over the degradation of the slave1 defend the wisdom and prudence of the ,south against the charge of studied and pertinacious cruelty1' c4--,address of ,robert ,f4 ,stockton1 ,esq4 at the ,eighth ,annual ,meeting of the ,parent ,society4 ',it is a fact1 given us on the most unquestionable authority1 that there are now in the southern ,states of our union1 hundreds1 and even thousands of proprietors1 who would gladly give liberty to their slaves1 but are deterred by the apprehension of doing injury to their country1 and perhaps to the slaves themselves4'--,discourse by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,dana4--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #ade4 ',guarding that system1 the existence of which1 though unfortunate1 ,,they ,,deem ,,necessary4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #bbg4 ',we all know from a variety of considerations which it is unnecessary to name1 and in consequence of the policy which is obliged to be pursued in the southern ,states1 that it is extremely difficult to free a slave1 and hence the enactment of those laws which a fatal necessity seems to demand4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ab4 ',they are convinced1 that there are now hundreds of masters who are so only from necessity4'--,memorial of the ,society to the several ,states4--,a4 ,r4 vol4 ii4 p4 #fj4 ',i do not condemn1 let me be understood1 their detention in bondage under the circumstances which are yet existing4'--',the ,colonization ,society ,vindicated4'--,idem1 vol4 iii4 p4 #bja4 ',a third point in which the first promoters of this object were united1 is1 that few individual slaveholders can1 in the present state of things1 emancipate their slaves if they would4 ,there is a certain relation between the proprietor of slaves and the beings thus thrown upon him1 which is far more complicated1 and far less easily dissolved1 than a mind unacquainted with the subject is ready to imagine4 ,the relation is one which1 where it exists1 grows out of the very structure of society1 and for the existence of which1 the master is ordinarily as little accountable as the slave4' ',he the planter looks around him and sees that the condition of the great mass of emancipated ,africans is one in comparison with which the condition of his slaves is enviable2--and he is convinced that if he withdraws from his slaves his authority1 his support1 his protection1 and leaves them to shift for themselves1 he turns them out to be vagabonds1 and paupers1 and felons1 and to find in the work-house and the penitentiary1 the home which they ought to have retained on his paternal acres4--,hundreds of humane and ,christian slaveholders retain their fellow-men in bondage1 because they are convinced that they can do no better4'--,address of the ,managers of the ,colonization ,society of ,connecticut4--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 iv4 pp4 #aai1 #abj4 ',i ,,am ,,not ,,complaining ,,of ,,the ,,owners ,,of ,,slaves2 they cannot get rid of them4--,i do not doubt that masters treat their slaves with kindness1 nor that the slaves are happier than they could be if set free in this country4'--,address delivered before the ,hampden ,col4 ,soc41 ,july #dth1 #ahbh1 by ,wm4 ,b4 ,o4 ,peabody1 ,esq4 ',policy1 and even the voice of humanity forbade the progress of manumission2 and the salutary hand of law came forward to co-operate with our convictions1 and to arrest the flow of our feelings1 and the ardor of our desires4'--,review of the ,report of the ,committee of ,foreign ,relations4--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 iv4 p4 #bfh4 ',when an owner of slaves tells me that he will freely relinquish his slaves1 or even that he will relinquish one-half of their value1 on condition that he be compensated for the other half1 and provision be made for their transportation1 ,i feel that he has made a generous proposal1 and ,i cannot charge him with all the guilt of slavery1 though he may continue to be a slaveholder4'--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 v4 p4 #fc4 ',even slavery must be viewed as a great national calamity2 a public evil entailed upon us by untoward circumstances1 and perpetuated for the want of appropriate remedies4'--,idem1 vol4 v4 p4 #hi4 ',slavery is an evil which is entailed upon the present generation of slaveholders1 which they must suffer1 whether they will or not4'--,idem1 p4 #agi4 ',our brethren of the ,south1 have the same sympathies1 the same moral sentiments1 the same love of liberty as ourselves4 ,by them as by us1 slavery is felt to be an evil1 a hindrance to our prosperity1 and a blot upon our character4 ,but it was in being when they were born1 and has been forced upon them by a previous generation4'--,address of ,rev4 ,dr4 ,nott4--,idem1 p4 #bgg4 ',with a writer in the ,southern ,review we say1 the situation of the people of these ,states was not of their choosing4 ,when they came to the inheritance1 it was subject to this mighty incumbrance1 and it would be criminal in them to rain or waste the estate1 to get rid of the burden at once4 ,with this writer we add also1 in the language of ,captain ,hall1 that the slaveholders ought not 7immediately7 to disentangle themselves from the obligations which have devolved upon them1 as the masters of slaves4 ,we believe that a master may sustain his relation to the slave1 with as little criminality as the slave sustains his relation to the master4' 99 99 99 ',slavery1 in its mildest form1 is an evil of the darkest character4 ,cruel and unnatural in its origin1 no plea can be urged in justification of its continuance but the plea of necessity4'--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 v4 pp4 #cbi1 #ccd4 ',how much more consistent and powerful would be our example1 but for that population within our limits1 whose condition 7necessary condition1 ,i will not deny7 is so much at war with our institutions1 and with that memorable national ,declaration--that all men are created equal4'--,fourteenth ,ann4 ,report4 ',it the ,society condemns no man because he is a slaveholder4' 99 99 99 ',they abolitionists confound the misfortunes of one generation with the crimes of another1 and would sacrifice both individual and public good to an unsubstantial theory of the rights of man4'--,a4 ,r4 vol4 vii4 pp4 #bjj1 #bjb4 ',many thousand individuals in our native ,state1 you well know1 ,mr ,president1 are restrained1 said ,mr ,mercer1 from manumitting their slaves1 as you and ,i are1 by the melancholy conviction1 that they cannot yield to the suggestions of humanity1 without manifest injury to their country4' 99 99 99 ',the laws of ,virginia now discourage1 and very wisely1 perhaps1 the emancipation of slaves4'--,speech of ,mr ,mercer4--,first ,annual ,report4 ',we are ready even to grant1 for our present purpose1 that1 so far as mere animal existence is concerned1 the slaves have no reason to complain1 and the friends of humanity have no reason to complain for them4' 99 99 99 ',there are men in the southern states1 who long to do something effectual for the benefit of their slaves1 and would gladly emancipate them1 did not prudence and compassion alike forbid such a measure4'--,review of the ,reports of the ,society1 from the ,christian ,spectator4--,seventh ,annual ,report4 ',such unhappily is the case2 but there is a necessity for it1 for oppressive laws1 and so long as they remain amongst us will that necessity continue4'--,ninth ,annual ,report4 ',i ,,may ,,be ,,permitted ,,to ,,declare ,,that ,i ,,would ,,be ,a ,,slaveholder ,,to-,,day ,,without ,,scruple4'--,fourteenth ,annual ,report4 ',for the existence of slavery in the ,united ,states1 those1 and those only1 are accountable who bore a part in originating such a constitution of society4 ,the bible contains no explicit prohibition of slavery4 ,there is neither chapter nor verse of holy writ1 which lends any countenance to the fulminating spirit of universal emancipation1 of which some exhibitions may be seen in some of the newspapers4' 99 99 99 ',the embarrassment which many a philanthropic proprietor has felt in relation to his slaves1 has been but little known at the north1 and has had but little sympathy4 ,he finds himself the lord of perhaps a hundred human beings2 and is anxious to do them all the good in his power4 ,he would emancipate them2 but if he does1 their prospect of happiness can hardly be said to be improved by the change4 ,some half a dozen1 perhaps1 in the hundred1 become industrious and useful members of society2 and the rest are mere vagabonds1 idle1 wicked1 and miserable4' --,review on ,african ,colonization4--,vide the ,christian ,spectator for ,september1 #ahcj1 in which the reader will find an elaborate apology for the system of slavery1 and this1 too1 by a clergyman6 ',the existence of slavery among us1 though not at all to be objected to our southern brethren as a fault1 is yet a blot on our national character1 and a mighty drawback from our national strength4'--,second ,annual ,report of the ,n4 ,y4 ,state ,col4 ,soc4 ',entertaining these views of this fearful subject1 why should our opponents endeavor to prejudice our cause with our southern friends8 ,and we are the more anxious on this point1 for we sincerely entertain exalted notions of their sense of right1 of their manliness and independence of feeling--of their dignity of deportment--of their honorable and chivalric turn of thought1 which spurns a mean act as death4 ,and if ,i was allowed to indulge a personal feeling1 ,i would say that there is something to my mind in the candor1 hospitality and intelligence of the ,south1 which charms and captives1 which wins its way to the heart and gives assurance of all that is upright1 honorable1 and humane4 ,there is no people that treat their slaves with so little cruelty and with so much kindness4 ,there is nothing in the condition of slavery more congenial with the feelings of the ,south than with the feelings of the ,north4 ,philanthropy and benevolence flourish with as much vigor with them as with us--their hearts are as warm as ours--they feel for the distresses of others with as much acuteness as we do--their ears are as open to the calls of charity as ours--they as deeply regret as we do the existence of slavery--and oh6 how their hearts would thrill with delight1 if the mighty incubus could be removed without injury or destruction to every thing around them4'--,speech of ,james ,s4 ,green1 ,esq4 on the same occasion4 ',many of the best citizens of our land are holders of slaves1 and hold them ,,in ,,strict ,,accordance ,,with ,,the ,,principles ,,of ,,humanity ,,and ,,justice4'--,rev4 ,thomas ,t4 ,skillman1 editor of the ,western ,luminary1 an ardent supporter of the ,col4 ,soc4 ',it is a very common impression that a principal evil of the condition of the southern blacks1 is the severity of their treatment4 ,,this ,,is ,,an ,,error4 ,it is almost every where disreputable to treat slaves with severity2 and though there are indeed exceptions1 yet in most cases in the ,south1 even tyranny itself could not long withstand the reproaches of public opinion4 ,a ,,still ,,greater ,,and ,,more ,,dangerous ,,evil1 ,,is ,,the ,,very ,,reverse4 ,it is indulgence2 not only in such things as are proper and innocent1 but in indolent habits and vicious propensities4' --,from an address prepared for the use of those who advocate the cause of the ,african ,education ,society at ,washington--a ,society which educates none but those who consent to remove to ,liberia4 ',how should a benevolent ,virginian1 in view of the fact1 that out of thirty-seven thousand free people of color in his ,state1 only two hundred were proprietors of land1 how should he be in favor of general emancipation8 ,but1 show him1 that if he will emancipate his slaves1 there is a way in which he can without doubt improve their condition1 while he rids himself of a grievous burden1 and he will promptly obey the demands of justice--he will then feel that his generous wishes can with certainty be fulfilled4 ,while he knows that scarcely any thing is done to meliorate the condition of those now free1 and reflects on the many obstacles in the way of doing it in this land1 he feels bound by a regard to what he owes himself--his children--his country1 and even his slaves themselves1 not to emancipate them4 ,for he is sure1 that1 by emancipation1 he will only add to the wretchedness of the one1 and at the same time put at imminent hazard the dearest interests of the other4 ,thus he is forced to refrain from manumission1 and not only so1 but against all his benevolent inclinations1 he is forced to co-operate with his fellow-citizens in sustaining the present system of slavery4 ,he would most cheerfully follow the impulse of his noblest feelings--he would remove the curse which the short-sighted policy of his fathers entailed upon him2 but he cannot disregard the first law of nature2 especially not1 when1 were he to do it1 he would render the curse still more calamitous in its consequences4'--,an advocate of the ,colonization ,society in the ,middletown 7,connecticut7 ,gazette4 ',slavery is indeed a curse2 and bitter is the lot of him who is born with slaves on his hands4 ,and now1 instead of denouncing as inhuman and unmerciful monsters and tyrants1 those who are thus unfortunate1 ,i say1 let the commiseration and pity of every good citizen and christian in the land be excited1 and let fervent prayers be offered in their behalf1 and that ,god would direct the whole ,american mind to the adoption of the most effectual measures for the accomplishment of the total abolition of slavery4'--,new-,haven ,religious ,intelligencer for ,july #af1 #ahca4 ',special reference will also be had to the condition and wishes of the slave ,states4 ,in most of them it is a prevailing sentiment1 that it is not safe to furnish slaves with the means of instruction4 ,much as we lament the reasons for this sentiment1 and the apparent necessity of keeping a single fellow creature in ignorance1 we willingly leave to others the consideration and the remedy of this evil1 in view of the overwhelming magnitude of the remaining objects before us4'--,address of the ,board of ,managers of the ,african ,education ,society of the ,united ,states4 ',and when we of ,new-,england did emancipate our slaves1 we were driven to the measure by the force of example2 and we did not do it until it was found quite convenient2 and then what provision was made for the poor blacks8 ,let our ,state ,prison records answer the question4 ,our ,southern brethren have been more kind3 they will not emancipate them until they send them where they can enjoy liberty1 more than in name4 ,as a ,northern man ,i feel it my duty1 and ,i take pleasure in giving the meed of praise to my ,southern brethren4'--,speech of ,rev4 ,mr ,gallaudet1 at a colonization meeting in ,new-,york city4 ',the slave works for his master1 who feeds and clothes him1 defends him from harm1 and takes care of him when he is sick4 ,the free colored man works for himself1 and has nobody to take care of him but himself4' --,from a little colonization work1 published in ,baltimore in #ahbh1 'for the use of the ,african ,schools in the ,united ,states'66 entitled ',a ,voice from ,africa4' ',the slaveholder will tell you1 that he did not take liberty from the ,african--he was a slave when he found him1 and he is no more than a slave yet4 ,the man who owns one hundred acres of land more than he can cultivate himself1 is as much a slaveholder as he who owns a slave4'--,an advocate of colonization in the ,richmond 7,indiana7 ,palladium for ,oct4 #a1 #ahca4 ',i ,,do ,,not ,,mean ,,to ,,speak ,,of ,,slavery ,,as ,a ,,system ,,of ,,cruelty ,,and ,,of ,,suffering4 ,on this point ,i am free to say1 from personal observation and occasional residences for some years at the ,south1 there has been much misapprehension among our fellow-citizens of the ,north4 ,and ,i rejoice to add1 that the condition of the slaves generally is such as the friends of humanity have no reason to complain of4'--,oration delivered at ,newark1 ,n4 ,j4 ,july #dth1 #ahca1 by ,gabriel ,p4 ,disosway1 ,esq4 ',slavery1 it is true1 is an evil--a national evil4 ,every laudable effort to exterminate it should be encouraged4 ,and we presume that nine-tenths of the slaveholders themselves1 would rejoice at the event1 could it be accomplished1 of the entire freedom from the country of every person of color1 and would willingly relinquish every slave in their possession4 ,but the slaves are in their possession--they are entailed upon them by their ancestors4 ,and can they set them free1 and still suffer them to remain in the country8 ,would this be policy8 ,would it be safe8 ,no4 ,when they can be transported to the soil from whence they were derived--by the aid of the ,colonization ,society1 by ,government1 by individuals1 or by any other means--then let them be emancipated1 and not before4'--,lowell 7,mass47 ,telegraph4 ,it is a self-evident proposition1 that just so far as you alleviate the pressure of guilt upon the consciences of evil doers1 you weaken the power of motive to repent1 and encourage them to sin with impunity4 ,to descant upon the wrongs of the slave-system1 and yet exonerate the supporters of it from reprehension1 is to deal in absurdities3 we might preach in this manner until the crack of doom1 and never gain a convert4 ,paradoxes may amuse1 but they never convince the mind4 ,now1 ,i defy the most ingenious advocates of perpetual slavery to produce stronger arguments in its favor than are given in the foregoing extracts4 ,what better plea could they make8 what higher justification could they need8 ,nay1 these apologies of colonizationists represent oppression not merely as innocent1 but even commendable--as a system of benevolence1 upheld by philanthropists and sages6 ',i do not condemn the detention of the slaves in bondage under the circumstances which are yet existing1' says an advocate2 by which consolatory avowal we are taught that the criminality of man-stealing depends upon circumstances1 and not upon the fact that it is a daring violation of the rights of man and the laws of ,god4 ',the planter sees that the condition of the great mass of emancipated ,africans is one1 in comparison with which the condition of his slaves is enviable1' assert the ,board of ,managers6--a concession which transforms robbery into generosity1 cruelty into mercy1 and leads the slaveholder to believe that1 instead of deserving censure1 his conduct is really meritorious6--a concession which is at war with common sense1 and contrary to truth4 ',i am not complaining of the owners of slaves--,i do not doubt that the slaves are happier than they could be if set free in this country1' declares an apologist1 even in ,massachusetts6 ,stripes and servitude would doubtless soon alter his opinion4 ,with him1 to sell human beings at public auction1 and to separate husbands and wives1 and children and parents1 is not a subject of complaint6 and to be a slave1 to be fed upon a peck of corn per week1 unable to possess property1 liable to be torn from the partner of his bosom and children at a moment's warning mal-treated worse than a brute1 c4 c4 c4 is more desirable than to be a free man1 able to acquire wealth1 unrestricted in his movements1 from whom none may wrest his wife or children1 and who can find redress for any outrage upon his person or property6 ',policy1 and even humanity1' cries another1 'forbid the progress of manumission'6 ,indeed6 ,but is it right to hold our fellow creatures as chattels1 and to perpetuate their ignorance and servitude8 ,o no6 this is wrong1 but it would be a greater wrong to emancipate them6 ,is this folly or villany8 ,to oppress our brother is wrong1 but to cease from oppressing him would not be right6 ',i would be a slaveholder to-day without scruple1' says another advocate4 ',many owners of slaves1' another declares1 'hold them in strict accordance with the principles of humanity and justice'666 ,yes1 to deprive men of their inalienable rights is to do unto them as we would have them do unto us6 ,finally1 another boldly declares that the slaves are treated too indulgently6--,the laws which regard them as beasts1 but punish them for the commission of crime as severely as if they possessed the knowledge of angels1 he must suppose are too lenient4 ,their allowance of corn is too liberal2 they ought not to wear any raiment2 to sleep in their wretched huts is calculated to make them effeminate--the open field is a more suitable place for cattle2 no religious instruction should be granted even orally to them6 ,the slaves1 as a body1 too kindly treated6 ,the ,lord have compassion upon any of their number who shall come under the control of him who holds this opinion6 ,sentiments1 like these1 act upon the consciences of slave owners like opiates upon the body1 lulling them into a slumber as profound and fatal as death4 ,it were almost as hopeless a task to attempt to arouse1 alarm and animate them1 so long as they repose under the stupefying effects of this poison1 as to raise the dead4 ,this must not be4 ,slaveholders are the enemies of ,god and man2 their garments are red with the blood of souls2 their guilt is aggravated beyond the power of language to describe2 and they must be made to see and realise their awful condition4 ,truth must send its arrows into their consciences1 and ,terror rouse them to exertion1 and ,conviction bring them upon their knees1 and ,repentance propitiate the anger of ,heaven1 or they perish by the sword4 ,the slaves must be free2 and ,he who is no respecter of person is now holding out to us this alternative--either to wait until they burst their chains and wade through a river of blood to freedom1 or to liberate them willingly ourselves4 ,can we hesitate in our choice8 ,be this our only reply to those who apologise for the oppressors1 and fix the standard of policy higher than that of duty3 ',wo unto them that call evil good1 and good evil2 that put darkness for light1 and light for darkness2 that put bitter for sweet1 and sweet for bitter6 ,wo unto them that are wise in their own eyes1 and prudent in their own sight6 which justify the wicked for reward1 and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him6' ,,section ,,iii4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,recognises ,,slaves ,,as ,,property4 ,the heresies of this combination are flagrant and numerous4 ,a larger volume than this is needed to define and illustrate them all4 ,much important evidence1 and many pertinent reflections1 ,i am compelled to suppress4 ,my next allegation against it is1 that it recognises slaves as property4 ,this recognition is not merely technical1 or strictly confined to a statutable interpretation4 ,i presume the advocates of the ,society will attempt to evade this point1 by saying that it never meant to concede the moral right of the masters to possess human beings2 but the evidence against them is full and explicit4 ,the ,society1 if language mean any thing1 does unequivocally acknowledge property in slaves to be as legitimate and sacred as any other property1 of which to deprive the owners either by force or by legislation1 without making restitution1 would be unjust and tyrannical4 ,here is the proof3 ',it interferes in no wise with the rights of property4' 99 99 ',it is utterly opposed to any measures which might infringe upon the rights of property4' 99 99 ',we hold their slaves as we hold their other property1 ,,sacred4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 pp4 #ci1 #bbe1 #bhc4 ',does this ,society wish to meddle with our slaves as our rightful property8 ,i answer no1 ,i think not4' 99 99 ',the ,society cannot be justly charged with aiming to disturb the rights of property or the peace of society4' 99 99 ',it seeks to affect no man's property4' 99 99 ',to found in ,africa1 an empire of christians and republicans2 to reconduct the blacks to their native land1 without disturbing the order of society1 the laws of property1 or the rights of individuals1' c4--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #ac1 #eh1 #ccd1 #cge4 ',they are also convinced1 that the ,society have conducted their operations with so much prudence1 as to give no cause of alarm to the holders of slaves1 for the security of this property4'--,african ,repository1 volume iii4 p4 #cda4 ',the rights of masters are to remain sacred in the eyes of the ,society4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iv4 p4 #bgd4 ',the ,society has never interfered1 and has no disposition to interfere with the rights of private property4' 99 99 ',the alarm for the rights of property appears to have subsided1 and the ,society is no longer charged with any sinister or insidious design4 ,it has constantly disclaimed any intention of disturbing the rights of others2 and its conduct entitles its declaration to credit4' 99 99 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society has1 at all times1 solemnly disavowed any purpose of interference with the institutions or rights of our ,southern communities4' 99 99 ',our friends1 who are cursed with this greatest of human evils 7slavery7 deserve our kindest attention and consideration4 ,their property and safety are both involved4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 v4 pp4 #bae1 #bda1 #cjg1 #ccd4 ',it has constantly disclaimed all intention whatever of interfering1 in the smallest degree1 with the rights of property4' 99 99 ',the ,society1 from considerations like these1 whilst it disclaims the remotest idea of ever disturbing the right of property in slaves1' c4 99 99 ',it is not the object of this ,society to liberate slaves1 or touch the rights of property4' 99 99 ',honorable instances might be adduced of disinterested benevolence on the part of the owners of slaves1 and of their sacrificing property to a large amount1 in their enfranchisement and restoration to the land of their ancestors4' 99 99 ',the ,american ,society has disclaimed from the first moment of its institution1 all intention of interfering with rights of property4' 99 99 ',the federal government has no control over this subject3 it concerns rights of property secured by the federal compact1 upon which our civil liberties mainly depend2 it is a part of the same collection of political rights2 and any invasion of it would impair the tenure by which every other is held4' 99 99 ',it is equally plain and undeniable1 that the ,society in the prosecution of this work1 has never interfered or evinced even a disposition to interfere in any way with the rights of proprietors of slaves4' 99 99 ',the slaveholder1 so far from having just cause to complain of the ,colonization ,society1 has reason to congratulate himself1 that in this ,institution a channel is opened up1 in which the public feeling and public action can flow on1 without doing violence to his rights4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vi4 pp4 #ac1 #fi1 #ha1 #aec1 #afe1 #afi1 #bje1 #cfc4 ',it was proper again and again to repeat1 that it was far from the intention of the ,society to affect1 in any manner1 the tenure by which a certain species of property is held4 ,he was himself a slaveholder2 and he considered that kind of property as inviolable as any other in the country4'--,speech of ,henry ,clay4--,first ,annual ,report4 ',your committee would not thus favorably regard the prayer of the memorialists1 if it sought to impair1 in the slightest degree1 the rights of private property4'--,report of the committee of the ,house of ,representatives of the ,united ,states1 on the memorial of the ,president and ,board of ,managers of the ,colonization ,society4--,second ,annual ,report4 ',the ,society has at all times recognised the constitutional and ,,legitimate existence of slavery4'--,tenth ,annual ,report4 ',the ,society protests that it has no designs on the rights of the master in the slave--or the property in his slave1 which the laws guarantee to him4'--,fourteenth ,annual ,report4 ',something he must yet be allowed to say1 as regarded the object the ,society was set up to accomplish4 ,this object1 if he understood it aright1 involved no intrusion on property1 ,,nor ,,even ,,upon ,,prejudice4'--,fifteenth ,annual ,report4 ',to the slaveholder1 who had charged upon them the wicked design of interfering with the ,,rights ,,of ,,property under the specious pretext of removing a vicious and dangerous free population1 they address themselves in a tone of conciliation and sympathy4 ,we know your rights1 say they1 and we respect them4' 99 99 ',equally absurd and false is the objection1 that this ,society seeks indirectly to disturb the rights of property1 and to interfere with the well established relation subsisting between master and slave4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #ajj1 #bbh4 ',i repeat1 that though not a slaveholder1 yet ,i think that every man ought to be protected in his property1 and as the laws of our country have decreed that negroes are property1 every person that holds a slave1 according to these laws1 ought to be protected4'--',a new and interesting ,view of ,slavery4' ,by ,humanitas1 a colonization advocate4 ,baltimore1 #ahbj4 ',we are made to disregard this description of property1 and to touch without reserve the rights of our neighbors4'--,proceedings of the ,first ,annual ,meeting of the ,new-,jersey ,colonization ,society4 ,thus the ,american ,colonization ,society shamelessly surrenders the claims of justice1 and leaves the enemies of oppression weaponless6 ,hence it rejects the proposition1 that man cannot hold property in man2 and we are called upon to prove that which is self-evident4 ,no accidental differences of condition or complexion--no vicissitudes of fortune--no reprisal or purchase or inheritance1 can justly make one individual the slave of another4 ,when ,god created man1 he gave him dominion over the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field2 but not over his fellow man4 ',all men are born free and equal1' and are 'made of one blood4' ,shall we look to wealth as giving one a title to the labor and freedom of another8 ,wealth is the creature of circumstances1 and not an arbitrary law of nature4 ,it takes to itself wings1 and flies away2 and he who is an opulent tyrant to-day1 may on this principle be an impoverished slave to-morrow4 ,does physical strength make valid this claim8 ,this1 too1 is evanescent3 sickness and age would ultimately degrade the most muscular tyrants to servitude2 and mankind would be composed of but two parties--the strong and the weak4 ,can high birth annul the rights of the lower classes8 ,there is no difference at their birth1 between the children of the beggar and those of the king4 ',we brought nothing into this world1' says an inspired apostle1 'and it is certain we can carry nothing out4' ,man is created a rational being2 and therefore he is a subject of moral government1 and accountable4 ,being rational and accountable1 he is bound to improve his mind and intellect4 ,with this design1 his ,creator has outstretched the heavens1 and set the sun in his course1 and hung out the burning jewels of the sky1 and spread abroad the green earth1 and poured out the seas1 that he might steadily progress in knowledge4 ,the slaves are men2 they were born1 then1 as free as their masters2 they cannot be property2 and he who denies them an opportunity to improve their faculties1 comes into collision with ,jehovah1 and incurs a fearful responsibility4 ,but we know that they are not treated like rational beings1 and that oppression almost entirely obliterates their sense of moral obligation to ,god or man4 ,i fully coincide in opinion with the authoress of a work entitled1 ',,immediate1 ,,not ,,gradual ,,abolition1' that the holder of a slave1 whether he obtained him by purchase or by inheritance1 is as guilty as the original thief4,k ,the wretch who stole him could by no possible means acquire or transmit the right to make a slave of him1 or to keep him in slavery4 ,he has a right to his liberty3--through whatever number of transfers the usurpation of it may have passed1 the right is undiminished4 ,no man1 says ,algernon ,sidney1 can have a right over others1 unless it be by them granted to him3 ,that which is not just1 is not law2 and that which is not law1 ought not to be in force3 ,whosoever grounds his pretensions of right upon usurpation and tyranny1 declares himself to be an usurper and a tyrant--that is1 an enemy to ,god and man--and to have no right at all3 ,that which was unjust in its beginning1 can of itself never change its nature3 ,,he ,,who ,,persists ,,in ,,doing ,,injustice1 ,,aggravates ,,it1 ,,and ,,takes ,,upon ,,himself ,,all ,,the ,,guilt ,,of ,,his ,,predecessors3 ,the right to be free is a truth planted in the hearts of men1 and acknowledged so to be by all who have hearkened to the voice of nature1 and disproved by none but such as through wickedness1 stupidity1 or baseness of spirit1 seem to have degenerated into the worst of beasts1 and to have retained nothing of men but the outward shape1 or the ability of doing those mischiefs which they have learnt from their master the devil4 ,the following is the indignant1 emphatic1 eloquent language of ,,henry ,,brougham1 on the subject of slave property3 ',tell me not of rights--talk not of the property of the planter in his slaves4 ,i ,,deny ,,the ,,right--,i ,,acknowledge ,,not ,,the ,,property4 ,the principles1 the feelings of our common 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 ,in vain you tell me of the laws that sanction such a claim6 ,there is a law above all the enactments of human codes--the same throughout the world1 the same in all times--such as it was before the daring genius of ,columbus pierced the night of ages1 and opened to one world the sources of power1 wealth and knowledge2 to another1 all unutterable woes2--such it is at this day3 it is the law written by the finger of ,god on the heart of man2 and by that law1 unchangeable and eternal1 while men despise fraud1 and loathe rapine1 and abhor blood1 they shall reject with indignation the wild and guilty fantasy1 that man can hold property in man6 ,in vain you appeal to treaties1 to covenants between nations4 ,the covenants of the ,almighty1 whether the old or the new1 denounce such unholy pretensions4 ,to those laws did they of old refer1 who maintained the ,african trade4 ,such treaties did they cite1 and not untruly2 for by one shameful compact1 you bartered the glories of ,blenheim for the traffic in blood4 ,yet1 in despite of law and of treaties1 that infernal traffic is now destroyed1 and its votaries put to death like other pirates4 ,how came this change to pass8 ,not assuredly by parliament leading the way2 but the country at length awoke2 the indignation of the people was kindled2 it descended in thunder1 and smote the traffic1 and scattered its guilty profits to the winds4 ,now1 then1 let the planters beware--let their assemblies beware--let the government at home beware--let the parliament beware6 the same country is once more awake1--awake to the condition of negro slavery2 the same indignation kindles in the bosom of the same people2 the same cloud is gathering that annihilated the slave trade2 and1 if it shall descend again1 they1 on whom its crash shall fall1 will not be destroyed before ,i have warned them2 but ,i pray that their destruction may turn away from us the more terrible judgments of ,god6' ,is this the language of fanaticism8 ,is ,henry ,brougham a madman8 ,the following extracts must close the evidence in support of my third allegation1 that the ,colonization ,society disregards the fundamental principle of human liberty and equality1 that man cannot hold property in man3 ',let me ask1 who can wish under existing circumstances that the constitution should be altered1 when it must bring with it a violation of property--and when that violation of private property must engender such hostility of feelings1 and elicit such bitter vituperation8 ,the whole ,union would feel a concussion1 and no one can count the costs of the contest4' 99 99 99 ',by means of our colony1 they may remove their slaves and restore them to freedom--and at the same time no way jeopardize the safety of themselves or their property4'--,proceedings of the ,first ,annual ,meeting of the ,new-,jersey ,colonization ,society4 ',the establishment of our colony will afford facilities to proprietors for completing in ,africa the exercise of the right which can only be partially exercised in this country1 of disposing of our property1 in our own way1 without injury to the community4'--,fourteenth ,annual ,report4 ,what audacity do those advocates of the ,society exhibit1 who use1 in reference to beings made a little lower than the angels1 language like this--'disposing of our property in our own way'--'we hold their slaves1 as we hold their other property1 ,,sacred'66,l ,if they really mean and believe what they say1 it is something more heinous than impertinence to urge the planters to dispossess themselves of their property by colonization2 and if the slaves belong of right to them1--are on a par with goods and chattels1--how idle1 how supremely ridiculous it is to mourn over their wretched condition1 to sigh for their emancipation1 to declaim against the evil and wickedness of slavery1 or even to denounce the slave trade6 ,but the unfortunate blacks are not now1 and never can be1 the property of the planters2 consequently the claims of their pretended owners are no better than those of the pirate or highway robber4 ,,footnotes3 ,k ,the owners of slaves are licensed robbers1 and not the just proprietors of what they claim3 freeing them is not depriving them of property1 but restoring it to the right owner2 it is suffering the unlawful captive to escape4 ,it is not wronging the master1 but doing justice to the slave1 restoring him to himself4 ,emancipation would only take away property that is its own property1 and not ours2 property that has the same right to possess us1 as we have to possess it2 property that has the same right to convert our children into dogs and calves and colts1 as we have to convert theirs into these beasts2 property that may transfer our children to strangers1 by the same right that we transfer theirs4--,rice4 ,l ',is there no difference between a vested interest in a house or a tenement1 and a vested interest in a human being8 ,no difference between a right to bricks and mortar1 and a right to the flesh of man--a right to torture his body and to degrade his mind at your good will and pleasure8 ,there is this difference1--the right to the house originates in law1 and is reconcilable to justice2 the claim 7for ,i will not call it a right7 to the man1 originated in robbery1 and is an outrage upon every principle of justice1 and every tenet of religion4'--,speech of ,fowell ,buxton in the ,british ,parliament4 ,,section ,,iv4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,increases ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,slaves4 ,i come now to my fourth charge1--which1 although not more serious or consequential than any of the foregoing1 may possibly create more surprise1--namely1 that the ,society increases the value of slaves1 and adds strength and security to the system of slavery4 ,it is the discovery of this fact that is so wonderfully1 and to many superficial observers so inexplicably1 increasing the popularity of the ,society at the south4 ,it would require more pages of this work than its necessarily contracted limits permit1 to sum up minutely the evidence on this point1 and to give those illustrations which might serve more clearly to establish its validity4 ,the most common1 as it is the most potent1 argument used by colonization agents among slave owners1 to secure their patronage1 is1--',the successful prosecution of our scheme will remove the chief source of danger to yourselves1 and enable you to hold your property in greater security3 the presence of free persons of color among your slaves is eminently calculated to make them insubordinate1 and to procure their violent emancipation4' ,this argument1 ,i say1 is introduced into every conversation1 and every public address1 and every essay2 and whoever carefully consults the numbers of the ,african ,repository1 through seven volumes1 will find it repeated in almost every appeal to the south4 ,i choose to consider the testimony of southern men1 in regard to the invigorating effects of the colonization enterprise upon the system of slavery1 conclusive4 ,here is a very small portion of it3 more may be found under the sixth section of this work4 ',the object of the ,colonization ,society commends itself to every class of society4 ,the landed proprietor may ,,enhance ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,his ,,property by assisting the enterprise4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #fg4 ',but is it not certain1 that should the people of the ,southern ,states refuse to adopt the opinions of the ,colonization ,society1 relative to the gradual abolition of slavery1 and continue to consider it both just and politic to leave1 untouched1 a system1 for the termination of which1 we think the whole wisdom and energy of the ,states should be put in requisition1 that they will ,,contribute ,,more ,,effectually ,,to ,,the ,,continuance ,,and ,,strength ,,of ,,this ,,system1 by removing those now free1 than by any or all other methods which can possibly be devised8 ,such has been the opinion expressed by ,southern gentlemen of the first talents and distinction4 ,eminent individuals have1 we doubt not1 lent their aid to this cause1 in expectation of at once accomplishing a generous and noble work for the objects of their patronage and for ,africa1 and ,,guarding ,,that ,,system1 the existence of which1 though unfortunate1 they deem necessary1 by separating from it those1 whose disturbing force augments its inherent vices1 and darkens all the repulsive attributes of its character4 ,in the decision of these individuals1 as to the effects of the ,colonization ,society1 we perceive no error of judgment3 ,,our ,,belief ,,is ,,the ,,same ,,as ,,theirs4'--,idem1 p4 #bbg4 ',,the ,,execution ,,of ,,its ,,scheme ,,would ,,augment ,,instead ,,of ,,diminishing ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,the ,,property ,,left ,,behind4'--,idem1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cdd4 ',the removal of every single free black in ,america1 would be productive of nothing but safety to the slaveholder1 nor would the emancipation of as many as the benevolence of individual masters would send off1 as far as ,i can see1 be productive of disaffection among the remainder1 more than the example of such as are every day set free1 and sent to the ,ohio or elsewhere2 and if so large a part should ever be set free as to create discontent among the remainder1 7and nothing but the emancipation of a great majority can do this17 yet that remainder must then1 from the terms of the proposition1 be so much diminished1 as to be easily kept down by superior numbers4'--,idem1 vol4 iii4 p4 #bjb4 ',the tendency of the scheme1 and one of its objects1 is to secure slaveholders and the whole ,southern country1 against certain evil consequences1 growing out of the present threefold mixture of our population4'--,idem1 vol4 iv4 p4 #bgd4 ',we all know the effects produced on our slaves by the fascinating1 but delusive appearance of happiness1 exhibited in persons of their own complexion1 roaming in idleness and vice among them4 ,by removing the most fruitful source of discontent from among our slaves1 we should render them more industrious and attentive to our commands2 and by rendering them more industrious and obedient1 we should naturally secure their better treatment--we should ameliorate their condition4 ,our enemies have admitted that good would result from the removal of this class4 ,caius ,gracchus declares1 that if the ,society could attain this single object in good faith1 7the removal of the free people of color7 he should1 perhaps1 be among the last citizens in the commonwealth--who would raise his voice against it1 and the author of the ,crisis 7who is doubtless regarded as authority in ,south ,carolina7 acknowledges1 that there is no doubt but that if we in the ,south1 were relieved of this population1 it would be better for our southern cities1 where they principally reside4 ,nothing can be more plain then1 than that the ,colonization ,society1 in its efforts to remove the free people of color1 is accomplishing a work to which the citizens of the ,south1 whether friends or foes to the ,society1 have given their decided approbation4'--,idem1 vol4 vi4 p4 #bje4 ',if1 as is most confidently believed1 the colonization of the free people of color will render the slave who remains in ,america more obedient1 more faithful1 more honest1 and1 consequently1 more useful to his master1' c4--,second ,annual ,report4 ',there was but one way1 to avert danger1 but that might be made effectual1 fortunately6 ,it was to ,,provide ,,and ,,keep ,,open ,a ,,drain ,,for ,,the ,,excess ,,beyond ,,the ,,occasions ,,of ,,profitable ,,employment4 ,mr ,archer had been stating the case in the supposition1 that after the present class of free blacks had been exhausted1 by the operation of the plan he was recommending1 others would be supplied for its action1 in the proportion of the excess of colored population it would be necessary to throw off1 by the process of voluntary manumission or sale4 ,this effect must result inevitably from the depreciating value of the slaves ensuing their disproportionate multiplication4 ,the depreciation would be relieved and retarded at the same time1 by the process4 ,the two operations would aid reciprocally1 and sustain each other1 and both be in the highest degree beneficial4 ,it was on the ground of interest1 therefore1 the most indisputable pecuniary interest1 that he addressed himself to the people and ,legislatures of the slaveholding ,states4'--,speech of ,mr ,archer4--,fifteenth ,annual ,report4 ',every motive which operates on the minds of slaveholders1 tending to make the colonization of the free blacks an object of interest to them1 should operate in an equal degree to secure the hearty co-operation of the government of every slaveholding ,state4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 p4 #agf4 ',none are obliged to follow our example2 ,,and ,,those ,,who ,,do ,,not1 ,,will ,,find ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,their ,,negroes ,,increased ,,by ,,the ,,departure ,,of ,,ours4'--,an advocate of colonization in the ,western 7,ky47 ,luminary4 ',so far from its having a dangerous tendency1 when properly considered1 it will be viewed as ,,an ,,additional ,,guard ,,to ,,our ,,peculiar ,,species ,,of ,,property4'--,an advocate of the ,society in the ,new-,orleans ,argus4 ',the slaveholder1 who is in danger of having his slaves contaminated by their free friends of color1 will not only be relieved from this danger1 but ,,the ,,value ,,of ,,his ,,slave ,,will ,,be ,,enhanced4'--,a new and interesting ,view of ,slavery4 ,by ,humanitas1 a colonization advocate4 ,baltimore1 #ahbj4 ,it is perfectly obvious1 that whatever tends to weaken and depress the present system1 must render the holding of slaves less desirable1 and the prospect of emancipation more auspicious4 ,cherishing this conviction1 thousands of individuals in this country1 and tens of thousands in ,great ,britain1 are led by conscientious motives to abstain from the use of productions raised by slave labor1 and to prefer those only which are the fruits of the toil of freemen4 ,they believe in the soundness of the axiom1 that 'the receiver is as bad as the thief2' and knowing that the slaves are held in bondage not on the ground of benevolence1 or because their liberation would endanger the public safety1 but because they are profitable to their owners1 they also believe that the consumers of slave goods contribute to a fund for supporting slavery with all its abominations2 that they are the ,alpha and the ,omega of the business2 that the slave-trader1 the slave-owner1 and the slave-driver1 are virtually the agents of the consumer1 for by holding out the temptation1 he is the original cause1 the first mover in the horrid process2 that we are imperiously called upon to refuse those articles of luxury1 which are obtained at an absolute and lavish waste of the blood of our fellow men2 that a merchant1 who loads his vessel with the proceeds of slavery1 does nearly as much in helping forward the slave trade1 as he who loads his vessel in ,africa with slaves--they are both twisting the same rope at different ends2 that our patronage is putting an immense bribe into the hands of the slaveholders to kidnap1 rob and oppress2 that1 were it not for this1 they would be compelled by sheer necessity to liberate their slaves--for as soon as slave labor becomes unprofitable1 the horrid system cannot be upheld4 ,none of these scruples1 to my knowledge1 are entertained by colonizationists3 their only aim and anxiety seem to be1 'to prune and nourish the system1'--not to overthrow it2 to increase the avarice of the planters by rendering the labor of their bondmen more productive1--not to abridge and starve it2 to remove the cause of those apprehensions which might lead them to break the fetters of their victims1--not to perpetuate it2 'to provide 7,i quote the confession of the last distinguished proselyte to the ,society1 ,mr ,archer of ,virginia7 and to keep open a drain for the excess of increase beyond the occasions of ,,profitable ,,employment1'--not to make slave labor ruinous to the planters4 ,by removing whatever number of slaves it be1 from this country1 the number which remains must be diminished--and the more the number which remains is diminished1 the more helpless will they become1 the less will be the hope of their ever recovering their own liberty1 and the more and the longer they will be trampled upon4 ,the greater the number of slaves transported1 the greater will be the value of the labor of those who remain2 the more valuable their labor is1 the greater will be the temptation to over-labor them1 and the more1 of course1 they will be oppressed4,m ,the increase of the free colored population disturbs the security of the planters1 and forces many to manumit their slaves through sheer terror4 ,the expatriation of this class1 therefore1 manifestly tends to quiet the apprehensions of the oppressors1 to rivet more firmly the chains of the slaves1 to make their services in higher demand1 and to render even their gradual emancipation impracticable4 ,thus the ,american ,colonization ,society is the apologist1 the friend1 and the patron of ,,slaveholders and ,,slavery6 ,,footnotes3 ,m ,stuart's ,circular4 ,,section ,v4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,the ,,enemy ,,of ,,immediate ,,abolition4 ,it follows1 as a necessary consequence1 that a ,society which is not hostile to slavery1 which apologises for the system and for slaveholders1 which recognises slaves as rightful property1,n and which confessedly increases their value1 is the enemy of immediate abolition4 ,this1 ,i am aware1 in the present corrupt state of public sentiment1 will not generally be deemed an objectionable feature2 but ,i regard it with inexpressible abhorrence and dismay4 ,since the deception practised upon our first parents by the old serpent1 there has not been a more fatal delusion in the minds of men than that of the gradual abolition of slavery4 ,gradual abolition6 do its supporters really know what they talk about8 ,gradually abstaining from what8 ,from sins the most flagrant1 from conduct the most cruel1 from acts the most oppressive6 ,do colonizationists mean1 that slave-dealers shall purchase or sell a few victims less this year than they did the last8 that slave-owners shall liberate one1 two or three out of every hundred slaves during the same period8 that slave-drivers shall apply the lash to the scarred and bleeding backs of their victims somewhat less frequently8 ,surely not--,i respect their intelligence too much to believe that they mean any such thing4 ,but if any of the slaves should be exempted from sale or purchase1 why not all8 if justice require the liberation of the few1 why not of the many8 if it be right for a driver to inflict a number of lashes1 how many shall be given8 ,do colonizationists mean that the practice of separating the husband from the wife1 the wife from the husband1 or children from their parents1 shall come to an end by an almost imperceptible process8 or that the slaves shall be defrauded of their just remuneration1 less and less every month or every year8 or that they shall be under the absolute1 irresponsible control of their masters8 ,oh no6 ,i place a higher value upon their good sense1 humanity and morality than this6 ,well1 then1 they would immediately break up the slave traffic--they would put aside the whip--they would have the marriage relations preserved inviolate--they would not separate families--they would not steal the wages of the slaves1 nor deprive them of personal liberty6 ,this is abolition--immediate abolition4 ,it is simply declaring that slave owners are bound to fulfil--now1 without any reluctance or delays--the golden rule1 namely1 to do as they would be done by2 and that1 as the right to be free is inherent and inalienable in the slaves1 there ought now to be a disposition on the part of the people to break their fetters4 ,all the horrid spectres which are conjured up1 on this subject1 arise from a confusion of the brain1 as much as from a corruption of the heart4 ,i utterly reject1 as delusive and dangerous in the extreme1 every plea which justifies a procrastinated and an indefinite emancipation1 or which concedes to a slave owner the right to hold his slaves as property for any limited period1 or which contends for the gradual preparation of the slaves for freedom2 believing all such pretexts to be a fatal departure from the high road of justice into the bogs of expediency1 a surrender of the great principles of equity1 an indefensible prolongation of the curse of slavery1 a concession which places the guilt upon any but those who incur it1 and directly calculated to perpetuate the thraldom of our species4 ,immediate abolition does not mean that the slaves shall immediately exercise the right of suffrage1 or be eligible to any office1 or be emancipated from law1 or be free from the benevolent restraints of guardianship4 ,we contend for the immediate personal freedom of the slaves1 for their exemption from punishment except where law has been violated1 for their employment and reward as free laborers1 for their exclusive right to their own bodies and those of their own children1 for their instruction and subsequent admission to all the trusts1 offices1 honors and emoluments of intelligent freemen4 ,emancipation will increase and not destroy the value of their labor2 it will also increase the demand for it4 ,holding out the stimulus of good treatment and an adequate reward1 it will induce the slaves to toil with a hundred fold more assiduity and faithfulness4 ,who is so blind as not to perceive the peaceful and beneficial results of such a change8 ,the slaves1 if freed1 will come under the watchful cognizance of law2 they will not be idle1 but avariciously industrious2 they will not rush through the country1 firing dwellings and murdering the inhabitants2 for freedom is all they ask--all they desire--the obtainment of which will transform them from enemies into friends1 from nuisances into blessings1 from a corrupt1 suffering and degraded1 into a comparatively virtuous1 happy and elevated population4 ,nor does immediate abolition mean that any compulsory power1 other than moral1 should be used in breaking the fetters of slavery4 ,it calls for no bloodshed1 or physical interference2 it jealously regards the welfare of the planters2 it simply demands an entire revolution in public sentiment1 which will lead to better conduct1 to contrition for past crimes1 to a love instead of a fear of justice1 to a reparation of wrongs1 to a healing of breaches1 to a suppression of revengeful feelings1 to a quiet1 improving1 prosperous state of society6 ,now see with what earnestness and inveteracy the friends of the ,colonization ,society oppose immediate abolition6 ',it appears1 indeed1 to be the only feasible mode by which we can remove that stigma as well as danger from among us4 ,their sudden and entire freedom would be a fearful1 and perhaps dreadful experiment1 destructive of all the ends of liberty1 for which their condition would unfit them1 and which they would doubtless greatly abuse4 ,even their release1 at apparently proper intervals1 but uncontrolled as to their future habits and location1 would be a very hazardous charity4 ,their gradual emancipation1 therefore1 under the advantages of a free government1 formed1 in their native land1 by their own hands1 offering all the rewards usual to industry and economy1 and affording the means of enjoying1 in comfort1 a reputable and free existence1 is the only rational scheme of relieving them from the bondage of their present condition4' 99 99 99 ',to eradicate or remove the evil immediately1 is impossible2 nor can any law of conscience govern necessity4'--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 i4 pp4 #hi1 #beh4 ',vaunt not over us1 dear brethren of the north1 we inherited the evil from our forefathers1 and we really do not think you do your brethren any good1 or that you serve the interests of the people of color1 when you recommend and enforce premature schemes of emancipation4' 99 99 99 ',the operation1 we were aware1 must be--and1 for the interests of our country1 ought to be gradual4' 99 99 99 ',according to one1 7that rash class which1 without a due estimate of the fatal consequence1 would forthwith issue a decree of general1 immediate1 and indiscriminate emancipation17 it was a scheme of the slaveholder to perpetuate slavery4'--,idem1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #ab1 #bed1 #ccf4 ',slavery1 in its mildest form1 is an evil of the darkest character4 ,cruel and unnatural in its origin1 no plea can be urged in justification of its continuance1 but the plea of necessity--not that necessity which arises from our habits1 our prejudices1 or our wants2 but the necessity which requires us to submit to existing evils1 rather than substitute1 by their removal1 others of a more serious and destructive character4 ,it was this which produced the recognition of slavery in the constitution of our country2 it is this which has justified its continuance to the present day2 and it is in this only that we can find a palliation for the rigors of our laws1 which might otherwise be considered as the cruel enactments of a dark and dismal despotism4 ,there have not1 ,i am aware1 been found wanting individuals to deny both the existence and the obligations of such a necessity4 ,there are men1 actuated in some instances1 by a blind and mistaken enthusiasm1 and in others1 by a spirit of mischievous intent1 loudly calling on us1 in the names of justice and humanity1 for the immediate and unqualified emancipation of our slaves4 ,to men of this description1 it is in vain to point out the inevitable effects of such a course1 as well on the objects of their real or pretended solicitude1 as on the community in which they exist4 ,it is in vain to assure them1 that while the preservation of the latter would require a policy even more rigorous than pertains to slavery itself1 the short-lived and nominal freedom of the former must end in their ultimate and utter extinction4 ,all this is of no consequence4 ,provided slavery be abolished in name1 it matters not what horrors may be substituted in its room4' 99 99 99 ',the scope of the ,society is large enough1 but it is in no wise mingled or confounded with the broad sweeping views of a few fanatics in ,america1 who would urge us on to the sudden and total abolition of slavery4'--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 iii4 pp4 #ae1 #aig4 ',what is to be done8 ,immediate and universal emancipation will find few1 if any advocates1 among judicious and reflecting men4' 99 99 99 ',there is a portion of our brethren1 who have been laboring for many years1 with the most benevolent intentions1 but1 as ,i conceive1 with erroneous views1 in the cause of abolition4' 99 99 99 ',the ,colonization ,society1 as such1 have renounced wholly the name and the characteristics of abolitionists4' 99 99 99 ',,into ,,their ,,accounts ,,the ,,subject ,,of ,,emancipation ,,does ,,not ,,enter ,,at ,,all4' 99 99 99 ',here1 that race is in every form a curse1 and if the system1 so long contended for by the uncompromising abolitionist1 could prevail1 its effect would be to spread discord and devastation from one end of the ,union to the other4'--,idem1 vol4 iv4 pp4 #bjb1 #cjc1 #cjf1 #cfc4 ',with a writer in the ,southern ,review we say1 the situation of the people of these ,states was not of their own choosing4 ,when they came to the inheritance1 it was subject to this mighty incumbrance1 and it would be criminal in them to ruin or waste the estate1 to get rid of the burden at once4 ,with this writer we add also1 in the language of ,capt4 ,hall1 that the slaveholders ought not 7immediately7 to disentangle themselves from the obligations which have devolved upon them1 as the masters of slaves4 ,we believe that a master may sustain his relation to the slave1 with as little criminality as the slave sustains his relation to the master4 ,but we feel little sympathy for those who1 in the language of ,mr ,harrison of ,virginia1 still look upon their slaves in the light in which most men regarded them when the slave trade was legitimate4 ,of those1 wherever they are1 who hold their slaves with that same sentiment which impelled the kidnapper when he forcibly bore them off1 ,i know not how morality can distinguish them from the original wrong-doers1 pirates by nature1 and pirates by civilized law4 ,that the system of slavery must exist temporarily in this country1 we as firmly believe1 as that for its existence a single moment1 there can be offered justly no plea but necessity4 ,were the very spirit of angelic charity to pervade and fill the hearts of all the slaveholders in our land1 it would by no means require that all the slaves should be instantaneously liberated4'--,af4 ,rep4 vol4 v4 p4 #cbi4 ',the long established habits of the ,south1 the attachments which are frequently found subsisting between the proprietor and his servants1 together with the difficulty of substituting at once white for slave labor1 and the derangement which would ensue in the domestic concerns of life1 would not merely make general emancipation at once inexpedient1 but the attempt would denote the extremity of madness and folly1 and convulse this government to its centre4'--,idem1 vol4 vi4 p4 #bia4 ',the ,society1 meeting the objections of the abolition enthusiast1 in a like spirit of mildness and forbearance1 assures him of their equal devotion to the pure principles of liberty and the powerful claims of humanity4 ,we know1 say they1 and we deplore the evil of slavery as the deadliest curse to our common country4 ,we see1 and we lament its demoralizing effects upon the children of our affections1 from the budding innocence of infancy1 to the full maturity of manhood4 ,but1 we have not1 we do not1 and we will not interfere with this delicate1 this important subject4 ,there are rights to be respected1 prejudices to be conciliated1 fears to be quelled1 and safety to be observed in all our operations4 ,and we protest1 most solemnly protest1 against the adoption of your views1 as alike destructive of the ends of justice1 of policy1 and of humanity4 ,no wild dream of the wildest enthusiast was ever more extravagant than that of turning loose upon society two millions of blacks1 idle and therefore worthless1 vicious and therefore dangerous1 ignorant and therefore incapable of appreciating and enjoying the blessings of freedom4 ,could your wishes be realized1 your gratulation would be quickly changed into mourning1 your joy into grief1 and your labor of love into visits of mercy to our jails and our penitentiaries1 to the abodes of vice and the haunts of poverty4 ,come1 ye abolitionists1 away with your wild enthusiasm1 your misguided philanthropy4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 p4 #aja4 ',the ,colonization ,society is removing the greatest obstacles in the way of emancipation2 but none1 we think1 who is acquainted with the circumstances and condition of our southern ,states1 and who has any conscience or humanity1 would deem it expedient or christian to dissolve instantaneously all the ties which unite masters and slaves4'--,idem1 vol4 vii4 p4 #ahf4 ',it is not right that men should be free1 when their freedom will prove injurious to themselves and others4' 99 99 ',he has encountered determined opposition from several individuals1 who are so reckless and fanatical as to require the instantaneous remedying of an acknowledged evil1 which may be remedied gradually1 with safety1 but which cannot be remedied immediately without jeopardizing all the interests of all parties concerned4'--,idem1 p4 #bjb1 #bhj4 ',he was quite sure that in the ,northern ,states1 there was no opinion generally prevailing1 that immediate1 absolute1 and universal emancipation was desirable4 ,there might be1 said ,mr ,storrs1 some who are actuated by pure motives and benevolent views1 who considered it practicable2 but he might say with confidence1 that very few1 if any1 believed that it would be truly humane or expedient to turn loose upon the community more than a million of persons1 totally destitute of the means of subsistence1 and altogether unprepared in every moral point of view1 to enjoy or estimate their new privileges4 ,such a cotemporaneous emancipation of the colored population of the ,southern ,states could only bring a common calamity on all the ,states1 and the most severe misery on those who were to be thus thrown upon society1 under the most abject1 helpless and deplorable circumstances4'--,speech of ,hon4 ,mr ,storrs4--,twelfth ,annual ,report4 ',the condition of a slave suddenly emancipated1 and thrown upon his own resources1 is very far from being improved2 and1 however laudable the feeling which leads to such emancipation1 its policy and propriety are at least questionable4'--,report of the ,pennsylvania ,colonization ,society4 ',we may1 therefore1 fairly conclude the object of immediate universal emancipation wholly unattainable1 or1 if attainable1 at too high a price4'--,mathew ,carey's ,essays4 ',observation has fully convinced them that emancipation has often proved injurious to both3 consequently laws have been enacted in several of the ,states to discourage1 if not to prevent it4 ,the public safety and interest1 as well as individual happiness1 seemed to require of legislatures the adoption of such a measure4 ,for1 it appeared highly probable that the manumitted would not only be poor and wretched1 but likewise a public nuisance2 and perhaps at some future day1 form the nucleus of rebellion among those unhappy persons still in slavery4'--,a colonization advocate in the ,middletown 7,connecticut7 ,gazette4 ',to our mind1 it is clearly the doctrine of the ,bible1 that there may be circumstances1 in which the immediate and universal emancipation of slaves is not a duty4 ,demanding instantaneous and universal emancipation1 and denouncing every instance of holding slaves as a crime1 is not the way to bring it to pass4 ,if such a course proceeds from a right spirit1 it is from a right spirit misinformed4'--,vermont ,chronicle4 ',when the writer visited ,england from the colonies1 he was constantly astonished to find the ,wilberforceans1 or saints1 as they were called1 influenced by the wildest enthusiasm upon the sublime theory of liberty2 urging immediate emancipation of the slave1 and yet totally uninformed as to its destructive consequences to their future welfare1 in their present uneducated condition1 without some provision being made to so enlighten them that they may be enabled to estimate religions obligations and distinguish between right and wrong2 otherwise it would be indispensable to have strong military posts and constant martial law to preserve order1 and prevent a murderous anarchy and lawless confusion4 ,it is not anticipated that this state of things could ever be consummated in the ,united ,states2 but it may afford a very salutary lesson in guiding our consideration of similar occurrences that may take place4' --,from a colonization pamphlet1 entitled ',remarks upon a plan for the total abolition of slavery in the ,united ,states4 ,by a ,citizen of ,new-,york4' ',we do not wish to be understood1 as sanctioning the measures now pursued with respect to the subject of slavery1 by some misguided enthusiasts in the northern and eastern sections of the ,united ,states4 ,were the measures they advocate with so much heat1 to be adopted1 a heavier curse could hardly fall upon our country4 ,their operation1 we feel fully satisfied1 would work the ruin of those1 whom these imprudent advocates of instant and total emancipation1 wish primarily to benefit4 ,we have always regarded these advocates for the instantaneous abolition of slavery1 in all cases1 as doing more injury to our colored population than any other class of men in the community4 ,the slaves of this country cannot be at once emancipated4 ,it is folly1 it is madness to talk of it4 ,from the very nature of the case1 in justice to that deeply injured class1 in justice to ourselves1 the work must be gradual4' 99 99 99 ',we cannot doubt the ultimate success of the ,american ,colonization ,society4 ,and however much some of the clamorous advocates of instant1 immediate abolition may vent their rage against this noble institution1 it will prosper1 it will flourish4 ,our intelligent community are beginning to see that the ,american ,colonization ,society presents the only door of hope to the republic4'--,western ,luminary4 ',but what shall be done8 ,some--and their motives and philanthropic zeal are worthy of all honor--plead for immediate emancipation4 ,but ,mr ,ladd had seen enough to know that that would be a curse to all parties4 ,he acknowledged a difficulty here2 but it is a difficulty that often occurs in morals4 ,when we have gone far in a wrong road1 it often happens that we cannot in a moment put ourselves in the right one4 ,one penalty of such a sin is1 that it clings to us1 and cannot be shaken off at once with all its bitter consequences by a mere volition4'--,speech of ,william ,ladd1 ,esq4 ',the warmest friend to the abolition of slavery1 while he deplores the existence of the evil1 must admit the necessity of cautious and gradual measures to remove it4 ,the inhabitants of the ,south cannot1 and ought not1 suddenly to emancipate their slaves1 to remain among them free4 ,such a measure would be no blessing to the slaves1 but the very madness of self-destruction to the whites4 ,in the ,south1 the horrid scenes that would too certainly follow the liberation of their slaves1 are present to every imagination1 to stifle the calls of justice and humanity4 ,a fell spirit of avarice is thus invigorated and almost justified1 by the plea of necessity4'--,first ,annual ,report of the ,new ,jersey ,col4 ,soc4 ',the impropriety and impolicy of manumitting slaves1 in any case1 in our country1 one would suppose1 must be apparent to all4 ,it is not a little astonishing that individuals acquainted with the facts1 and the evils brought upon society by the free black population1 should persist in declaring that duty and humanity call upon us to give the slaves their freedom4 ,it really appears to me that there is entirely too much namby pamby sentimentality and affected feeling exhibited respecting the condition of slaves4 ,do these individuals believe that benevolence and humanity command us to turn loose upon society a set of persons who confessedly only serve to swell the amount of crime1 while they add nothing to the industry1 to the wealth1 or the strength of the country8 ,because abstractedly considered1 man has no right to hold his fellow man in bondage1 shall we give up our liberty1 and the peace of society1 in order that this principle may not be violated8 ,the fact is1 the negroes are happier when kept in bondage4 ,in their master they find a willing and efficient protector1 to guard them from injury and insult1 to attend to them when sick and in distress1 and to provide for their comfort and support1 when old age overtakes them4 ,when in health1 they are well fed and clothed1 and by no means1 in common cases1 are they hardly worked4'--,a warm advocate of ,african ,colonization in the ,alexandria ,gazette4 ',but there are other difficulties in the way of immediate emancipation4 ,we believe that no one1 who has taken charge of an infant1 and made a cripple of him1 either in his feet1 his hands1 or his mind1 so that when he is of mature age1 he is unable to take care of himself1 has a right to turn him out of doors1 to perish or destroy himself1 and call it1 giving him his liberty4 ,after having reduced him to this condition1 he is bound to afford him the support and protection1 which he has rendered necessary4 ',this appears to us to be the true relation of the southern planters to their slaves4 ,not that the southern planters have generally been guilty of personal cruelty2 but such has been the general result of the system acted upon1 and such the relation growing out of it4 ,the slaves have grown up1 under the eye of their masters1 unable to take care of themselves2 and their masters1 for whose comfort and convenience this has been done1 are bound to provide for them4 ',nor do we think that the exhortation1 to do right and trust ,providence1 applies at all to this case2 for the very question is1 what is right8 ,would it be right for the slave merchant1 in the midst of the ,atlantic1 to knock the manacles from his prisoners and throw them overboard1 and call this1 giving them their liberty and trusting ,providence with the result8 ,but how else could he reduce the doctrine of immediate and complete emancipation to practice8'--,vermont ,chronicle4 ,the miserable sophistry contained in the foregoing extracts scarcely needs a serious refutation4 ',to say that immediate emancipation will only increase the wretchedness of the slaves1 and that we must pursue a system of gradual abolition1 is to present to us the double paradox1 that we must continue to do evil1 in order to cure the evil which we are doing2 and that we must continue to be unjust1 and to do evil1 that good may come4' ,the fatal error of gradualists lies here3 ,they talk as if the friends of abolition contended only for the emancipation of the slaves1 without specifying or caring what should be done with or for them6 as if the planters were invoked to cease from one kind of villany1 only to practise another6 as if the manumitted slaves must necessarily be driven out from society into the wilderness1 like wild beasts6 ,this is talking nonsense3 it is a gross perversion of reason and common sense4 ,abolitionists have never said1 that mere manumission would be doing justice to the slaves3 they insist upon a remuneration for years of unrequited toil1 upon their employment as free laborers1 upon their immediate and coefficient instruction1 and upon the exercise of a benevolent supervision over them on the part of their employers4 ,they declare1 in the first place1 that to break the fetters of the slaves1 and turn them loose upon the country1 without the preservative restraints of law1 and destitute of occupation1 would leave the work of justice only half done2 and1 secondly1 that it is absurd to suppose that the planters would be wholly independent of the labor of the blacks--for they could no more dispense with it next week1 were emancipation to take place1 than they can to-day4 ,the very ground which they assume for their opposition to slavery1--that it necessarily prevents the improvement of its victims1--shows that they contemplate the establishment of schools for the education of the slaves1 and the furnishing of productive employment1 immediately upon their liberation4 ,if this were done1 none of the horrors which are now so feelingly depicted1 as the attendants of a sudden abolition1 would ensue4 ,but we are gravely told that education must precede emancipation4 ,the logic of this plea is1 that intellectual superiority justly gives one man an oppressive control over another6 ,where would such a detestable principle lead but to practices the most atrocious1 and results the most disastrous1 if carried out among ourselves8 ,tell us1 ye hair-splitting sophists1 the exact quantum of knowledge which is necessary to constitute a freeman4 ,if every dunce should be a slave1 your servitude is inevitable2 and richly do you deserve the lash for your obtuseness4 ,our white population1 too1 would furnish blockheads enough to satisfy all the classical kidnappers in the land4 ,the reason why the slaves are so ignorant1 is because they are held in bondage2 and the reason why they are held in bondage1 is because they are so ignorant6 ,they ought not to be freed until they are educated2 and they ought not be educated1 because on the acquisition of knowledge they would burst their fetters6 ,fine logic1 indeed6 ,how men1 who make any pretensions to honesty or common sense1 can advance a paradox like this1 is truly inexplicable4 ',i never met with a man yet1' says an able writer in ,kentucky1 'who impliedly admits the enslaving of human beings as consistent with the exercise of christian duties1 who could talk or write ten minutes on the subject1 without expressing nonsense1 or contradicting himself1 or advancing heresy which would expose him to censure on any other subject4' ,in this connexion1 ,i make the following extract from the ,report of the ,dublin ,negro's ,friend ,society1 of which ,,wilberforce is ,president1 and ,,clarkson ,vice ,president3 ',they do not recognize the false principle1 that education1 as a preparation for freedom1 must precede emancipation2 or that an amelioration of the slaves' condition should be a substitute for it3 on the contrary1 ,,they ,,insist ,,upon ,,unprocrastinated ,,emancipation1 as a right which is unrighteously withheld1 and the restoration of which is1 in their opinion1 the first and most indispensable step to all improvement1 and absolutely essential to the application of the only remedy for that moral debasement1 in which slavery has sunk its victims4' ,i cannot portray the absurdity of the doctrine of gradual abolition1 and the danger and folly of attempting to mitigate the system of slavery1 more strikingly1 than by presenting the following eloquent extracts from a speech of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,thomson of ,edinburgh1 one of the most learned and able divines in ,great ,britain1 whose sudden death was recorded in the newspapers a few months since3 ',the word immediate may no doubt be considered as a strong word2 but you will observe that it is used as contrasted with the word gradual4 ,and were ,i to criticise the term gradual as certain opponents have treated the term immediate1 ,i could easily1 by the help of a little quibbling1 bring you to the conclusion1 that as hitherto employed it means that the abolition is never to take place1 and that1 by putting it into their petition1 they are to be understood as deprecating rather than asking the emancipation of the slaves4 ,immediate1 they argue1 evanishes as soon as you utter it2 it is gone before your petition reaches parliament4 ,how absurd6 ,if ,i should say to my servant while engaged in work1 ,you must go to the south side of the town with a message for me immediately1 is it indeed implied in the order ,i have given him1 that he could not fulfil it1 unless he set off without his hat1 without his coat1 without his shoes1 without those habiliments which are requisite for his appearing decently in the streets of ,edinburgh1 and executing the task that ,i had assigned him8 ,the meaning of the word as used by us is perfectly clear1 and cannot be misapprehended by any one3 it is not to be made a subject of metaphysical animadversion3 it is to be considered and understood under the direction of common sense1 and especially as modified and expounded by those statements with which it is associated both in our resolutions and in the petition2 and viewed in that light1 immediate abolition is not merely an intelligible phrase1 but one that does not warrant a particle of the alarm which some have affected to take at it1 and is not liable to any one of those objections which some have been pleased to make to it4 ',to say that we will come out of the sin by degrees--that we will only forsake it slowly1 and step by step--that we will pause and hesitate and look well about us before we consent to abandon its gains and its pleasures--that we will allow another age to pass by ere we throw off the load of iniquity that is lying so heavy upon us1 lest certain secularities should be injuriously affected--and that we will postpone the duty of doing justly and loving mercy1 till we have removed every petty difficulty out of the way1 and got all the conflicting interests that are involved in the measure reconciled and satisfied2--to say this1 is to trample on the demands of moral obligation1 and to disregard the voice which speaks to as from heaven4 ,the path of duty is plain before us2 and we have nothing to do but to enter it at once1 and to walk in it without turning to the right hand or to the left4 ,our concern is not with the result that may follow our obedience to the divine will4 ,our great and primary concern is to obey that will4 ,god reigns over his universe in the exercise of infinite perfection3 he commands us to let the oppressed go free1 and to break every yoke2 and submitting1 without procrastination1 and without any attempts at compromise1 to that command1 we may be assured that he will take care of all the effects that can be produced by compliance with his authority1 and give demonstration to the truth that obedience to his behests is our grand and only security for a prosperous lot4 ',we are by no means indifferent to the expediency of the case4 ,on the contrary1 we think ourselves prepared to prove1 by fair reasoning and by ascertained fact1 that the expediency of the thing is all on our side2 that immediate abolition is the only secure and proper way of attaining the object which we all profess to have in view2 that to defer the measure to a distant period1 and to admit the propriety of getting at it by a course of mitigation1 is the surest mode of frustrating every hope we might otherwise entertain1 and giving over the slaves to interminable bondage4' 99 99 99 ',i do not deny1 ,sir1 that the evils of practical slavery may be lessened4 ,by parliamentary enactments1 by colonial arrangements1 by appeals to the judgment and feelings of planters1 and by various other means1 a certain degree of melioration may be secured4 ,but ,i say1 in the first place1 that1 with all that you can accomplish1 or reasonably expect1 of mitigation1 you cannot alter the nature of slavery itself4 ,with every improvement you have superinduced upon it1 you have not made it less debasing1 less cruel1 less destructive1 in its essential character4 ,the black man is still the property of the white man4 ,and that one circumstance not only implies in it the transgression of inalienable right and everlasting justice1 but is the fruitful and necessary source of numberless mischiefs1 the very thought of which harrows up the soul1 and the infliction of which no superintendence of any government can either prevent or control4 ,mitigate and keep down the evil as much as you can1 still it is there in all its native virulence1 and still it will do its malignant work in spite of you4 ,the improvements you have made are merely superficial4 ,you have not reached the seat and vital spring of the mischief4 ,you have only concealed in some measure1 and for a time1 its inherent enormity4 ,its essence remains unchanged and untouched1 and is ready to unfold itself whenever a convenient season arrives1 notwithstanding all your precaution1 and all you vigilance1 in those manifold acts of injustice and inhumanity1 which are its genuine and its invariable fruits4 ,you may white-wash the sepulchre1--you may put upon it every adornment that fancy can suggest1--you may cover it over with all the flowers and evergreens that the garden or the fields can furnish1 so that it will appear beautiful outwardly unto men4 ,but it is a sepulchre still1--full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness4 ,disguise slavery as you will1--put into the cup all the pleasing and palatable ingredients which you can discover in the wide range of nature and of art1--still it is a bitter1 bitter draught1 from which the understanding and the heart of every man1 in whom nature works unsophisticated and unbiassed1 recoils with unutterable aversion and abhorrence4 ,why1 ,sir1 slavery is the very ,upas tree of the moral world1 beneath whose pestiferous shade all intellect languishes1 and all virtue dies4 ,and if you would get quit of the evil1 you must go more thoroughly and effectually to work than you can ever do by any or by all of those palliatives1 which are included under the term mitigation4 ,the foul sepulchre must be taken away4 ,the cup of oppression must be dashed to pieces on the ground4 ,the pestiferous tree must be cut down and eradicated2 it must be1 root and branch of it1 cast into the consuming fire1 and its ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven4 ,it is thus you must deal with slavery4 ,you must annihilate it1--annihilate it now1--and annihilate it for ever4 ',get your mitigation4 ,i say in the second place1 that you are thereby1 in all probability farther away than ever from your object4 ,it is not to the ,government or the ,parliament at home that you are to look--neither is it to the legislatures and planters abroad that you are to look--for accomplishing the abolition of negro slavery4 ,sad experience shows that1 if left to themselves1 they will do nothing efficient in this great cause4 ,it is to the sentiments of the people at large that you are to look1 to the spread of intellectual light1 to the prevalence of moral feeling1 to the progress1 in short1 of public opinion1 which1 when resting on right principles and moving in a right direction1 must in this free and ,christian country prove irresistible4 ,but observe1 ,sir1 the public mind will not be sufficiently affected by the statement of abstract truths1 however just1 or by reasonings on the tendencies of a system1 however accurate4 ,it must be more or less influenced by what is visible1 or by what is easily known and understood of the actual atrocities which accompany slavery1 wherever it is left to its own proper operation4 ,let it be seen in its native vileness and cruelty1 as exhibited when not interfered with by the hand of authority1 and it excites universal and unqualified detestation4 ,but let its harsher asperities be rubbed off2 take away the more prominent parts of its iniquity2 see that it look somewhat smoother and milder than it did before2 make such regulations as ought1 if faithfully executed1 to check its grosser acts of injustice and oppression2 give it the appearance of its being put under the humanizing sway of religious education and instruction2 do all this1 and you produce one effect at least1--you modify the indignation of a great number of the community2 you render slavery much less obnoxious2 you enable its advocates and supporters to say in reply to your denunciations of its wickedness1 ,o1 the slaves are now comfortable and happy2 they do not suffer what they did2 they are protected and well treated1 and in proof of all this1 they point to what are called mitigations4 ,but mark me1 ,sir2 under these mitigations1 slavery still exists1 ready at every convenient season to break forth in all its countless forms of inhumanity2 meanwhile the public feeling in a great measure subsides2 and when the public feeling--such an important and indispensable element in our attempts to procure abolition--is allowed to subside1 tell me1 ,sir1 when1 and where1 and by what means it is again to be roused into activity4 ,i must say1 for one1 that though ,i sympathize with my sable brethren1 when ,i hear of them being spared even one lash of the cart-whip2 yet when ,i take a more enlarged view of their condition--when ,i consider the nature of that system under which they are placed1 and when ,i look forward to their deliverance1 and the means by which alone it is to be effected1 ,i am tempted1 and almost if not altogether persuaded1 to deprecate that insidious thing termed mitigation1 because it directly tends to perpetuate the mighty evil1 which will by and by throw off the improvements by which it is glossed over as quite unnatural to it1 will ultimately grow up again into all its former dreadfulness1 and continue to wither and crush beneath it1 all that is excellent and glorious in man4 ',but if our rulers and legislators will undertake to emancipate the slaves1 and do it as it ought to be done1 immediately1 ,i beg those who set themselves against such a measure1 to point out the danger1 and to prove it4 ,the onus lies upon them4 ,and what evidence do they give us8 ,where is it to be found8 ,in what circumstance shall we discover it8 ,from what principles and probabilities shall we infer it8 ,we must not have mere hypothesis--mere allegations--mere fancied horrors1 dressed up in frightful language4 ,we must have proof to substantiate1 in some good measure1 their theory of rebellion1 warfare1 and blood4 ,if any such thing exists1 let them produce it' 99 99 99 ',but if you push me1 and still urge the argument of insurrection and bloodshed1 for which you are far more indebted to fancy than to fact1 as ,i have shown you1 then ,i say1 be it so4 ,i repeat that maxim1 taken from a heathen book1 but pervading the whole ,book of ,god1 ,fiat justitia--ruat clum4 ,righteousness1 ,sir1 is the pillar of the universe4 ,break down that pillar1 and the universe falls into ruin and desolation4 ,but preserve it1 and though the fair fabric may sustain partial dilapidations1 it may be rebuilt and repaired--it will be rebuilt1 and repaired1 and restored to all its pristine strength1 and magnificence1 and beauty4 ,if there must be violence1 let it even come1 for it will soon pass away--let it come and rage its little hour1 since it is to be succeeded by lasting freedom1 and prosperity and happiness4 ,give me the hurricane rather than the pestilence4 ,give me the hurricane1 with its thunder1 and its lightning1 and its tempest2--give me the hurricane1 with its partial and temporary devastations1 awful though they be2--give me the hurricane1 with its purifying1 healthful1 salutary effects2--give me that hurricane1 infinitely rather than the noisome pestilence1 whose path is never crossed1 whose silence is never disturbed1 whose progress is never arrested1 by one sweeping blast from the heavens2 which walks peacefully and sullenly through the length and breadth of the land1 breathing poison into every heart1 and carrying havoc into every home1 enervating all that is strong1 defacing all that is beautiful1 and casting its blight over the fairest and happiest scenes of human life--and which1 from day to day1 and from year to year1 with intolerant and interminable malignity1 sends its thousands and its tens of thousands of hapless victims into the ever-yawning and never-satisfied grave6' ,it is said1 by way of extenuation1 that the present owners of slaves are not responsible for the origin of this system4 ,i do not arraign them for the crimes of their ancestors1 but for the constant perpetration and extension of similar crimes4 ,the plea that the evil of slavery was entailed upon them1 shall avail them nothing3 in its length and breadth it means that the robberies of one generation justify the robberies of another6 that the inheritance of stolen property converts it into an honest acquisition6 that the atrocious conduct of their fathers exonerates them from all accountability1 thus presenting the strange anomaly of a race of men incapable of incurring guilt1 though daily practising the vilest deeds6 ,scarcely any one denies that blame attaches somewhere3 the present generation throws it upon the past--the past1 upon its predecessor--and thus it is cast1 like a ball1 from one to another1 down to the first importers of the ,africans6 ',can that be innocence in the temperate zone1 which is the acme of all guilt near the equator8 ,can that be honesty in one meridian of longitude1 which1 at one hundred degrees east1 is the climax of injustice8' ,sixty thousand infants1 the offspring of slave-parents1 are annually born in this country1 and doomed to remediless bondage4 ,is it not as atrocious a crime to kidnap these1 as to kidnap a similar number on the coast of ,africa8 ,it is said1 moreover1 that we ought to legislate prospectively1 on this subject2 that the fetters of the present generation of slaves cannot be broken2 and that our single aim should be1 to obtain the freedom of their offspring1 by fixing a definite period after which none shall be born slaves4 ,but this is inconsistent1 inhuman and unjust4 ,the following extracts from the speech of the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,thomson are conclusive on this point3 ',in the first place1 it amounts to an indirect sanction of the continued slavery of all who are now alive1 and of all who may be born before the period fixed upon4 ,this is a renunciation of the great moral principles upon which the demand for abolition proceeds4 ,it consigns more than #hjj1jjj human beings to bondage and oppression1 while their title to freedom is both indisputable and acknowledged4 ,and it is not merely an inconsistency on the part of the petitioners1 and a violation of the duty which they owe to such a multitude of their fellow-men1 but it weakens or surrenders the great argument by which they enforce their application for the extinction of colonial slavery4 ',besides1 it is vain to expect that the planters will acquiesce in such a prospective measure1 any more than in the liberation of the existing slaves1 for the progeny of the existing slaves must be considered by them as much a part of their property as these slaves themselves4 ,and they would regard it equally unjust to deprive them of what is hereafter to be produced from their own slave stock1 as it would be to deprive a farmer1 by an anticipating law of all the foals and of all the calves that might be produced in his stable and in his cow-house1 after a given specified date4 ',we must be true to our own maxims1 which are taken from the word of ,god2 and ask for all that we are entitled to have on the ground of justice and humanity1 and be contented with nothing less4 ',in the second place1 the plan objected to is not merely an acquiescence in the continuance of crime1 it is a violation of the best feelings of our nature4 ,for1 let any man but reflect on the circumstance of children being born to slavery1 merely because they came into the world the last hour of ,december #ahcj1 instead of the first hour of ,january #a1 #ahca--;and of children in the same family1 brothers and sisters--some of them destined to bondage for life1 and others gifted with freedom1 for no other reason than that the former were born before1 and the latter after1 a particular day of a particular year--and of parents being unjustly and inhumanly flogged in the very sight of their offspring arbitrarily made free1 while they are as arbitrarily kept slaves--let any man but reflect on those things1 and unless the sensibilities of his heart be paralysed even to deadness1 he must surely revolt at such a cruel and cold blooded allotment in the fortune of those little ones1 and be satisfied with nothing short of the emancipation of the whole community1 without a single exception4 ',in the third place1 supposing all children born after ,january #a1 #ahca1 were declared free1 how are they to be educated8 ,that they may be prepared for the enjoyment of that liberty with which you have invested them1 they must undergo a particular and appropriate training4 ,so say the gradualists4 ,very well2 under whom are they to get this training8 ,are they to be separated from their parents8 ,is that dearest of natural ties to be broken asunder8 ,is this necessary for your plan8 ,and are not you thus endeavoring to cure one species of wickedness by the instrumentality of another8 ,but if they are to be left with their parents and brought up under their care1 then either they will be imbued with the faults and degeneracies that are characteristic of slavery1 and consequently be as unfit for freedom as those who have not been disenthralled3 or they will be well nurtured and well instructed by their parents1 and this implies a confession that their parents themselves are sufficiently prepared for liberty1 and that there is no good reason for withholding from them1 the boon that is bestowed upon their children4 ',whatever view1 in short1 we take of the question1 the prospective plan is full of difficulty or contradictions1 and we are made more sensible than ever that there is nothing left for us1 but to take the consistent1 honest1 uncompromising course of demanding the abolition of slavery with respect to the present1 as well as to every future generation of the negroes in our colonies4' ,we are told that 'it is not right that men should be free1 when their freedom will prove injurious to themselves and others4' ,this has been the plea of tyrants in all ages4 ,if the immediate emancipation of the slaves would prove a curse1 it follows that slavery is a blessing2 and that it cannot be unjust1 but benevolent1 to defraud the laborer of his hire1 to rank him as a beast1 and to deprive him of his liberty4 ,but this1 every one must see1 is at war with common sense1 and avowedly doing evil that good may come4 ,this plea must mean1 either that a state of slavery is more favorable to the growth of virtue and the dispensation of knowledge than a state of freedom--7a glaring absurdity7--or that an immediate compliance with the demands of justice would be most unjust--7a gross contradiction47 ,it is boldly asserted by some colonizationists1 that 'the negroes are happier when kept in bondage1' and that 'the condition of the great mass of emancipated ,africans is one in comparison with which the condition of the slaves is enviable4' ,what is the inference8 ,why1 either that slavery is not oppression--7another paradox7--or that real benevolence demands the return of the free people of color to their former state of servitude4 ,every kidnapper1 therefore1 is a true philanthropist6 ,our legislature should immediately offer a bounty for the body of every free colored person6 ,the colored population of ,massachusetts1 at #bjj for each man1 woman and child1 would bring at least one million three hundred thousand dollars4 ,this sum would seasonably replenish our exhausted treasury4 ,the whole free colored population of the ,united ,states1 at the same price1 7which is a low estimate17 would be worth sixty-five millions of dollars66 ,think how many churches this would build1 schools and colleges establish1 beneficiaries educate1 missionaries support1 bibles and tracts circulate1 railroads and canals complete1 c4 c4 c4666 ,the ,secretary of the ,colonization ,society assures us1 7vide the ,african ,repository1 vol4 v4 p4 #ccj17 that 'were the very spirit of angelic charity to pervade and fill the hearts of all the slaveholders in our land1 it would by no means require that all the slaves should be instantaneously liberated'66--i4 e4 should the slaveholders become instantaneously metamorphosed into angels1 they would still hold the rational creatures of ,god as their property1 and yet commit no sin6 ,think1 for one moment1 of an angel in the capacity of a man-stealer--feeding his victims upon a peck of corn per week1 or three bushels of corn and a few herrings every 'quarter-day1' as a compensation for their severe labor--flourishing a cowskin over their heads1 and applying it frequently to their naked bodies6 ,think of him selling parents from children1 and children from parents1 at private sale or public auction6 ,many slaveholders are giving up their slaves from conscientious motives2 they cannot1 they dare not longer keep them in servitude2 they believe that the law of ,god has a higher claim upon their obedience than the laws of their native ,state4 ,now suppose all the owners of slaves in our land should be suddenly and simultaneously convicted of sin1 and moved to repentance in a similar manner1 and should say to their slaves1 ',god forbid that we should longer call you our property1 or place you on a level with our cattle1 or defraud you of your just dues1 or sell you or your wives or children to others1 or deny you the means of instruction1 or lacerate your bodies6 henceforth you are free--but you want employment1 and we need laborers--go and work as freemen1 and be paid as freemen6'--suppose1 ,i say1 a case like this should happen1 and a troop of gradualists should surround these penitent oppressors1 and cry1 ',were the very spirit of angelic charity to pervade and fill your hearts1 it would by no means require that all your slaves should be instantaneously liberated--your throats will be cut1 your houses pillaged1 and desolation will stalk through the land1 if you carry your mad purpose into effect--emancipate by a slow1 imperceptible process6'--how would this advice sound8 ,what should be their reply8 ,clearly this3 ',whether it be right in the sight of ,god to hearken unto men more than unto ,god1 judge ye4' ,here would be presented a strange spectacle indeed--one party confessing and resolving to forsake their sins1 and another urging them to disregard the admonitions of conscience1 and to leave off sinning by degrees6 ,to be sure1 a few1 a very few1 would be generously allowed to reform instanter6 ,those who prophesy evil1 and only evil1 concerning immediate abolition1 absolutely disregard the nature and constitution of man1 as also his inalienable rights1 and annihilate or reverse the causes and effects of human action4 ,they are continually fearful lest the slaves1 in consequence of their grievous wrongs and intolerable sufferings1 should attempt to gain their freedom by revolution2 and yet they affect to be equally fearful lest a general emancipation should produce the same disastrous consequences4 ,how absurd6 ,they know that oppression must cause rebellion2 and yet they pretend that a removal of the cause will produce a bloody effect6 ,this is to suppose an effect without a cause1 and1 of course1 is a contradiction in terms4 ,bestow upon the slaves personal freedom1 and all motives for insurrection are destroyed4 ,treat them like rational beings1 and you may surely expect rational treatment in return3 treat them like beasts1 and they will behave in a beastly manner4 ,besides1 precedent and experience make the ground of abolitionists invulnerable4 ,in no single instance where their principles have been adopted1 has the result been disastrous or violent1 but beneficial and peaceful even beyond their most sanguine expectations4 ,the immediate abolition of slavery in ,mexico1 in ,colombia1 and in ,st4 ,domingo1,o was eminently preservative and useful in its effects4 ,the manumitted slaves 7numbering more than two thousand17 who were settled in ,nova ,scotia1 at the close of our revolutionary war1 by the ,british government1 'led a harmless life1' says ,clarkson1 'and gained the character of an industrious and honest people from their white neighbors4' ,a large number who were located at ,trinidad1 as free laborers1 at the close of our last war1 'are now1' according to the same authority1 'earning their own livelihood1 and with so much industry and good conduct1 that the calumnies originally spread against them have entirely died away4' ,according to the ,anti-,slavery ,reporter for ,january1 #ahcb1 three thousand prize negroes at the ,cape of ,good ,hope had received their freedom--four hundred in one day2 'but not the least difficulty or disorder occurred3 servants found masters1 masters hired servants--all gained homes1 and at night scarcely an idler was to be seen4' ,these and many other similar facts show conclusively the safety of immediate abolition4 ,gradualists can present1 in abatement of them1 nothing but groundless apprehensions and criminal distrust4 ,the argument is irresistible4 ,,footnotes3 ,n ,the slaves1 they say1 are their property4 ,once admit this1 and all your arguments for interference are vain1 and all your plans for amelioration are fruitless4 ,the whole question may be said to hang upon this point4 ,if the slaves are not property1 then slavery is at an end4 ,the slaveholders see this most clearly2 they see that while you allow these slaves to be their property1 you act inconsistently and oppressively in intermeddling1 as you propose to do1 with what is theirs as much as any other of their goods and chattels3 you must proceed1 therefore1 in your measures for amelioration1 as you call it1 with 'hesitating steps and slow2' and there is nothing you can do for restraining punishment1 for regulating labor1 for enforcing manumission1 for introducing education and ,christianity1 which will not be met with the remonstrance1 undeniably just by your own concessions1 that you are encroaching on the sacred rights of property1--the slaveholders see all this1 and they can employ it to paralyse and defeat all your efforts to get at emancipation1 and to prepare for it4 ,it is on this account1 that ,i wish it settled in your minds1 as a fixed and immutable principle1 that there is and can be no property of man in man4 ,adopt this principle1 and give it that ascendency over your minds to which it is entitled2--and slavery is swept away4--,speech of ,rev4 ,dr ,thomson of ,edinburgh4 ,o ,the history of the ,revolution in ,st ,domingo is not generally understood in this country4 ,the result of the instantaneous emancipation of the slaves1 in that island1 by an act of the ,conventional ,assembly of ,france in the month of ,february1 #agid1 settles the controversy between the immediatists and gradualists4 ',after this public act of emancipation1' says ,colonel ,malenfant1 who was resident in the island at the time1 'the negroes remained quiet both in the ,south and in the ,west1 and they continued to work upon all the plantations4' ',upon those estates which were abandoned1 they continued their labors1 where there were any1 even inferior agents1 to guide them2 and on those estates1 where no white men were left to direct them1 they betook themselves to the planting of provisions2 but upon all the plantations where the whites resided1 the blacks continued to labor as quietly as before4' ',on the ,plantation ,gourad1 consisting of more than four hundred and fifty laborers1 not a single negro refused to work2 and yet this plantation was thought to be under the worst discipline and the slaves the most idle of any in the plain4' ,general ,lacroix1 who published his ',memoirs for a ,history of ,st ,domingo1' at ,paris1 in #ahai1 uses these remarkable words3 ',the colony marched1 as by enchantment1 towards its ancient splendor2 cultivation prospered2 every day produced perceptible proofs of its progress4 ,the city of the ,cape and the plantations of the ,north rose up again visibly to the eye4' ,general ,vincent1 who was a general of a brigade of artillery in ,st ,domingo1 and a proprietor of estates in that island1 at the same period1 declared to the ,directory of ,france1 that 'every thing was going on well in ,st ,domingo4 ,the proprietors were in peaceable possession of their estates2 cultivation was making rapid progress2 the blacks were industrious1 and beyond example happy4' ,so much for the horrible concomitants of a general emancipation6 ,so much for the predicted indolence of the liberated slaves6 ,let confusion of face cover all abolition alarmists in view of these historical facts6 ,this peaceful and prosperous state of affairs continued from #agid1 to the invasion of the island by ,leclerc in #ahjb4 ,the attempt of ,bonaparte to reduce the island to its original servitude was the sole cause of that sanguinary conflict which ended in the total extirpation of the ,french from its soil4--,vide ,clarkson's ',thoughts on the ,necessity of ,improving the ,condition of the ,slaves in the ,british ,colonies1' c4 ,,section ,,vi4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,nourished ,,by ,,fear ,,and ,,selfishness4 ,the reader will find on the fifth page of my introductory remarks1 the phrase 'naked terrors2' by which ,i mean1 that1 throughout all the speeches1 addresses and reports in behalf of the ,society1 it is confessed1 in language strong and explicit1 that an irrepressible and agonizing fear of the influence of the free people of color over the slave population is the primary1 essential and prevalent motive for colonizing them on the coast of ,africa--and not1 as we are frequently urged to believe1 a desire simply to meliorate their condition and civilize that continent4 ,on this point1 the evidence is abundant4 ',in reflecting on the utility of a plan for colonizing the free people of color1 with whom our country abounds1 it is natural that we should be first struck by its tendency to confer a benefit on ourselves1 by ridding us of a population for the most part idle and useless1 and too often vicious and mischievous4' 99 99 99 ',such a class must evidently be a burden and a nuisance to the community2 and every scheme which affords a prospect of removing so great an evil must deserve to be most favorably considered4 ',but it is not in themselves merely that the free people of color are a nuisance and burthen4 ,they contribute greatly to the corruption of the slaves1 and to aggravate the evils of their condition1 by rendering them idle1 discontented and disobedient4 ,this also arises from the necessity under which the free blacks are1 of remaining incorporated with the slaves1 of associating habitually with them1 and forming part of the same class in society4 ,the slave seeing his free companion live in idleness1 or subsist however scantily or precariously by occasional and desultory employment1 is apt to grow discontented with his own condition1 and to regard as tyranny and injustice the authority which compels him to labor4,p ',great1 however1 as the benefits are1 which we may thus promise ourselves1 from the colonization of the free people of color1 by its tendency to prevent the discontent and corruption of our slaves1' c4 99 99 ',the considerations stated in the first part of this letter1 have long since produced a thorough conviction in my mind1 that the existence of a class of free people of color in this country is highly injurious to the whites1 the slaves and the free people of color themselves3 consequently that all emancipation1 to however small an extent1 which permits the persons emancipated to remain in this country1 is an evil1 which must increase with the increase of the operation1 and would become altogether intolerable1 if extended to the whole1 or even to a very large part of the black population4 ,i am therefore strongly opposed to emancipation1 in every shape and degree1 unless accompanied by colonization4'--,general ,harper's ,letter--,first ,annual ,report1 pp4 #bi1 #ca1 #cb1 #cc1 #cf4 ',the slaves would be greatly benefitted by the removal of the free blacks1 who now corrupt them and render them discontented4'--,second ,an4 ,rep4 ',what are these objects8 ,they are in the first place to aid ourselves1 by relieving us from a species of population pregnant with future danger and present inconvenience4'--,seventh ,report4 ',they are dangerous to the community1 and this danger ought to be removed4 ,their wretchedness arises not only from their bondage1 but from their political and moral degradation4 ,the danger is not so much that we have a million and a half of slaves1 as that we have in our borders nearly two millions of men who are necessarily any thing rather than loyal citizens--nearly two millions of ignorant and miserable beings who are banded together by the very same circumstances1 by which they are so widely separated in character and in interest from all the citizens of our great republic4'--,seventh ,annual ,report4 ',it may be safely assumed1 that there is not an individual in the community1 who has given to the subject a moment's consideration1 who does not regard the existence of the free people of color in the bosom of the country1 as an evil of immense magnitude1 and of a dangerous and alarming tendency4 ,their abject and miserable condition is too obvious to be pointed out4 ,all must perceive it1 and perceiving it1 cannot but lament it4 ,but their deplorable condition is not more obvious to the most superficial observer1 than is 7what is far worse1 and still more to be dreaded17 the powerful and resistless influence which they exert over the slave population4 ,while their character remains what it now is1 7and the laws and structure of the country in which they reside1 prevent its permanent improvement17 this influence must of necessity be baneful and contaminating4 ,corrupt themselves1 like the deadly ,upas1 they impart corruption to all around them4 ,their numbers too1 are constantly and rapidly augmenting4 ,their annual increase is truly astonishing1 certainly unexampled4 ,the dangerous ascendency which they have already acquired over the slaves1 is consequently increasing with every addition to their numbers2 and every addition to their numbers is a subtraction from the wealth and strength1 and character1 and happiness1 and safety of the country4 ,and if this be true1 as it unquestionably is1 the converse is also true2 the danger of their undue influence will lessen with every diminution of their numbers2 and every diminution of their numbers must add1 and add greatly1 to the prosperity of the country4'--,twelfth ,annual ,report4 ',another reason is1 the pressing and vital importance of relieving ourselves1 as soon as practicable1 from this most dangerous element in our population4' 99 99 ',we all know the effects produced on our slaves by the fascinating1 but delusive appearance of happiness1 exhibited in some persons of their own complexion1 roaming in idleness and vice among them4 ,by removing the most fruitful source of discontent from among our slaves1 we should render them more industrious and attentive to our commands4'--,fourteenth ,annual ,report4 ',what is the free black to the slave8 ,a standing perpetual incitement to discontent4 ,though the condition of the slave be a thousand times the best--supplied1 protected1 instead of destitute and desolate--yet1 the folly of the condition1 held to involuntary labor1 finds1 always1 allurement1 in the spectacle of exemption from it1 without consideration of the adjuncts of destitution and misery4 ,the slave would have then1 little excitement to discontent but for the free black4'--,fifteenth ,annual ,report4 ',the evils which arise from the communication of the free people of color with our slaves1 must be obvious to every reflecting mind2 and the consequences which may result from this communication at some future day1 when circumstances are more favorable to their views1 are of a more alarming character4 ,sir1 circumstances must have brought us to the conclusion1 if our observation had not enabled us to make the remark1 that it is natural for our slaves1 so closely allied to the free black population by national peculiarities1 and by relationship1 to make a comparison between their respective conditions1 and to repine at the difference which exists between them4 ,this is a serious evil1 and can only be removed by preventing the possibility of a comparison4 ',by removing these people1 we rid ourselves of a large party who will always be ready to assist our slaves in any mischievous design which they may conceive2 and who are better able1 by their intelligence1 and the facilities of their communication1 to bring those designs to a successful termination4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #agf4 ',the labors of the ,colonization ,society appear to us highly deserving of praise4 ,the blacks1 whom they carry from the country1 belong to a class far more noxious than the slaves themselves4 ,they are free without any sense of character to restrain them1 or regular means of obtaining an honest livelihood4 ,most of the criminal offences committed in the southern ,states are chargeable to them1 and their influence over the slaves is pernicious and alarming4' 99 99 99 ',what is the true nature of the evil of the existence of a portion of the ,african race in our population8 ,it is not that there are some1 but that there are so many among us of a different caste1 of a different physical1 if not moral1 constitution1 who never can amalgamate with the great body of our population4 ,in every country1 persons are to be found varying in their color1 origin and character1 from the native mass4 ,but this anomaly creates no inquietude or apprehension1 because the exotics1 from the smallness of their number1 are known to be utterly incapable of disturbing the general tranquillity4 ,here1 on the contrary1 the ,african part of our population bears so large a proportion to the residue of ,european origin1 as to create the most lively apprehension1 especially in some quarters of the ,union4 ,any project1 therefore1 by which1 in a material degree1 the dangerous element in the general mass1 can be diminished or rendered stationary1 deserves deliberate consideration4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #bg1 #cch4 ',made up1 for the most part1 either of slaves or of their immediate descendants2 elevated above the class from which it has sprung1 only by its exemption from domestic restraint2 and effectually debarred by the law1 from every prospect of equality with the actual freemen of the country2 it is a source of perpetual uneasiness to the master1 and of envy and corruption to the slave4' 99 99 ',to remove these persons from among us1 will increase the usefulness1 and improve the moral character of those who remain in servitude1 and with whose labors the country is unable to dispense4 ,that instances are to be found of colored free persons1 upright and industrious1 is not to be denied4 ,but the greater portion1 as is well known1 are a source of malignant depravity to the slaves on the one hand1 and of corrupt habits to many of our white population on the other4 ,the arts of subsistence with many of them1 are incompatible with the security of property4' 99 99 99 ',i am a ,virginian--,i dread for her the corroding evil of this numerous caste1 and ,i tremble for the danger of a disaffection spreading through their seductions1 among our servants4' 99 99 99 ',are they vipers1 who are sucking our blood8 we will hurl them from us4 ,it is not sympathy alone1--not sickly sympathy1 no1 nor manly sympathy either1--which is to act on us2 but vital policy1 self-interest1 are also enlisting themselves on the humane side in our breasts4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #aj1 #fg1 #aig1 #bja4 ',all must concur in regarding the present condition of the free colored race in ,america as inconsistent with its future social and political advancement1 and1 where slavery exists at all1 as calculated to aggravate its evils without any atoning good4 ,among those evils1 the most obvious is the restraint imposed upon emancipation by the laws of so many of the slaveholding ,states3 laws1 deriving their recent origin from the obvious manifestation which the increase of the free colored population has furnished1 of the inconvenience and danger of multiplying their number where slavery exists at all4' 99 99 99 ',by the success of this scheme1 our country will be enriched4 ,the free blacks constitute a material spoke in that wheel which is crushing down the wealth of our land4 ,the moment we carry this plan into vigorous prosecution1 we shall call many of our countrymen to a state of comparative wealth4 ,the removal of the annual increase of our colored population1 would give to our mariners a considerable scope of employment1 whilst the trade of the ,colony would be a source of profit4' 99 99 ',it places the attainment of the grand object in view1 that is1 to withdraw from the ,united ,states annually1 so many of the colored population1 and provide them a comfortable home and all the advantages of civilization in ,africa1 as will make the number here remain stationary4' 99 99 99 ',let us recur to the principle abovementioned--that every black family occupies the room of a white family4 ,on this principle we are lost1 if we suffer the colored population to multiply1 unchecked1 upon our hands2 because they will increase faster than the whites1 and will crowd them out of all the ,southern country4 ,but on the same principle we are saved1 if by any means of colonization1 we can retard the increase of the blacks1 and gain ground on them in the ,south4 ,that we can do with ease1 if our people will unite in prosecuting the scheme4 ,every family taken from the blacks1 will add also a family to the whites1 and make an actual difference of two families in our favor4 ,this exchange will leave fewer blacks to remove1 while it will increase our ability to remove them4 ,self-interest and self-preservation furnish motives enough to excite our exertions4' 99 99 ',by thus repressing the rapid increase of blacks1 the white population would be enabled to reach and soon overtop them4 ,the consequence would be security4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iv4 pp4 #ec1 #ada1 #bga1 #bgf1 #cdd4 ',the existence of a class of men in the bosom of the community1 who occupy a middle rank between the citizen and the slave--who encountering every positive evil incident to each condition1 share none of the benefits peculiar to either1 has been long clearly seen and deeply deplored by every man of observation4 ,the master feels it in the unhappy influence which the free blacks have upon the slave population4 ,the slave feels it in the restless1 discontented spirit which his association with the free black engenders4' 99 99 99 99 ',but1 there is yet a more important and alarming view1 in which this subject necessarily presents itself to the mind of every ,virginian4 ,a community of the character that has been described1 with this additional peculiarity1 that it differs from the class from which it has sprung1 only in its exemption from the wholesome restraints of domestic authority1 is found in the midst of a numerous and rapidly increasing slave population2 and while its partial freedom1 trammelled1 as it is1 by the necessary rigors of the law1 is nevertheless sufficiently attractive1 to be a source of uneasiness and dissatisfaction to those who have not attained to its questionable privileges1 its exemption from the prompt and efficient inquisition appertaining to slavery1 makes it an important instrument in the corruption and seduction of those1 who yet remain the property of their masters4' 99 99 99 ',who would not rejoice to see our country liberated from her black population8 ,who would not participate in any efforts to restore those children of misfortune to their native shores1 and kindle the lights of science and civilization through ,africa8 ,who that has reflection1 does not tremble for the political and moral well-being of a country1 that has within its bosom1 a growing population1 bound to its institutions by no common sympathies1 and ready to fall in with any faction that may threaten its liberties8' 99 99 99 ',the existence of this race among us2 a race that can neither share our blessings nor incorporate in our society1 is already felt to be a curse2 and though the only curse entailed on us1 if left to take its course1 it will become the greatest that could befal the nation4 ',shall we then cling to it1 and by refusing the timely expedient now offered for deliverance1 retain and foster the alien enemies1 till they have multiplied into such greater numbers1 and risen into such mightier consequence as will for ever bar the possibility of their departure1 and by barring it1 bar also the possibility of fulfilling our own high destiny8' 99 99 ',the object of this ,society is two-fold2 for while it immediately and ostensibly directs its energies to the amelioration of the condition of the free people of color1 it relieves our country from an unprofitable burden1 and which1 if much longer submitted to1 may record upon our history the dreadful cries of vengeance that but a few years since were registered in characters of blood at ,st4 ,domingo4' 99 99 ',it is the removal of the free blacks from among us1 that is to save us1 sooner or later1 from those dreadful events foreboded by ,mr ,jefferson1 or from the horrors of ,st4 ,domingo4 ,the present number of this unfortunate1 degraded1 and anomalous class of inhabitants cannot be much short of half a million2 and the number is fast increasing4 ,they are emphatically a mildew upon our fields1 a scourge to our backs1 and a stain upon our escutcheon4 ,to remove them is mercy to ourselves1 and justice to them4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 v4 pp4 #bh1 #ea1 #hh1 #bgh1 #cjd1 #cdh4 ',all admit the utility of the separation of the free people of color from the residue of the population of the ,united ,states1 if it be practicable4 ,it is desirable for them1 for the slaves of the ,united ,states1 and for the white race4 ,the vices of this class do not spring from any inherent depravity in their natural constitution1 but from their unfortunate situation4 ,social intercourse is a want which we are prompted to gratify by all the properties of our nature4 ,and as they cannot obtain it in the better circles of society1 nor always among themselves1 they resort to slaves and to the most debased and worthless of the whites4 ,corruption1 and all the train of petty offences1 are the consequences4 ,proprietors of slaves in whose neighborhood any free colored family is situated1 know how infectious and pernicious this intercourse is4' 99 99 99 ',who1 if this promiscuous residence of whites and blacks1 of freemen and slaves1 is for ever to continue1 can imagine the servile wars1 the carnage and the crimes which will be its probable consequences1 without shuddering with horror8' 99 99 ',it were madness to shut our eyes to these facts and conclusions4 ,this rapid increase of the blacks is as certain as the progress of time4 ,the fatal consequences of that increase1 if it be not checked1 are equally so4 ,something must be done4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society proposes a remedy--the removal to ,africa of the blacks who are free1 or shall hereafter become so1 with their consent4' 99 99 ',the colored population is considered by the people of ,tennessee and ,alabama in general1 as an immense evil to the country--but the free part of it1 by all1 as the greatest of all evils4444 ,they feel severely the effects of the deleterious influence which the free negroes exert upon the slaves--and they look1 moreover1 into futurity1 and there they behold an appalling scene--in less than one hundred years1 7a short time1 we should hope1 in the life of this republic17 #af1jjj1jjj of blacks4' 99 99 99 99 ',since the recent revolution in the island of ,st4 ,domingo1 which has placed it in the hands of the ,african race1 it was thought by some that there an asylum might be found for this part of our population4 ,but to that place there were also serious objections1 which would prevent its adoption to any considerable extent4 ,the nearness of that ,island to our southern borders1 and the evil consequences that might result from embodying the free persons of color in the vicinity of those parts of the ,united ,states1 where slaves are so numerous1 forbade the friends of humanity to provide a home for them in that ,island4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vi4 pp4 #ag1 #bc1 #fh1 #gg1 #bbf4 ',the existence1 within the very bosom of our country1 of an anomalous race of beings1 the most debased upon earth1 who neither enjoy the blessings of freedom1 nor are yet in the bonds of slavery1 is a great national evil1 which every friend of his country most deeply deplores4 ,they constitute a large mass of human beings1 who hang as a vile excrescence upon society--the objects of a low debasing envy to our slaves1 and to ourselves of universal suspicion and distrust4' 99 99 ',if this process were continued a second term of duplication1 it would produce the extraordinary result of forty white men to one black in the country--a state of things in which we should not only cease to feel the burdens which now hang so heavily upon us1 but actually regard the poor ,african as an object of curiosity1 and not uneasiness4' 99 99 ',enough1 under favorable circumstances1 might be removed for a few successive years--if young females were encouraged to go--to keep the whole colored population in check4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #bcj1 #bcb1 #bdf4 ',the existence of such a population among us is a most manifest evil4 ,and every year adds to its threatening aspect4 ,they are more than a sixth of our population6 ,their ratio of increase exceeds that of the whites4 ,they have all the lofty and immortal powers of man4 ,and the time must arrive1 when they will fearlessly claim the prerogatives of man4 ,they may do it in the spirit of revenge4 ,they may do it in the spirit of desperation4 ,and the result of such a mustering of their energies--who can look at it even in distant prospect without horror8 ,almost as numerous are they now1 as our whole population when this nation stood forth for freedom in a contest with the mightiest power of the civilized world4 ,and if nothing is done to arrest their increase1 we shall have in twenty years four millions of slaves2 in forty years eight millions2 in sixty years sixteen millions1 and a million of free blacks2--seventeen millions of people2 seven millions more than our present white population2--enough for a powerful empire6 ,and how can they be governed8 ,who can foretel those scenes of carnage and terror which our own children may witness1 unless a seasonable remedy be applied8 ,the remedy is now within our reach4 ,we can stop their increase2 we can diminish their number4'--,rev4 ,baxter ,dickinson's ,sermon delivered at ,springfield1 ,mass4 in #ahbi4 ',we have a numerous people1 who1 though they are among us1 are not of us2 who are aliens and outcasts in the land of their birth4 ,a people whose condition is degraded and miserable2 who1 so far from adding to our national strength1 are an element of weakness1 and detract from the amount of human effort4 ,a people1 whose condition1 while it excites our commiseration1 must awaken our fears4' 99 99 ',those persons of color who have been emancipated1 are only nominally free2 and the whole race1 so long as they remain among us1 and whether they be slaves or free1 must necessarily be kept in a condition full of wretchedness to them and full of danger to the whites4 ,this view of the subject is rendered the more alarming by the rapid increase of this portion of our population4'--,second ,annual ,report of the ,new-,york ,state ,colonization ,society1 pp4 #d1 #cd4 ',we would ask1 whence have the troubles1 which have taken place among the slaves of ,louisiana1 originated8 ,trace the causes1 and we will invariably find them to have proceeded from the suggestions and officious interferences of the free blacks4 ,their very existence in our limits1 enjoying supposed independence1 excites the envy and dissatisfaction of the slaves4 ,the latter naturally inquire1 why is it1 that persons of the same color1 are permitted to possess more privileges than they do8444 ,we know the danger to which we are exposed from such a class of beings living in the very heart of our population1 and increasing greatly every year4'--,an advocate of the ,society in the ,new-,orleans ,argus4 ',among us the free negroes are multiplying rapidly2 both conscience and religion1 as well as propagation1 increase them1 and1 unless instant and decisive steps are taken to prevent their increase1 you will soon have #ej1jjj determined and vengeful enemies in the heart of your country1 protected there by the constitution1 forsooth1 by which it seems we are forbidden to expel the free negroes1 or to prevent farther importations of this deadly pest in the persons of slaves4'--,louisville ,focus4 ',will not the people of the ,united ,states be induced to do something to remove their colored population8 ,i refer to their condition1 whether bond or free4 ,they are wretched and dangerous1 and should be removed4 ,and the danger arises1 not because we have thousands of slaves within our borders1 but because there are nearly two millions of colored men1 who are by necessity any thing rather than loyal citizens4'--,address by ,gabriel ,p4 ,disosway1 ,esq4 ',it is not now a novel or a debateable proposition1 that slavery is a great moral and political curse4 ,it is equally clear that its multitudinous evils are greatly increased by the existence among us of a mongrel population1 who1 freed from the shackles of bondage1 yet bear about them the badge of inferiority1 stamped upon them indelibly by the hand of nature1 and are therefore deprived of those rights of citizenship1 without which they must necessarily be a degraded caste--depraved in morals and vicious in conduct1 and exercising a mischievous and dangerous influence over those to whom they are nominally superior4 ,their mere existence among the slaves is sufficient1 of itself1 to excite in the bosoms of the latter a feeling of dissatisfaction with their own condition1 apparently worse1 because of the coercion to labor which it imposes2 but essentially better1 because of the comforts which that labor procures1 and of which the idle and dissolute habits of the free negro almost invariably deprive him4 ,the slave1 however1 is not capable of reasoning correctly1 if he reasons at all1 on these truths4 ,he envies the free negro his idleness1 and his freedom from restraint1 with all its attendant disadvantages of poverty and disease1 crime and punishment--and hence1 he will sometimes indulge the delusive dream of effecting his own emancipation by the murder of those who hold him in bondage4 ,take away from him this cause of dissatisfaction1 and this incentive to insurrection1 and then these impracticable hopes1 which now sometimes flit before his imagination1 will no longer embitter his hours of labor1 and urge him to the commission of those horrid deeds of massacre1 which1 though they may glut a momentary revenge1 must result disastrously1 not only to the slaves engaged immediately in their perpetration1 but to all that unfortunate race4 ,our true interests require that they shall remove from among us--and no longer be a source of disquietude to the whites1 of envy to the slaves1 and of degradation to themselves4'--,lynchburg 7,va47 ,virginian4 ',for the most conclusive reasons this removal should be to ,africa4 ,if it be to the ,west ,indies1 to ,texas1 to ,canada1 then1 how strong and various the objections to building up1 in the vicinity of our own nation1 a mighty empire1 from a race of men1 so unlike ourselves8 ,but1 if the removal be to ,africa1 then it is to a happy distance from us and to their father land4444 ,then let it aid in removing that population1 which1 under its peculiar relation to the whites1 and under its degrading social and civil disabilities1 is a most fruitful source of national dishonor1 demoralization1 weakness and horrid danger4'--,memorial of the ,new-,york ,state ,colonization ,society4 ',the males removed should be persons between #af and #ag years of age2 the females between #ac and #ad4 ,now as a number would be annually removed equal to the whole increase1 and as that number would be composed of individuals1 of such ages that their removal would affect the future increase of the race in the greatest possible degree1 ,i believe that their numbers would not only not increase1 but would diminish4 ,and the number removed might be increased as the proportion of white persons in the ,state became greater1 until the removal reached a point at which all the males who attained the age of sixteen1 and all the females who attained the age of fourteen1 in any given year1 would during that year be removed4'--,petersburg 7,va47 ,times4 ',they are well calculated to render the slaves sullen1 discontented1 unhappy and refractory--and the masters suspicious1 fearful of consequences1 and disposed to enhance the rigor of the condition of their slaves1 in order to avert the dangers that appear to impend over them from the promulgation of the anti-slavery doctrines2 thus1 in this case1 as in so many others1 the imprudent zeal of friends is likely to produce as much substantial injury as the animosity of decided enemies could accomplish4'--,mathew ,carey's ,essays4 ',hatred to the whites is1 with the exception in some cases of an attachment to the person and family of the master1 nearly universal among the black population4 ,we have then a foe1 cherished in our very bosoms--a foe willing to draw our life-blood whenever the opportunity is offered1 and1 in the mean time1 intent upon doing us all the mischief in his power4'--,southern ,religious ,telegraph4 ,does the reader wish for any additional proof that the governing motive of the ,american ,colonization ,society is fear--undisguised1 excessive ,,fear8 ,language is altogether inadequate to express my indignation and contempt1 in view of such a heartless and cowardly exhibition of sentiment4 ,there is a deep sense of guilt1 an awful dread of retribution1 manifested in the foregoing extracts2 but we perceive no evidence of contrition for past or present injustice1 on the part of those terror-stricken plotters4 ,instead of returning to those1 whom they have so deeply injured1 'with repenting and undissembling love2' instead of seeking to conciliate and remunerate the victims of their prejudice and oppression2 instead of resolving to break the yoke of servitude and let the oppressed go free2 it seems to be their only anxiety and aim to outwit the vengeance of ,heaven1 and strengthen the bulwarks of tyranny1 by expelling the free people of color from our shores1 and effecting such a diminution of the number of slaves as shall give the white population a triumphant and irresistible superiority6 ',check the increase6' is their cry--'let us retain in everlasting bondage as many as we can1 safely2 but the proportion must be at least ten millions of ourselves to two millions of our vassals1 else we shall live in jeopardy6 ,to do justly is not our intention2 we only mean to remove the surplus of our present stock2 we think we shall be able1 by this prudent device1 to oppress and rob with impunity4 ,our present wailing is not for our heinous crimes1 but only because our avarice and cruelty have carried us beyond our ability to protect ourselves3 we lament1 not because we hold so large a number in fetters of iron1 but because we cannot safely hold more6' ,ye crafty calculators6 ye hard-hearted1 incorrigible sinners6 ye greedy and relentless robbers6 ye contemners of justice and mercy6 ye trembling1 pitiful1 pale-faced usurpers6 my soul spurns you with unspeakable disgust4 ,know ye not that the reward of your hands shall be given you8 ',wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees1 and that write grievousness which they have prescribed2 to turn aside the needy from judgment1 and to take away the right from the poor1 that widows may be their prey1 and that they may rob the fatherless6 ,and what will ye do in the day of visitation1 and in the desolation which shall come from far8 to whom will ye flee for help8 and where will ye leave your glory8'--',what mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces1 and grind the face of the poor8 saith the ,lord ,god of hosts4'--',behold1 the hire of the laborers which have reaped down your fields1 which is of you kept back by fraud1 crieth2 and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the ,lord of ,sabaoth4' ,repent6 repent6 now1 in sackcloth and ashes4 ,think not to succeed in your expulsive crusade2 you cannot hide your motives from the ,great ,searcher of hearts2 and if a sinful worm of the dust1 like myself1 is fired with indignation at your dastardly behaviour and mean conspiracy to evade repentance and punishment1 how must the anger of ,him1 whose holiness and justice are infinite1 burn against you8 ,is it not a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living ,god8 ,you may plot by day and by night2 you may heap together the treasures of the land1 and multiply and enlarge your combinations1 to extricate yourselves from peril2 but you cannot succeed4 ,your only alternative is1 either to redress the wrongs of the oppressed now1 and humble yourselves before ,god1 or prepare for the chastisements of ,heaven4 ,i repeat it--,,repentance or ,,punishment must be yours4 ,there are several points upon which ,i wish to fasten the attention of the reader3 #a4 ,the inhumanity and craftiness of these propositions for the removal of the free people of color4 ,it will be seen that the conspirators have taxed their ingenuity to the utmost1 to ascertain the exact number of emigrants which must be transported annually1 the amount of money that must be raised1 the persons that must be selected1 the number of vessels that must be employed1 c4 c4 ,it is their determination1 if the necessary means can be obtained1 to transport the annual increase of our colored population2 but in this calculation we find no allowance made for unwillingness or resistance on the part of those who are the objects of their supervision4 ,it is taken for granted that all will be induced to go into exile1 or must be made willing compulsorily4 ,nothing else is contemplated but their entire expulsion4 ,in order to insure a reduction of this 'alarming increase1' and effectually to check the fruitfulness of generation1 even the unmanly and scandalous proposition is made to remove principally those of both sexes who are just come to the age of puberty6 ,the system of espionage1 established by ,napoleon to prevent the possibility of a successful conspiracy1 was not more detestable and observant than is this violent and unnatural project4 ',if young females were encouraged to go'6--why1 then they could not propagate here6 ,infamous calculation6 #b4 ,the principal object avowed for the removal of the free people of color1 is1 their corruptive and dangerous influence over the slave population4 ,it is demonstrated1 then1 beyond disputation1 that this removal will infuse new strength into the tottering system of slavery1 tighten the grasp of the masters upon the throats of the slaves1 lull them into a profound and quiet sleep1 postpone the hour of emancipation1 and enhance the security and value of slave property4 ,the terror of mind which calls for this separation cannot be benevolence1 and the combination which seeks to effect it cannot merit support4 ,it were folly to hope that the owners of slaves will ultimately emancipate them1 from conscientious motives4 ,in the first place1 they affect to be innocent in holding their victims in servitude2 secondly1 they are assured by their colonization brethren that they are not guilty of oppression1 but1 on the contrary1 are watchful guardians2 and lastly1 they are obstinate in shutting their eyes upon the light1 and kindle into a rage on being arraigned for their tyrannous conduct4 ,our only ground of hope1 then1 is in increasing the difficulty of holding their slaves1 in multiplying the causes of their apprehensions1 in destroying the value of slave labor1 and in making their situation full of disquietude and distress4 ,such a course is not inconsistent with benevolence--such a course we are obligated to pursue1 as we value the present and everlasting welfare of the oppressor and the oppressed1 and desire to have a conscience void of offence toward ,god and toward man4 ,it may--it must be effected by a scrupulous abstinence from the productions of slavery2 by encouraging planters to cultivate their lands by the hands of free laborers2 by educating our free colored population1 and placing them on an equality with ourselves2 and by constantly exhibiting the criminality of holding rational and immortal beings in servile bondage4 ,thus1 and thus only1 shall we be able to liberate our enslaved countrymen4 #c4 ,consider the inevitable consequence of these reiterated and malignant statements1 with regard to the habits and designs of the free people of color4 ,first1 it deters a large number of masters from liberating their slaves1 and hence directly perpetuates the evils of slavery3 it deters them for two reasons--an unwillingness to augment the wretchedness of those who are in servitude by turning them loose upon the country1 and a dread of increasing the number of their enemies4 ,it creates and nourishes the bitterest animosity against the free blacks4 ,it has spread an alarm among all classes of society1 in all parts of the country2 and1 acting under this fearful impulse1 they begin to persecute1 believing self-preservation imperiously calls for this severe treatment4 ,the legislative enactment of ,ohio1 which not long since drove many of the colored inhabitants of that ,state into ,upper ,canada1 was the legitimate fruit of the anathemas of the ,colonization ,society4 ,a bill has been reported in the same legislature for preventing free people of color from participating in the benefit of the common school fund1 in order to hasten their expulsion from the ,state6 ,other ,states are multiplying similar disabilities1 and hanging heavier weights upon their free colored population4 ,the ,legislature of ,louisiana has enacted that whosoever shall make use of language1 in any public discourse1 from the bar1 the bench1 the pulpit1 the stage1 or in any other place whatsoever shall make use of language1 in any private discourses1 or shall make use of signs or actions having a tendency to produce discontent among the colored population1 shall suffer imprisonment at hard labor1 not less than three years1 nor more than twenty-one years1 or ,,death1 at the discretion of the court66 ,it has also prohibited the instruction of the blacks in ,sabbath ,schools--#ejj penalty for the first offence--,,death for the second66 ,the ,legislature of ,virginia has passed a bill which subjects all free negroes who shall be convicted of remaining in the commonwealth contrary to law1 to the liability of being sold by the sheriff4 ,all meetings of free negroes1 at any school-house or meeting-house1 for teaching them reading or writing1 are declared an unlawful assembly2 and it is made the duty of any justice of the peace to issue his warrant to enter the house where such unlawful assemblage is held1 for the purpose of apprehending or dispersing such free negroes4 ,a fine is to be imposed on every white person who instructs at such meetings4 ,all emancipated slaves1 who shall remain more than twelve months1 contrary to law1 shall revert to the executors as assets4 ,laws have been passed in ,georgia and ,north ,carolina1 imposing a heavy tax or imprisonment on every free person of color who shall come into their ports in the capacity of stewards1 cooks1 or seamen of any vessels belonging to the non-slaveholding ,states4 ,the ,legislature of ,tennessee has passed an act forbidding free blacks from coming into the ,state to remain more than twenty days4 ,the penalty is a fine of from ten to fifty dollars1 and confinement in the penitentiary from one to two years4 ,double the highest penalty is to be inflicted after the first offence4 ,the act also prohibits manumission1 without an immediate removal from the ,state4 ,the last ,legislature of ,maryland passed a bill1 by which no free negro or mulatto is allowed to emigrate to1 or settle in the ,state1 under the penalty of fifty dollars for every week's residence therein2 and if he refuse or neglect to pay such fine1 he shall be committed to jail and sold by the sheriff at public sale2 and no person shall employ or harbor him1 under the penalty of twenty dollars for every day he shall be so employed1 hired or harbored6 ,it is not lawful for any free blacks to attend any meetings for religious purposes1 unless conducted by a white licensed or ordained preacher1 or some respectable white person duly authorised6 ,all free colored persons residing in the ,state1 are compelled to register their names1 ages1 c4 c42 and if any negro or mulatto shall remove from the ,state1 and remain without the limits thereof for a space longer than thirty consecutive days1 unless before leaving the ,state he deposits with the clerk of the county in which he resides1 a written statement of his object in doing so1 and his intention of returning again1 or unless he shall have been detained by sickness or coercion1 of which he shall bring a certificate1 he shall be regarded as a resident of another ,state1 and be subject1 if he return1 to the penalties imposed by the foregoing provisions upon free negroes and mulattoes of another ,state1 migrating to ,maryland6 ,it is not lawful for any person or persons to purchase of any free negro or mulatto any articles1 unless he produce a certificate from a justice of the peace1 or three respectable persons residing in his neighborhood1 that he or they have reason to believe1 and do believe1 that such free negro or mulatto came honestly and bona fide into possession of any such articles so offered for sale6 ,a bill has been reported to the ,legislature of ,pennsylvania1 which enacts1 that from and after a specified time1 no negro or mulatto shall be permitted to emigrate into and settle in that ,state1 without entering into bond in the penal sum of five hundred dollars1 conditioned for his good behavior4 ,if he neglect or refuse to comply with this requisition1 such punishment shall be inflicted upon him as is now directed in the case of vagrants4 ,free colored residents are not to be allowed to migrate from one township or county to another1 without producing a certificate from the ,clerk of the ,court of ,quarter ,sessions1 or a ,justice of the ,peace1 or an ,alderman6 ,the passage of a similar law has been urged even upon the ,legislature of ,massachusetts by a writer in the ,salem ,gazette6 ,all these proscriptive measures1 and others less conspicuous but equally oppressive1--which are not only flagrant violations of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 but in the highest degree disgraceful and inhuman1--are resorted to1 7to borrow the language of the ,secretary in his ,fifteenth ,annual ,report17 'for the more complete accomplishment of the great objects of the ,american ,colonization ,society'66 ,i appeal to the candor and common sense of the reader1 if this grievous persecution be not justly chargeable to the ,society8 ,it is constantly thundering in the ears of the slave ,states--',your free blacks contaminate your slaves1 excite their deadliest hate1 and are a source of horrid danger to yourselves6 ,they must be removed1 or your destruction is inevitable6' ,what is their response8 ,precisely such as might be expected--',we know it2 we dread the presence of this class2 their influence over our slaves weakens our power1 and endangers our safety2 they must1 they shall be expatriated1 or be crushed to the earth if they remain6' ,it says to the free ,states--',your colored population can never be rendered serviceable1 intelligent or loyal2 they will only1 and always1 serve to increase your taxes1 crowd your poor-houses and penitentiaries1 and corrupt and impoverish society6' ,again1 what is the natural response8--',it is even so2 they are offensive to the eye1 and a pest in community2 theirs is now1 and must inevitably be1 without a reversal of the laws of nature1 the lot of vagabonds2 it were useless to attempt their intellectual and moral improvement among ourselves2 and therefore be this their alternative--either to emigrate to ,liberia1 or remain for ever a despicable caste in this country6' ,hence the enactment of those sanguinary laws1 to which reference has been made3 hence1 too1 the increasing disposition which is every where seen to render the situation of the free blacks intolerable4 ,never was it so pitiable and distressing--so full of peril and anxiety--so burdened with misery1 despondency and scorn2 never were the prejudices of society so virulent and implacable against them2 never were their prospects so dark1 and dreary1 and hopeless2 never was the hand of power so heavily laid upon their limbs2 never were they so restricted in regard to locomotion and the advantages of education1 as at the present time4 ,athwart their sky scarcely darts a single ray of light--above and around them darkness reigns1 and an angry tempest is mustering its fearful strength1 and 'thunders are uttering their voices4' ,treachery is seeking to decoy1 and violence to expel them4 ,for all this1 and more than this1 and more that is to come1 the ,american ,colonization ,society is responsible4 ,and no better evidence is needed than this3 ,,their ,,persecution1 ,,traducement ,,and ,,wretchedness ,,increase ,,in ,,exact ,,ratio ,,with ,,the ,,influence1 ,,popularity ,,and ,,extension ,,of ,,this ,,society6 ,the fact is undeniable1 and it is conclusive4 ,for it is absurd to suppose1 that as the disposition and ability of an association to alleviate misery increase1 so will the degradation and suffering of the objects of its charities4 ,the assertion that the free blacks corrupt the morals of the slaves1 is too ludicrous to need a serious refutation4 ,corrupt the morals of those who are recognized and treated as brutes1 and who know as little of the laws of ,god as of the laws of the land6 ,immaculate creatures6 ,the system of slavery is constantly developing new excellencies3 it is1 we now perceive1 the protector of virtue1 the enemy of vice1 and a purifier of the soul6 ,but something more indiscreet and preposterous than this1 is advanced for our admiration4 ,we are gravely assured1 first1 by a ,new-,england clergyman1 that1 generally1 the condition of the free man of color 'is one in comparison with which the condition of the slave is enviable2' and1 secondly1 by the last distinguished convert to the ,colonization ,society--the ,hon4 ,mr4 ,archer of ,virginia--'the condition of the slave is a thousand times the best1 the disparity is wonderful6--supplied1 protected1 instead of destitute and desolate'6,q ,let us draw a brief comparison4 ,the limbs of the free black are fetterless2 he is controlled by no brutal driver2 he bleeds not under the lash2 he is his own master2 his wife and children cannot be torn from his arms2 he enjoys the fruits of his own labor2 he can improve his own mind1 make his own bargains1 manage his own business1 go from place to place1 and assert his own rights4 ,the situation and privileges of the slave are exactly the reverse4 ,reader1 are they 'enviable'--'a thousand times the best'--in comparison with those of the former8 ,i do not mean to say that there are no instances in which the slave fares as well as the free man of color2 but the argument of these apologists implies that a state of slavery is superior to a state of freedom1 or it is worthless4 #d4 ,it appears1 from the quotations that have been given1 that the only reason why the free blacks are not colonized in the 'far ,west1' or in ,canada1 or ,hayti1 or ,mexico1 is1 because their proximity to the slave ,states might prove detrimental4 ,if they could be sent to any or to all these places1 without any danger to ourselves1 why then all objections would cease4 ,this confession places the hypocrisy of this ,society in bold relief4 ,it pretends to be anxious to evangelize benighted ,africa1 and stop the slave trade2 but only assure it that the blacks may be safely colonized nearer home1 and ,africa might still continue to grope in darkness1 and the slave trade to increase in enormity1 and its bowels of compassion would speedily cease to yearn6--,hence it is that the rapid enlargement of the ,wilberforce ,settlement in ,upper ,canada so disturbs the repose of the advocates of ,african colonization2 and many of them would rejoice at its overthrow4 ,,footnotes3 ,p ,how very strange that the slave should 'regard as tyranny and injustice the authority which compels him to labor' without recompense666 ,q ,paupers and criminals are supplied and protected4 ,how invidious to treat them so generously1 and leave honest1 hard-working men exposed to destitution and abandonment6 ,they ought to be sent to the poor-house or penitentiary forthwith4 ,,section ,,vii4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,aims ,,at ,,the ,,utter ,,expulsion ,,of ,,the ,,blacks4 ,the implacable spirit of this ,society is most apparent in its determination not to cease from its labors1 until our whole colored population be expelled from the country4 ,the following is the evidence in confirmation of this charge3 ',how came we by this population8 ,by the prevalence for a century of a guilty commerce4 ,and will not the prevalence for a century of a restoring commerce1 place them on their own shores8 ,yes1 surely6'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #cdg4 ',for several years the subject of abolition of slavery has been brought before you4 ,i am decidedly opposed to the project recommended4 ,,no ,,scheme ,,of ,,abolition ,,will ,,meet ,,my ,,support1 ,,that ,,leaves ,,the ,,emancipated ,,blacks ,,among ,,us4 ,experience has proved1 that they become a corrupt and degraded class1 as burthensome to themselves as they are hurtful to the rest of society4 ,to permit the blacks to remain amongst us1 after their emancipation1 would be to aggravate and not to cure the evil4'--,idem1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #ahh1 #ahi4 ',we would say1 ,,liberate ,,them ,,only ,,on ,,condition ,,of ,,their ,,going ,,to ,,africa ,,or ,,to ,,hayti4'--,idem1 vol4 iii4 p4 #bf4 ',i am not complaining of the owners of slaves2 ,,it ,,would ,,be ,,as ,,humane ,,to ,,throw ,,them ,,from ,,the ,,decks ,,in ,,the ,,middle ,,passage1 ,,as ,,to ,,set ,,them ,,free ,,in ,,our ,,country4' 99 99 99 ',the ,colonization ,society1 ,i undertake to show1 presents such a scheme4 ,slaveholders have given it their approbation2 they will approve it1 and they can approve of no other4 ,any scheme of emancipation without colonization1 they know and see and feel to be productive of nothing but evil2 evil to all whom it affects3 to the white population1 to the slaves1 to the manumitted themselves4' 99 99 ',throughout the slaveholding ,states there is a strong objection1 even among the warmest friends of the ,african race1 to slaves being liberated and allowed to remain among us2 and some ,states have enacted laws against it4 ,the objection is1 in our individual opinion1 well founded4'--,idem1 vol4 iv4 pp4 #bbf1 #cjj1 #cdj4 ',in connexion with this subject1 your memorialists beg leave to mention1 that by an act of the ,virginia ,legislature1 passed in #ahje1 emancipated slaves forfeit their freedom by remaining for a longer period than twelve months1 within the limits of the ,commonwealth4 ,this law1 odious and unjust as it may at first view appear1 and hard as it may seem to bear upon the liberated negro1 was doubtless dictated by sound policy1 and its repeal would be regarded by none with more unfeigned regret1 than by the friends of ,african ,colonization4 ,it has restrained many masters from giving freedom to their slaves1 and has thereby contributed to check the growth of an evil already too great and formidable4' 99 99 ',under the influence of a policy1 already referred to1 and justified by the necessity from which it sprung1 the laws of ,virginia have prohibited emancipation within the limits of the ,state1 but on condition of the early removal of the individual emancipated4' 99 99 ',while hundreds1 perhaps we might say thousands1 of the free colored people1 are seeking a passage to ,liberia2 hundreds who hold slaves1 would willingly set them at liberty1 were the means of their removal provided4 ,and till those means are provided1 the liberation of the slave would neither be a blessing to himself1 nor the public4 ,his liberty under any circumstances may be a debt due1 in the abstract1 to the claims of human nature2 but when applied to him individually1 it would be a calamity4 ,we cannot conceive of a more deplorable state of society1 than what our slaveholding states would present1 with their black population afloat1 without a home1 without the means of subsistence1 and without those self-relying habits1 which might lead them to obtain an independent livelihood4 ,it is not therefore incumbent upon those who hold slaves1 to set them at liberty1 till some means are provided for their removal1 or at least for their subsistence4 ,they owe it neither to themselves1 to their country1 nor the unfortunate beings around them4' 99 99 99 ',those slaves still in my possession1 ,i cannot conscientiously emancipate1 unless they shall be removed by the ,society to ,liberia4'--,idem1 vol4 v4 pp4 #bj1 #ec1 #hi1 #agg4 ',if the question were submitted1 whether there should be either immediate or gradual emancipation of all the slaves in the ,united ,states1 without their removal or colonization1 painful as it is to express the opinion1 ,i ,,have ,,no ,,doubt ,,that ,,it ,,would ,,be ,,unwise ,,to ,,emancipate ,,them4' 99 99 ',is our posterity doomed to endure forever not only all the ills flowing from the state of slavery1 but all which arise from incongruous elements of population1 separated from each other by invincible prejudices1 and by natural causes8 ,whatever may be the character of the remedy proposed1 we may confidently pronounce it inadequate1 unless it provides efficaciously for the total and absolute separation1 by an extensive space of water or of land1 at least1 of the white portion of our population from that1 which is free1 of the colored4' 99 99 ',who1 if this promiscuous residence of whites and blacks1 of freemen and slaves1 is forever to continue1 can imagine the servile wars1 the carnage and the crimes which will be its probable consequences1 without shuddering with horror8' 99 99 ',gentlemen of the highest respectability from the ,south1 assure us1 that there is among the owners of slaves a very extensive and increasing desire to emancipate them4 ,their patriotism1 their humanity1 nay their self-interest1 prompt to this2 but it is not expedient1 it is not safe to do it1 without being able to remove them4' 99 99 ',how important it is1 as it respects our character abroad1 that we hasten to clear our land of our black population6' ',some benevolent minds in the overflowings of their philanthropy1 advocate amalgamation of the two classes1 saying1 let the colored class be freed1 and remain among us as denizens of the ,empire2 surely all classes of mankind are alike descended from the primitive parentage of ,eden1 then why not intermingle in one common society as friends and brothers4 ,no1 ,sir1 no4 ,i hope to prove at no very distant day1 that a ,southron can make sacrifices for the cause of ,colonization beyond seas2 but for a ,home ,department in those matters1 ,i repeat1 no1 ,sir1 no4 ,what right1 ,i demand1 have the children of ,africa to an homestead in the white man's country8',r ',let the regenerated ,african rise to ,empire2 nay1 let ,genius flourish1 and ,philosophy shed its mild beams to enlighten and instruct the posterity of ,ham1 returning redeemed and disenthralled1 from their long captivity in the ,new ,world4 ,but1 ,sir1 be all these benefits enjoyed by the ,african race under the shade of their native palms4 ,let the ,atlantic billow heave its high and everlasting barrier between their country and ours4 ,let this fair land1 which the white man won by his chivalry1 which he has adorned by the arts and elegancies of polished life1 be kept sacred for his descendants1 untarnished by the footprint of him who hath ever been a slave4'--,idem1 vol4 vi4 pp4 #e1 #ab1 #bc1 #aaj1 #cfd1 #cga1 #cgb4 ',the idea of emancipating our slaves1 and permitting them to remain within the limits of the ,u4 ,s4 whether as a measure of humanity or of policy1 is most decisively reprobated by universal public sentiment4444 ,does any man in his senses desire this population to remain among us8 ,if the whole community could reply1 ,,it ,,would ,,respond ,,in ,,one ,,universal ,,negative4'--,idem1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #bcj1 #bca4 ',in reflecting on the utility of a plan for colonizing the free people of color1 with whom our country abounds1 it is natural that we should be first struck by its tendency to confer a benefit on ourselves1 by ridding us of a population for the most part idle and useless1 and too often vicious and mischievous4444 ,all emancipation1 to however small an extent1 which permits the persons emancipated to remain in this country1 is an evil1 which must increase with the increase of the operation1 and would become altogether intolerable1 if extended to the whole1 or even to a very large part1 of the black population4 ,i am therefore strongly opposed to emancipation1 in every shape and degree1 unless accompanied by colonization4'--,first ,annual ,report4 ',they will annex the condition that the emancipated ,,shall ,,leave ,,the ,,country4'--,second ,annual ,report4 ',they require that the whole mass of free persons of color1 and those who may become such with the consent of their owners1 should be progressively removed from among us1 as fast as their own consent can be obtained1 and as the means can be found for their removal and for their proper establishment in ,africa4 ,nothing short of this progressive but complete removal can accomplish the great objects of this measure1 in relation to the security1 prosperity1 and happiness of the ,united ,states4'--,seventh ,annual ,report4 ',is it either safe or prudent to retain amongst us a large population1 on whom we can place no reliance1 but from the control which the laws exercise over it8 ,can this class be animated by any feelings of patriotism towards a country by which they feel themselves oppressed8'--,ninth ,annual ,report4 ',colonization1 to be correct1 must be beyond seas4--,emancipation1 with the liberty to remain on this side of the ,atlantic1 ,,is ,,but ,,an ,,act ,,of ,,dreamy ,,madness6'--,thirteenth ,annual ,report4 ',has our country the resources demanded for the accomplishment of an object of such magnitude8 ,the transportation of more than two millions of souls to a remote country is indeed an object of formidable aspect4 ,it obviously cannot be accomplished at once4 ,but that the number can be gradually diminished1 till utterly extinguished1 may be made to appear1 it is believed1 from a little arithmetical calculation4444' ',it has been said that the entire shipping of the country1 both public and private1 would hardly be competent for an object of this magnitude4 ,but careful calculation has proved1 that one eighteenth of the mercantile shipping alone1 entirely devoted to the enterprise1 is competent to carry it into complete consummation4 ,and why might not our brilliant and growing navy aid to some extent the humane and patriotic cause8 ,if necessary1 why might not the marine of other lands be chartered8 ,strange indeed it is if shipping enough could be found half a century ago to reduce hundreds of thousands of this race in a single year to a wretched vassalage1 and in this age of augmented light1 and wealth1 and improvement in every art1 enough cannot be found for the single benevolent object before us6'--,rev4 ,baxter ,dickinson's ,sermon delivered in ,springfield in #ahbi4 ',how much soever we may regret that so little is done for the intellectual and moral improvement of the free colored population1 as the surest preventive against crime1 still we must acknowledge it is in vain to attempt raising their character to a level with that of the other inhabitants4 ,they must find an asylum beyond the influence of the white population1 or the majority of them will ever be found unworthy of the boon of freedom4 ,there must be that asylum for them1 or we despair of ever being able to improve materially their condition1 or to eradicate slavery from our soil1 and thus prevent the awful catastrophe which threatens our republic4 ,they must be furnished with facilities to leave this country and establish themselves in a community of their own4'--',i have alluded to the difficulties which are presented to the minds of benevolent and conscientious slaveholders1 wishing to manumit their slaves4 ,from what has been said1 it is evident that unless some drain is opened to convey out of the country the emancipated1 the laws which relate to emancipation1 must continue in force with all their rigor4 ,without this drain1 we can hope for no repeal1 or relaxation of those laws where the slaves are very numerous4 ,the mass of slaveholders can never let go their hold on their slaves1 and suffer them1 ignorant1 vicious and treacherous1 to roam at large4 ,if no drain is opened1 necessity will compel them1 as their slaves increase1 and consequently the danger1 to add statute to statute in regard to their slaves1 until it be found necessary to arm one part of the population to control the other4 ,i may add1 that as bitter an enemy as ,i am to slavery1 ,i cannot greatly desire that these laws should be relaxed--that slavery should be abolished1 unless its unfortunate and degraded subjects can be removed from the country4 ,if this is not effected1 whatever may be our views and wishes on this subject1 ,i am confident that slaveholders will justify themselves in resorting to almost any measures to keep their slaves in entire subjection4'--,an advocate of the ,society in the ,middletown 7,ct47 ,gazette4 ',to talk of emancipating the slave population of these ,states without providing them with an asylum1 is truly idle4 ,the free blacks already scattered through the country1 are a dangerously burthensome order of people4 ,they cannot amalgamate with the population--the ordinances of nature are against it4 ,they must1 in the main1 be a degraded order1 hanging loosely upon society4'--,idem4 ',the slaves are in their possession--they are entailed upon them by their ancestors4 ,and can they set them free1 and still suffer them to remain in the country8 ,would this be policy8--,would it be safe8 ,,no4 ,when they can be transported to the soil from whence they were derived--by the aid of the ,colonization ,society1 by government1 by individuals1 or by any other means--then let them be emancipated1 and not before4'--,lowell 7,mass47 ,telegraph4 ',avarice and iniquity have torn from that injured continent1 within thirty years1 no less than #a1ejj1jjj slaves2 and cannot humanity1 religion1 and justice1 restore an equal number in the same time8 ,if we desire to accomplish this work1 it is plain that we can do it1 and that too with a sum contemptible when compared with the magnitude of the evil4'--,address of ,gabriel ,p4 ,disosway4 ',we thank ,god that the ultimate accomplishment of the great scheme of colonization is now placed beyond a doubt1 in ,maryland2 and that the day is not even distant when the whole of our colored population will have transferred themselves1 by our assistance1 from slavery or degradation here1 to peace1 and plenty1 and power1 and prosperity1 and liberty1 and independence1 in a land which ,providence originally gave them4'--,baltimore ,gazette4 ',it tends1 and may powerfully tend1 to rid us gradually and entirely1 in the ,united ,states1 of slaves and slavery3 a great moral and political evil1 of increasing virulence and extent1 from which much mischief is now felt1 and very great calamity in future is justly apprehended4'--,first ,annual ,report4 ',what can be done to mitigate or prevent the existing and apprehended evils1 resulting from our black population8 ,,emancipation1 ,,without ,,removal ,,from ,,the ,,country1 ,,is ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,question4' 99 99 ',as long as our present feelings and prejudices exist1 the abolition of slavery cannot be accomplished without the removal of the blacks--,,they ,,cannot ,,be ,,emancipated ,,as ,a ,,people1 ,,and ,,remain ,,among ,,us4'--,second ,annual ,report of the ,new-,york ,state ,col4 ,soc4 ',it would gladly1 however1 grasp at a still grander object--that of restoring to the land of their fathers the whole colored race within our borders4 ,nor probably will it be satisfied to rest from its labors1 till this object1 in all its magnitude1 is accomplished4'--,rev4 ,baxter ,dickinson's ,sermon4 ',it must appear evident to all1 that every endeavor to divert the attention of the community1 or even a portion of the means1 which the present crisis to imperatively calls for1 from the ,colonization ,society1 to measures calculated to bind the colored population to this country and seeking to raise them 7an impossibility7 to a level with the whites1 whether by founding colleges or in any other way1 tends directly in the proportion that it succeeds1 to counteract and thwart the whole plan of colonization4 ,although none would rejoice more than myself to see this unhappy race elevated to the highest scale of human being1 it has always seemed to me that this country was not the theatre for such a change4 ,far happier they1 far happier we1 had they never touched our soil1 or breathed our air4 ,as it is1 to attain solid happiness and permanent respectability1 they should now remove to a more congenial clime4'--,new ,haven ,religious ,intelligencer for ,july1 #ahca4 ',the recent murderous movements of the people of color in some of the southern ,states1 evinces the dreadful consequences of slavery1 and the absolute necessity of colonizing all free blacks immediately1 and of manumitting and colonizing slaves as fast as circumstances will justify the measure4 ,we believe1 and have for many years1 that this is the only course1 which will ensure prosperity and safety to our southern brethren4'--,new-,hampshire ,observer4 ',the removal annually of one hundred thousand1 it may be safely calculated1 would sink the parent stock forty thousand in each year1 and this in thirty years would reduce the blacks of the ,union to a very small number--perhaps not one would remain4'--,national 7,ohio7 ,historian4 ',we will demonstrate1 that the conveyance of the present annual increase would1 in less than thirty years1 remove the whole to ,africa4 ,let all1 for instance1 born in any single year1 say of the age of twenty1 be removed to ,africa2 and in each succeeding year1 let all of that age be removed in the same manner4--,then1 admitting1 what is far too much to admit1 that a generation lasts fifty years1 on an average1 the generation on the stage when the process commenced1 would have become extinct at the end of thirty years1 and all their increase or offspring would have been removed to ,africa4 ,thirty years would1 even in this way1 clear them entirely from this country4--,but there are two circumstances which would1 in fact1 make the time much shorter4 '#a4 ,it is known that a generation lasts but a little more than thirty years4 ,the generation1 then1 on the stage at the commencement of the process1 would virtually be extinct in a little more than ten years4 #b4 ,by the removal of the most prolific part1 the annual increase would itself be diminished more than a thirtieth part1 in each successive year2 that is1 it would be diminished in an arithmetical ratio1 so that it would be reduced to nothing before the arrival of the thirtieth year4'--,american ,spectator4 ',it is a consummation devoutly to be wished1 that we should get clear of the free people of color now1 and as they are successively liberated1 as well on their own account as ours2 and ,i trust and hope1 we shall both have the pleasure to see a moral certainty of the removal of all these poor people back to the same country from which their ancestors were taken4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iii4 p4 #caa4 ',neither do we consider liberty worth their acceptance1 unless they can be sent out of the country4 ,there is no doubt that a large proportion of the slaves enjoy life quite as well as those who are free4'--,oxford 7,me47 ,observer4 ',it is estimated that there are #b1cej1fhj blacks in the ,united ,states1 #cci1cfj of whom are free denizens of this republic4 ,the object of this ,society is ,,the ,,removal ,,of ,,these ,,to ,,africa4'--,new-,york ,standard4 ',we hope to make it for the interest of the owners1 in some way1 to part with their slaves2--not to be let loose among our white population1 but to be carried back to the land of their fathers4'--,n4 ,y4 ,journal of ,commerce4 ',if they are to be placed above their present degraded condition1 they must be removed to a country where they can rise as high as any man--be eligible to any office--then you will see them rise with the rapidity of the tide4'--,southern ,religious ,telegraph4 ',god has put a mark upon the black man4' 444 ',the ,god of ,nature intended they should be a distinct1 free and independent community4'--,new-,haven ,palladium4 ',we do not ask that the provisions of our ,constitution and statute book should be so modified as to relieve and exalt the condition of the colored people1 whilst they remain with us4 ,,let ,,these ,,provisions ,,stand ,,in ,,all ,,their ,,rigor1 to work out the ultimate and unbounded good of this people4 ,persuaded that their condition here is not susceptible of a radical and permanent improvement1 ,,we ,,would ,,deprecate ,,any ,,legislation ,,that ,,should ,,encourage ,,the ,,vain ,,and ,,injurious ,,hope ,,of ,,it4'--,memorial of the ,new-,york ,state ,colonization ,society4 ',let the wise and good among us unite in removing the blacks from the country4 ,would it not be expedient for the properly constituted authorities to prevent the manumission of slaves in every case1 unless provision is made1 at the same time1 to secure their removal from the country8'--,alexandria ,gazette4 ',we should be in favor of the abolition of slavery1 if its abolishment could be effected with safety1 and the colored population sent back to ,africa2 but merely to have them obtain freedom and let loose upon society1 would be the greatest curse that could befal them or community4'--,essex ,chronicle and ,county ,republican4 ',,the ,,abolition ,,of ,,slavery ,,was ,,no ,,object ,,of ,,desire ,,to ,,him1 ,,unless ,,accompanied ,,by ,,colonization4 ,so far was he from desiring it1 unaccompanied by this condition1 that ,,he ,,would ,,not ,,live ,,in ,a ,,country ,,where ,,the ,,one ,,took ,,place ,,without ,,the ,,other'666--,mr ,mercer's ,speech in ,congress4 ,in order to wipe off the reproach due to this violent expulsion1 it was necessary1 on the part of the ,society1 to find some pretext that would not only seem to justify but confer credit on the measure4 ,accordingly1 it agreed to represent the colored inhabitants of the ,united ,states as aliens and foreigners1 who1 cast upon our shores by a cruel fatality1 were sighing to return to their native land4 ',poor unfortunate exiles6'--how touching the appeal1 how powerful the motive to assist1 how likely to excite the compassion of the nation6 ,ah6 what an air of disinterested benevolence1 of generous compassion1 of national attachment1 must such an enterprise wear in the eyes of the world6 ,who that loved his own country1 and deprecated an eternal absence from it1 could refuse to help in restoring the unfortunate ,africans to their long-estranged home8 ,such was1 and is1 and is likely to be1 the artifice resorted to1 in order to cover a base conspiracy1 and give popularity to one of the wildest and most disgraceful crusades the world has ever witnessed4 ,let the following evidence suffice3 ',at no very distant period1 we should see all the free colored people in our land transferred to their own country4' 99 99 ',let us send them back to their native land4' 99 99 ',by returning them to their own ancient land of ,africa1 improved in knowledge and in civilization1 we repay the debt which has so long been due them4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 pp4 #fe1 #adf1 #agf4 ',and though we may not live to see the day when the sons of ,africa shall have returned to their native soil1' c4 99 99 ',to found in ,africa an empire of christians and republicans2 to reconduct the blacks to their native land1' c4--,idem1 pp4 #ac1 #cge4 ',who would not rejoice to see our country liberated from her black population8 ,who would not participate in any efforts to restore those children of misfortune to their native shores8' 99 99 ',the colored population of this country can never rise to respectability here2 in their native soil they can4' 99 99 ',the only remedy afforded is1 to colonize them in their mother country4' 99 99 ',they would go to that home from which they have been long absent4' 99 99 ',shall we 444 retain and foster the alien enemies8'--,idem1 #hh1 #agi1 #ahe1 #bcg4 ',be all these benefits enjoyed by the ,african race under the shade of their native palms4'--,idem1 vol4 vi4 p4 #cgb4 ',we have a numerous people1 who1 though they are among us1 are not of us4'--,second ,annual ,report of the ,n4 ,y4 ,state ,col4 ,soc4 ',among us is a growing population of strangers4' 99 99 ',it will furnish the means of granting to every ,african exile among us a happy home in the land of his fathers4'--,rev4 ,baxter ,dickinson's ,sermon4 ',africa is indeed inviting her long exiled children to return to her bosom4'--,circular of ,rev4 ,mr ,gurley4 ,nothing could be more invidious or absurd than the foregoing representation4 ,the great mass of our colored population were born in this country4 ,this is their native soil2 here they first saw the light of heaven1 and inhaled the breath of life2 here they have grown from infancy to manhood and old age2 from these shores they have never wandered2 they are the descendants of those who were forcibly torn from ,africa two centuries ago2 their fathers assisted in breaking the yoke of ,british oppression1 and achieving that liberty which we prize above all price2 and they cherish the strongest attachment to the land of their birth4 ,now1 as they could not have been born in two countries1 and as they were certainly born here1 it follows that ,africa is not their native home1 and1 consequently1 that the ,society has dealt in romance1 or something more culpable1 in representing them as strangers and aliens4 ,it might as rationally charge them with being natives of ,asia or ,europe1 or with having descended from the regions of the moon4 ,to see ourselves gravely represented in a ,british periodical as natives of ,great ,britain1 ,i doubt not would create great merriment2 and a scheme for our transportation would add vastly to our sport4 ',but1' we are told1 ',god has put a mark upon the black man4' ,true2 and he has also put a mark upon every man1 woman and child1 in the world2 so that every one differs in appearance from another--is easily identified--and1 to make the objection valid1 should occupy a distinct portion of territory1 be himself a nation1 enact his own laws1 and live in perpetual solitude6 ,the difference between a black and a white skin is not greater than that between a white and a black one4 ,in either case1 the mark is distinctive2 and the blacks may as reasonably expel the whites1 as the whites the blacks4 ,to make such a separation we have no authority2 to attempt it1 would end only in disappointment2 and1 if it were carried into effect1 those who are clamorous for the measure would be among the first to be cast out4 ,the all-wise ,creator1 having 'made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth1' it is proper for them to associate freely together2 and he is a proud worm of the dust who is ashamed to acknowledge this common relationship4 ,again we are told3 ',the ,god of ,nature intended the blacks should be a distinct community4' ,but has he been frustrated in his intentions8 ,where is the proof of such purpose8 ,let us have something more than the ipse dixit of the ,society4 ,yes1 we are seriously assured that ,nature has played falsely6 ,colored persons were born by mistake in this country3 they should have been born in ,africa6 ,we must therefore rectify the error1 with all despatch1 by transporting them to their native soil6 ,truly1 a most formidable enterprise6 ,there occur at least sixty thousand of such mistakes1 annually2 while the ,society has corrected only about two thousand in fourteen years6 ,but--courage6 men engaged in a laudable enterprise should never despair6 ,there are some difficulties1 however1 in the accomplishment of this mighty task1 which cannot be easily overcome4 ,granting the position assumed by colonizationists1 that the blacks and the whites should occupy different countries1 how do they intend to dispose of that numerous and rapidly increasing class who are neither white nor black1 called mulattoes8 ,we have not been informed to what country they belong2 but the point ought to be settled before any classification be made4 ,colonizationists must define1 moreover1 the exact shade of color which is to retain or banish individuals2 for every candid mind will admit1 that it would be as unnatural to send white blood to ,africa1 as to keep black blood in ,america4 ',if the color of the skin is to give construction to our constitution and laws1 let us1 at once1 begin the work of excision4 ,let us raise an army of pure whites1 if such an army can be found2 and let us drive out and transport to foreign climes1 men1 women and children1 who cannot bring the most satisfactory vouchers1 that their veins are flowing with the purest ,english blood4 ,indeed1 let us shut up our ports against our own mariners1 who are returning from an ,india voyage1 and whose cheeks and muscles could not wholly withstand the influence of the breezes and tropics to which they were exposed4 ,let us make every shade of complexion1 every difference of stature1 and every contraction of a muscle1 a ,shibboleth1 to detect and cut off a brother ,ephraimite1 at the fords of ,jordan4 ,though such a crusade would turn every man's sword against his fellow2 yet1 it might establish the right of precedence to different features1 statures and colors1 and oblige some friends of colonization to test the feasibility and equity of their own scheme4' ,if ,i must become a colonizationist1 ,i insist upon being consistent3 there must be no disagreement between my creed and practice4 ,i must be able to give a reason why all our tall citizens should not conspire to remove their more diminutive brethren1 and all the corpulent to remove the lean and lank1 and all the strong to remove the weak1 and all the educated to remove the ignorant1 and all the rich to remove the poor1 as readily as for the removal of those whose skin is 'not colored like my own2' for ,nature has sinned as culpably in diversifying the size as the complexion of her progeny1 and ,fortune in the distribution of her gifts has been equally fickle4 ,i cannot perceive that ,i am more excusable in desiring the banishment of my neighbor because his skin is darker than mine1 than ,i should be in desiring his banishment because he is a smaller or feebler man than myself4 ,surely it would be sinful for a black man to repine and murmur1 and impeach the wisdom and goodness of ,god1 because he was made with a sable complexion2 and dare ,i be guilty of such an impeachment1 by persecuting him on account of his color8 ,i dare not3 ,i would as soon deny the existence of my ,creator1 as quarrel with the workmanship of his hands4 ,i rejoice that he has made one star to differ from another star in glory2 that he has not given to the sun the softness and gentleness of the moon1 nor to the moon the intensity and magnificence of the sun2 that he presents to the eye every conceivable shape1 and aspect1 and color1 in the gorgeous and multifarious productions of ,nature2 and ,i do not rejoice less1 but admire and exalt him more1 that1 notwithstanding he has made of one blood the whole family of man1 he has made the whole family of man to differ in personal appearance1 habits and pursuits4 ,i protest against sending any to ,africa1 in whose blood there is any mixture of our own2 for1 ,i repeat it1 white blood in ,africa would be as repugnant to ,nature1 as black blood is in this country4 ,now2 most unfortunately for colonizationists1 the spirit of amalgamation has been so active for a long series of years1--especially in the slave ,states1--that there are comparatively few1 besides those who are annually smuggled into the south from ,africa1 whose blood is not tainted with a foreign ingredient4 ,here1 then1 is a difficulty6 ,what shall be done8 ,all black blood must be sent to ,africa2 but how to collect it is the question4 ,what shall be done6 ,why1 we must resort to phlebotomy6 ',therefore1 prepare thee to cut off the flesh4 ---------------- nor cut thou less nor more1 ,but just a pound of flesh3 if thou tak'st more1 ,or less1 than just a pound1--be it but so much ,as makes it light1 or heavy1 in the substance1 ,or the division of the twentieth part ,of one poor scruple2 nay1 if the scale do turn ,but in the estimation of a hair1 ,thou diest1 and all thy goods are confiscate6' ,the colonization crusade cannot now fail of being popular4 ,phlebotomy being agreed to as a dernier resort1 ,i shall briefly enumerate some of the various professions and classes which may expect to derive no inconsiderable gain from its execution2 for as our government1 in conjunction with benevolent associations1 is to appropriate millions of dollars to accomplish this object1 the pay will be sure and liberal4 ,in the first place1 there will be more than a million patients1 for whose accommodation hospitals must be erected4 ,these hospitals will employ brick-makers1 masons1 carpenters1 painters1 glaziers1 c4 c4 c42 of course1 the approval of a large body of mechanics is readily secured4 ,physicians will next obtain an extensive practice4 ,their patients1 in consequence of a free application of the lancet1 must necessarily be debilitated1 and can be kept 'quite low' until a long score of charges be run up against the government4 ,among so many patients and so much unavoidable sickness1 druggists and apothecaries will obtain a profitable sale for their medicines4 ,nurses will be next in demand1 who may expect high wages4 ,even the lowly washers of soiled clothes will find the life-blood of the victims 'coined into drachms' for their reward4 ,it is highly probable that many of the patients may die under the expurgatory process1 and hence sextons and coffin-makers may calculate upon good times4 ,with death come mourning and lamentation1 and 'weeds of wo4' ,dealers in crape will doubtless secure a handsome patronage4 ,lawyers may hope to profit by the demise of those who possess property4 ,indeed1 almost every class in community must1 to a greater or less extent1 feel the beneficial effects of this philanthropic but novel experiment4 ,the blood1 taken from the veins of the blacks1 may be transfused into our own1 and the general pulse acquire new vigor4 ,supposing a majority of the patients should recover1 three other classes will thrive by their expulsion--namely1 ship-builders1 merchants and seamen4 ,as our vessels are all occupied in profitable pursuits1 new ones must be built--freights will rise--and the wages of seamen be proportionably enhanced4--,but a truce to irony4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society1 in making the banishment of the slaves the condition of their emancipation1 inflicts upon them an aggravated wrong1 perpetuates their thraldom1 and disregards the claims of everlasting and immutable justice4 ,the language of its most distinguished supporters is1 ',emancipation1 with the liberty to remain on this side of the ,atlantic1 is but an act of dreamy madness'--',emancipation1 without removal from the country1 is out of the question'--',all emancipation1 to however small an extent1 which permits the person emancipated to remain in this country1 is an evil'--',they cannot be emancipated as a people1 and remain among us4' ,thus the restoration of an inalienable right1 and an abandonment of robbery and oppression1 are made to depend upon the practicability of transporting more than one sixth portion of our whole population to a far distant and barbarous land6 ,it is impossible to imagine a more cruel1 heaven-daring and ,god-dishonoring scheme4 ,it exhibits a deliberate and perverse disregard of every moral obligation1 and bids defiance to the requisitions of the gospel4 ,listen to the avowal of ,mr ,mercer of ,virginia1 one of the main pillars and most highly extolled supporters of the ,society3 ',the abolition of slavery was no object of desire to him1 unless accompanied by colonization4 ,so far was he from desiring it1 unaccompanied by this condition1 that he would not live in a country where the one took place without the other'6 ,this language may be correctly rendered thus3 ',i desire to see two millions of human beings plundered of their rights1 and subjected to every species of wrong and outrage1 ad infinitum1 if they cannot be driven out of the country4 ,i am perfectly willing to live with them while they are treated worse than cattle1--ignorant1 vicious1 and wretched1--and while they are held under laws which forbid their instruction2 and not only am ,i willing thus to live1 but ,i am determined to practise the same oppression4 ,but1 if they should be emancipated with liberty to remain here1 and placed in a situation favorable to their moral and intellectual improvement--a situation in which they could be no longer bought and sold1 lacerated and manacled1 defrauded and oppressed--,i would abandon my native land1 and never return to her shores4' ,and this is the language of a philanthropist6 and this the moral principle of the boasted champion of the ,american ,colonization ,society6 ,whose indignation does not kindle1 whose astonishment is not profound1 whose disgust is not excited1 in view of these sentiments8 ,but this is not the acme of colonization insanity4 ,the assertion is made by a highly respectable partisan1 and endorsed by the organ of the ,society1 that 'it would be as humane to throw the slaves from the decks in the middle passage1 i4 e4 into the ocean1 as to set them free in our country'666 ,and even ,henry ,clay1 who is an oracle in the cause1 has had the boldness to declare1 that the slaves should be held in everlasting servitude if they cannot be colonized in ,africa66 ,and this sentiment is echoed by another1 who says1 ',liberate them only on condition of their going to ,africa or ,hayti'6 ,i will not even seem to undervalue the good sense and quick perception of the candid and intelligent reader1 by any farther endeavors to illustrate the sacrifice of principle and inhumanity of purpose which are contained in the extracts under the present section4 ,with so strong an array of evidence before him1 no one1 who is not mentally blind or governed by prejudice1 can fail to rise from its perusal with amazement and abhorrence1 and a determination to assist in overthrowing a combination which is based upon the rotten foundation of expediency and violence4 ,the ,colonization ,society expressly denies the right of the slaves to enjoy freedom and happiness in this country2 and this denial incontestibly tends to rivet their fetters more firmly1 or make them the victims of a relentless persecution4 ,,footnotes3 ,r ,what right have we to an homestead in the red man's country8 ,let us return to the land of our fathers1 and leave this soil untarnished by the footprint of him who hath a white skin6 ,what right have the hosts of foreign emigrants1 who are flocking to our shores1 to an homestead among ourselves8 ,,section ,,viii4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,is ,,the ,,disparager ,,of ,,the ,,free ,,blacks4 ,the leaders in the ,african colonization crusade seem to dwell with a malignant satisfaction upon the poverty and degradation of the free people of color1 and are careful never to let an opportunity pass without heaping their abuse and contempt upon them4 ,it is a common device of theirs to contrast the condition of the slaves with that of this class1 and invariably to strike the balance heavily in favor of the former6 ,in this manner1 thousands are led to look upon slavery as a benevolent system1 and to deprecate the manumission of its victims4 ,nothing but a love of falsehood1 or an utter disregard of facts1 could embolden these calumniators to deal so extensively in fiction4 ,what6 the slaves more happy1 more moral1 more industrious1 more orderly1 more comfortable1 more exalted1 than the free blacks6 ,a more enormous exaggeration1 a more heinous libel1 a wider departure from truth1 was never fabricated1 or uttered1 or known4 ,the slaves1 as a body1 are in the lowest state of degradation2 they possess no property2 they cannot read2 they are as ignorant1 as their masters are reckless1 of moral obligation2 they have no motive for exertion2 they are thieves from necessity and usage2 their bodies are cruelly lacerated by the cart-whip2 and they are disposable property4 ,and yet these poor miserable1 perishing1 mutilated creatures are placed above our free colored population in dignity1 in enjoyment1 in privilege1 in usefulness1 in respectability66 ',there is a class1 however1 more numerous than all these1 introduced amongst us by violence1 notoriously ignorant1 degraded and miserable1 mentally diseased1 broken-spirited1 acted upon by no motives to honorable exertions1 ,,scarcely ,,reached ,,in ,,their ,,debasement ,,by ,,the ,,heavenly ,,light2 yet where is the sympathy and effort which a view of their condition ought to excite8 ,they wander unsettled and unbefriended through our land1 or sit indolent1 abject and sorrowful1 by the streams which witness their captivity4 ,their freedom is licentiousness1 and to many ,,restraint ,,would ,,prove ,a ,,blessing4 ,to this remark there are exceptions2 exceptions proving that to change their state would be to elevate their character2 that virtue and enterprise are absent1 only1 because absent are the causes which create the one1 and the motives which produce the other4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 p4 #fh4 ',free blacks are a greater nuisance than even slaves themselves4' 99 99 99 ',they knew that where slavery had been abolished it had operated to the advantage of the masters1 not of the slaves3 they saw this fact most strikingly illustrated in the case of the free negroes of ,boston4 ,if1 on the anniversary celebrated by the free people of color1 of the day on which slavery was abolished1 they looked abroad1 what did they see8 ,not freemen1 in the enjoyment of every attribute of freedom1 with the stamp of liberty upon their brows6 ,no1 ,sir2 they saw a ragged set1 crying out liberty6 for whom liberty had nothing to bestow1 and whose enjoyment of it was but in name4 ,he spoke of the great body of the blacks2 there were some few honorable exceptions1 he knew1 which only proved what might be done for all4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cbh4 ',although there are individual exceptions distinguished by high moral and intellectual worth1 yet the free blacks in our country are1 as a body1 more vicious and degraded than any other which our population embraces4' 99 99 99 ',if1 then1 they are a useless and dangerous species of population1 we would ask1 is it generous in our southern friends to burthen us with them8 ,knowing themselves the evils of slavery1 can they wish to impose upon us an evil scarcely less tolerable8 ,we think it a mistaken philanthropy1 which would liberate the slave1 unfitted by education and habit for freedom1 and cast him upon a merciless and despising world1 where his only fortune must be poverty1 his only distinction degradation1 and his only comfort insensibility4' 99 99 99 ',i will look no farther when ,i seek for the most degraded1 the most abandoned race on the earth1 but rest my eyes on this people4 ,what but sorrow can we feel at the misguided piety which has set free so many of them by death-bed devise or sudden conviction of injustice8 ,better1 far better1 for us1 had they been kept in bondage1 where the opportunity1 the inducements1 the necessity of vice would not have been so great4 ,deplorable necessity1 indeed1 to one borne down with the consciousness of the violence we have done4 ,yet ,i am clear that1 whether we consider it with reference to the welfare of the ,state1 or the happiness of the blacks1 it were better to have left them in chains1 than to have liberated them to receive such freedom as they enjoy1 and greater freedom we cannot1 must not allow them4' 99 99 ',there is not a ,state in the ,union not at this moment groaning under the evil of this class of persons1 a curse and a contagion whereever they reside4' 99 99 ',the increase of a free black population among us has been regarded as a greater evil than the increase of slaves4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #bd1 #be1 #aig1 #bjc1 #cgd4 ',mr4 ,mercer adverted to the situation of his native ,state1 and the condition of the free black population existing there1 whom he described as a horde of miserable people--the objects of universal suspicion2 subsisting by plunder4'--,idem1 vol4 iv4 p4 #cfc4 ',they leave a country in which though born and reared1 they are strangers and aliens2 where severe necessity places them in a class of degraded beings2 where they are free without the blessings and privileges of liberty2 where in ceasing to be slaves of one1 they have become subservient to many2 where1 neither freemen nor slaves1 but placed in an anomalous grade which they do not understand and others disregard2 where no kind instructer1 no hope of preferment1 no honorable emulation prompts them to virtue or deters from vice2 their industry waste1 not accumulation2 their regular vocation1 any thing or nothing as it may happen2 their greater security1 sufferance2 their highest reward1 forgiveness2 vicious themselves and the cause of vice in others2 discontented and exciting discontent2 scorned by one class and foolishly envied by another2 thus1 and ,,worse ,,circumstanced1 they1 cannot but choose to move4'--,idem1 vol4 v4 p4 #bch4 ',of all the descriptions of our population1 and of either portion of the ,african race1 the free people of color are1 by far1 as a class1 the ,,most ,,corrupt1 ,,depraved1 ,,and ,,abandoned4 ,the laws1 it is true1 proclaim them free2 but prejudices1 more powerful than any laws1 deny them the privileges of freemen4 ,they occupy a middle station between the free white population and the slaves of the ,united ,states1 and the tendency of their habits is to corrupt both4' 99 99 99 ',that the free colored population of our country is a great and constantly increasing evil must be readily acknowledged4 ,averse to labor1 with no incentives to industry or motives to self-respect1 they maintain a precarious existence by petty thefts and plunder1 themselves1 or by inciting our domestics1 not free1 to rob their owners to supply their wants4' 99 99 99 ',if there is in the whole world1 a more wretched class of human beings than the free people of color in this country1 ,i do not know where they are to be found4 ,they have no home1 no country1 no kindred1 no friends4 ,they are lazy and indolent1 because they have no motives to prompt them to be industrious4 ,they are in general destitute of principle1 because they have nothing to stimulate them to honorable and praise-worthy conduct4 ,let them be maltreated ever so much1 the law gives them no redress unless some white person happens to be present1 to be a witness in the case4 ,if they acquire property1 they hold it by the courtesy of every vagabond in the country2 and sooner or later1 are sure to have it filched from them4'--,idem1 vol4 vi4 pp4 #ab1 #ace1 #bbh4 ',the existence1 within the very bosom of our country1 of an anomalous race of beings1 ,,the ,,most ,,debased ,,upon ,,earth1 who neither enjoy the blessings of freedom1 nor are yet in the bonds of slavery1 is a great national evil1 which every friend of his country most deeply deplores4444 ,tax your utmost powers of imagination1 and you cannot conceive one motive to honorable effort1 which can animate the bosom1 or give impulse to the conduct of a free black in this country4 ,let him toil from youth to age in the honorable pursuit of wisdom--let him store his mind with the most valuable researches of science and literature--and let him add to a highly gifted and cultivated intellect1 a piety pure1 undefiled1 and unspotted from the world--it is all nothing3 he would not be received into the very lowest walks of society4 ,if we were constrained to admire so uncommon a being1 our very admiration would mingle with disgust1 because1 in the physical organization of his frame1 we meet an insurmountable barrier1 even to an approach to social intercourse1 and in the ,egyptian color1 which nature has stamped upon his features1 a principle of repulsion so strong as to forbid the idea of a communion either of interest or of feeling1 as utterly abhorrent4 ,whether these feelings are founded in reason or not1 we will not now inquire--perhaps they are not4 ,but education and habit1 and prejudice have so firmly riveted them upon us1 that they have become as strong as nature itself--and to expect their removal1 or even their slightest modification1 would be as idle and preposterous as to expect that we could reach forth our hands1 and remove the mountains from their foundations into the vallies1 which are beneath them4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #bcj1 #cca4 ',we have been charged with wishing only to remove our free blacks1 that we may the more effectually rivet the chains of the slave4 ,but the class we first seek to remove1 are neither freemen nor slaves2 but between both1 ,,and ,,more ,,miserable ,,than ,,either4' 99 99 99 ',who is there1 that does not know something of the condition of the blacks in the northern and middle ,states8 ,they may be seen in our cities and larger towns1 wandering like foreigners and outcasts1 in the land which gave them birth4 ,they may be seen in our penitentiaries1 and jails1 and poor-houses4 ,they may be found inhabiting the abodes of poverty1 and the haunts of vice4 ,but if we look for them in the society of the honest and respectable--if we visit the schools in which it is our boast that the meanest citizen can enjoy the benefits of instruction--we might also add1 if we visit the sanctuaries which are open for all to worship1,s and to hear the word of ,god2 we shall not find them there4' 99 99 ',leaving slavery and its subjects for the moment entirely out of view1 there are in the ,united ,states #bch1jjj blacks denominated free1 but whose freedom confers on them1 we might say1 no privilege but the privilege of being more vicious and miserable than slaves can be4'--,seventh ,annual ,report1 pp4 #ab1 #hg1 #ii4 ',placed midway between freedom and slavery1 they know neither the incentives of the one1 nor the restraints of the other2 but are alike injurious by their conduct and example1 to all other classes of society4'--,eight ,annual ,report4 ',of all classes of our population1 the most vicious is that of the free colored4 ,it is the inevitable result of their moral1 political1 and civil degradation4 ,contaminated themselves1 they extend their vices to all around them1 to the slaves and to the whites4'--,tenth ,annual ,report4 ',the question arises1 where shall these outcasts go8 ,ohio1 and the free ,states of the ,west1 which formerly invited them into their bosom1 no longer offer them a welcome home4 ,disgusted with their laziness and vice1 the inevitable concomitants of the anomalous relation in which they stand to society1 the authorities of those ,states are seeking to get rid of what they find1 too late1 to be a curse to any settlement of whites--a thriftless race of vagabonds1 whose footsteps are the sure precursors of indigence and crime4 ,one of the most intelligent gentlemen of ,ohio1 7,mr ,charles ,hammond17 in a recent notice of this subject1 says1 ,this dangerous class of population has increased considerably within a few years past1 and the slaves ,states cannot too soon adopt efficient measures to get rid of it4 ,emigrations to ,liberia ought to be provided for1 and insisted upon1 and the legislatures should pass laws to prevent emancipation1 without adequate provision for the transportation of the manumitted4'--,lynchburg ,virginian4 ',as it is now1 they are for the most part in a debased and wretched condition4 ,they have the vices of our community without its virtues4 ,and what is worse1 ,i speak of the majority1 they have no desire to rise from their state of abject depression--no wish to gain a respectable elevation of character4 ,consequently it is difficult1 if not impossible1 to present them motives ,which shall incite them to enter on a course of industry and virtue4' 99 99 99 ',bound by no political ties to the community in which they dwell1 and excluded for the most part from exercising the rights and privileges of freemen1 on the ground of their alleged inferiority and worthlessness1 they have no inducements to abandon lives of indolence1 sensuality and recklessness1 or to support the laws and institutions of the government placed over them4 ,nothing but the fear of suffering the penalty of violated law1 can prevent them from preying on those among whom they live4'--,middletown 7,ct47 ,gazette4 ',they have taken the free black that1 as a class1 dwells among us a living nuisance1 nominally free1 but bowed to the ground by public opinion--,,in ,,one ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,country ,,dull ,,as ,a ,,brutish ,,beast1 ,,in ,,another ,,the ,,wild ,,stirrer ,,up ,,of ,,sedition ,,and ,,insurrection--they have shewn him to be capable of quiet and judicious self-government4-- 444 ,we cannot shut our eyes any longer upon the disadvantages of our black population1 whether in slavery or freedom4 ,it is a sword perpetually suspended over our heads by a single hair2 it is the fountain of bitter waters that poisons all our enjoyments4'--,speeches of ,j4 ,r4 ,townsend1 ,esq4 and ,w4 ,w4 ,campbell1 ,esq4 ,new-,york city4 ',the fact was most glaring1 without an inquiry1 that the same shackles which bound them1 fastened them also to the resources of the soil1 and the interests of the community2 and when these were broken1 and the incentives of authority removed1 the weight of ignorance1 the want of better incentives1 and the fatal and untried power of grateful but ruinous idleness1 sunk them to a state1 which1 however elevated in theory1 was in fact more degraded and more miserable than that of bondage4 ,in addition to all this1 pauperism1 with the numerous evils of corrupt and corrupting indolence1 threatened to impose its sluggish weight upon a groaning community4 ,hence1 the progress of emancipation was1 for the time1 most righteously arrested4'--,address of the ,board of ,managers of the ,african ,education ,society4 ',who are the free people of color in the ,united ,states8 ,in what circumstances does philanthropy find them6 ,there are indeed individuals and families1 who are sober1 industrious1 pious4 ,but what are the remainder1 the mass8 ,every one knows that their condition is deep and wretched degradation2 but1 only a few have ever formed any accurate conception of the reality4 ,the fact is1 that as a class they are branded4 ,they have no home1 no country1 no such personal interest in the welfare of the community1 as gives a certain degree of manliness to almost every white man4444 ,three hundred thousand freemen in this country1 are freemen only in name1 forming only little else than a mass of pauperism and crime4444 ,here the black man is paralysed and crushed by the constant sense of inferiority4 ,he has no effectual incentives to manly enterprise4 ,he stands in a degraded class of society2 and out of that class he never dreams of rising4'--,christian ,spectator4 ',this is the true condition of the free colored population of our land4 ,they are placed mid way between freedom and slavery2 they feel neither the moral stimulants of the one1 nor the restraints of the other1 and are alike injurious to every other class of the community4'--,southern ,religious ,telegraph4 ,i repel these charges against the free people of color1 as unmerited1 wanton and untrue4 ,it would be absurd to pretend1 that1 as a class1 they maintain a high character3 it would be equally foolish to deny1 that intemperance1 indolence and crime prevail among them to a mournful extent4 ,but ,i do not hesitate to assert1 from an intimate acquaintance with their condition1 that they are more temperate and more industrious than that class of whites who are in as indigent circumstances1 but who have certainly far greater incentives to labor and excel2 that they are superior in their habits to the hosts of foreign emigrants who are crowding to our shores1 and poisoning our moral atmosphere2 and that their advancement in intelligence1 in wealth1 and in morality1 considering the numberless and almost insurmountable difficulties under which they have labored1 has been remarkable4 ,i am informed that twenty-five or thirty years ago1 the colored inhabitants of ,philadelphia scarcely owned a dollar's worth of real estate1 whereas they now own enough to amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars4 ,this fact speaks volumes in praise of their industry and economy2 for1 be it remembered1 they have had to accumulate this property in small sums1 by shaving the beards1 cleaning the boots and clothes1 and being the servants of their white contemners1 and in other menial employments4 ,in ,baltimore1 ,philadelphia1 ,new-,york1 and other places1 there are several colored persons whose individual property is worth from ten thousand to one hundred thousand dollars2,t and in all those cities1 there are primary and high schools for the education of the colored population--flourishing churches of various denominations--and numerous societies for mutual assistance and improvement1 c4 ,in ,philadelphia alone1 ,i believe1 there are nearly fifty colored associations for benevolent1 literary1 scientific and moral purposes4,u ,yet these are the people of whom it is said1 'they are acted upon by no motives to honorable exertions2' that they are 'scarcely reached in their debasement by the heavenly light' 7almost a denial of the power of the ,holy ,ghost72 that 'their freedom is licentiousness2' that 'they are a greater nuisance than even the slaves themselves2' that they are 'the most degraded1 the most abandoned race on the earth2' that they are 'worse circumstanced than the slave population2' that they have 'no privilege but the privilege of being more vicious and miserable than slaves can be2' and that they are 'a thriftless race of vagabonds1 whose footsteps are the sure precursors of indigence and crime4' ,and these false and infamous charges are brought against them by a ,society which professes to cherish for them the highest regard1 and to be anxious to give them respectability in the eyes of the world6 ,the truth is1 the traducers of the free blacks have no adequate conception of the amount of good sense1 sterling piety1 moral honesty1 virtuous pride of character1 and domestic enjoyment1 which exists among this class4 ,the spirited remarks of the colored citizens of ,new-,york1 in their address to the public1 7vide ,,part ,,ii4 p4 #af17 in reference to their calumniators1 are exceedingly apposite3 ',their patrician principles prevent an intercourse with men in the middle walks of life1 among whom a large portion of our people may be classed4 ,we ask them to visit the dwellings of the respectable part of our people1 and we are satisfied that they will discover more civilization and refinement1 than will be found among the same number of white families of an equal standing4' ,a personal examination enables me to say that this challenge is neither presumptuous nor boastful4 ,i confess1 ,i have been most agreeably1 nay1 wonderfully disappointed1 in my intercourse with them1 which is daily elevating them in my estimation4 ,many of their number ,i proudly rank among my most familiar friends and correspondents4 ,with regard to the 'ragged set in ,boston1 crying out liberty6' every candid resident will testify that this is a libellous representation2 that our free blacks are a quiet1 orderly1 well-dressed1 and 7as far as they can obtain employment7 industrious class of citizens2 and that their improvement is rapid and constant4 ,every curious observer who visits their houses of worship1 will be surprised at the general neatness of attire and propriety of manners of the worshippers4 ',a ragged set1' forsooth6 ,the slander may be uttered in the city of ,washington1 at an anniversary of the ,american ,colonization ,society2 but no man1 who regards his character for veracity and intelligence1 dare publish it in ,boston4 ,the effects of this reiterated abuse are eminently mischievous4 ,it serves to kindle the fires of persecution1 to strengthen prejudice1 to drive its victims to despair1 and to increase the desire for their banishment4 ',tax your utmost powers of imagination1' says one of the colonization advocates1 'and you cannot conceive one motive to honorable effort1 which can animate the bosom1 or give impulse to the conduct of the free black in this country'6 ,is this language calculated to allay animosity1 or beget confidence1 or suppress contempt1 or heal division1 or excite sympathy8 ,far otherwise4 ,are there not thousands of living witnesses to prove the falsity of this assertion2 thousands who adorn the doctrine of ,god their ,saviour1 and whose 'motives to honorable effort' are higher than heaven and vast as eternity2 thousands1 who1 though their enemies spare no efforts to crush them in the dust1 and in despite of mountains of difficulties1 rise up with a giant's strength to respectability and usefulness8 ',no motive to honorable effort'6 ,perish the calumny6 ,again1 they are stigmatized as the 'wild stirrers up of sedition and insurrection4' ,this charge is even more malignant than the other1 and utterly groundless4 ,its propagation1 however1 tends directly to excite a persecution which may drive the accused to sedition1 in self-defence4 ,there is no evidence that any free man of color was enlisted in the late bloody struggle in ,virginia1 or in any manner accessary thereto4 ,on the contrary1 it was deprecated by our colored citizens generally1 not only on account of its sanguinary acts1 but because they knew it would operate to their own disadvantage by being placed to their account4 ,the following honorable expression of feeling was made at a public meeting of the people of color in ,wilmington1 ,delaware1 about that period3 ',the subscribers1 having a knowledge of the alarm which prevails in the minds of some of the citizens of this place1 on account of various reports which some mischievous person or persons have circulated1 in regard to the colored population1 beg leave to represent1 on behalf of themselves and brethren1 that having made inquiry into the subject1 they have found said reports to be without the least foundation2 and they owe it to themselves further to declare1 that1 so far from any disposition on the part of the colored people to disturb the peace and good order of the community1 they are1 on the contrary1 fully aware that it consists not less with their interests than their duty to refrain from every art that would excite commotion or disorder1 in which the colored people would have every thing to lose and nothing to gain4 ,we have been treated by the citizens of ,wilmington and its vicinity with kindness1 for which we ought to be grateful1 and it is our solemn purpose to pursue such a course of conduct as may merit a continuance of their favor and confidence4 ,should any among us be found so wicked and blinded as to enter into plots and contrivances1 inimical to the present harmony1 we thus solemnly pledge ourselves to our white friends and neighbors1 that we will be among the first to sound the alarm1 and unite in effecting their apprehension and suppression4' ,the free colored citizens of ,baltimore1 ,maryland1 also came out unitedly in the following pacific and truly exemplary spirit3 ',whereas1 there has prevailed in this city1 during the past week1 a very unpleasant excitement1 originating from suspicions and reports totally without foundation1 and highly derogatory to our good sense2 and whereas this excitement1 though unnecessarily created1 may1 in its ultimate tendency1 prove prejudicial to the interests of the free colored population of this ,state4 ,therefore1 ',resolved1 ,that we challenge the most rigid investigation as to the truth of those evil reports1 which have recently been so industriously propagated in this city by the credulous1 and those who are totally unacquainted with the character of colored ,baltimoreans4 ',resolved1 ,that we are not so reckless of our true interest1 so blind to utter helplessness--not to say so devoid of humanity1 as to entertain the hostile designs1 or to cherish the fiendish passions1 which it seems have been1 by the unthinking1 so unjustly attributed to us4 ',resolved1 ,that we have been too long in the land of bibles1 and temples1 and ministers1 to look upon blood and carnage with complacency--that we have been too long in this enlightened metropolis1 to think of the amelioration of our condition1 in any other way than that sanctioned by the ,gospel of ,peace4 ',resolved1 ,that we rely upon a peaceable and upright conduct1 for a continuance of that favor and protection which we have hitherto enjoyed1 and which1 the liberal1 the wise1 and the good1 are ever ready to accord4' ,how impolitic1 then1 as well as unjust1 to brand this meek and magnanimous class as 'the wild stirrers up of sedition and insurrection'6 ,this treatment1 ,i repeat1 is impolitic--nay1 suicidal4 ,to abuse1 proscribe and exasperate them1 to trample them under our feet1 to goad them on the right hand and on the left1 is not the way to secure their loyalty1 but rather to make them revengeful1 desperate and seditious4 ,our true policy is1 to meliorate their condition1 invigorate their hopes1 instruct their ignorant minds1 admit them to an equality of privileges with ourselves1 nourish and patronise their genius1 and1 by giving them mechanical trades and mercantile advantages1 open to them the avenue to competence and wealth4 ,we shall thus make them contented and happy1 and place them in a situation which will lead them still more heartily to deprecate any insurrectionary movements among our slave population4 ,the following is the conciliatory and generous language of a man1 who has been denounced as a blood-hound and a monster4 ,it will be well for us if we profit by it4 ',americans6 notwithstanding you have and do continue to treat us more cruel than any heathen nation ever did a people it had subjected to the same condition that you have us1 let us reason4 ,had you not better take our body1 while you have it in your power1 and while we are yet ignorant and wretched1 not knowing but little1 give us education1 and teach us the pure religion of our ,lord and ,master1 which is calculated to make the lion lie down in peace with the lamb1 and which millions of you have beaten us nearly to death for trying to obtain since we have been among you1 and thus at once gain our affection while we are ignorant8 ,throw away your fears and prejudices then1 and enlighten us and treat us like men1 and we will like you more than we do now hate you4 ,and tell us now no more about colonization2 for ,america is as much our country as it is yours4 ,treat us like men1 and there is no danger but we will all live in peace and happiness together2 for we are not1 like you1 hard-hearted1 unmerciful1 and unforgiving4 ,what a happy country this will be1 if the whites will listen6 ,what nation under heaven1 will be able to do any thing with us1 unless ,god gives us up into its hand8 ,but1 ,americans1 ,i declare to you1 while you keep us and our children in bondage1 and treat us like brutes1 to make us support you and your families1 we cannot be your friends4 ,you do not look for it1 do you8 ,treat us then like men1 and we will be your friends4 ,and there is not a doubt in my mind1 but that the whole of the past will be sunk into oblivion1 and we yet1 under ,god1 will become a united and happy people4',v ,,footnotes3 ,s ,a cruel taunt4 ,the wonder is not that colored persons do not more generally visit our sanctuaries1 but that they ever should attend4 ,if they go1 they are thrust into obscure1 remote and unseemly pens or boxes1 as if they were not embraced in the offers of redeeming love1 and were indeed a part of the brute creation4 ,it is an awful commentary upon the pride of human nature4 ,i never can look up to these scandalous retreats for my colored brethren1 without having my soul overwhelmed with emotions of shame1 indignation and sorrow4 ,no black man1 however virtuous1 respectable or pious he may be1 can own or occupy a pew in a central part of any of our houses of worship4 ,and yet it is reproachfully alleged--by a clergyman1 too6--that 'if we visit the sanctuaries which are open to all 767 to worship1 and to hear the word of ,god1 we shall not find them there'6 ,no--,i hope they will respect themselves and the religion of ,jesus more1 than to occupy the places alluded to4 ,t ,francis ,devany1 the colored sheriff of ,liberia1 is reputed by colonizationists to be worth property to the value of twenty-five thousand dollars2 and they have trumpeted the fact all over the country1 and so repeatedly as almost to lead one to imagine that he is the greatest and wealthiest man in all the world6 ,james ,forten1 the reputable colored sail-maker of ,philadelphia1--a gentleman of highly polished manners and superior intelligence1--with whom ,devany worked as a journeyman1 can buy him out three or four times over4 ,joseph ,cassey1 another estimable and intelligent man of color1 or the widow of ,bishop ,allen1 both of ,philadelphia1 can purchase him4 ,i mention their names1 not to extol them1 but simply to show1 that what begets fame in ,liberia is unproductive here4 ,u ,the following statement1 recently published in the ,philadelphia ',friend and ,advocate of ,truth1' is very creditable to the colored inhabitants of that city3 ',many erroneous opinions have prevailed1 with regard to the true character and condition of the free colored people of ,pennsylvania4 ,they have been represented as an idle and worthless class1 furnishing inmates for our poor-houses and penitentiaries4 ,a few plain facts are sufficient to refute these gratuitous allegations4 ,in the city and suburbs of ,philadelphia1 by the census of #ahcj1 they constituted about eleven per cent41 or one ninth of the whole population4 ,from the account of the guardians of the poor1 printed by order of the board1 it appears that of the out-door poor receiving regular weekly supplies1 in the first month1 #ahcj1 the time of the greatest need1 the people of color were about one to twenty-three whites2 or not quite four per cent41 a disproportion of whites to colored1 of more than two to one in favor of the latter4 ,when it is considered that they perform the lowest offices in the community--that the avenues to what are esteemed the most honorable and profitable professions in society1 are in a great measure1 if not wholly closed against them1 these facts are the more creditable to them4 ,one cause of this disproportion1 which we presume is but little known1 but which is worthy of special notice1 will be found in the numerous societies among themselves for mutual aid4 ,these societies expended1 in one year1 about six thousand dollars for the relief of the sick and the indigent of their own color1 from funds raised among themselves4 ,besides1 the taxes paid by the colored people of ,philadelphia1 exceed in amount the sums expended out of the funds of the city for the relief of their poor4' ,it is also a fact that the proportion of whites in the alms-house in ,new-,york is greater than that of the blacks4 ,i am aware that other evidence1 of a different kind1 may be adduced in other places2 but it is in the highest degree unfair to measure the whole body of blacks by the whole body of whites--for the privileges and advantages of the whites are as ten thousand to one3 they monopolise almost every branch of business and every pursuit of life--they have all the means necessary to make men virtuous1 intelligent1 active1 and opulent4 ,far different is the situation of the free blacks4 ,how slender are their means6 how mean and limited their occupations6 how inferior their advantages6 ,almost every avenue to wealth1 preferment and usefulness1 is closed against them4 ,how are they persecuted6 how avoided in the streets6 how excluded from the benefits of society6 ,to point at them the finger of scorn1 to taunt them for their inferiority or helplessness1 is like putting out the eyes and clipping the wings of the eagle1 and then reproaching him because he can neither see nor fly4 ,to boast of our superior refinement1 intelligence and virtue1 is the extreme of vainglory1 and adding insult to injury4 ,shame6 shame6 ,,section ,,ix4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,denies ,,the ,,possibility ,,of ,,elevating ,,the ,,blacks ,,in ,,this ,,country4 ,the detestation of feeling1 the fire of moral indignation1 and the agony of soul which ,i have felt kindling and swelling within me1 in the progress of this review1 under this section reach the acme of intensity4 ,it is impossible for the mind to conceive1 or the tongue to utter1 or the pen to record1 sentiments more derogatory to the character of a republican and ,christian people than the following3 ',introduced as this class has been1 in a way which cannot be justified1 injurious in its influence to the community1 degraded in character and miserable in condition1 forever excluded1 by public sentiment1 by law and by a physical distinction1 from the most powerful motives to exertion1' c4 99 99 ',in addition to all the causes which tend to pollute1 to degrade and render them miserable1 there are principles of repulsion between them and us1 which can never be overcome4' 99 99 ',their bodies are free1 their minds enslaved4 ,they can neither bless their brethren in servitude1 nor rise from their own obscurity1 nor add to the purity of our morals1 nor to our wealth1 nor to our political strength4' 99 99 ',let us recollect that our fathers have placed them here2 and that our prejudices1 prejudices too deep to be eradicated while they remain among us1 have produced the standard of their morals4' 99 99 ',nor will it be questioned that their establishment on the ,african coast 444 will confer on them invaluable blessings which in this country they can never enjoy4' 99 99 ',they must be hewers of wood and drawers of water4 ,do what they will1 there is but this one prospect before them4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 #a1 pp4 #cd1 #add1 #afb1 #agf1 #bbf1 #cag4 ',shut out from the privileges of citizens1 separated from us by the insurmountable barrier of color1 they can never amalgamate with us1 but must remain for ever a distinct and inferior race1 repugnant to our republican feelings1 and dangerous to our republican institutions4' 99 99 99 ',it is not that there are some1 but that there are so many among us of a different physical1 if not moral1 constitution1 who never can amalgamate with the great body of our population4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #ahh1 #ahi1 #cch4 ',in consequence of his own inveterate habits1 and the no less inveterate prejudices of the whites1 it is a sadly demonstrated truth1 that the negro cannot1 in this country1 become an enlightened and useful citizen4 ,driven to the lowest stratum of society1 and enthralled there for melancholy ages1 his mind becomes proportionably grovelling1 and to gratify his animal desires is his most exalted aspiration4' 99 99 ',the negro1 while in this country1 will be treated as an inferior being4' 99 99 ',our slavery is such1 as that no device of our philanthropy for elevating the wretched subjects of its debasement to the ordinary privileges of men1 can descry one cheering glimpse of hope that our object can ever be accomplished4 ,the very commencing act of freedom to the slave1 is to place him in a condition still worse1 if possible1 both for his moral habits1 his outward provision1 and for the community that embosoms him1 than even that1 deplorable as it was1 from which he has been removed4 ,he is now a freeman2 but his complexion1 his features1 every peculiarity of his person1 pronounce to him another doom1--that every wish he may conceive1 every effort he can make1 shall be little better than vain4 ,even to every talent and virtuous impulse which he may feel working in his bosom1 obstacles stand in impracticable array2 not from a defect of essential title to success1 but from a positive external law1 unreasoning and irreversible4' 99 99 ',the elevation of a degraded class of beings to the privileges of freemen1 which1 though free1 they can never enjoy1 and to the prospects of a happy immortality4' 99 99 ',they again most solemnly repeat to the free colored people of ,virginia their belief1 that in ,africa alone can they enjoy that complete emancipation from a degrading inequality1 which in a greater or less degree pervades the ,united ,states1 if not in the laws1 in the whole frame and structure of society1 and which in its effects on their moral and social state is scarcely less degrading than slavery itself4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #be1 #bf1 #ff1 #fh1 #cde4 ',but there is one large class among the inhabitants of this country--degraded and miserable--whom none of the efforts in which you are accustomed to engage1 can materially benefit4 ,among the twelve millions who make up our census1 two millions are ,africans--separated from the possessors of the soil by birth1 by the brand of indelible ignominy1 by prejudices1 mutual1 deep1 incurable1 by an irreconcileable diversity of interests4 ,they are aliens and outcasts2--they are1 as a body1 degraded beneath the influence of nearly all the motives which prompt other men to enterprise1 and almost below the sphere of virtuous affections4 ,whatever may be attempted for the general improvement of society1 their wants are untouched4--,whatever may be effected for elevating the mass of the nation in the scale of happiness or of intellectual and moral character1 their degradation is the same--dark1 and deep1 and hopeless4 ,benevolence seems to overlook them1 or struggles for their benefit in vain4 ,patriotism forgets them1 or remembers them only with shame for what has been1 and with dire forebodings1 of what is yet to come4' 99 99 ',it is taken for granted that in present circumstances1 any effort to produce a general and thorough amelioration in the character and condition of the free people of color must be to a great extent fruitless4 ,in every part of the ,united ,states there is a broad and impassible line of demarcation between every man who has one drop of ,african blood in his veins and every other class in the community4 ,the habits1 the feelings1 all the prejudices of society--prejudices which neither refinement1 nor argument1 nor education1 nor religion itself can subdue--mark the people of color1 whether bond or free1 as the subjects of a degradation inevitable and incurable4 ,the ,african in this country belongs by birth to the very lowest station in society2 and from that station he can never rise1 ,,be ,,his ,,talents1 ,,his ,,enterprise1 ,,his ,,virtues ,,what ,,they ,,may4444 ,they constitute a class by themselves--a class out of which no individual can be elevated1 and below which1 none can be depressed4 ,and this is the difficulty1 the invariable and insuperable difficulty in the way of every scheme for their benefit4 ,much can be done for them--much has been done2 but still they are1 and1 in this country1 ,,always ,,must ,,be a depressed and abject race4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 iv4 pp4 #aag1 #aah1 #aai4 ',the distinctive complexion by which it is marked1 necessarily debars it from all familiar intercourse with the more favored society that surrounds it1 and of course denies to it all hope of either social or political elevation1 by means of individual merit1 however great1 or individual exertions1 however unremitted4' 99 99 ',it is deemed unnecessary to repeat what has already been said1 of the character of the population in question1 of its hopeless degradation1 and its baneful influence1 in the situation in which it is now placed4' 99 99 99 ',the colored population of this country can never rise to respectability and happiness here4' 99 99 ',it was at an early period seen and acknowledged1 that neither the objects of benevolence nor the interests of the nation could be materially benefitted by any plan or measures that permitted them to remain within the ,united ,states4' 99 99 ',they leave a country in which though born and reared1 they are strangers and aliens2 where severe necessity places them in a class of degraded beings4' 99 99 ',with us they have been degraded by slavery1 and ,,still ,,further ,,degraded by the mockery of nominal freedom4 ,we have endeavored1 but endeavored in vain1 to restore them either to self-respect1 or to the respect of others4 ,it is not our fault that we have failed2 it is not theirs4 ,it has resulted from a cause over which neither they1 nor we1 can ever have control4 ,here1 therefore1 they must be for ever debased3 more than this1 they must be for ever useless2 more even than this1 they must be ,,for ,,ever ,a ,,nuisance1 from which it were a blessing for society to be rid4 ,and yet they1 and they only1 are qualified for colonizing ,africa4' 99 99 99 ',whether bond or free1 their presence will be for ever a calamity4 ,why then1 in the name of ,god1 should we hesitate to encourage their departure8 ,the existence of this race among us2 a race that can neither share our blessings nor incorporate in our ,society1 is already felt to be a curse4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 v4 pp4 #ea1 #ec1 #agi1 #bcd1 #bch1 #bgf1 #bgh4 ',is our posterity doomed to endure for ever not only all the ills flowing from the state of slavery1 but all which arise from incongruous elements of population1 separated from each other by invincible prejudices1 and by natural causes8' 99 99 ',here invincible prejudices exclude them from the enjoyment of the society of the whites1 and deny them all the advantages of freemen4 ,the bar1 the pulpit1 and our legislative halls are shut to them by the irresistible force of public sentiment4 ,no talents however great1 no piety however pure and devoted1 no patriotism however ardent1 can secure their admission4 ,they constantly hear the accents1 and behold the triumphs1 of a liberty which here they can never enjoy4' 99 99 ',it is against this increase of colored persons1 who take but a nominal freedom here1 and cannot rise from their degraded condition1 that this ,society attempts to provide4' 99 99 ',they may be emancipated2 but emancipation cannot elevate their condition or augment their capacity for self-preservation4--,want and suffering will gradually diminish their numbers1 and they will disappear1 as the inferior has always disappeared1 before the superior race4' 99 99 ',our great and good men purposed it primarily as a system of relief for two millions of fellow men in our own county--a population dangerous to ourselves and necessarily degraded here4' 99 99 ',the free blacks1 by the moral necessity of their civil disabilities1 are and must for ever be a nuisance--equally1 and more to the owner of slaves1 than to other members of the community4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vi4 pp4 #ab1 #ag1 #hb1 #afh1 #bie1 #cfh4 ',incorporated into our country as freemen1 yet separated from it by odious and degrading distinctions1 they feel themselves condemned to a hopeless and debasing inferiority4 ,they know that their very complexion will for ever exclude them from the rank1 the privileges1 the honors1 of freemen4 ,no matter how great their industry1 or how abundant their wealth--no matter what their attainments in literature1 science or the arts--no matter how correct their deportment or what respect their characters may inspire1 they can never1 ,,no1 ,,never be raised to a footing of equality1 not even to a familiar intercourse with the surrounding society4' 99 99 ',to us it seems evident that the man of color may as soon change his complexion1 as rise above all sense of past inferiority and debasement in a community1 from the social intercourse of which1 he must expect to be in a great measure excluded1 not only until prejudice shall have no existence therein1 but until the freedom of man in regulating his social relations is proved to be abridged by some law of morality or the gospel4444 ,is it not wise1 then1 for the free people of color and their friends to admit1 what cannot reasonably be doubted1 that the people of color must1 in this country1 remain for ages1 probably for ever1 a separate and inferior caste1 weighed down by causes1 powerful1 universal1 inevitable2 which neither legislation nor christianity can remove8' ',let the free black in this country toil from youth to age in the honorable pursuit of wisdom--let him store his mind with the most valuable researches of science and literature--and let him add to a highly gifted and cultivated intellect1 a piety pure1 undefiled1 and unspotted from the world--it is all nothing3 he would not be received into the very lowest walks of society4 ,if we were constrained to admire so uncommon a being1 our very admiration would mingle with disgust1 because1 in the physical organization of his frame1 we meet an insurmountable barrier1 even to an approach to social intercourse1 and in the ,egyptian color1 which nature has stamped upon his features1 a principle of repulsion so strong as to forbid the idea of a communion either of interest or of feeling1 as utterly abhorrent4 ,whether these feelings are founded in reason or not1 we will not now inquire--perhaps they are not4 ,but education and habit and prejudice have so firmly riveted them upon us1 that they have become as strong as nature itself--and to expect their removal1 or even their slightest modification1 would be as idle and preposterous as to expect that we could reach forth our hands1 and remove the mountains from their foundations into the vallies1 which are beneath them4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vii4 pp4 #ajj1 #aie1 #aif1 #bca4 ',and can we not find some spot on this large globe which will receive them kindly1 and where they may escape those prejudices which1 in this country1 must ever keep them inferior and degraded members of society8'--,third ,annual ,report4 ',a population which1 even if it were not literally enslaved1 must for ever remain in a state of degradation no better than bondage4' 99 99 ',here the thing is impossible2 a slave cannot be really emancipated4 ,you may call him free1 you may enact a statute book of laws to make him free1 but you cannot bleach him into the enjoyment of freedom4' 99 99 ',the ,soodra is not farther separated from the ,brahmin in regard to all his privileges1 civil1 intellectual1 and moral1 than the negro is from the white man by the prejudices which result from the difference made between them by the ,god of nature4 ,a barrier more difficult to be surmounted than the institution of the caste1 cuts off1 and while the present state of society continues must always cut off1 the negro from all that is valuable in citizenship4'--,seventh ,annual ,report4 ',let the arm of our government be stretched out for the defence of our ,african colony1 and this objection will no longer exist4 ,there1 and there alone1 the colored man can enjoy the motives for honorable exertion4'--,ninth ,annual ,report4 ',in the distinctive and indelible marks of their color1 and the prejudices of the people1 an insuperable obstacle has been placed to the execution of any plan for elevating their character1 and placing them on a footing with their brethren of the same common family4'--,tenth ,annual ,report4 ',far from shuddering at the thought of leaving the comfortable fireside among us1 for a distant and unknown shore yet covered by the wilderness1 they have preferred real liberty there1 to a mockery of freedom here1 and have turned their eyes to ,africa1 as the only resting place and refuge of the colored man1 in the deluge of oppression that surrounds him4'--,eleventh ,annual ,report4 ',the race in question were known1 as a class1 to be destitute1 depraved--the victims of all forms of social misery4 ,the peculiarity of their fate was1 that this was not their condition by accident or transiently1 but inevitably and immutably1 whilst they remained in their present place1 by a law as infallible in its operation1 as any of physical nature4' 99 99 ',their residence amongst us is attended by evil consequences to society--causes beyond the control of the human will must prevent their ever rising to equality with the whites4' 99 99 ',the ,managers consider it clear that causes exist1 and are operating to prevent their improvement and elevation to any considerable extent as a class1 in this country1 which are fixed1 not only beyond the control of the friends of humanity1 ,,but ,,of ,,any ,,human ,,power4 ,christianity cannot do for them here1 what it will do for them in ,africa4 ,this is not the fault of the colored man1 nor of the white man1 nor of ,christianity2 but an ordination of ,providence1 and no more to be changed than the laws of nature4 ,yet1 were it otherwise1 did no cause exist but prejudice1 to prevent the elevation1 in this country1 of our free colored population1 still1 were this prejudice so strong 7which is indeed the fact7 as to forbid the hope of any great favorable change in their condition1 what folly for them to reject blessings in another land1 because it is prejudice which debars them from such blessings in this6 ,but in truth no legislation1 no humanity1 no benevolence can make them insensible to their past condition1 can unfetter their minds1 can relieve them from the disadvantages resulting from inferior means and attainments1 can abridge the right of freemen to regulate their social intercourse and relations1 which will leave them for ever a separate and depressed class in the community2 in fine1 nothing can in any way do much here to raise them from their miseries to respectability1 honor and usefulness4'--,fifteenth ,annual ,report4 ',that no adequate means of attaining this great end existed1 short of the segregation of the black population from the white--that an ,,impassible ,,barrier existed in the state of society in this country1 between these classes--that whatever might be the liberal sentiments of some good men among us1 the blacks were marked with an indelible note of inferiority--they saw placed high before them a station which here they could never reach1 and by a natural reaction they fell back into a position where self-respect lent them no stimulus1 and virtuous principles and actions lost more than half their motive--that in fact they were a branded and degraded caste--the ,pariahs of the ,united ,states1 and destined as long as they remained with us to be hewers of wood and drawers of water--that the increase of this population in a greater ratio than the whites1 was calculated to excite just apprehension--that no one could say that when a few more millions should be added to their numbers1 the example of ,hayti might not rouse them to an effort to break their chains2 and he would ask what man could contemplate1 without shuddering1 all the complicated atrocity and bloody revenge of such a revolt8' 99 99 ',those persons of color who have been emancipated1 are only nominally free1 and the whole race1 so long as they remain among us1 and whether they be slaves or free1 must necessarily be kept in a condition full of wretchedness to them and full of danger to the whites4'--,second ,annual ,report of ,new-,york ,state ,colonization ,society4 ',many of those citizens who ardently wish for the removal of such of the free colored population1 as are willing to go1 to any place where they could enjoy1 what they can never enjoy here1 that is1 all the advantages of society1' c4 99 99 ',that the free colored population in this country labor under the most oppressive disadvantages1 which their freedom can by no means counterbalance1 is too obvious to admit of doubt4 ,i waive all inquiry whether this is right or wrong4 ,i speak of things as they are--not as they might1 or as they ought to be4 ,they are cut off from the most remote chance of amalgamation with the white population1 by feelings or prejudices1 call them what you will1 that are ineradicable4 ,their situation is more unfavorable than that of many slaves4 ,with all the burdens1 cares and responsibilities of freedom1 they have few or none of its substantial benefits4 ,their associations are1 and must be1 chiefly with slaves4 ,their right of suffrage gives them little1 if any1 political influence1 and they are practically1 if not theoretically excluded from representation and weight in our public councils4 ,no merit1 no services1 no talents can elevate them to a level with the whites4 ,occasionally1 an exception may arise4 ,a colored individual1 of great talents1 merits1 and wealth1 may emerge from the crowd4 ,cases of this kind are to the last degree rare4 ,the colored people are subject to legal disabilities1 more or less galling and severe1 in almost every state of the ,union4 ,who has not deeply regretted their late harsh expulsion from the ,state of ,ohio1 and their being forced to abandon the country of their birth1 which had profited by their labors1 and to take refuge in a foreign land8 ,severe regulations have been recently passed in ,louisiana1 to prevent the introduction of free people of color into the ,state4 ,whenever they appear1 they are to be banished in sixty days4 ,the strong opposition to a negro college in ,new-,haven1 speaks in a language not to be mistaken1 the jealousy with which they are regarded4 ,and there is no reason to expect1 that the lapse of centuries will make any change in this respect4 ,,they ,,will ,,always ,,unhappily ,,be ,,regarded ,,as ,,an ,,inferior ,,race4'--,mathew ,carey's ',reflections4' ',instances of emancipation have not essentially benefitted the ,african1 and probably never will1 while he remains among us4 ,in this country1 public opinion does1 and will1 consign him to an inferiority1 above which he can never rise4 ,emancipation can ,,never make the ,african1 while he remains in this country1 a real free man4 ,degradation ,,must and ,,will press him to the earth2 no cheering1 stimulating influence will he here feel1 in any of the walks of life4'--,circular of the ,massachusetts ,colonization ,society for #ahcb4 ',with us color is the bar4 ,nature has raised up barriers between the races1 which no man with a proper sense of the dignity of his species desires to see surmounted4' 99 99 ',what effects does emancipation produce without removal8 ,a discontented and useless population2 having no sympathies with the rest of the community1 doomed by immoveable barriers to eternal degradation4 ,i know that there are among us1 those of warm and generous hearts1 who believe that we may retain the black man here1 and raise him up to the full and perfect stature of human nature4 ,that degree of improvement can never take place except the races be amalgamated2 and amalgamation is a day-dream4 ,it may seem strong1 but it is true that a skin not colored like our own will separate them from us1 as long as our feelings continue a part of our nature4'--,speeches delivered at the formation of the ,young ,men's ,auxiliary ,colonization ,society in ,new-,york city4 ',these subsistence1 political and social considerations they can never enjoy here4' 99 99 ',you may manumit the slave1 but you cannot make him a white man4 ,he still remains a negro or a mulatto4 ,the mark and the recollection of his origin and former state still adhere to him2 the feelings produced by that condition1 in his own mind and in the minds of the whites1 still exist2 he is associated by his color1 and by these recollections and feelings1 with the class of slaves2 and a barrier is thus raised between him and the whites1 that is between him and the free class1 which he can never hope to transcend4' 99 99 ',a vast majority of the free blacks1 as we have seen1 are and must be1 an idle1 worthless and thievish race4'--,first ,annual ,report4 ',here they are condemned to a state of hopeless inferiority1 and consequent degradation4 ,as they cannot emerge from this state1 they lose1 by degrees1 the hope1 at last the desire of emerging4'--,second ,annual ,report4 ',the existence in any community of a people forming a distinct and degraded caste1 who are forever excluded by the fiat of society and the laws of the land1 from all hopes of equality in social intercourse and political privileges1 must1 from the nature of things1 be fraught with unmixed evil4 ,did this committee believe it possible1 by any acts of legislation1 to remove this blotch upon the body politic1 by so elevating the social and moral condition of the blacks in ,ohio1 that they would be received into society on terms of equality1 and would by common consent be admitted to a participation of political privileges--,,were ,,such ,a ,,thing ,,possible1 even after a lapse of time and by pecuniary sacrifice1 most gladly would they recommend such measures as would subserve the cause of humanity1 by producing such a result4 ,for the purposes of legislation1 it is sufficient to know1 that the blacks in ,ohio must always exist as a separate and degraded race1 that when the leopard shall change his spots and the ,ethiopian his skin1 then1 ,,but ,,not ,,till ,,then1 may we expect that the descendants of ,africans will be admitted into society1 on terms of social and political equality4'--,report of a ,select ,committee of the ,legislature of ,ohio4 ',no possible contingency can ever break down or weaken the impassable barrier which at present separates the whites from social communion with the blacks4 ,neither education1 nor wealth1 nor any other means of distinction known to our communities1 can elevate blacks to a level with whites1 in the ,united ,states4'--,american ,spectator4 ',however unjust may be the prejudices which exist in the whites against the blacks1 and which operate so injuriously to the latter--they are probably too deep to be obliterated2 and true philanthropy would dictate the separation of two races of men1 so different1 ,,whom ,,nature ,,herself ,,has ,,forbidden ,,to ,,mingle ,,into ,,one2 but of whom1 while they remain associated1 one or the other must of necessity have the superiority4 ,for the future welfare of both1 we trust that the project of colonizing the ,africans1 as they shall gradually be emancipated1 although a work of time1 may not be altogether hopeless4'--,brandon 7,vt47 ,telegraph4 ',the character and circumstances of this portion of the community fall under every man's notice1 and the least observation shows that they cannot be useful or happy among us4'--,oration by ,gabriel ,p4 ,disosway1 ,esq4 ',it is of vast importance to these people1 as a class1 that their hopes and expectations of temporal prosperity should be turned to ,africa1 and that they should not regard our country as their permanent residence1 or as that country in which they will ever1 as a people1 enjoy equal privileges and blessings with the whites4'--,rev4 ,mr ,gurley's ,letter to the ,rev4 ,s4 ,s4 ,jocelyn4 ',to attain solid happiness and permanent respectability1 they should now remove to a more congenial clime4444 ,to raise them to a level with the whites is ,,an ,,impossibility4'--,new-,haven ,religious ,intelligencer4 ',in ,liberia--the land of their forefathers1 they will be restored to real freedom1 which they have never yet enjoyed1 and which it is folly for them to expect they can ever enjoy among the whites4'--,norfolk ,herald4 ',my bowels1 my bowels6 ,i am pained at my very heart2 my heart maketh a noise in me4' ,are we pagans1 are we savages1 are we devils8 ,can pagans1 or savages1 or devils1 exhibit a more implacable spirit1 than is seen in the foregoing extracts8 ,it is enough to cause the very stones to cry out1 and the beasts of the field to rebuke us4 ,of this ,i am sure3 no man1 who is truly willing to admit the people of color to an equality with himself1 can see any insuperable difficulty in effecting their elevation4 ,when1 therefore1 ,i hear an individual--especially a professor of ,christianity--strenuously contending that there can be no fellowship with them1 ,i cannot help suspecting the sincerity of his own republicanism or piety1 or thinking that the beam is in his own eye4 ,my bible assures me that the day is coming when even the 'wolf shall dwell with the lamb1 and the leopard shall lie down with the kid1 and the wolf and the young lion and the fatling together2' and1 if this be possible1 ,i see no cause why those of the same species--,god's rational creatures--fellow countrymen1 in truth1 cannot dwell in harmony together4 ,how abominably hypocritical1 how consummately despicable1 how incorrigibly tyrannical must this whole nation appear in the eyes of the people of ,europe6--professing to be the friends of the free blacks1 actuated by the purest motives of benevolence toward them1 desirous to make atonement for past wrongs1 challenging the admiration of the world for their patriotism1 philanthropy and piety--and yet 7hear1 ,o heaven6 and be astonished1 ,o earth67 shamelessly proclaiming1 with a voice louder than thunder1 and an aspect malignant as sin1 that while their colored countrymen remain among them1 they must be trampled beneath their feet1 treated as inferior beings1 deprived of all the invaluable privileges of freemen1 separated by the brand of indelible ignominy1 and debased to a level with the beasts that perish6 ,yea1 that they may as soon change their complexion as rise from their degradation6 that no device of philanthropy can benefit them here6 that they constitute a class out of which no individual can be elevated1 and below which1 none can be depressed6 that no talents however great1 no piety however pure and devoted1 no patriotism however ardent1 no industry however great1 no wealth however abundant1 can raise them to a footing of equality with the whites6 that 'let them toil from youth to old age in the honorable pursuit of wisdom--let them store their minds with the most valuable researches of science and literature--and let them add to a highly gifted and cultivated intellect1 a piety pure1 undefiled1 and unspotted from the world1 it is all nothing--they would not be received into the very lowest walks of society--admiration of such uncommon beings would mingle with disgust6' ,yea1 that 'there is a broad and impassible line of demarcation between every man who has one drop of ,african blood in his veins and every other class in the community'6 ,yea1 that 'the habits1 the feelings1 all the prejudices of society--prejudices which neither refinement1 nor argument1 nor education1 nor ,,religion itself can subdue--mark the people of color1 whether bond or free1 as the subjects of a degradation inevitable and incurable'6 ,yea1 that ',christianity cannot do for them here1 what it will do for them in ,africa'6 ,yea1 that 'this is not the fault of the colored man1 ,,nor ,,of ,,the ,,white ,,man1 nor of ,christianity2 but ,,an ,,ordination ,,of ,,providence1 and no more to be changed than the ,,laws ,,of ,,nature'666 ,again ,i ask1 are we pagans1 are we savages1 are we devils8 ,search the records of heathenism1 and sentiments more hostile to the spirit of the gospel1 or of a more black and blasphemous complexion than these1 cannot be found4 ,i believe that they are libels upon the character of my countrymen1 which time will wipe off4 ,i call upon the spirits of the just made perfect in heaven1 upon all who have experienced the love of ,god in their souls here below1 upon the christian converts in ,india and the islands of the sea1 to sustain me in the assertion that there is power enough in the religion of ,jesus ,christ to melt down the most stubborn prejudices1 to overthrow the highest walls of partition1 to break the strongest caste1 to improve and elevate the most degraded1 to unite in fellowship the most hostile1 and to equalize and bless all its recipients4 ,make me sure that there is not1 and ,i will give it up1 now and for ever4 ',in ,christ ,jesus1 all are one3 there is neither ,jew nor ,greek1 there is neither bond nor free1 there is neither male nor female4' ,these sentiments were not uttered by infidels1 nor by worthless wretches1 but in many instances by professors of religion and ministers of the gospel6 and in almost every instance by reputedly the most enlightened1 patriotic and benevolent men in the land6 ,tell it not abroad6 publish it not in the streets of ,calcutta6 ,even the eminent ,president of ,union ,college1 7,rev4 ,dr4 ,nott17 could so far depart1 unguardedly ,i hope1 from christian love and integrity1 as to utter this language in an address in behalf of the ,colonization ,society3--',with us they the free people of color have been degraded by slavery1 and still further degraded by the mockery of nominal freedom4' ,were this true1 it would imply that we of the free ,states are more barbarous and neglectful than even the traffickers in souls and men-stealers at the south4 ,we have not1 it is certain1 treated our colored brethren as the law of kindness and the ties of brotherhood demand2 but have we outdone slaveholders in cruelty8 ,were it true1 to forge new fetters for the limbs of these degraded beings would be an act of benevolence4 ,but their condition is as much superior to that of the slaves1 as happiness is to misery4 ,the second portion of this work1 containing their proceedings in a collective capacity1 shows whether they have made any progress in intelligence1 in virtue1 in piety1 and in happiness1 since their liberation4 ,again he says3 ',we have endeavored1 but endeavored in vain1 to restore them either to self-respect1 or to the respect of others4' ,it is painful to contradict so worthy an individual2 but nothing is more certain than that this statement is altogether erroneous4 ,we have derided1 we have shunned1 we have neglected them1 in every possible manner4 ,they have had to rise not only under the mountainous weight of their own ignorance and vice1 but with the additional and constant pressure of our contempt and injustice4 ,in despite of us1 they have done well4 ,again3 ',it is not our fault that we have failed2 it is not theirs4' ,we are wholly and exclusively in fault4 ,what have we done to raise them up from the earth8 ,what have we not done to keep them down8 ,once more3 ',it has resulted from a cause over which neither they1 nor we1 can ever have control4' ,in other words1 they have been made with skins not colored like our own1' and therefore we cannot recognise them as fellow-countrymen1 or treat them like rational beings6 ,one sixth of our whole population must1 ,,for ,,ever1 in this land1 remain a wretched1 ignorant and degraded race1--and yet nobody be culpable--none but the ,creator who has made us incapable of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us6 ,horrible--horrible6 ,if this be not an impeachment of ,infinite ,goodness1--,i do not say intentionally but really1--,i cannot define it4 ,the same sentiment is reiterated by a writer in the ,southern ,religious ,telegraph1 who says--',the exclusion of the free black from the civil and literary privileges of our country1 depends on another circumstance than that of character--a circumstance1 which1 as it was entirely beyond his control1 so it is unchangeable1 and will for ever operate4 ,this circumstance is--he is a black man'66 ,and the ,board of ,managers of the ,parent ,society1 in their ,fifteenth ,annual ,report1 declare that 'an ordination of ,providence' prevents the general improvement of the people of color in this land6 ,how are ,god and our country dishonored1 and the requirements of the gospel contemned1 by this ungodly plea6 ,having satisfied himself that the ,creator is alone blameable for the past and present degradation of the free blacks1 ,dr4 ,nott draws the natural and unavoidable inference that 'here1 therefore1 they must be for ever debased1 for ever useless1 for ever a nuisance1 for ever a calamity1' and then gravely declares 7mark the climax67 'and yet ,,they1 these ignorant1 helpless1 miserable creatures6 ,,and ,,they ,,only1 are qualified for colonizing ,africa'66 ',why then1' he asks1 'in the name of ,god1'--7the abrupt appeal1 in this connexion1 seems almost profane17--'should we hesitate to encourage their departure8' ,nature1 we are positively assured1 has raised up impassable barriers between the races4 ,i understand by this expression1 that the blacks are of a different species from ourselves1 so that all attempts to generate offspring between us and them must prove as abortive1 as between a man and a beast4 ,it is a law of ,nature that the lion shall not beget the lamb1 or the leopard the bear4 ,now the planters at the south have clearly demonstrated1 that an amalgamation with their slaves is not only possible1 but a matter of course1 and eminently productive4 ,it neither ends in abortion nor produces monsters4 ,in truth1 it is often so difficult in the slave ,states to distinguish between the fruits of this intercourse and the children of white parents1 that witnesses are summoned at court to solve the problem6 ,talk of the barriers of ,nature1 when the land swarms with living refutations of the statement6 ,happy indeed would it be for many a female slave1 if such a barrier could exist during the period of her servitude to protect her from the lust of her master6 ,in ,france1,w ,england1,x ,spain1 and other countries1 persons of color maintain as high a rank and are treated as honorably as any other class of the inhabitants1 in despite of the 'impassable barriers of ,nature4' ,yet it is proclaimed to the world by the ,colonization ,society1 that the ,american people can never be as republican in their feelings and practices as ,frenchmen1 ,spaniards or ,englishmen6 ,nay1 that religion itself cannot subdue their malignant prejudices1 or induce them to treat their dark-skinned brethren in accordance with their professions of republicanism6 ,my countrymen6 is it so8 ,are you willing thus to be held up as tyrants and hypocrites for ever8 as less magnanimous and just than the populace of ,europe8 ,no--no6 ,i cannot give you up as incorrigibly wicked1 nor my country as sealed over to destruction4 ,my confidence remains1 like the oak--like the ,alps--unshaken1 storm-proof4 ,i am not discouraged--,i am not distrustful4 ,i still place an unwavering reliance upon the omnipotence of truth4 ,i still believe that the demands of justice will be satisfied2 that the voice of bleeding humanity will melt the most obdurate hearts2 and that the land will be redeemed and regenerated by an enlightened and energetic public opinion4 ,as long as there remains among us a single copy of the ,declaration of ,independence1 or of the ,new ,testament1 ,i will not despair of the social and political elevation of my sable countrymen4 ,already a rallying-cry is heard from the ,east and the ,west1 from the ,north and the ,south2 towns and cities and states are in commotion2 volunteers are trooping to the field2 the spirit of freedom and the fiend of oppression are in mortal conflict1 and all neutrality is at an end4 ,already the line of division is drawn3 on one side are the friends of truth and liberty1 with their banner floating high in the air1 on which are inscribed in letters of light1 ',,immediate ,,abolition'--',,no ,,compromise ,,with ,,oppressors'--',,equal ,,rights'--',,no ,,expatriation'--',,duty1 ,,and ,,not ,,consequences'--',,let ,,justice ,,be ,,done1 ,,though ,,the ,,heavens ,,should ,,fall6'--,on the opposite side stand the supporters and apologists of slavery in mighty array1 with a black flag on which are seen in bloody characters1 ',,african ,,colonization'--',,gradual ,,abolition'--',,rights ,,of ,,property'--',,political ,,expediency'--',,no ,,equality'--',,no ,,repentance'--',,expulsion ,,of ,,the ,,blacks'--',,protection ,,to ,,tyrants6'--,who can doubt the issue of this controversy1 or which side has the approbation of the ,lord of ,hosts8 ,in the ,african ,repository for ,september1 #ahca1 there is an elaborate defence of the ,colonization ,society1 in which occurs the following passage3--',it has been said that the ,society is unfriendly to the improvement of the free people of color while they remain in the ,united ,states4 ,the charge is not true4' ,i reiterate the charge2 and the evidence of its correctness is before the reader4 ,the ,society prevents the education of this class in the most insidious and effectual manner1 by constantly asserting that they must always be a degraded people in this country1 and that the cultivation of their minds will avail them nothing4 ,who does not readily perceive that the prevalence of this opinion must at once paralyze every effort for their improvement8 ,for it would be a waste of time and means1 and unpardonable folly1 for us to attempt the accomplishment of an impossible work--of that which we know will result in disappointment4 ,every discriminating and candid mind must see and acknowledge1 that1 to perpetuate their ignorance1 it is only necessary to make the belief prevalent that they 'must be for ever debased1 for ever useless1 for ever an inferior race1' and their thraldom is sure4 ,i am aware that a school has been established for the education of colored youth1 under the auspices of the ,society2 but it is sufficient to state that none but those who consent to emigrate to ,liberia are embraced in its provisions4 ,in the ,appendix to the ,seventh ,annual ,report1 p4 #id1 the position is assumed that 'it is a well established point1 that the public safety forbids either the emancipation or general instruction of the slaves4' ,the recent enactment of laws in some of the slave ,states1 prohibiting the instruction of free colored persons as well as slaves1 has received something more than a tacit approval from the organ of the ,society4 ,a prominent advocate of the ,society1 7,g4 ,p4 ,disosway1 ,esq417 in an oration on the fourth of ,july1 #ahca1 alluding to these laws1 says1--',the public safety of our brethren at the ,south requires them the slaves to be kept ignorant and uninstructed4' ,the ,editor of the ,southern ,religious ,telegraph1 who is a clergyman and a warm friend of the colonization scheme1 remarking upon the instruction of the colored population of ,virginia1 says3 ',teaching a servant to read1 is not teaching him the religion of ,christ4 ,the great majority of the white people of our country are taught to read2 but probably not one in five1 of those who have the ,bible1 is a christian1 in the legitimate sense of the term4 ,if black people are as depraved and as averse to true religion as the white people are--and we know of no difference between them in this respect--teaching them to read the ,bible will make christians of very few of them4 ,what a plea6 444 ,if christian masters were to teach their servants to read1 we apprehend that they would not feel the obligation as they ought to feel it1 of giving them oral instruction1 and often impressing divine truth on their minds4 66 444 ,if the free colored people were generally taught to read1 it might be an inducement to them to remain in this country4 ,,we ,,would ,,offer ,,them ,,no ,,such ,,inducement4 66 444 ,a knowledge of letters and of all the arts and sciences1 cannot counteract the influences under which the character of the negro must be formed in this country4444 ,it appears to us that a greater benefit may be conferred on the free colored people1 by planting good schools for them in ,africa1 and encouraging them to remove there1 than by giving them the knowledge of letters to make them contented in their present condition4'--,telegraph of ,feb4 #ai1 #ahca4 ,jesuitism was never more subtle--,papal domination never more exclusive4 ,the gospel of peace and mercy preached by him who holds that ignorance is the mother of devotion6 who would sequestrate the bible from the eyes of his fellow men6 who contends that knowledge is the enemy of religion6 who denies the efficacy of education in elevating a degraded population6 who would make men brutes in order to make them better christians6 who desires to make the clergy infallible guides to heaven6 ,now what folly and impiety is all this6 ,besides1 is it not mockery to preach repentance1 and faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 to the benighted blacks1 and at the same time deny them the right and ability to 'search the scriptures' for themselves8 ,the proposition which was made last year to erect a ,college for the education of colored youth in ,new-,haven1 it is well known1 created an extraordinary and most disgraceful tumult in that place1 7the hot-bed of ,african colonization17 and was generally scouted by the friends of the ,society in other places4 ,the ,american ,spectator at ,washington1 7next to the ,african ,repository1 the mouth-piece of the ,society17 used the following language1 in relation to the violent proceedings of the citizens of ,new-,haven3 ',we not only approve the course1 which they have pursued1 but we admire the moral courage1 which induced them1 for the love of right1 767 to incur the censure of both sections of the country4' ,as a farther illustration of the complacency with which colonizationists regard the laws prohibiting the instruction of the blacks1 ,i extract the following paragraph from the ',proceedings of the ,new-,york ,state ,colonization ,society1 on its second anniversary3' ',it is the business of the free--their safety requires it--to keep the slaves in ignorance4 ,their education is utterly prohibited4 ,educate them1 and they break their fetters4 ,suppose the slaves of the south to have the knowledge of freemen1 they would be free1 or be exterminated by the whites4 ,this renders it necessary to prevent their instruction--to keep them from ,sunday ,schools1 and other means of gaining knowledge4 ,but a few days ago1 a proposition was made in the legislature of ,georgia1 to allow them so much instruction as to enable them to read the bible2 which was promptly rejected by a large majority4 ,i do not mention this for the purpose of condemning the policy of the slaveholding ,states1 but to lament its necessity4' ,elias ,b4 ,caldwell1 one of the founders1 and the first ,secretary of the ,parent ,society1 in a speech delivered at its formation1 advanced the following monstrous sentiments3 ',the more you improve the condition of these people1 the more you cultivate their minds1 the more miserable you make them in their present state4 ,you give them a higher relish for those privileges which they can never attain1 and turn what you intend for a blessing into a curse4 ,no1 if they must remain in their present situation1 keep them in the lowest state of ignorance and degradation4 ,the nearer you bring them to the condition of brutes1 the better chance do you give them of possessing their apathy4' ,so1 then1 the ,american ,colonization ,society advocates1 and to a great extent perpetuates the ignorance and degradation of the colored population of the ,united ,states6 ,in a critical examination of the pages of the ,african ,repository1 and of the reports and addresses of the ,parent ,society and its auxiliaries1 ,i cannot find in a single instance any impeachment of the conduct and feelings of society toward the people of color1 or any hint that the prejudice which is so prevalent against them is unmanly and sinful1 or any evidence of contrition for past injustice1 or any remonstrance or entreaty with a view to a change of public sentiment1 or any symptoms of moral indignation at such unchristian and anti-republican treatment4 ,on the contrary1 ,i find the doctrine every where inculcated that this hatred and contempt1 this abuse and proscription1 are not only excusable1 but the natural1 inevitable and incurable effects of constitutional dissimilitude1 growing out of an ordination of ,providence1 for which there is no remedy but a separation between the two races4 ,if the free blacks1 then1 have been 'still further degraded by the mockery of nominal freedom1' if they 'must always be a separate and degraded race1' if 'degradation must and will press them to the earth1' if from their present station 'they can never rise1 be their talents1 their enterprise1 their virtues what they may1' if 'in ,africa alone1 they can enjoy the motives for honorable ambition1' the ,american ,colonization ,society is responsible for their debasement and misery2 for as it numbers among its supporters the most influential men in our country1 and boasts of having the approbation of an overwhelming majority of the wise and good whose examples are laws1 it is able1 were it willing1 to effect a radical change in public sentiment--nay1 it is at the present time public sentiment itself4 ,but though it has done much1 and may do more1 7all that it can it will do17 to depress1 impoverish and dispirit the free people of color1 and to strengthen and influence mutual antipathies1 it is the purpose of ,god1 ,i am fully persuaded1 to humble the pride of the ,american people by rendering the expulsion of our colored countrymen utterly impracticable1 and the necessity for their admission to equal rights imperative4 ,as neither mountains of prejudice1 nor the massy shackles of law and of public opinion1 have been able to keep them down to a level with slaves1 ,i confidently anticipate their exaltation among ourselves4 ,through the vista of time1--a short distance only1--,i see them here1 not in ,africa1 not bowed to the earth1 or derided and persecuted as at present1 not with a downcast air or an irresolute step1 but standing erect as men destined heavenward1 unembarrassed1 untrammelled1 with none to molest or make them afraid4 ,,footnotes3 ,v ,walker's ,appeal4 ,w ,why is it that the free people of color are now1 in almost every part of our country1 threatened with banishment from ,state to ,state1 and with hunting from city to city1 until there shall be no place for the soles of their feet in this their native land8 ,is it because they are in reality1 as slaveholders tell us1 an inferior race of beings8 ,no1 my friends3 their consistent conduct1 their polished manners1 and their great respectability1 wherever they have enjoyed the advantages of equality of education and equality of motives1 proclaim the contrary4 ,the true cause of this almost universal prescription is to be found in the melancholy fact that we have been guilty of the most atrocious injustice to their forefathers and to themselves4 ,we would therefore now banish the evidence of our guilt from before our eyes3 for whom a man has injured1 he is almost sure to hate4 ,some of the finest men ,i met with1 during a residence of three years in ,london and ,paris1 were the offspring of ,african mothers4 ,there no distinction is made in any grade of society1 on account of color4 ,i have repeatedly seen black gentlemen sitting on the sofas1 conversing with the ladies1 at the hospitable mansion of that universal philanthropist1 ,,lafayette2 and there were no persons present who appeared more respectable1 or who were more respected4--,address of ,arnold ,buffum1 ,president of the ,new-,england ,anti-,slavery ,society1 delivered in ,boston1 ,feb4 #af1 #ahcb4 ,x ,in ,england1 it is common to see respectable and genteel people open their pews when a black stranger enters the church2 and at hotels1 nobody thinks it a degradation to have a colored traveller sit at the same table4 ,we have heard a well authenticated anecdote1 which illustrates the different state of feeling in the two countries on this subject4 ,a wealthy ,american citizen was residing at ,london for a season1 which time the famous ,mr ,prince ,saunders was there4 ,the ,london breakfast hour is very late2 and ,prince ,saunders happened to call upon the ,american while his family were taking their morning repast4 ,politeness and native good feelings prompted the lady to ask her guest to take a cup of coffee--but then the prejudices of society--how could she overcome them8 ,true1 he was a gentleman in character1 manners and dress2 but he had a black skin2 and how could white skins sit at the same table with him8 ,if his character had been as black as perdition1 the difficulty might have been overcome1 however reluctantly2 but his skin being black1 it was altogether out of the question4 ,so the lady sipped her coffee1 and ,prince ,saunders sat at the window1 occasionally speaking in reply to conversation addressed to him4 ,at last all retired from the breakfast table--and then the lady1 with an air of sudden recollection1 said1 ',i forgot to ask if you had breakfasted1 ,mr ,saunders6 ,won't you let me give you a cup of coffee8' ',i thank you1 madam1' he replied1 with a dignified bow1 ',i am engaged to breakfast with the ,,prince ,,regent this morning6' ,we laugh at the narrow bigotry of the ,mahometan1 who feels contaminated if a ,christian shares his dinner1 and who will not give his vile carcass burial1 for fear of pollution4 ,is our prejudice against persons of color more rational or more just8 ,the plain fact is1 our prejudice has the same foundation as that of the ,mahometan--both are grounded in pride and selfishness4 ,a law has lately passed in ,turkey1 imposing a fine upon whoever shall call a ,christian a dog4 ,let us try to keep pace with the ,turks in candor and benevolence4--,massachusetts ,journal and ,tribune4 ,,section ,x4 ,,the ,,american ,,colonization ,,society ,,deceives ,,and ,,misleads ,,the ,,nation4 ,it is now about fifteen years since the ,american ,colonization ,society sprang into existence--a space of time amply sufficient to test its ability4 ,in its behalf the pulpit and the press 7two formidable engines7 have been exerted to an extraordinary degree2 statesmen1 and orators1 and judges1 and lawyers1 and philanthropists1 have eloquently advocated its claims to public patronage4 ,during this protracted period1 and with such powerful auxiliaries1 a careless observer might naturally suppose that much must have been accomplished towards abolishing slavery4 ,but what is the fact8 ,less than one hundred and fifty souls have been removed annually to ,africa--in all1 about two thousand souls in fifteen years66--a drop from the ,atlantic ocean--a grain of earth from the ,american continent6 ,in the mean time1 the increase of the slaves has amounted to upwards of half a million6 and every week more than one thousand new-born victims are added to their number4 ,before a vessel1 with one hundred and fifty passengers1 can go to and return from ,africa1 more than ten thousand slave infants will have been added to our population3 while she is preparing to depart1 or waiting for a fair wind1 the increase will freight her many times4 ,the following eloquent and comprehensive ,circular 7published last year in ,london by ,capt4 ,charles ,stuart1 in consequence of the visit of ,elliott ,cresson1 an agent who was sent out to dupe the philanthropists of ,england7 exhibits the inefficiency and criminality of the ,society in a striking light3 ',,american ,,colonization ,,society4 ,,liberia4--,this ,society was formed in the ,united ,states1 in #ahag4 ,its ,thirteenth ,annual ,report has just reached this country4 ,its object1 as expressed by itself1 7see the ,thirteenth ,report1 page #da1 app4 #i1 art4 #b17 ,is to promote and execute a plan for colonizing the free people of color1 residing in 'the ,united ,states' in ,africa1 or such other place as ,congress shall deem most expedient4 ,the facts of the case are these3 #a4 ,that the ,united ,states have about #b1jjj1jjj enslaved blacks4 #b4 ,that they have about #ejj1jjj free blacks4 #c4 ,that both these classes are rapidly increasing4 #d4 ,that both are exceedingly depressed and degraded4 ,the duty of the ,united ,states to them1 is the same exactly as we owe to our colored fellow-subjects in our slave colonies1 viz4 to obey ,god1 by letting them go free1 by placing them beneath wise and equitable laws1 and by loving them all1 and treating them like brethren2 that is to say1 the unquestionable duty of the people of the ,united ,states is to emancipate their #b1jjj1jjj slaves1 and to raise the #ejj1jjj free colored people to that estimation in their native country which is due to them4 ,but the ,american ,colonization ,society deliberately rejects both of these first great duties1 and confines itself to the colonization in ,africa of the free colored people4 ,they say1 in page #e1 of their ,thirteenth ,report1 ,to abolition she could not look--and need not look4 ,it could do nothing in the slave ,states for the cause of humanity2 and in page #h1 ,emancipation1 with the liberty to remain on this side of the ,atlantic1 is but an act of dreamy madness4 ,now in thus deliberately letting the great crime of negro slavery alone2 and in thus substituting a little restricted act of very dubious benevolence to a few1 for the great and sacred duty of right which they owe to all1--they hurt the great cause of everlasting truth and love1 in the following particulars3 #a4 ,by offering to the nation a hope1 at which many of their best men seem eagerly grasping1 of getting rid of the colored people abroad--they conduce more and more1 as this hope prevails1 to keep out of mind the superior1 unalterable1 and immediate duty of righting them at home4 #b4 ,by removing whatever number it be1 from their native country1 the number which remains must be diminished1--and the more the number which remains is diminished1 the more helpless will they become--the less will be the hope of their ever recovering their own liberty--and the more and longer will they be trampled upon4 #c4 ,the more the people of the ,united ,states 7and this is equally true of ,great ,britain7 substitute a half-way duty1 difficult1 expensive1 and partial as it must be1 and criminal as it unquestionably is--for the whole duty which they owe their negro fellow-subjects1 of putting them1 before the law1 upon a par with themselves--the less will they be likely to feel their sin in continuing to wrong them2 and the less they feel their sin1 the less likely will they be to repent of it1 and to do their duty4 #d4 ,the greater the number of slaves transported1 the greater will be the value of the labor of those who remain2 the more valuable their labor is1 the greater will be the temptation to over-labor them1 and the more1 of course1 they will be oppressed4 #e4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society directly supports the false and cruel idea that the native country of the colored people of the ,united ,states1 is not their native country1 and that they never can be happy until they either exile themselves1 or are exiled2 and thus powerfully conduces to extinguish in them all those delightful hopes1 and to prevent all that glorious exertion1 which would make them a blessing to their country4 ,in this particular1 the ,american ,colonization ,society takes up a falsehood1 as cruel to the colored people1 as it is disgraceful to themselves2 dwells upon it1 as if it were an irrefragable truth2 urges it1 as such1 upon others2 and thus endeavors with all its force1 to make that practically true1 which is one of the greatest stains in the ,american character2 which is one of the greatest scourges that could possibly afflict the free colored people2 and which1 in itself1 is essentially and unalterably false4 ,for be the pertinacity of prejudice what it may1 in asserting that the blacks of ,america never can be amalgamated in all respects1 in equal brotherhood with the whites1 it will not the less remain an everlasting truth1 that the wickedness which produced and perpetuates the assertion1 is the only ground of the difficulty1 and that all that is requisite to remove the whole evil1 is the relenting in love of the proud and cruel spirit which produced it4 ,could the ,american ,colonization ,society succeed in establishing their views on this subject1 as being really true of the people of the ,united ,states1 it would only prove that the people of the ,united ,states were past repentance2 that they were given over1 through their obstinacy in sin1 finally to believe a lie2 to harden themselves1 and to perish in their iniquity4 ,but they have not succeeded in establishing this fearful fact against themselves2 and as long as they continue capable of repentance1 it never can be true1 that the proud and baneful prejudices which now so cruelly alienate them from their colored brethren1 may not1 will not1 must not1 yield to the sword of the ,spirit1 to the ,word of ,god1 to the blessed weapons of truth and love4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society is beautiful and beneficial as far as it supports the cause commenced at ,sierra ,leone1 by introducing into ,africa1 civilization1 commerce1 and genuine ,christianity--by checking the ,african slave trade--and by serving in love the emigrants who choose to pass to ,liberia4 ,but it powerfully tends to veil the existing and outrageous atrocity of negro slavery2 and it corroborates against the people of color1 whether enslaved or free1 one of the most base1 groundless1 and cruel prejudices1 that has ever disgraced the powerful1 or afflicted the weak4 ,the following calculations may throw further light upon the subject4 ,the ,united ,states have about #b1jjj1jjj slaves1 and about #ejj1jjj free colored people4 ,the ,american ,colonization ,society has existed for thirteen years1 and has exported yearly1 upon an average1 about #aej persons4 ,meanwhile the natural yearly increase has been #ef1jjj souls2 and nearly a million have died in slavery66 ,but it may be said1 this is only the beginning--more may be expected hereafter4--,let us see4 ,the average price of transporting each individual is calculated at #cj dollars3 suppose it to be reduced to #bj1 and then1 as #ef1jjj must be exported yearly1 in order merely to prevent increase1 #a1abj1jjj dollars would be yearly requisite simply for transportation4 ,where is this vast sum to come from8 ,or suppose it supplied1 still1 in the mass of crime and wretchedness1 as it now exists1 there would be no decrease6 ,two millions of human beings every #cj years would still be born and die in slavery66 ,but perhaps you wish to extinguish the crime in thirty years4 ,then you must begin by transporting at least #ajj1jjj yearly4 ,in order to do this1 you must have an annual income of upwards of #b1jjj1jjj dollars2 and if you have not only to transport1 but also to purchase1 you would probably want yearly1 twenty millions more66 ,where are you to get this8-- ,or suppose it got1 and still one generation would perish in their wretchedness2 #b1jjj1jjj of immortal souls--plundered by you of the most sacred rights of human nature2 of rights always the same1 and everlastingly inalienable1 however plundered--would have perished unredressed1 and gone to confront you at the bar of ,god4 ,and will ,he not make inquisition for blood8 ,and what will it avail you to say1 ,oh1 we satisfied ourselves1 and traversed land and sea1 and spent thousands to satisfy others1 that if we transported a few hundreds or thousands of our oppressed fellow-subjects to a distant country1 yearly1 with care1 we might guiltlessly leave the remaining hundreds of thousands1 or the millions1 in slavery1 and harmlessly indulge the invincible repugnance which we felt to a colored skin4 ,we really thought it better1 to exile our colored brethren from their native country1 or to render their lives in it1 intolerable by scorn1 should they obstinately persist in remaining in it2--we really thought this better1 than humbling ourselves before our brother and our ,god1 and returning to both with repenting and undissembling love4 ,is not such language similar to the swearer's prayer66 ,great ,britain and the ,united ,states1 the two most favored1 and the two most guilty nations upon earth1 both need rebuke4 ,they ought to be brethren1 mutually dear and honorable to each other1 in all that is true and kind4 ,but never1 never1 let them support one another in guilt4 ,people of ,great ,britain1 it is your business--it is your duty1--to give to negro slavery no rest1 but to put it down--not by letting the trunk alone1 while you idly busy yourselves in lopping off1 or in aiding others to lop off1 a few of the straggling branches--but by laying the axe at once to its roots1 and by putting your united nerve into the steel1 till this great poison-tree of lust and blood1 and of all abominable and heartless iniquity1 fall before you2 and law1 and love1 and ,god and man1 shout victory over its ruin4 ,hearken--thus saith the ,lord1 ,rob not the poor1 because he is poor2 neither oppress the afflicted in the gate4 ,for the ,lord will plead their cause1 and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them4 ,prov4 xxii4 #bb1 #bc4 ,,london1 ,july #ae1 #ahca4 ,c4 ,,stuart4',y ,sometimes the ,society professes to be able to remove the whole colored population in less than thirty years6 and the belief is prevalent that the project is feasible4 ,again it tells us-- ',admitting that the colonization scheme contemplates the ultimate abolition of slavery1 yet that result could only be produced by the gradual and slow operation of ,,centuries4' 99 99 ',how came we by this population8 ,by the prevalence for a century of a guilty commerce4 ,and will not the prevalence for a century of a restoring commerce1 place them on their own shores8 ,yes1 surely6' 99 99 ',there are those1 ,sir1 who ask--and could not a quarter century cease and determine the two great evils8 ,you and ,i1 my dear ,sir1 on whom the frost of time has fallen rather perceptibly1 would say a century4 ,and now1 let me ask1 could ever a century1 in the whole course of human affairs1 be better employed8'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 pp4 #bag1 #cdg2 vol4 v4 p4 #cff4 ',it is not the work of a day nor a year1 it is not a work of one time1 nor of two1 nor of three1 but it is one which will now commence1 and may continue for ages4'--,a new and interesting ,view of ,slavery4 ,by ,humanitas1 a colonization advocate4 ,baltimore1 #ahbj4 ,wild enthusiasts in the cause may respond--',the ,society never expected to accomplish much single-handed3 it is about to enlist the energies of the ,general ,government--and doubtless ,congress will appropriate several millions of dollars annually for the purchase and colonization of the slaves4' ,but are they sure1 or is it probable1 that ,congress will make this appropriation8 ,and if it should1 what can they do without the consent of the people of color to remove8 ,that consent can never be obtained4 ,is it1 then1 proposed to buy the slaves of their masters1 as if the claim of property were valid8 ,it were better that the money should rust at the bottom of the deep6--better to buy bank-notes1 and convert them to ashes6 ,to purchase slaves would only serve to make brisk the slave-market4 ,their value would immediately rise in all the slave ,states2 especially in ,delaware1 ,maryland1 ,virginia1 ,kentucky1 and ,north ,carolina1 where they are now comparatively worthless--and there would be an end to voluntary emancipation3 for who would sacrifice his 'property1' when he might obtain an equivalent for it8 ,slave traders and slave owners would be zealous to prevent any lack of miserable objects for the bounty offered by government3 if the natural increase were not sufficient1 they would be careful to make the importation from ,africa exceed the exportation to that ill-fated continent4 ,such a purchase would be directly patronising the slave trade1 at home and abroad1 and bribing masters to keep their slaves for the highest bidder4 ,besides1 it would be a gross violation of the great fundamental principle1 that 'man cannot hold property in man4' ,i know it is easy to make calculations4 ,i know it is an old maxim1 that 'figures cannot lie3' and ,i very well know1 too1 that our philanthropic arithmeticians are prodigiously fond of ,,figuring1 but of doing nothing else4 ,give them a slate and pencil1 and in fifteen minutes they will clear the continent of every black skin2 and1 if desired1 throw in the ,indians to boot4 ,while they depopulate ,america1 they find not the least difficulty in providing for the wants of the emigrating myriads to the coast of ,africa3 we have ships enough1 and1 notwithstanding the hardness of the times1 money enough4 ,o1 the surpassing utility of the arithmetic6 it is more potent than the stone of the philosopher1 which1 when discovered1 is to transmute1 at a touch1 base metal into pure gold6 ,in one breath1 colonization orators tell us that the free blacks are pests in the community2 that they are an intemperate1 ignorant1 lazy1 thievish class2 that their condition is worse than that of the slaves2 and that no efforts to improve them in this country can be successful1 owing to the prejudices of society4 ,in the next breath we are told what mighty works these miserable outcasts are to achieve--that they are the missionaries of salvation1,z who are to illumine all ,africa--that they will build up a second ,american republic--and that our conceptions cannot grasp the result of their labors4 ,now ,i1 for one1 have no faith in this instantaneous metamorphosis4,,aa ,i believe that neither a sea voyage nor an ,african climate has any miraculous influence upon the brain4 ,i believe that ignorant and depraved black men1 who are transported across the ocean1 will be ignorant and depraved black men on reaching the coast of ,africa4 ,i believe1 also1 that they who are capable of doing well1 surrounded by barbarians1 may do better among a civilized and christian people4 ,it is stated in a ,circular put forth by the ,society last year1 that 'from the actual experience of the ,society1 it has been found that #bj1 or less1 will defray the whole expense of transporting an individual to the ,colony4' ,this is a very deceptive statement4 ,the receipts of the ,society from #ahbj to #ahcj1 amounted to #aab1hda #hi2 the expenses during the same period were #ajf1deg #gb2 balance on hand1 #f1chd #ag4 ,nineteen expeditions had been fitted out1 and #a1heg emigrants1,,ab including re-captured ,africans1 landing on the shores of ,africa--averaging annually1 for the ten years1 about #ahf persons1 or since the organization of the ,society1 about #abd persons4 ',the emigrants1' the ,board of ,managers inform us1 in a recent address to ,auxiliary ,societies1 'for the last three years1 average about #bbg1 while the expenses1 exclusive of transportation1 and temporary subsistence of the new colonists1 exceed ,,ten ,,thousand ,,dollars'66 ,in the very last number of the ,african ,repository1 7for ,april1 #ahcb17 the ,vice-,agent at ,liberia1 ,a4 ,d4 ,williams1 writes to the ,rev4 ,r4 ,r4 ,gurley as follows3--',i think the price1 say #ce1 fixed by the ,board for the transportation of each emigrant1 is entirely too low3 it should be at least #dj1 if not #de4' ,why1 then1 does the ,society attempt to impose upon public credulity1 by stating that only #bj are requisite for every individual transportation1 when the actual cost has been more than thrice1 and is likely to be more than double that amount8,,ac ,the ,society has succeeded in making the people believe that the establishment of a colony or colonies on the coast of ,africa is the only way to abolish the foreign slave trade3 on this account it has secured an extensive patronage4 ,here is another fatal delusion4 ,i shall show not only that it has not injured this trade in the least1 but that the trade continues to increase in activity and cruelty4 ,let us look at its own admissions4 ',we regret to say1 that the slave trade appears to be carried on to a great extent1 and with circumstances of the most revolting cruelty4' 99 99 99 ',the ,french slave trade1 notwithstanding the efforts of the government1 appears to be undiminished4 ,the number of ,spanish vessels employed in the trade is immense1 and as the treaty between ,england and ,spain only permits the seizure of vessels having slaves actually on board1 many of these watch their opportunity on the coast1 run in1 and receive all their slaves on board in a single day4' 99 99 ',by an official document from ,rio de ,janeiro1 it appears that the following importations of slaves were made into that port in #ahbf and #ahbg4 '#ahbf1 landed alive1 #ce1iff 444 died on the passage #a1ije '#ahbg1 landed alive1 #da1chd 444 died on the passage #a1fdc ',thus it would seem1 7says the ,boston ,gazette17 that to only one port in the ,brazils1 and in the course of two years1 seventy-seven thousand three hundred and fifty human beings were transported from their own country1 and placed in a state of slavery4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 i4 v4 pp4 #agi1 #aha4 ',it is not by legal arguments1 or penal statutes1 or armed ships1 that the slave trade can be prevented4 ,almost every power in ,christendom has denounced it4 ,it has been declared felony--it has been declared piracy2 and the fleets of ,britain and ,america have been commissioned to drive it from the ocean4 ,still1 in defiance of all this array of legislation and of armament1 slave ships ride triumphant on the ocean2 and in these floating caverns1 less terrible only than the caverns which demons occupy1 from sixty to eighty thousand wretches1 received pinioned from the coast of ,africa1 are borne annually away to slavery or death4 ,of these wretches a frightful number are1 with an audacity that amazes1 landed and disposed of within the jurisdiction of this republic4'--,idem1 vol4 v4 #bgd4 ',notwithstanding all the efforts that have been made to suppress the slave trade1 by means of solemn treaties and laws declaring it to be piracy2 and notwithstanding the attempts to exterminate it by the naval forces of the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain1 the inhuman traffic is still pursued to as great an extent as at any former period1 and with greater cruelty than ever4'--,african ,repository1 vol4 vi4 p4 #cde4 ',the slave trade1 which many suppose has been every where abolished for years1 there is reason to believe is still carried on to almost as great an extent as ever4 ,it has been recently stated in the papers1 that an association of merchants at ,nantz1 in ,france1 had undertaken to supply the island of ,cuba with thirty thousand fresh negro slaves annually6 ,and in ,brazil1 it is well known1 that for several years past1 the importations have even exceeded this number4'--,idem1 vol4 vii4 p4 #bdh4 ',africa1 for three long centuries1 has been ravaged by the slave trade4 ,notwithstanding all that has been done to suppress that traffic1 notwithstanding its formal abolition by all civilized nations1 it is carried on at the present hour1 with all its atrocities unmitigated4 ,the flags of ,france1 ,portugal1 ,brazil1 and ,spain1 with the connivance of those governments1 afford to the slave trader1 in spite of laws and treaties and armed cruisers1 a partial protection1 of which he avails himself to the utmost4 ,and with what cruelty he carries on his war against human nature1 every year affords us illustrations sufficiently horrible4'--,christian ,spectator for ,september1 #ahcj4 ',this horrible traffic1 notwithstanding its abolition by every civilized nation in the world1 except ,portugal and ,brazil1 and notwithstanding the decided measures of the ,british and ,american governments1 is still carried on to almost as great an extent as ever4 ,not less than #fj1jjj slaves1 according to the most moderate computation1 are carried from ,africa annually4 ,this trade is carried on by ,americans to the ,american states4 ,and the cruelties of this trade1 which always surpassed the powers of the human mind to conceive1 are greater now than they ever were before4 ,we might1 but we will not1 refer to stories1 recent stories1 of which the very recital would be torment4'--,seventh ,annual ,report4 ',notwithstanding the vigilance of the powers now engaged to suppress the slave trade1 ,i have received information1 that in a single year1 in the single island of ,cuba1 slaves equal in amount to one half of the above number of fifty-two thousand have been illicitly introduced4' 99 99 ',mr ,mercer submitted the following preamble and resolutions3--,whereas1 to the affliction of the ,christian world1 the ,african slave trade1 notwithstanding all the efforts1 past and present1 for its suppression1 still exists and is conducted with aggravated cruelty1 by the resources of one continent1 to the dishonor of another1 and to an extent little short of the desolation of a third1' c4--,tenth ,annual ,report4 ',it is painful to state1 that the ,managers have reason to believe that the slave trade is still prosecuted1 to a great extent1 and with circumstances of undiminished atrocity4 ,the fact1 that much was done by ,mr ,ashmun to banish it from the territory1 under the colonial jurisdiction1 is unquestionable2 but1 it now exists1 even on this territory2 and a little to the north and south of ,liberia1 it is seen in its true characters--of fraud1 rapine1 and blood6 ,in the opinion of the late ,agent1 the present efforts to suppress this trade must prove abortive4'--,thirteenth ,annual ,report4 ',some appalling facts in regard to the slave trade have come to the knowledge of the ,board of ,managers during the last year4 ,with undiminished atrocity and activity is this odious traffic now carried on all along the ,african coast4 ,slave factories are established in the immediate vicinity of the ,colony1 and at the ,gallinas 7between ,liberia and ,sierra ,leone7 not less than nine hundred slaves were shipped during the last summer1 in the space of three weeks4'--,fourteenth ,annual ,report1 #ahca4 ',in defiance of all laws enacted1 it is estimated that no less than fifty thousand ,africans were1 during the last year1 7#ahca17 carried into foreign slavery4 ,during the months of ,february and ,march of the same year1 two thousand were landed on the island of ,cuba4'--,circular published by the ,massachusetts ,colonization ,society for #ahcb4 ,here1 then1 is the acknowledgment of the ,society1 that it has accomplished nothing toward the suppression of the slave trade in fifteen years6 ,nor has the settlement at ,sierra ,leone effected aught in thirty years6 ,nor have the untiring labors of ,wilberforce and ,clarkson1 for a longer period1 produced any visible effect6 ,the accursed traffic still continues to increase--and why8 ,simply because the market for slaves is not destroyed4 ,break up this market1 and you annihilate the slave trade4 ,keep it open1 and you may line the shores of ,africa and ,america with naval ships and armed troops1 and the trade will continue4 ,no proposition in ,euclid is plainer4 ,so long as there is a brisk market for goods1 that market will be supplied4 ,the assertion has been made in ,congress by ,mr ,mercer of ,virginia1 7one of the ,vice-,presidents of the ,society17 that these horrible cargoes are smuggled into our southern states to a deplorable extent4 ,in #ahai1 ,mr ,middleton1 of ,south ,carolina1 declared it to be his belief 'that #ac1jjj ,africans were annually smuggled into our southern states4' ,mr ,wright of ,virginia estimated the number at #ae1jjj666--,vide ,seventh ,annual ,report--app4--,this number is seven times as great as that which the ,colonization ,society has transported in fifteen years6,,ad ,by letting the system of slavery alone1 then1 and striving to protect it1 the ,society is encouraging and perpetuating the foreign slave trade6 ,,footnotes3 ,y ',we think the annual increase1 as computed by ,capt4 ,stuart1 too low by #aj or #ae1jjj4 ,the estimate also of the expense of transportation is much below the actual cost4 ,besides1 there is no provision made for the support of these helpless beings after their arrival in ,africa1 until they could provide for their own wants4 ,double the cost of transportation would be required for their subsistence till they could maintain themselves1 without making any provision for implements of husbandry1 mechanics' tools1 c4 c4 without which they would all perish1 even without the help of a pestiferous climate4 ,but yet the table shows at one view the utter futility of the whole scheme of ,african ,colonization4 ,slavery can no more be removed by these means than the waters of the ,mississippi can be exhausted by steam engines4 ,and the removal of slavery is the great consummation to which all benevolent efforts for benefitting the ,african race in this country1 should ultimately tend4 ,all schemes that do not promote this end will prove futile1 and will end in disappointment4 ,the axe must be laid to the root of the corrupt tree4 ,it is a system that admits of no palliation1 no compromise4'--',herald of ,truth1' ,philadelphia4 ,z ',every emigrant to ,africa is a missionary carrying with him credentials in the holy cause of civilization1 religion1 and free institutions'66--,speech of ,h4 ,clay--,tenth ,annual ,report4--,why does not ,mr ,clay increase this band of missionaries1 by sending out some of his own slaves8 ,is he consistent8 ,,aa ',as to the morals of the colonists1 ,i consider them much better than those of the people of the ,united ,states4 ,that is1 you may take an equal number of inhabitants from any section of the ,union1 and you will find more drunkards1 more profane swearers and ,sabbath breakers1 c41 than in ,liberia4 ,indeed ,i know of no country where things are conducted more quietly and orderly than in this colony2 you rarely hear an oath1 and as to riots or breaches of the peace1 ,i recollect of but one instance1 and that of a trifling nature1 that has come under my notice since ,i assumed the government of the colony4 ,the ,sabbath is more strictly observed than ,i ever saw it in the ,united ,states4'--,letter from ,j4 ,mechlin1 ,jr4 ,governor of the ,colony of ,liberia4 ',i saw no intemperance1 nor did ,i hear a profane word uttered by any one4' ,letter of ,capt4 ,william ,abels4 ,if these statements be a true representation of the moral condition of the colonists2 if 'their morals are much better than those of the people of the ,united ,states2' let us immediately bring back these expatriated missionaries to civilize and reform ourselves2 for1 according to our own confession1 we need their instruction and example as much as any heathen nation4 ,if these 'missionaries1' who1 in this country1 could 'scarcely be reached in their debasement by the heavenly light2' if these 'most degraded1 most abandoned beings on the earth1' have actually risen up to this exalted height of intelligence and purity1 in so brief a period after a separation from ourselves1 how desperately wicked and corrupt does the fact make our own conduct appear6 ,,ab ,of this number1 nearly three-fourths were free persons of color4 ,if the ,society is anxious to emancipate the slaves1 why does it not confine its efforts exclusively to their transportation1 seeing so many are offered for that purpose8 ,doubtless the reply will be--',o1 it is important1 in the incipient state of the colony1 to send free persons of color1 because they are more intelligent and virtuous4' ,ah6 is it so8 ,what6 give the preference to those whom it elsewhere brands as 'more corrupt1 depraved and abandoned than the slaves can be1' and who 'contribute greatly to the corruption of the slaves8' ',o6' it may reply1 'a careful selection is made between the virtuous and vicious--none are sent whose character is not reputable4' ,but what is to become of this choice selection1 when it is able 7as it hopes to be7 to send off even as many as seventy thousand annually8 ,,ac ',the expense of transporting such persons from the ,united ,states to the coast of ,africa1 has been variously estimated4 ,by those who compute it at the lowest rate1 the mere expense of this transportation has been estimated at #bj per head4 ,in this estimate1 however1 is not comprehended the expense of transporting the persons destined for ,africa1 to the port of their departure from the ,united ,states1 or the necessary expense of sustaining them1 either there or in ,africa1 for a reasonable time after their first arrival4 ,all these expenses combined1 the ,committee think they estimate very low1 when they compute the amount at #ajj per head4 ,it has been estimated by some at double this amount2 and if past experience may be relied upon as proving any thing1 the official documents formerly furnished to the ,senate by the ,department of the ,navy1 show that the expenses attending the transportation of the few captured slaves who have been returned to ,africa by the ,united ,states1 at the expense of this government1 far exceeds even the largest estimate4 ,but taking the expense to be only what the ,committee have estimated it3 ,then the sum requisite to transport the whole number of the free colored population of the ,united ,states1 would exceed twenty-eight millions of dollars2 and the expense of transporting a number1 equal only to the mere annual increase of this population1 would exceed seven hundred thousand dollars per annum4 ,sums which would impose upon the people of this country1 an additional burthen of taxation1 greater than this ,committee believe they could easily bear2 and much greater than ought to be imposed upon them for any such purpose4' 99 99 ',the annual increase of the slave population1 at present1 is at least #eg1jjj4 ,now allow the same sum per head for the transportation of these persons1 that has been estimated for the transportation in the other similar case2 and the sum requisite to defray the expense of the transportation of all the slaves in the ,united ,states1 would be one hundred and ninety millions of dollars2 and that requisite to defray the expense of the transportation of a number only equal to their mere annual increase1 would be five millions seven hundred thousand dollars per annum4 ,but to either of these sums must be added the reasonable equivalent1 or necessary aid1 to be paid by the ,united ,states to humane individuals1 in order to induce them voluntarily to part with their property4 ,the ,committee have no 'data' by which they can measure what this might be4 ,but any sum1 however small1 will make so great an augmentation of the amount1 as almost to baffle calculation1 and to exhibit this project at once1 as one exceeding1 very far1 indeed1 any revenue which the ,united ,states could ever draw from their citizens1 even if the object was to increase and multiply1 instead of reducing the numbers of the class of productive labor4'--,mr ,tazewell's ,report--,u4 ,s4 ,senate1 #ahbh4 ,,ad ,the following amusing anecdote is a capital illustration of the folly of those colonizationists1 who are endeavoring to suppress the rising tide of our colored population by extracting a few drops annually with their 'mop and pattens4' ,dame ,partington is clearly outdone by them1 in regard to pertinacity of purpose and feebleness of execution4 ,rev4 ,sidney ,smith1 in his speech at the ,taunton meeting1 7,england17 said3 ',the attempt of the ,house of ,lords to stop the progress of ,reform1 reminded him of the conduct of the excellent ,mrs4 ,partington1 during the great storm at ,sidmouth1 in #ahbd4 ,the tide rose to an incredible height2 the waves rushed in upon the houses1 and every thing was threatened with destruction4 ,in the midst of the fearful commotion of the elements1 ,dame ,partington1 who lived upon the sea beach1 was seen at the door of her house1 with mop and pattens1 trundling her mop and sweeping out the sea water1 and vigorously pushing back the ,atlantic4 ,the ,atlantic was roused1 and so was ,mrs4 ,partington2 but the contest was unequal4 ,the ,atlantic beat ,mrs4 ,partington4 ,she was excellent at a slop or a puddle1 but she could do nothing with a tempest4' ,,end ,,of ,,part ,i4 ,,thoughts ,,on ,,african ,,colonization4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,sentiments ,,of ,,the ,,people ,,of ,,color4 ,if the ,american ,colonization ,society were indeed actuated by the purest motives and the best feelings toward the objects of its supervision2 if it were not based upon injustice1 fraud1 persecution and incorrigible prejudice2 still if its purposes be contrary to the wishes and injurious to the interests of the free people of color1 it ought not to receive the countenance of the public4 ,even the trees of the forest are keenly susceptible to every touch of violence1 and seem to deprecate transplantation to a foreign soil4 ,even birds and animals pine in exile from their native haunts2 their local attachments are wonderful2 they migrate only to return again at the earliest opportunity4 ,perhaps there is not a living thing1 from the hugest animal down to the minutest animalcule1 whose pleasant associations are not circumscribed1 or that has not some favorite retreats4 ,this universal preference1 this love of home1 seems to be the element of being1--a constitutional attribute given by the all-wise ,creator to bind each separate tribe or community within intelligent and well-defined limits3 for1 in its absence1 order would be banished from the world1 collision between the countless orders of creation would be perpetual1 and violence would depopulate the world with more than pestilential rapidity4 ,shall it be said that beings endowed with high intellectual powers1 sustaining the most important relations1 created for social enjoyments1 and made but a little lower than the angels--shall it be said that their local attachments are less tenacious than those of trees1 and birds1 and beasts1 and insects8 ,i know that the blacks are classed1 by some1 who scarcely give any evidence of their own humanity but their shape1 among the brute creation3 but are they below the brutes8 or are they more insensible to rude assaults than forest-trees8 ',men1' says an erratic but powerful writer,,ae--'men are like trees3 they delight in a rude and native soil--they strike their roots downward with a perpetual effort1 and heave their proud branches upward in perpetual strife4 ,are they to be removed8--you must tear up the very earth with their roots1 rock and ore and impurity1 or they perish4 ,they cannot be translated with safety4 ,something of their home--a little of their native soil1 must cling to them forever1 or they die4' ,this love of home1 of neighborhood1 of country1 is inherent in the human breast4 ,it accompanies the child from its earliest reminiscence up to old age3 it is written upon every tangible and permanent object within the habitual cognizance of the eye--upon stone1 and tree1 and rivulet--upon the green hill1 and the verdant plain1 and the opulent valley--upon house1 and garden1 and steeple-spire--upon the soil1 whether it be rough or smooth1 sandy or hard1 barren or luxuriant4 ',like ivy1 where it grows1 'tis seen ,to wear an everlasting green4' ,the man who does not cherish it is regarded as destitute of sensibility2 and to him is applied by common consent the burning rebuke of ,sir ,walter ,scott3 ',breathes there the man1 with soul so dead1 ,who never to himself hath said1 ,this is my own1 my native land6 ,whose heart hath ne'er within him burned1 ,as home his footsteps he hath turned1 ,from wandering on a foreign strand6 ,if such there breathe1 go1 mark him well2 ,for him no ,minstrel raptures swell2 ,high though his titles1 proud his name1 ,boundless his wealth as wish can claim2 ,despite those titles1 power1 and pelf1 ,the wretch1 concentred all in self1 ,living1 shall forfeit fair renown1 ,and1 doubly dying1 shall go down ,to the vile dust1 from whence he sprung1 ,unwept1 unhonored1 and unsung4' ,whose bosom does not thrill with pleasurable emotion whenever he listens to that truest1 sweetest1 tenderest effusion1--',home1 sweet home8' '',mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam1 ,be it ever so humble1 there's no place like home2 ,a charm from the skies seems to hallow us there1 ,which1 seek thro' the world1 is ne'er met with elsewhere4 ,home--home6 ,sweet1 sweet home6 ,there's no place like home6 ',an exile from home1 splendor dazzles in vain-- ,o give me my lowly thatched cottage again2 ,the birds singing gaily that came at my call-- ,give me them1 with the peace of mind dearer than all6 ,home--home6 ,sweet1 sweet home6 ,there's no place like home6' ,no one will understand me to maintain that population should never be thinned by foreign emigration2 but only that such an emigration is unnatural4 ,the great mass of a neighborhood or country must necessarily be stable3 only fractions are cast off and float away on the tide of adventure4 ,individual enterprise or estrangement is one thing3 the translation of an entire people to an unknown clime1 another4 ,the former may be moved by a single impulse--by a love of novelty1 or a desire of gain1 or a hope of preferment3 he leaves no perceptible void in society4 ,the latter can never be expatriated but by some extraordinary calamity1 or by the application of intolerable restraints4 ,they must first be rendered broken-hearted or loaded with chains--hope must not merely sicken but die--cord after cord must be sundered--ere they will seek another home4 ,our pilgrim-fathers were driven out from the mother country by ecclesiastical domination3 to worship ,god according to the dictates of their own consciences1 was the only cause of their exile4 ,had they been permitted to enjoy this sacred right1--no matter how great were their temporal privations1 or their hopes of physical enjoyments1--they would not have perilled their lives on the stormy deep1 to obtain an asylum in this western hemisphere4 ,it may be said1 in reply to the foregoing remarks upon the love of home and of country1 that the people of color cannot cherish this abhorrence of migration1 because here they have no 'continuing city1' and are not recognised as fellow-countrymen4 ,in ,,part ,i41 ,i have shown1 by copious extracts1 that colonizationists artfully represent them as aliens and foreigners1 wanderers from ,africa--destitute of that amor patri1 which is the bond of union--seditious--without alliances--irresponsible--unambitious--c herishing no attachment to the soil--feeling no interest in our national prosperity--ready for any adventure--eager to absent themselves from the land--malignant in their feelings towards society--incapable of local preference--content to remain in ignorance and degradation--c4 c4 c4 ,every such representation is a libel1 as ,i shall show in subsequent pages4 ,the language of the people of color is1--',this is our country3 here were we born--here will we live and die--we know of no other place that we can call our true and appropriate home--here are our earliest and most pleasant associations--we are freemen1 we are brethren1 we are countrymen and fellow-citizens--we are not for insurrection1 but for peace and equality4' ,this is not the language of sedition or alienated affection4 ,their amor patri is robust and deathless3 like the oak1 tempests do but strengthen its roots and confer victory upon it4 ,even the soil on which the unhappy slave toils and bleeds1 is to him consecrated earth4 ,african colonization is directly and irreconcileably opposed to the wishes of our colored population as a body4 ,their desires ought to be tenderly regarded4 ,in all my intercourse with them in various towns and cities1 ,i have never seen one of their number who was friendly to this scheme--and ,i have not been backward in canvassing their opinions on this subject4 ,they are as unanimously opposed to a removal to ,africa1 as the ,cherokees from the council-fires and graves of their fathers4 ,it is remarkable1 too1 that they are as united in their respect and esteem for the republic of ,hayti4 ,but this is their country--they are resolute against every migratory plot1 and willing to rely on the justice of the nation for an ultimate restoration to all their lost rights and privileges4 ,what is the fact8 ,through the instrumentality of ,,benjamin ,,lundy1,,af the distinguished and veteran champion of emancipation1 a great highway has been opened to the ,haytien republic1 over which our colored population may travel toll free1 and at the end of their brief journey be the free occupants of the soil1 and meet such a reception as was never yet given to any sojourners in any country1 since the departure of ,israel into ,egypt4 ,one would think1 that1 with such inducements and under such circumstances1 this broad thoroughfare would present a most animating spectacle2 that the bustle and roar of a journeying multitude would fall upon the ear like the strife of the ocean1 or the distant thunder of the retiring storm2 and that the song of the oppressor and the oppressed1 a song of deliverance to each1 would go up to heaven1 till its echoes were seemingly the responses of angels and justified spirits4 ,but it is not so4 ,only here and there a traveller is seen to enter upon the road--there is no noise of preparation or departure2 but a silence1 deeper than the breathlessness of midnight1 rests upon our land--not a shout of joy is heard throughout our borders6 ,how shall we account for this amazing apathy but on the ground that our colored population are unwilling to leave their native homes1 no matter how strong soever are the inducements held out to them abroad8 ,if it be said that they are not compelled to emigrate against their wishes--,i answer1 it is true that direct physical force is not applied2 but why are they induced to remove8 ,is it because they instinctively prefer ,africa to their native country8 ,do they actually court the perils of the sea1--the hostilities of a savage tribe1--the sickening influences of an ,african climate8 ,or are they not peremptorily assured that they never can1 and never shall1 enjoy their rights and privileges at home--and thus absolutely compelled to leave all that is dear behind1 and to seek a shelter in a strange land--a land of darkness and cruelty1 of barbarism and wo8 ,the free people of color1 and even the slaves1 have on numerous occasions given ocular demonstration of their attachment to this country4 ,large numbers of them were distinguished for their patient endurance1 their ardent devotion1 and their valorous conduct during our revolutionary struggle4 ,in the last war1 they signalized themselves in a manner which extorted the applause even of their calumniators--of many who are doubtless at the present day representing them as seditious and inimical to the prosperity of the country4 ,i have before me a ,proclamation in the ,french language1 issued by ,general ,andrew ,jackson1 of which the following is a translation3 ',,proclamation ,,to ,,the ,,free ,,people ,,of ,,color4 ',soldiers6--,when on the banks of the ,mobile1 ,i called you to take up arms1 inviting you to partake the perils and glory of your white fellow citizens1 ,i expected much from you2 for ,i was not ignorant that you possessed qualities most formidable to an invading enemy4 ,i knew with what fortitude you could endure hunger and thirst1 and all the fatigues of a campaign4 ,i knew well how you loved your ,,native country1 and that you had1 as well as ourselves1 to defend what man holds most dear--his parents1 relations1 wife1 children and property4 ,,you ,,have ,,done ,,more ,,than ,i ,,expected4 ,in addition to the previous qualities ,i before knew you to possess1 ,i found1 moreover1 among you a noble enthusiasm which leads to the performance of great things4 ',soldiers6--,the ,president of the ,united ,states shall hear how praiseworthy was your conduct in the hour of danger1 and the ,representatives of the ,american people will1 ,i doubt not1 give you the praise your exploits entitle you to4 ,your ,general anticipates them in applauding your noble ardor4 ',the enemy approaches2 his vessels cover our lakes2 our brave citizens are united1 and all contention has ceased among them4 ,their only dispute is1 who shall win the prize of valor1 or who the most glory1 its noblest reward4 ',by order4 ',,thomas ,,butler1 ,aid de ,camp4' ,in commenting upon the above ,proclamation1 an intelligent writer in the ,new-,orleans ',,liberalist' of ,march #ae1 #ahcj1 very expressively remarks3--',those who served in the memorable campaign of #ahad will know if the hero of the west was guilty of exaggeration4 ,just as fatal as was every glance of his keen eye to the ,english lines1 so is every word of this ,proclamation a killing thunderbolt to the detractors of this portion of our fellow beings1 now so inhumanly persecuted4' ,yes--when peril rears its crest1 and invasion threatens our shores1 then prejudice is forgotten and the tongue of detraction is still--then the people of color are no longer brutes or a race between men and monkeys1 no longer turbulent or useless1 no longer aliens and wanderers from ,africa--but they are complimented as intelligent1 patriotic citizens from whom much is expected1 and who have property1 home and country at stake6 ,ay1 and richly do they merit this compliment4 ,a respectable colored gentleman in the city of ,new-,york1 referring to this famous ,proclamation1 makes the following brief comment3 ',when we could be of any use to the army1 we possessed all the cardinal virtues2 but now that time has passed1 we forsooth are the most miserable1 worthless beings the ,lord in his wise judgment ever sent to curse the rulers of this troublesome world6 ,i feel an anathema rising from my heart1 but ,i have suppressed it4' ,how black is the ingratitude1 how pitiful the hypocrisy1 manifested in our conduct as a people1 toward our colored population6 ,every cheek should wear the blush of shame--every head be bowed in self-abasement6 ,from the organization of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 down to the present time1 the free people of color have publicly and repeatedly expressed their opposition to it4 ,they indignantly reject every overture for their expatriation4 ,it has been industriously circulated by the advocates of colonization1 that ,i have caused this hostility to the ,african scheme in the bosoms of the blacks2 and that1 until the ,liberator was established1 they were friendly to it4 ,this story is founded upon sheer ignorance4 ,it is my solemn conviction that ,i have not proselyted a dozen individuals2 for the very conclusive reason that no conversions were necessary4 ,their sentiments were familiar to me long before they knew my own4 ,my opponents abundantly overrate my influence1 in acknowledging that ,i have overthrown1 in a single year1 the concentrated energies of the mightiest men in the land1 and the perpetual labors of fifteen years4 ,they shall not make me vain4 ,such a concession affords substantial evidence of perverted strength and misapplied exertion4 ,if the people of color were instantly to signify their willingness to emigrate1 my hostility to the ,american ,colonization ,society would scarcely abate one jot3 for their assent could never justify the principles and doctrines propagated by the ,society4 ,those principles and doctrines have been shown1 ,i trust1 to be corrupt1 selfish1 proscriptive1 opposed to the genius of republicanism and to the spirit of christianity4 ,the first public demonstration of hostility to the colonization scheme was made in #ahag1 by the free colored inhabitants of ,richmond1 ,virginia4 ,the proceedings of their meeting1 copies of which were printed for distribution1 ,i have accidentally mislaid4 ,to the sentiments of the people of color1 as expressed in the following pages1 ,i cannot too earnestly solicit the serious attention of every good man and true philanthropist4 ,after such an exhibition1 persistance in expelling this portion of our population from our shores must be productive of aggravated guilt and the most dreadful collisions4 ,a ,,voice ,,prom ,,philadelphia4 ,,philadelphia1 ,january1 #ahag4 ,at a numerous meeting of the people of color1 convened at ,bethel church1 to take into consideration the propriety of remonstrating against the contemplated measure1 that is to exile us from the land of our nativity2 ,james ,forten was called to the chair1 and ,russell ,parrott appointed secretary4 ,the intent of the meeting having been stated by the chairman1 the following resolutions were adopted1 without one dissenting voice4 ,whereas our ancestors 7not of choice7 were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of ,america1 we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate in the blessings of her luxuriant soil1 which their blood and sweat manured2 and that any measure or system of measures1 having a tendency to banish us from her bosom1 would not only be cruel1 but in direct violation of those principles1 which have been the boast of this republic4 ,resolved1 ,that we view with deep abhorrence the unmerited stigma attempted to be cast upon the reputation of the free people of color1 by the promoters of this measure1 'that they are a dangerous and useless part of the community1' when in the state of disfranchisement in which they live1 in the hour of danger they ceased to remember their wrongs1 and rallied around the standard of their country4 ,resolved1 ,that we never will separate ourselves voluntarily from the slave population in this country2 they are our brethren by the ties of consanguinity1 of suffering1 and of wrong2 and we feel that there is more virtue in suffering privations with them1 than fancied advantages for a season4 ,resolved1 ,that without arts1 without science1 without a proper knowledge of government1 to cast into the savage wilds of ,africa the free people of color1 seems to us the circuitous route through which they must return to perpetual bondage4 ,resolved1 ,that having the strongest confidence in the justice of ,god1 and philanthropy of the free states1 we cheerfully submit our destinies to the guidance of ,him who suffers not a sparrow to fall1 without his special providence4 ,resolved1 ,that a committee of eleven persons be appointed to open a correspondence with the honorable ,joseph ,hopkinson1 member of ,congress from this city1 and likewise to inform him of the sentiments of this meeting1 and that the following named persons constitute the committee1 and that they have power to call a general meeting1 when they in their judgment may deem it proper4 ,rev4 ,absalom ,jones1 ,rev4 ,richard ,allen1 ,james ,forten1 ,robert ,douglass1 ,francis ,perkins1 ,rev4 ,john ,gloucester1 ,robert ,gorden1 ,james ,johnson1 ,quamoney ,clarkson1 ,john ,summersett1 ,randall ,shepherd4 ,,james ,,forten1 ,chairman4 ,,russell ,,parrott1 ,secretary4 ,at a numerous meeting of the free people of color of the city and county of ,philadelphia1 held in pursuance of public notice1 at the school house in ,green's court1 on the evening of ,august #ajth1 for the purpose of taking into consideration the plan of colonizing the free people of color of the ,united ,states1 on the coast of ,africa1 ,james ,forten was appointed chairman1 and ,russell ,parrott1 secretary4 ,resolved unanimously1 ,that the following address1 signed on behalf of the meeting1 by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 be published and circulated4 ,to the humane and benevolent ,inhabitants of the city and county of ,philadelphia4 ,the free people of color1 assembled together1 under circumstances of deep interest to their happiness and welfare1 humbly and respectfully lay before you this expression of their feelings and apprehensions4 ,relieved from the miseries of slavery1 many of us by your aid1 possessing the benefits which industry and integrity in this prosperous country assure to all its inhabitants1 enjoying the rich blessings of religion1 by opportunities of worshipping the only true ,god1 under the light of ,christianity1 each of us according to his understanding2 and having afforded to us and to our children the means of education and improvement2 we have no wish to separate from our present homes1 for any purpose whatever4 ,contented with our present situation and condition1 we are not desirous of increasing their prosperity but by honest efforts1 and by the use of those opportunities for their improvement1 which the constitution and laws allow to all4 ,it is therefore with painful solicitude1 and sorrowing regret1 we have seen a plan for colonizing the free people of color of the ,united ,states on the coast of ,africa1 brought forward under the auspices and sanction of gentlemen whose names give value to all they recommend1 and who certainly are among the wisest1 the best1 and the most benevolent of men1 in this great nation4 ,if the plan of colonizing is intended for our benefit2 and those who now promote it1 will never seek our injury2 we humbly and respectfully urge1 that it is not asked for by us2 nor will it be required by any circumstances1 in our present or future condition2 as long as we shall be permitted to share the protection of the excellent laws and just government which we now enjoy1 in common with every individual of the community4 ,we1 therefore1 a portion of those who are the objects of this plan1 and among those whose happiness1 with that of others of our color1 it is intended to promote2 with humble and grateful acknowledgments to those who have devised it1 renounce and disclaim every connexion with it2 and respectfully but firmly declare our determination not to participate in any part of it4 ,if this plan of colonization now proposed1 is intended to provide a refuge and a dwelling for a portion of our brethren1 who are now held in slavery in the south1 we have other and stronger objections to it1 and we entreat your consideration of them4 ,the ultimate and final abolition of slavery in the ,united ,states1 by the operation of various causes1 is1 under the guidance and protection of a just ,god1 progressing4 ,every year witnesses the release of numbers of the victims of oppression1 and affords new and safe assurances that the freedom of all will be in the end accomplished4 ,as they are thus by degrees relieved from bondage1 our brothers have opportunities for instruction and improvement2 and thus they become in some measure fitted for their liberty4 ,every year1 many of us have restored to us by the gradual1 but certain march of the cause of abolition--parents1 from whom we have been long separated--wives and children whom we had left in servitude--and brothers1 in blood as well as in early sufferings1 from whom we had been long parted4 ,but if the emancipation of our kindred shall1 when the plan of colonization shall go into effect1 be attended with transportation to a distant land1 and shall be granted on no other condition2 the consolation for our past sufferings and of those of our color who are in slavery1 which have hitherto been1 and under the present situation of things would continue to be1 afforded to us and to them1 will cease for ever4 ,the cords1 which now connect them with us1 will be stretched by the distance to which their ends will be carried1 until they break2 and all the sources of happiness1 which affection and connexion and blood bestow1 will be ours and theirs no more4 ,nor do we view the colonization of those who may become emancipated by its operation among our southern brethren1 as capable of producing their happiness4 ,unprepared by education1 and a knowledge of the truths of our blessed religion1 for their new situation1 those who will thus become colonists will themselves be surrounded by every suffering which can afflict the members of the human family4 ,without arts1 without habits of industry1 and unaccustomed to provide by their own exertions and foresight for their wants1 the colony will soon become the abode of every vice1 and the home of every misery4 ,soon will the light of ,christianity1 which now dawns among that portion of our species1 be shut out by the clouds of ignorance1 and their day of life be closed1 without the illuminations of the gospel4 ,to those of our brothers1 who shall be left behind1 there will be assured perpetual slavery and augmented sufferings4 ,diminished in numbers1 the slave population of the southern states1 which by its magnitude alarms its proprietors1 will be easily secured4 ,those among their bondmen1 who feel that they should be free1 by rights which all mankind have from ,god and from nature1 and who thus may become dangerous to the quiet of their masters1 will be sent to the colony2 and the tame and submissive will be retained1 and subjected to increased rigor4 ,year after year will witness these means to assure safety and submission among their slaves1 and the southern masters will colonize only those whom it may be dangerous to keep among them4 ,the bondage of a large portion of our brothers will thus be rendered perpetual4 ,should the anticipations of misery and want among the colonists1 which with great deference we have submitted to your better judgment1 be realized2 to emancipate and transport to ,africa will be held forth by slaveholders as the worst and heaviest of punishments2 and they will be threatened and successfully used to enforce increased submission to their wishes1 and subjection to their commands4 ,nor ought the sufferings and sorrows1 which must be produced by an exercise of the right to transport and colonize such only of their slaves as may be selected by the slaveholders1 escape the attention and consideration of those whom with all humility we now address4 ,parents will be torn from their children--husbands from their wives--brothers from brothers--and all the heart-rending agonies which were endured by our forefathers when they were dragged into bondage from ,africa1 will be again renewed1 and with increased anguish4 ,the shores of ,america will1 like the sands of ,africa1 be watered by the tears of those who will be left behind4 ,those who shall be carried away will roam childless1 widowed1 and alone1 over the burning plains of ,guinea4 ,disclaiming1 as we emphatically do1 a wish or desire to interpose our opinions and feelings between all plans of colonization1 and the judgment of those whose wisdom as far exceeds ours as their situations are exalted above ours2 we humbly1 respectfully1 and fervently intreat and beseech your disapprobation of the plan of colonization now offered by 'the ,american ,society for colonizing the free people of color of the ,united ,states4'--,here1 in the city of ,philadelphia1 where the voice of the suffering sons of ,africa was first heard2 where was first commenced the work of abolition1 on which heaven has smiled1 for it could have had success only from the ,great ,maker2 let not a purpose be assisted which will stay the cause of the entire abolition of slavery in the ,united ,states1 and which may defeat it altogether2 which proffers to those who do not ask for them what it calls benefits1 but which they consider injuries2 and which must insure to the multitudes whose prayers can only reach you through us1 ,,misery1 sufferings1 and perpetual slavery4 ,,james ,,forten1 ,chairman4 ,,russell ,,parrott1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,new-,,york4 ,,new-,,york1 ,january1 #ahca4 ,at a public meeting of the colored citizens of ,new-,york1 held at ,boyer ,lodge ,room1 on ,tuesday evening1 the #beth ult4 ,mr ,samuel ,ennals was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,philip ,bell appointed secretary4 ,the chairman stated that the object of the meeting was to take into consideration the proceedings of an association1 under the title of the ',new-,york ,colonization ,society4' ,an address to the ',citizens of ,new-,york' relative to that ,society1 was read from the ,commercial ,advertiser of the #hth ult42 whereupon the following resolutions were unanimously adopted4 ,whereas a number of gentlemen in this city1 of mistaken views with respect to the wishes and welfare of the people of this state1 on the subject of ,african colonization1 and in pursuance of such mistaken views are using every exertion to form ',african ,colonization ,societies2' and whereas a public document1 purporting to be an address to the people of the 'city of ,new-,york' on this subject1 contains opinions and assertions regarding the people of color as unfounded as they are unjust and derogatory to them--,therefore ,resolved1 ,that this meeting do most solemnly protest against the said address1 as containing sentiments with respect to the people of color1 unjust1 illiberal and unfounded2 tending to excite the prejudice of the community4 ,resolved1 ,that in our opinion the sentiments put forth in the resolution at the formation of the ',colonization ,society of the city of ,new-,york1' are such as to impress this community with the belief that the colored population are a growing evil1 immoral1 and destitute of religious principles4 ,resolved1 ,that we view the resolution calling on the worshippers of ,christ to assist in the unholy crusade against the colored population of this country1 as totally at variance with true ,christian principles4 ,resolved1 ,that we claim this country1 the place of our birth1 and not ,africa1 as our mother country1 and all attempts to send us to ,africa we consider as gratuitous and uncalled for4 ,resolved1 ,that a committee of three persons be appointed to draft an address to the people of ,new-,york1 and to be published1 together with these resolutions1 and the same be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary4 ,,samuel ,,ennals1 ,chairman4 ,,philip ,,bell1 ,secretary4 ,an ,address to the ,citizens of ,new-,york4 ,in protesting against the sentiments and declarations to our prejudice with which the above noticed 'address' and 'resolutions' abound1 we are well aware of the power and influence we have attempted to resist4 ,the gentlemen named as officers of the ',colonization ,society' are men of high standing1 their dictum is law in morals with our community2 but we who feel the effect of their proscription1 indulge the hope of an impartial hearing4 ,we believe many of those gentlemen are our friends1 and we hope they all mean well2 we care not how many ,colonization ,societies they form to send slaves from the south to a place where they may enjoy freedom2 and if they can 'drain the ocean with a bucket1' may send 'with their own consent1' the increasing free colored population3 but we solemnly protest against that ,christian philanthropy which in acknowledging our wrongs commits a greater by vilifying us4 ,the conscientious man would not kill the animal1 but cried 'mad dog1' and the rabble despatched him4 ,these gentlemen acknowledge the anomaly of those political ethics which make a distinction between man and man1 when their foundation is1 'that all men are born equal1' and possess in common 'unalienable rights2' and to justify the withholding of these 'rights' would proclaim to foreigners that we are 'a distinct and inferior race1' without religion or morals1 and implying that our condition cannot be improved here because there exists an unconquerable prejudice in the whites towards us4 ,we absolutely deny these positions1 and we call upon the learned author of the 'address' for the indications of distinction between us and other men4 ,there are different colors among all species of animated creation4 ,a difference of color is not a difference of species4 ,our structure and organization are the same1 and not distinct from other men2 and in what respects are we inferior8 ,our political condition we admit renders us less respectable1 but does it prove us an inferior part of the human family8 ,inferior indeed we are as to the means which we possess of becoming wealthy and learned men2 and it would argue well for the cause of justice1 humanity and true religion1 if the reverend gentlemen whose names are found at the bottom of ,president ,duer's address1 instead of showing their benevolence by laboring to move us some four thousand miles off1 were to engage actively in the furtherance of plans for the improvement of our moral and political condition in the country of our birth4 ,it is too late now to brand with inferiority any one of the races of mankind4 ,we ask for proof4 ,time was when it was thought impossible to civilize the red man4 ,yet our own country presents a practical refutation of the vain assertion in the flourishing condition of the ,cherokees1 among whom intelligence and refinement are seen in somewhat fairer proportions than are exhibited by some of their white neighbors4 ,in the language of a writer of expanded views and truly noble sentiments1 'the blacks must be regarded as the real authors of most of the arts and sciences which give the whites at present the advantage over them4 ,while ,greece and ,rome were yet barbarous1 we find the light of learning and improvement emanating from this1 by supposition1 degraded and accursed continent of ,africa1 out of the midst of this very woolly-haired1 flat-nosed1 thick lipped1 and coal black race1 which some persons are tempted to station at a pretty low intermediate point between men and monkeys4',,ag ,it is needless to dwell on this topic2 and we say with the same writer1 the blacks had a long and glorious day3 and after what they have been and done1 it argues not so much a mistaken theory1 as sheer ignorance of the most notorious historical facts1 to pretend that they are naturally inferior to the whites4 ,we earnestly desire that this address may not be misunderstood4 ,we have no objection in the abstract to the ,colonization ,society2 but we do protest against the means which that ,society uses to effect its purposes4 ,it is evident1 to any impartial observer1 that the natural tendency of all their speeches1 reports1 sermons1 c4 is to widen the breach between us and the whites1 and give to prejudice a tenfold vigor4 ,it has produced a mistaken sentiment toward us4 ,africa is considered the home of those who have never seen its shores4 ,the poor ignorant slave1 who1 in all probability1 has never heard the name of ,christ1 by the colonization process is suddenly transformed into a 'missionary1' to instruct in the principles of ,christianity and the arts of civilized life4 ,the ,friends have been the last to aid the system pursued by the ,society's advocates4 ,and we say 7for we feel it7 that in proportion as they become colonizationists1 they become less active and less friendly to our welfare as citizens of the ,united ,states4 ,there does exist in the ,united ,states a prejudice against us2 but is it unconquerable8 ,is it not in the power of these gentlemen to subdue it8 ,if their object is to benefit us1 why not better our condition here8 ,what keeps us down but the want of wealth8 ,why do we not accumulate wealth8 ,simply because we are not encouraged4 ,if we wish to give our boys a classical education1 they are refused admission into your colleges4 ,if we consume our means in giving them a mercantile education1 you will not employ them as clerks2 if they are taught navigation1 you will not employ them as captains4 ,if we make them mechanics1 you will not encourage them1 nor will white mechanics work in the same shop with them4 ,and with all these disabilities1 like a mill-stone about us1 because we cannot point to our statesmen1 bankers and lawyers1 we are called an inferior race4 ,look at the glaring injustice towards us4 7,a foreigner1 before he knows one of our streets from another1 mounts a cart under the license of another man1 or is a public porter1 a lamp-lighter1 a watchman1 c47 ,these gentlemen know but little of a large portion of the colored population of this city4 ,their opinions are formed from the unfortunate portion of our people whose characters are scrutinized by them as judges of courts4 ,their patrician principles prevent an intercourse with men in the middle walks of life1 among whom a large portion of our people may be classed4 ,we ask them to visit the dwellings of the respectable part of our people1 and we are satisfied that they will discover more civilization and refinement than will be found among the same number of white families of an equal standing4 ,finally1 we hope that those who have so eloquently pleaded the cause of the ,indian1 will at least endeavor to preserve consistency in their conduct4 ,they put no faith in ,georgia1 although she declares that the ,indians shall not be removed but 'with their own consent4' ,can they blame us if we attach the same credit to the declaration that they mean to colonize us 'only with our consent8' ,they cannot indeed use force2 that is out of the question4 ,but they harp so much on 'inferiority1' 'prejudice1' 'distinction1' and what not1 that there will no alternative be left us but to fall in with their plans4 ,we are content to abide where we are4 ,we do not believe that things will always continue the same4 ,the time must come when the declaration of independence will be felt in the heart as well as uttered from the mouth1 and when the rights of all shall be properly acknowledged and appreciated4 ,god hasten that time4 ,this is our home1 and this our country4 ,beneath its sod lie the bones of our fathers3 for it some of them fought1 bled1 and died4 ,here we were born1 and here we will die4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,boston4 ,,boston1 ,march #ab1 #ahca4 ,pursuant to public notice1 a meeting was held by the colored citizens of ,boston1 ,february #aeth1 at their school-house1 for the purpose of expressing their sentiments in a remonstrance against the doings of the ,state ,colonization ,society1 ,feb4 #ajth4 ,it was called to order by ,mr ,j4 ,g4 ,barbadoes4 ,mr ,robert ,roberts was elected chairman1 and ,mr ,james ,g4 ,barbadoes secretary4 ,a prayer was then offered up to the throne of grace1 by the ,rev4 ,mr ,snowden4 ,the chairman having explained the object of the meeting1 sundry resolutions were offered by ,mr ,barbadoes1 and fairly discussed4 ,on motion1 a committee of five was chosen to amend the resolutions1 and to draft an address to certain white citizens who had formed a ,state ,society auxiliary to the ,american ,colonization ,society1 and to the enlightened public4 ,john ,t4 ,hilton1 ,james ,g4 ,barbadoes1 ,rev4 ,hosea ,easton1 ,thomas ,dalton and ,thomas ,cole were placed on the committee4 ,the committee1 to whom was referred the subject of an attempt1 by certain white citizens1 to establish in this ,state a ,society auxiliary to the ,american ,colonization ,society1 whose supposed object was the removal of the free colored population to western ,africa1 have with diligence sought for and obtained every fact within their reach1 relative to what was enjoined upon them by the respectable body by whom they were delegated2 and now respectfully ,,report3 ,that they have attended to the duty with which they were charged1 with all the wisdom1 prudence and fidelity which they possessed1 and which the merits of the case required4 ,they therefore submit to the consideration of the meeting their several conclusions on the subject4 ,the duty of your committee seemed to be divided into three general inquiries3--#ast4 ,to ascertain whether the ,society above named was truly established in this metropolis4 #b;d4 ,by whom it was established1 and for what purpose4 #c;d4 ,if established for the purpose entertained by the free colored population1 what method should be adopted in regard to expressing their disapprobation thereto4 ,as to the first inquiry1 your committee can state1 that every doubt is now removed respecting the formation of such a ,society1 the proceedings of the meeting being published1 together with the names of the officers4 ,on the second inquiry1 your committee refer you to the #b;d ,article of the ,constitution of said ,society1 7published in the ,boston ,courier of ,feb4 #af1 #ahca17 which reads thus3 ',the object to which this ,society shall be exclusively devoted1 shall be to aid the parent institution at ,washington1 in the colonization of the free people of color of the ,united ,states on the coast of ,africa2 and to do this not only by the contribution of money1 but by the exertion of its influence to promote the formation of other societies4' ,we deem any explanation here unnecessary4 ,in regard to the third and most essential inquiry1 your committee report1 that they know of no better way of expressing their disapprobation of such measures1 than to use every exertion to persuade their brethren not to leave the ,united ,states upon any consideration whatever2 but if there are or should be any exasperated in consequence of abuse from their white countrymen1 and who are determined to leave the country1 we think it desirable to recommend them to ,hayti or ,upper ,canada1 where they will find the laws equal4 ,your committee deem it expedient also to urge this duty upon the several ministers of color throughout the ,united ,states1 and all other persons of color whose influence may have any bearing in preventing their brethren from yielding to a request so unjust and cruel4 ,and if your respectable body should not think your committee were going beyond the bounds of their duty1 they would recommend the clerical order throughout the ,united ,states1 who have had or who are having any thing to do with the deceptive scheme above alluded to1 to read the #acth chapter of ,ezekiel4 ,read it--read it--and understand it4 ,your committee would recommend those clergymen1 who have not defiled their garment with the blood of the innocent1 to read the #ast1 #bnd1 #aath and #abth verses of the #bdth chapter of ,proverbs4 ,in support of the sentiments thus expressed1 it becomes necessary that our reasons should accompany them1 why we object to the plan of dragging us to ,africa--a country to us unknown1 except by geography4 ,in the first place1 we are told that ,africa is our native country2 consequently the climate will be more congenial to our health4 ,we readily deny the assertion4 ,how can a man be born in two countries at the same time8 ,is not the position superficial to suppose that ,american born citizens are ,africans8 ,in regard to the climate1 what better proof do we want of its salubrity1 than to know that of the numerous bodies who have embarked1 a large portion of them have immediately fallen victims1 on their arrival1 to the pestilence usual to that place8 ,it is again said1 that the establishment of a colony on the coast of ,africa will prevent the slave trade4 ,we might as well argue1 that a watchman in the city of ,boston would prevent thievery in ,new-,york1 or any other place2 or that the custom-house officers there would prevent goods being smuggled into any other port of the ,united ,states4 ,we are aware1 that such an unnecessary expense devoted to the application of a remedy so far from the disease1 is absolutely contrary to common sense4 ,we are sensible that the moral disease1 slavery1 is in ,america1 and not in ,africa4 ,if there was no market for the vending of slaves1 there would be no inducement for the thief to steal them4 ,the remedy for this evil1 we humbly conceive1 consists of three general prescriptions1 viz4 #ast4 ,let him who stealeth obey the word of ,god1 and steal no more4 #b;d4 ,let him who hath encouraged the thief by purchase1 7and consequently is a partaker with him17 do so no more4 #crd4 ,let the clerical physicians1 who have encouraged1 and are encouraging1 both the thief and the receiver1 by urging their influence to the removal of the means of their detection1 desist therefrom1 and with their mighty weight of influence step into the scale of justice3 then will be done away this horrible traffic in blood4 ,from the above considerations1 we sincerely recommend to our white countrymen honor and humanity1 which will render useless the transportation of the colored population to the coast of ,africa1 it being altogether gratuitous and uncalled for4 ,we proceed to offer several objections to the operation alluded to--one is1 the circumstance of the project originating with those who were deeply interested in slavery1 and who hold slaves as their property4 ,we consider the fact no evidence of the innocence of its design4 ,we further object1 because its members admit slavery to be an evil1 and use no means to destroy it2 but are exerting all their influence to urge every free person of color to ,africa1 7whose right to this soil holds good with any other citizen17 thereby rivetting the chains of slavery stronger than ever upon their oppressed brethren4 ,again we object1 because the whole spring of action seems to originate in the fear lest the free colored people may whisper liberty in the ears of the oppressed4 ,we would suggest1 however1 that they who are fond of liberty should not be annoyed at its sound1 from whatever source it may come4 ,again we object1 on the ground of there being sufficient land in the ,united ,states1 on which a colony might be established that would better meet the wishes of the colored people1 and at a much cheaper rate than could possibly be done by sending them to a howling wilderness far away1 and to them unknown4 ,one of the leaders of the newly formed ,society argued that in case a colony was formed for the blacks in the ,united ,states1 they would in a short time be removed1 as has been the case with the poor ,indians4 ,to obviate this objection1 we here inform him that ,hayti will hold all the slaves he will send her2 and as for the free people1 we expect they can go where they please1 either to ,africa1 ,hayti or ,upper ,canada1 or remain at home1 without asking the consent of a slaveholding party4 ,nor can we conceive why free citizens1 acting this liberty1 should interfere with them1 if they are--as they have represented themselves to be--honest and benevolent men4 ,we conceive that the question in view stands in two distinct points--the removal of the free colored population from this country1 or the acknowledgment of them as citizens4 ,the former position must be acknowledged1 on all sides1 a means of perpetuating slavery in our land2 the latter1 of abolishing it2 consequently it may be seen who are for the well-being of their country4 ,we regret that our interest has thus drawn us before the public1 on account of the regard we entertain towards many of our warmest friends who have been deceived by a cloak of philanthropy1 smooth words1 and a sanctified appearance4 ,we remind them1 however1 that the blood of ,abel is beginning to be heard by many who are willing to acknowledge that they hear it4 ,we cannot close our duty without gratefully acknowledging the respect we entertain for those who have defended our cause with more than ,spartan courage4 ,it is the opinion of your committee1 that they are to be respected as our countrymen1 our brethren1 and our fellow citizens--not to say they are to be applauded as men1 whose great acts are based upon the acclamation of their fellow men2 but rather let us hold up their hands1 and let their works praise them4 ,we shall only add an expression of our hopes1 that the ,spirit of ,liberty1 recently awakened in the old world1 may redouble its thundering voice1 until every tyrant is seized with a ,belshazzar tremble at the hand-writing upon the wall of his corrupt palace4 ,in addition to the above1 your committee submit the following resolutions for your acceptance4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting contemplate1 with lively interest1 the rapid progress of the sentiments of liberty among our degraded brethren1 and that we will legally oppose every operation that may have a tendency to perpetuate our present political condition4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting look upon the ,american ,colonization ,society as a clamorous1 abusive and peace-disturbing combination4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting look upon the conduct of those clergymen1 who have filled the ears of their respective congregations with the absurd idea of the necessity of removing the free colored people from the ,united ,states1 as highly deserving the just reprehension directed to the false prophets and priests1 by ,jeremiah the true prophet1 as recorded in the #bc;d chapter of his prophecy4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting appeal to a generous and enlightened public for an impartial hearing relative to the subject of our present political condition4 ,resolved1 ,that the gratitude of this meeting1 which is so sensibly felt1 be fully expressed to those editors whose independence of mind and correct views of the rights of man have led them so fearlessly to speak in favor of our cause2 that we rejoice to behold in them such a strong desire to extend towards us the inestimable blessing in the gift of a wise ,providence which is demanded by all nature1 and for which their veteran fathers struggled in the revolution4 ,,robert ,,roberts1 ,chairman4 ,,james ,g4 ,,barbadoes1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,baltimore4 ,,baltimore1 ,march #ba1 #ahca4 ,at a respectable meeting of persons of color1 convened1 pursuant to public notice1 for the purpose of expressing their sentiments in regard to the pretensions of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,william ,douglass was called to the chair1 and ,william ,watkins appointed secretary4 ,the object of the call having been explicitly stated1 the meeting immediately proceeded to the consideration of the following resolutions1 which were unanimously adopted3--,on motion1 ,resolved1 ,that it is the belief of this meeting1 that the ,american ,colonization ,society is founded more in a selfish policy1 than in the true principles of benevolence2--and1 therefore1 so far as it regards the life-giving spring of its operations1 is not entitled to our confidence1 but should be viewed by us with all that caution and distrust which our happiness demands4 ,resolved1 ,that we are not insensible to the means usually employed by that ,society1 and its auxiliaries1 to effectuate our removal--that we sincerely deprecate their gratuitous and illiberal attacks upon1 and their too frequently exaggerated statements of our moral standing in the community--that such means are unworthy of a magnanimous people1 and of a virtuous and noble cause4 ,resolved1 ,that we consider the land in which we were born1 and in which we have been bred1 our only 'true and appropriate home1'--and that when we desire to remove1 we will apprise the public of the same1 in due season4 ,resolved1 ,that we are deeply sensible that many of our warm and sincere friends have espoused the colonization system1 from the purest motives1--and that we sincerely regret their efforts to ameliorate our condition are not more in accordance with our wishes4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be published in the daily papers of this city1 signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary4 ,,william ,,douglass1 ,chairman4 ,,william ,,watkins1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,washington4 ,,washington1 ,may #d1 #ahca4 ,pursuant to previous notice1 a large and very respectable meeting of the colored citizens of ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 convened at the ,african ,methodist ,episcopal church on ,wednesday evening last1 for the purpose of expressing their views upon the subject of ,african colonization4 ,mr ,john ,w4 ,prout was called to the chair1 and ,arthur ,waring was appointed secretary4 ,the chairman briefly explained the object of the meeting1 in a short speech well adapted to the occasion1 which was followed by several neat and very appropriate addresses delivered by sundry gentlemen present4 ,the following preamble and resolutions were offered and adopted1 nearly unanimously4 ,whereas we consider that the period has arrived for the colored citizens of this place to express their opinion upon the subject of colonization in ,liberia2 a subject of great importance to themselves1 as well as to the colored citizens of the ,united ,states generally2 and whereas our brethren at a distance are desirous of obtaining information relative to the object and policy pursued by the ,american ,colonization ,society3 ,therefore1 be it ,resolved1 ,that this meeting view with distrust the efforts made by the ,colonization ,society to cause the free people of color of these ,united ,states to emigrate to ,liberia on the coast of ,africa1 or elsewhere4 ,resolved1 ,that it is the declared opinion of the members of this meeting1 that the soil which gave them birth is their only true and veritable home1 and that it would be impolitic1 unwise and improper for them to leave their home without the benefits of education4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting conceive that among the advocates of the colonization system1 they have many true and sincere friends2 and do regret that their actions1 although prompted no doubt by the purest motives1 do not meet our approbation4 ,resolved1 ,that we believe the ,,press to be the most efficient means of disseminating light and knowledge among our brethren2 and that this meeting do acknowledge with gratitude the efforts made in our behalf1 by the editors of the ,genius of ,universal ,emancipation1 and the ,liberator2--and do most earnestly recommend their respective papers to our brethren generally1 for their approval and support4 ,resolved1 ,that the foregoing resolutions be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and published4 ,,john ,w4 ,,prout1 ,chairman4 ,,arthur ,,waring1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,brooklyn4 ,,brooklyn1 7,n4 ,y47 ,june #c1 #ahca4 ,at a numerous and respectable meeting of the colored inhabitants of the village and township of ,brooklyn1 convened in the ,african ,hall1 ,nassau-street1 for the purpose of taking into consideration our views in relation to the ,colonization ,society-- ,the throne of grace was addressed by the ,rev4 ,mr ,hogarth1 after which ,henry ,c4 ,thompson was called to the chair1 and ,george ,hogarth appointed secretary4 ,appropriate addresses were delivered by ,messrs ,george ,hogarth1 ,james ,pennington1 and ,george ,woods4 ,the following resolutions were then adopted3-- ,resolved1 unanimously1 ,that the call of this meeting be approved of2 and that the colored citizens of this village have1 with friendly feelings1 taken into consideration the objects of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 together with all its auxiliary movements1 preparatory for our removal to the coast of ,africa2 and we view them as wholly gratuitous1 not called for by us1 and not essential to the real welfare of our race3 ,that we know of no other country in which we can justly claim or demand our rights as citizens1 whether civil or political1 but in these ,united ,states of ,america1 our native soil3 ,and1 that we shall be active in our endeavors to convince the members of the ,colonization ,society1 and the public generally1 that we are men1 that we are brethren1 that we are countrymen and fellow-citizens1 and demand an equal share of protection from our federal government with any other class of citizens in the community4 ,it was also ,resolved1 ,that the following persons1 viz43 ,james ,pennington1 ,henry ,c4 ,thompson1 and ,george ,woods1 be appointed a committee to draft an address to the public1 expressing our views more fully in relation to the ,colonization ,society2 and that a delegate be appointed to proceed to the city of ,philadelphia1 to represent us in the ensuing convention1 7which will commence its sitting the #fth inst47 to co-operate with the measures that may then be adopted for the general welfare of our race4 ,,henry ,c4 ,,thompson1 ,chairman4 ,,george ,,hogarth1 ,secretary4 ,address to the ,colored ,citizens of ,brooklyn1 7,n4 ,y47 and its ,vicinity4 ,respected brethren1 and fellow-citizens3--,as men and as christians1 whose secular and eternal interests are the same1 we are seriously called upon by truth and reason1 and every thing of which human action is composed1 to take into consideration the objects of the ,american ,colonization ,society2 which aims to remove us1 the free people of color1 from this1 our beloved and native land1 to the coast of ,africa2 a country unknown to us in every respect4 ,as they propose to remove us with our own free will and consent1 we do not contradict the assertion1 that their objects1 in the abstract1 are salutary and benevolent2 but when we hear those influential gentlemen1 who are advocating this cause1 generalize by language directly calculated to increase that prejudice1 which is already one grand reason of our wretchedness1 we are moved by a spirit of reliance upon justice and humanity1 to lift our positive and decided voice against their proceedings2 and consider them as a stigma upon our morals as a people1 as natives and citizens of this country1 to whom equal rights are guaranteed by the ,declaration of ,independence4 ,when we consider that by abridging men in their moral liberty1 we touch their responsibility to the highest authority in the universe1 we should shudder at the thought of retaining such feelings as would lead to any irreligious or impolitic acts2 nor should we be willing to yield one particle of ours to others1 unless it be on the ground of expediency1 and in some way conducive to the glory of ,god4 ,we are sorry to say that those gentlemen have injured their cause1 and perhaps caused much good to be evil spoken of1 by making use of improper language1 in their discussions upon our character and condition in this country2 without using one effort to improve or prepare us for the posts of honor and distinction which they hold forth to us1 whenever we set foot on this much talked of1 and long expected promised land4 ,we would ask the ,colonization ,society1 what are they doing at home to improve our condition8 ,it is a true proverb1 that 'charity begins at home4' ,how can they extend their charities with christian sympathies and feeling some thousand miles across the ,atlantic ocean1 when they are not willing1 with a few exceptions1 to give us even a christian instruction while among them8 ,to prove the assertion1 we would inquire1 how many of our sable brethren have been elevated to any post of distinction in this country8 ,even in states1 where our numbers have almost doubled1 have we seen one statesman1 one officer1 or one juror8 ,no6 in our village and its vicinity1 how many of us have been educated in colleges1 and advanced into different branches of business2 or taken into mercantile houses1 manufacturing establishments1 c48 ,are we not even prohibited from some of the common labor and drudgery of the streets1 such as cartmen1 porters1 c48 ,it is a strange theory to us1 how these gentlemen can promise to honor and respect us in ,africa1 when they are using every effort to exclude us from all rights and privileges at home4 ,they say1 'that those of our friends1 who look for the day when we shall have equal rights in this country1 are mistaken4' ,may we not accept it as an assurance1 that they will do all they can to prevent us from arriving to any degree of respectability at home1 in our own land8 ,away then with such false sympathies and friendships6 they are as foreign to us as the coast of ,africa6 ,we truly believe1 that many gentlemen who are engaged in the ,colonization ,society are our sincere friends and well-wishers2 they wish to do something for us1 consequently they have subscribed largely to it1 because there was no other plan on foot4 ,some of them have been deluded into its schemes1 with a view of thoroughly civilizing and christianizing ,africa1 by our free people of color and emancipated slaves1 who may1 from time to time1 be colonized on its coasts1 with their consent4 ,we conceive that such measures are fraught with inconsistency1 and in no way calculated to have such an effect4 ,to send a parcel of uninstructed1 uncivilized1 and unchristianized people1 to the western coast of ,africa1 with bibles in their hands to teach the natives the truths of the gospel1 social happiness1 and moral virtue1 is mockery and ridicule in the extreme4 ,missionary families should be well instructed in the rudiments of our holy religion1 that their example may shine forth as lights in that much neglected and benighted land4 ,we are much in favor of christianizing ,africa2 but not according to the plans of the ,colonization ,society1 to purchase their lands of them1 with a few paltry guns1 beads1 c41 and then establish forts and garrisons1 to protect traders and traffickers1 without1 perhaps1 once naming the religion of ,jesus to them4 ,we well know that the examples of traders and traffickers are in no way calculated to induce heathens to embrace our religion4 ,for example1 we will refer to the early settlements of our ,american colonies1 and inquire what religious impressions did the settlers make 7who were wise and learned from ,europe7 upon the aborigines of our country8 ,we believe that a few men1 well instructed and possessing a true missionary spirit1 are calculated to do more good in that country1 than a thousand on the colonization plan4 ,many wish us to go to ,africa1 because they say that our constitutions are better adapted to that climate than this4 ,if so1 we would ask why so many of our hearty1 hale and healthy brethren1 on arriving in that country1 fall victims to the malignant fevers and disorders1 prevalent in those regions8 ,we would observe1 that none are exempt from being touched with the contagion4 ,it operates more severely upon those from the higher latitudes4 ,some of our brethren have come to the conclusion to leave this country1 with all its prejudices1 and seek an asylum in foreign climes4 ,we would recommend to your serious consideration1 the location in ,upper ,canada2 a place far better adapted to our constitutions1 our habits1 and our morals2 where prejudice has not such an unlimited sway2 where you will be surrounded by ,christians1 and have an opportunity to become civilized and christianized4 ,brethren1 it is time for us to awake to our interests2 for the ,colonization ,society is straining every nerve for the accomplishment of its objects4 ,by their last publications we see1 that they have invoked all ,christian assemblies and churches throughout the ,union1 to exert their influence1 by raising subscriptions to send us 7the strangers within their gates1 as they call us7 to the coast of ,africa4 ,they have got the consent of eleven states1 who have instructed their senators to do something in the next ,congress for our removal4 ,maryland calls imperatively on the general government to send us away1 or else they will colonize their own free blacks4 ,they have1 by their influence1 stopped the emancipation of slaves in a measure1 except for colonization purposes4 ,we owe a tribute of respect to the state of ,new-,york1 for her not having entered into the confederacy4 ,though she is the last in proclaiming general emancipation to the slave1 yet we find her slow in adopting any such unchristian measures4 ,we may well say1 she is deliberate in her councils1 and determinate in her resolutions4 ,finally1 brethren1 we are not strangers2 neither do we come under the alien law4 ,our constitution does not call upon us to become naturalized2 we are already ,american citizens2 our fathers were among the first that peopled this country2 their sweat and their tears have been the means1 in a measure1 of raising our country to its present standing4 ,many of them fought1 and bled1 and died for the gaining of her liberties2 and shall we forsake their tombs1 and flee to an unknown land8 ,no6 let us remain over them and weep1 until the day arrive when ,ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands to ,god4 ,we were born and nurtured in this ,christian land2 and are surrounded by christians1 whose sacred creed is1 to do unto all men as ye would they should do unto you--to love our neighbors as ourselves2 and which expressly declares1 if we have respect to persons1 we commit sin4 ,let us1 brethren1 invoke the christian's ,god1 in our behalf1 to do away the prejudices of our brethren1 that they may adopt the solemn truths of the gospel1 and acknowledge that ,god is no respecter of persons--that he has made of one blood all the nations that dwell on the face of the earth--that they may no longer bring their reasonings in contact with the omniscience of ,deity2 and insinuate to the public1 that our intellect and faculties are measurably inferior to those of our fairer brethren4 ,because adversity has thrown a veil over us1 and we1 whom ,god has created to worship1 admire and adore his divine attributes1 shall we be held in a state of wretchedness and degradation1 with monkeys1 baboons1 slaves1 and cattle1 because we possess a darker hue8 ,we feel it our duty ever to remain true to the constitution of our country1 and to protect it1 as we have always done1 from foreign aggressions4 ,although more than three hundred thousand of us are virtually deprived of the rights and immunities of citizens1 and more than two millions held in abject slavery1 yet we know that ,god is just1 and ever true to his purpose4 ,before him the whole world stands in awe1 and at his command nations must obey4 ,,he who has lately pleaded the ,indian's cause in our land1 and who has brought about many signal events1 to the astonishment of our generation1 we believe is in the whirlwind1 and will soon bring about the time when the sable sons of ,america will join with their fairer brethren1 and re-echo liberty and equal rights in all parts of ,columbia's soil4 ,we pray the ,lord to hasten the day1 when prejudice1 inferiority1 degradation and oppression shall be done away1 and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our ,god and his ,christ4 ,signed in behalf of a public meeting in ,brooklyn4 ,h4 ,c4 ,,thompson1 ,chairman4 ,,george ,,hogarth1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,hartford4 ,,hartford1 ,ct41 ,july #ad1 #ahca4 ,at a large and respectable meeting of the colored inhabitants of the city of ,hartford and its vicinity1 convened at the vestry room of the ,african church1 on the #acth inst4 for the purpose of expressing their views in relation to the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,mr ,henry ,foster was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,paul ,drayton appointed secretary4 ,the object of the meeting was then stated in a brief and pertinent manner1 after which extracts from several speeches delivered by the founders of the colonization scheme1 together with the general sentiments of colonizationists extracted from the ,african ,repository1 were laid before the meeting1 and the following resolutions were unanimously adopted3 ,resolved1 ,that it is the opinion of this meeting1 that the ,american ,colonization ,society is actuated by the same motives which influenced the mind of ,pharaoh1 when he ordered the male children of the ,israelites to be destroyed4 ,resolved1 ,that it is the belief of this meeting1 that the ,society is the greatest foe to the free colored and slave population with whom liberty and equality have to contend4 ,resolved1 ,that we look upon the man of color that would be influenced by the ,society to emigrate to ,liberia1 as an enemy to the cause and a traitor to his brethren4 ,resolved1 ,that it is the opinion of this meeting1 that many of those who are engaged in this unjust scheme would be willing1 if it were1 in their power1 to place us before the point of the bayonet1 and drive us out of existence--so that they may get rid of that dark cloud1 as we are termed1 which hangs over these ,united ,states4 ,resolved1 ,that1 in our belief1 we have committed no crime worthy of banishment1 and that we will resist all the attempts of the ,colonization ,society to banish us from this our native land4 ,resolved1 ,that we consider ourselves the legitimate sons of these ,united ,states1 from whence we will never consent to be transported4 ,resolved1 ,that we will resist1 even unto death1 all the attempts of this ,society to transport us to the pestilential shores of ,liberia4 ,resolved1 ,that we will not countenance the doctrine of any pretended minister of the gospel1 who is in league with those conspirators against our rights4 ,we would1 therefore1 warn them to beware of following the footsteps of ,balaam1 who taught ,balak to cast a stumbling block in the way of the children of ,israel2 for we verily believe1 that if ,god almighty have to deliver his people by his mighty arm of power1 they will share the fate of that false prophet4 ,resolved1 ,that1 though we be last in calling a meeting1 we feel no less the pernicious influence of this ,society than the rest of our brethren2 and that we consider all their pretexts1 whether under the cloak of religion or philanthropy1 gratuitous and uncalled for4 ,we would1 therefore1 advise the ,society1 that as we have learned that there are one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in its funds1 it had better appropriate this sum in meliorating the condition of our brethren the slaves1 in this their native land1 and raising them from that degradation into which they are plunged4 ,resolved1 ,that the thanks of the meeting be returned to ,messrs ,william ,lloyd ,garrison1 ,isaac ,knapp1 and every friend of emancipation1 for their benevolent exertions in our behalf4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and sent to the ,liberator for publication4 ,,henry ,,foster1 ,chairman4 ,,paul ,,drayton1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,middletown4 ,,middletown1 ,ct41 ,july #ae1 #ahca4 ,at a meeting of the colored citizens of ,middletown1 pursuant to public notice1 held in the ,lecture ,room in the ,african church--,mr ,joseph ,gilbert was called to the chair1 and ,amos ,l4 ,beman appointed secretary4 ,the meeting being thus opened1 it was warmly and freely addressed by ,messrs ,jeffrey1 ,condoll and ,gilbert1 when1 on motion1 it was ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of our brethren in ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 meet our entire approbation3 they breathe our sentiments in full1 and may our voices cheerfully accord with them in protesting against leaving this our native soil4 ,why should we leave this land1 so dearly bought by the blood1 groans and tears of our fathers8 ,truly this is our home3 here let us live1 and here let us die4 ,what6 emigrate to ,liberia1 a land so detrimental to our health6 ,we have now before us a letter written by a friend who emigrated from this place to the burning shores of ,africa1 in hopes of splendor1 wealth and ease2 and he says that 'sickness and distress prevail to a great extent--and it is a clear case that those who come from the ,united ,states must undergo a long and protracted sickness with this country's fever1 and ,i would not advise my friends to emigrate4' ,,joseph ,,gilbert1 ,chairman4 ,,amos ,g4 ,,beman1 ,secretary ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,new-,,haven4 ,,new-,,haven1 ,august #h1 #ahca4 ,at a meeting of the ,peace and ,benevolent ,society of ,afric-,americans1 held on the #gth inst41 ,mr ,henry ,berrian was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,henry ,n4 ,merriman was appointed secretary4 ,the following resolutions were then unanimously adopted4 ,resolved1 ,that we consider those christians and philanthropists1 who are boasting of their liberty and equality1 saying1 that all men are born free and equal1 and yet are endeavoring to remove us from our native land1 to be inhuman in their proceedings1 defective in their principles1 and unworthy of our confidence4 ,resolved1 ,that we consider those colonizationists and ministers of the gospel1 who are advocating our transportation to an unknown clime1 because our skin is a little darker than theirs1 7notwithstanding ,god has made of one blood all nations of men1 and has no respect of persons17 as violaters of the commandments of ,god and the laws of the bible1 and as trying to blind our eyes by their vain movements--their mouths being smooth as oil1 and their words sharper than any two-edged sword4 ,resolved1 ,that1 while we have no doubt of the sinister motives of the great body of colonizationists1 we believe some of them are our friends and well-wishers1 who have not looked deeply into the subject2 but when they make a careful examination1 we think they will find themselves in error4 ,resolved1 ,that it is our earnest desire that ,africa may speedily become civilized1 and receive religious instruction2 but not by the absurd and invidious plan of the ,colonization ,society--namely1 to send a nation of ignorant men to teach a nation of ignorant men4 ,we think it most wise for them to send missionaries4 ,resolved1 ,that we will resist all attempts made for our removal to the torrid shores of ,africa1 and will sooner suffer every drop of blood to be taken from our veins than submit to such unrighteous treatment4 ,resolved1 ,that we know of no other place that we can call our true and appropriate home1 excepting these ,united ,states1 into which our fathers were brought1 who enriched the country by their toils1 and fought1 bled and died in its defence1 and left us in its possession--and here we will live and die4 ,resolved1 ,that we consider the ,american ,colonization ,society founded on principles that no ,afric-,american1 unless very weak in mind1 will follow2 and any man who will be persuaded to leave his own country and go to ,africa1 as an enemy to his country and a traitor to his brethren4 ,resolved1 ,that we have heard with pleasure of the proceedings of our brethren in neighboring cities2 and that a number of this ,society will willingly become auxiliary to the parent ,society of ,philadelphia1 for the mutual benefit of the ,afric-,americans throughout the ,united ,states4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and sent to the ,liberator for publication4 ,,henry ,,berrian1 ,chairman4 ,,henry ,n4 ,,merriman1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,columbia4 ,,columbia1 ,pa41 ,august #e1 #ahca4 ,at a respectable meeting of ,afric-,americans convened pursuant to public notice1 at their school-house1 with a view of taking into consideration the novel scheme of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,mr ,stephen ,smith was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,james ,richards appointed secretary4 ,a prayer was then offered to the throne of grace1 by ,mr ,smith4 ,the chairman called the house to order1 and explained the object of the meeting in a few preliminary remarks2 after which1 the meeting proceeded to business1 and adopted the subsequent resolutions4 ,resolved1 ,that we view the country in which we live as our only true and appropriate home2 and let colonizationists pour contempt upon our race1 and slaveholders look on our brethren as a nuisance to the country1 yet here will we live1 here were we born1 this is the country for which some of our ancestors fought and bled and conquered1 nor shall a conspiring world be able to drive us hence4 ,resolved1 ,that it is our firm belief1 that the ,colonization ,society is replete with infinite mischief1 and that we view all the arguments of its advocates as mere sophistry1 not worthy our notice as freemen4 ,being citizens of these ,united ,states1 we could call upon our brethren to awake from their slumber of ignorance1 break the chain of prejudice that has so long bound them1 and in the strength of the omnipotent ,spirit give their hearts to ,god4 ,resolved1 ,that we will resist all attempts to send us to the burning shores of ,africa4 ,beware of ,alexander1 the coppersmith1 for he hath done us much harm4 ,may the ,lord reward him6 ,we verily believe that if by an extraordinary perversion of nature1 every man and woman1 in one night1 should become white1 the ,colonization ,society would fall like lightning to the earth4 ,resolved1 ,that we will not be duped out of our rights as freemen1 by colonizationists1 nor by any other combination of men4 ,all the encomiums pronounced upon ,liberia can never form the least temptation to induce us to leave our native soil1 to emigrate to a strange land4 ,resolved1 ,that we readily coalesce with our brethren in the different towns and cities1 and take the liberty to say1 that we as a little flock feel a fixed resolution to maintain our ground1 till the great ,author of our being shall say to those who deprive us of our rights1--,thus saith the ,lord1 because ye have not hearkened to me in proclaiming liberty1 every one to his brother1 and every man to his neighbor1 behold ,i will proclaim liberty for you1 saith the ,lord1 to the sword1 to the pestilence1 and to the famine4 ,resolved1 ,that it is the decided opinion of this meeting1 that ,african colonization is a scheme of southern policy1 a wicked device of slaveholders who are desirous of riveting more firmly1 and perpetuating more certainly1 the fetters of slavery2 who are only anxious to rid themselves of a population whose presence1 influence and example have a tendency 7as they suppose7 to produce discontent among the slaves1 and to furnish them with incitements to rebellion4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting will not encourage a scheme1 which has for its basis prejudice and hatred4 ,though there may be some good wheat1 yet it is to be feared the enemy has sown tares among it4 ,resolved1 ,that we will support the colony at ,canada1 the climate being healthier1 better adapted to our constitutions1 and far more consonant with our views than that of ,africa4 ,resolved1 ,that we unanimously agree to patronize the ,liberator1 and use our best endeavors to get subscribers for the same2 and that we are under renewed obligations to ,god1 that he ever raised up such honest hearted men as ,messrs ,garrison and ,knapp4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting cause its proceedings to be sent to the ,liberator for publication2 praying that the ,lord will succeed all the lawful efforts of its conductor to meliorate the condition of our brethren in these ,united ,states1 trusting his weapons are not carnal1 but mighty through ,god to pull down the strong holds of the devil4 ,signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary4 ,,stephen ,,smith1 ,chairman4 ,,james ,,richards1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,nantucket4 ,,nantucket1 ,august #e1 #ahca4 ,at a respectable meeting of the colored inhabitants of the town of ,nantucket1 convened for the purpose of taking into consideration our views in relation to the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,mr ,arthur ,cooper was called to the chair1 and ,edward ,j4 ,pompey appointed secretary4 ,addresses were delivered by ,messrs ,william ,harris and ,edward ,j4 ,pompey1 in which they took a general view of the ,colonization ,society1 of its leading members1 and some of the speeches and remarks made by gentlemen at the meetings of said ,society4 ,the following resolves were then adopted3 ,resolved1 ,that the call of this meeting be approved of1 and that the colored citizens of this town have with friendly feelings taken into consideration the objects of the ,colonization ,society1 together with its movements preparatory for our removal to the coast of ,africa2 and we view them as wholly gratuitous1 not called for by us1 and in no way essential to the welfare of our race2 and we believe that our condition can be best improved in this our own country and native soil1 the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,resolved1 ,that we hold this truth to be self-evident1 that all men are born free and equal2 and we are men1 and therefore ought to share as much protection and enjoy as many privileges under our federal government as any other class of the community4 ,resolved1 ,that we will be zealous in doing all that lies in our power to improve the condition of ourselves and brethren in this our native land4 ,resolved1 ,that there is no philanthropy towards the people of color in the colonization plan1 but that it is got up to delude us away from our country and home into a country of sickness and death4 ,resolved1 ,that the thanks of this meeting be returned to every friend who vindicates our rights and interests4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and sent to ,boston1 to be published in the ,liberator4 ,,arthur ,,cooper1 ,chairman4 ,,edward ,j4 ,,pompey1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,pittsburgh4 ,,pittsburgh1 7,pa417 ,sept4 #a1 #ahca4 ,at a large and respectable meeting of the colored citizens of ,pittsburgh1 convened at the ,african ,methodist ,episcopal church1 for the purpose of expressing their views in relation to the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,mr ,j4 ,b4 ,vashon was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,r4 ,bryan appointed secretary4 ,the object of the meeting was then stated at considerable length1 and in an appropriate manner1 by the chairman4 ,the following resolutions were then unanimously adopted3 ,resolved1 ,that 'we hold these truths to be self-evident3 that all men are created equal1 and endowed by their ,creator with certain inalienable rights2 that among these are life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness'--,liberty and ,equality now1 ,liberty and ,equality forever6 ,resolved1 ,that it is the decided opinion of this meeting1 that ,african colonization is a scheme to drain the better informed part of the colored people out of these ,united ,states1 so that the chain of slavery may be rivetted more tightly2 but we are determined not to be cheated out of our rights by the colonization men1 or any other set of intriguers4 ,we believe there is no philanthropy in the colonization plan towards the people of color1 but that it is got up to delude us away from our country and home to the burning shores of ,africa4 ,resolved1 ,that we1 the colored people of ,pittsburgh and citizens of these ,united ,states1 view the country in which we live as our only true and proper home4 ,we are just as much natives here as the members of the ,colonization ,society4 ,here we were born--here bred--here are our earliest and most pleasant associations--here is all that binds man to earth1 and makes life valuable4 ,and we do consider every colored man who allows himself to be colonized in ,africa1 or elsewhere1 a traitor to our cause4 ,resolved1 ,that we are freemen1 that we are brethren1 that we are countrymen and fellow-citizens1 and as fully entitled to the free exercise of the elective franchise as any men who breathe2 and that we demand an equal share of protection from our federal government with any class of citizens in the community4 ,we now inform the ,colonization ,society1 that should our reason forsake us1 then we may desire to remove4 ,we will apprise them of this change in due season4 ,resolved1 ,that we1 as citizens of these ,united ,states1 and for the support of these resolutions1 with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence1 do mutually pledge to each other our lives1 our fortunes1 and our sacred honor1 not to support a colony in ,africa nor in ,upper ,canada1 not yet emigrate to ,hayti4 ,here we were born--here will we live by the help of the ,almighty--and here we will die1 and let our bones lie with our fathers4 ,resolved1 ,that we return our grateful thanks to ,messrs ,garrison and ,knapp1 publishers of the ,liberator1 and ,mr ,lundy1 editor of the ,genius of ,universal ,emancipation1 for their untiring exertions in the cause of philanthropy4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and published in the ,liberator4 ,j4 ,b4 ,,vashon1 ,chairman4 ,r4 ,,bryan1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,wilmington4 ,,wilmington1 ,july #ab1 #ahca4 ,at a large and respectable meeting of the people of color of the borough of ,wilmington1 convened in the ,african ,union ,church1 ,july #abth1 #ahca1 for the purpose of considering the subject of colonization on the coast of ,africa3 ,on motion1 the ,rev4 ,peter ,spencer was called to the chair1 and ,thomas ,dorsey appointed secretary4 ,the meeting was addressed by ,abraham ,d4 ,shad1 ,junius ,c4 ,morell1 ,benjamin ,pascal and ,john ,p4 ,thompson1 after which the following resolutions were unanimously adopted4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting view with deep regret the attempt now making to colonize the free people of color on the western coast of ,africa2 believing as we do that it is inimical to the best interests of the people of color1 and at variance with the principles of civil and religious liberty1 and wholly incompatible with the spirit of the ,constitution and ,declaration of ,independence of these ,united ,states4 ,resolved1 ,that we disclaim all connexion with ,africa2 and although the descendants of that much afflicted country1 we cannot consent to remove to any tropical climate1 and thus aid in a design having for its object the total extirpation of our race from this country1 professions to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,resolved1 ,that a committee of three persons be appointed to prepare as soon as practicable an address to the public1 setting forth more fully our views on the subject of colonization4 ,the following persons were appointed3 ,abraham ,d4 ,shad1 ,rev4 ,peter ,spencer and ,w4 ,s4 ,thomas4 ,signed on behalf of the meeting4 ,,peter ,,spencer1 ,chairman4 ,,thomas ,,dorsey1 ,secretary4 ,address of the ,free ,people of ,color of the ,borough of ,wilmington1 ,delaware4 ,we the undersigned1 in conformity to the wishes of our brethren1 beg leave to present to the public in a calm and unprejudiced manner1 our decided and unequivocal disapprobation of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 and its auxiliaries1 in relation to the free people of color in the ,united ,states4 ,convinced as we are1 that the operations of this ,society have been unchristian and anti-republican in principle1 and at variance with our best interests as a people1 we had reason to believe that the precepts of religion1 the dictates of justice and humanity1 would have prevented any considerable portion of the community from lending their aid to a plan which we fear was designed to deprive us of rights that the ,declaration of ,independence declares are the 'unalienable rights' of all men4 ,we were content to remain silent1 believing that the justice and patriotism of a magnanimous people would prevent the annals of our native and beloved country from receiving so deep a stain4 ,but observing the growing strength and influence of that institution1 and being well aware that the generality of the public are unacquainted with our views on this important subject1 we feel it a duty we owe to ourselves1 our children and posterity1 to enter our protest against a device so fraught with evil to us4 ,that many sincere friends to our race are engaged in what they conceive to be a philanthropic and benevolent enterprise1 we do not hesitate to admit2 but that they are deceived1 and are acting in a manner calculated most seriously to injure the free people of color1 we are equally sensible4 ,we are natives of the ,united ,states2 our ancestors were brought to this country by means over which they had no control2 we have our attachments to the soil1 and we feel that we have rights in common with other ,americans2 and although deprived through prejudice from entering into the full enjoyment of those rights1 we anticipate a period1 when in despite of the more than ordinary prejudice which has been the result of this unchristian scheme1 ',ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands to ,god4' ,but that this formidable ,society has become a barrier to our improvement1 must be apparent to every individual who will but reflect on the course to be pursued by the emissaries of this unhallowed project1 many of whom1 under the name of ministers of the gospel1 use their influence to turn public sentiment to our disadvantage by stigmatizing our morals1 misrepresenting our characters1 and endeavoring to show what they are pleased to call the sound policy of perpetuating our civil and political disabilities for the avowed purpose of indirectly forcing us to emigrate to the western coast of ,africa4 ,that ,africa is neither our nation nor home1 a due respect to the good sense of the community forbids us to attempt to prove2 that our language1 habits1 manners1 morals and religion are all different from those of ,africans1 is a fact too notorious to admit of controversy4 ,why then are we called upon to go and settle in a country where we must necessarily be and remain a distinct people1 having no common interest with the numerous inhabitants of that vast and extensive country8 ,experience has proved beyond a doubt1 that the climate is such as not to suit the constitutions of the inhabitants of this country2 the fevers and various diseases incident to that tropical clime1 are such as in most cases to bid defiance to the force of medicine4 ,the very numerous instances of mortality amongst the emigrants who have been induced to leave this their native1 for their adopted country1 clearly demonstrate the fallacy of those statements so frequently made by the advocates of colonization in regard to the healthiness of ,liberia4 ,with the deepest regret we have witnessed such an immense sacrifice of life1 in advancing a cause which cannot promise the least advantage to the free people of color1 who1 it was said1 were the primary objects to be benefitted by this 'heaven-born enterprise4' ,but we beg leave most respectfully to ask the friends of ,african colonization1 whether their christian benevolence cannot in this country be equally as advantageously applied1 if they are actuated by that disinterested spirit of love and friendship for us1 which they profess8 ,have not they in the ,united ,states a field sufficiently extensive to show it in8 ,there is embosomed within this republic1 rising one million free people of color1 the greater part of whom are unable to read even the sacred scriptures4 ,is not their ignorant and degraded situation worthy of the consideration of those enlightened and christian individuals1 whose zeal for the cause of the ,african race has induced them to attempt the establishment of a republican form of government amid the burning sands of ,liberia1 and the evangelizing of the millions of the ,mahometans and pagans that inhabit the interior of that extensive country8 ,we are constrained to believe that the welfare of the people of color1 to say the least1 is but a secondary consideration with those engaged in the colonization project4 ,or why should we be requested to move to ,africa1 and thus separated from all we hold dear in a moral point of view1 before their christian benevolence can be exercised in our behalf8 ,surely there is no country of which we have any knowledge1 that offers greater facilities for the improvement of the unlearned2 or where benevolent and philanthropic individuals can find a people1 whose situation has greater claims on their christian sympathies1 than the people of color4 ,but whilst we behold a settled determination on the part of the ,american ,colonization ,society to remove us to ,liberia1 without using any means to better our condition at home1 we are compelled to look with fearful diffidence on every measure of that institution4 ,at a meeting held on the #gth inst4 in this borough1 the people of color were politely invited to attend1 the object of which was to induce the most respectable part of them to emigrate4 ,the meeting was addressed by several reverend gentlemen1 and very flattering accounts given on the authority of letters and statements said to have been received from individuals of unquestionable veracity4 ,but we beg leave to say1 that those statements differ so widely from letters that we have seen of recent date from the colony1 in regard to the condition and circumstances of the colonists1 that we are compelled in truth to say that we cannot reconcile such contradictory statements1 and are therefore inclined to doubt the former1 as they appear to have been prepared to present to the public1 for the purpose of enlisting the feelings of our white friends into the measure1 and of inducing the enterprising part of the colored community to emigrate at their own expense4 ,that we are in this country a degraded people1 we are truly sensible2 that our forlorn situation is not attributable to ourselves is admitted by the most ardent friends of colonization2 and that our condition cannot be bettered by removing the most exemplary individuals of color from amongst us1 we are well convinced1 from the consideration that in the same ratio that the industrious part would emigrate1 in the same proportion those who would remain would become more degraded1 wretched and miserable1 and consequently less capable of appreciating the many opportunities which are now offering for the moral and intellectual improvement of our brethren4 ,we1 therefore1 a portion of those who are the objects of this plan1 and amongst those whose happiness1 with that of others of our color1 it is intended to promote1 respectfully but firmly disclaim every connexion with it1 and declare our settled determination not to participate in any part of it4 ,but if this plan is intended to facilitate the emancipation of those who are held in slavery in the ,south1 and the melioration of their condition1 by sending them to ,liberia2 we question very much whether it is calculated to do either4 ,that the emancipation of slaves has been measurably impeded through its influence1 except where they have been given up to the ,board of ,managers1 to be colonized in ,africa1 to us is manifest4 ,and when we contemplate their uneducated and vitiated state1 destitute of the arts and unaccustomed to provide even for themselves1 we are inevitably led to the conclusion that their situation in that pestilential country will be miserable in the extreme4 ,the present period is one of deep and increasing interest to the free people of color1 relieved from the miseries of slavery and its concomitant evils1 with the vast and 7to us7 unexplored field of literature and science before us1 surrounded by many friends whose sympathies and charities need not the ,atlantic between us and them1 before they can consent to assist in elevating our brethren to the standing of men4 ,we therefore particularly invite their attention to the subject of education and improvement2 sensible that it is much better calculated to remove prejudice1 and exalt our moral character1 than any system of colonization that has been or can be introduced2 and in which we believe we shall have the co-operation of the wisest and most philanthropic individuals of which the nation can boast4 ,the utility of learning and its salutary effects on the minds and morals of a people1 cannot have escaped the notice of any rational individual situated in a country like this1 where in order successfully to prosecute any mechanical or other business1 education is indispensable4 ,our highest moral ambition1 at present1 should be to acquire for our children a liberal education1 give them mechanical trades1 and thus fit and prepare them for useful and respectable citizens2 and leave the evangelizing of ,africa1 and the establishing of a republic at ,liberia1 to those who conceive themselves able to demonstrate the practicability of its accomplishment by means of a people1 numbers of whom are more ignorant than even the natives of that country themselves4 ,in conclusion1 we feel it a pleasing duty ever to cherish a grateful respect for those benevolent and truly philanthropic individuals1 who have advocated1 and still are advocating our rights in our native country4 ,their indefatigable zeal in the cause of the oppressed will never be forgotten by us1 and unborn millions will bless their names in the day when the all-wise ,creator1 in whom we trust1 shall have bidden oppression to cease4 ,,abraham ,d4 ,,shad1 ,,peter ,,spencer1 ,committee to prepare ,,wm4 ,s4 ,,thomas1 an ,address4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,harrisburg4 ,,harrisburg1 ,pa41 ,october1 #ahca4 ,at a large1 well informed and respectable meeting of the citizens of ,harrisburg1 convened at the ,african ,wesleyan ,methodist church1 for the purpose of expressing their sentiments in a remonstrance against the proceedings of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,rev4 ,jacob ,d4 ,richardson was called to the chair1 and ,jacob ,g4 ,williams appointed secretary4 ,after singing and prayer1 ,rev4 ,mr ,richardson in some concise remarks1--equalled by few1 and exceeded by none1--expressed the object of the meeting4 ,the chairman called the house to order1 and the following resolutions were unanimously acceded to3 ,resolved1 ,that we hold these truths to be self-evident1 7and it is the boasted declaration of our independence7 that all men 7black and white1 poor and rich7 are born free and equal2 that they are endowed by their ,creator with certain inalienable rights2 that among these are life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4 ,this is the language of ,america1 of reason1 and of eternal truth4 ,resolved1 ,that we feel it to be our duty to be true to the constitution of our country1 and are satisfied with the form of government under which we now live2 and1 moreover1 that we are bound in duty and reason to protect it against foreign invasion4 ,we always have done so1 and will do so still4 ,resolved1 ,that we view the efforts of the ,colonization ,society as officious and uncalled for by us4 ,we have never done any thing worthy of banishment from our friends and home3 but this we would say--if the ,colonization ,society will use their best endeavors to get our slave brethren transported to ,liberia1 when we as a free body of people wish to go1 we will give the colonizationists timely notice4 ,resolved1 ,that it is the firm and decided opinion of this meeting1 that were there no free people of color among us1 or if those who are free had remained in the degraded character of slaves1 7or1 as they sometimes call us1 monkeys1 apes and baboons17 they would never have got up the chimerical scheme for our transportation to the burning shores of ,africa1 with the fancied vision of elevating us1 as they say1 to dignity and affluence4 ,resolved1 ,that we cannot remain inactive while colonizationists are straining every nerve and racking their inventions to find out arguments to persuade our free colored brethren to migrate to an unknown land1 which we can no more lay claim to than our white brethren can to ,england or any other foreign country4 ,resolved1 ,that we reject the inhuman and unchristian measures taken by the ,colonization ,society1 for the illumination of the colored citizens of the ,united ,states1 their appropriate home1 in a land of sickness1 affliction and death1 when they are not willing1 with few exceptions1 to give us a christian education while among them4 ,we would wish to know of the colonizationists1 how1 in the name of common sense and reason1 do they expect to do any thing for us thousands of miles across the ,atlantic1 when they oppose almost every measure taken by our white friends and brethren to improve our condition here8 ,resolved1 ,that it is the united opinion of this meeting1 that the enemies of our race1 who are members of the ,colonization ,society1 see that the great ,author of universal existence1 who 'is no respecter of persons1' who taught ,balaam's ass to speak1 and taught ,solomon wisdom1 is now enlightening the sable sons of ,america3 hence their object to drain the country of the most enlightened part of our colored brethren1 so that they may be more able to hold their slaves in bondage and ignorance4 ,resolved1 ,that we object to leaving the land of our birth1 as there is sufficient land in these ,united ,states1 on which a colony can be established that would be far more consonant to the wishes of the colored population generally1 and would be more adapted to their constitution3 neither would it involve the country in such expense as would be incurred by sending them to a howling wilderness1 far away from the graves of their forefathers1 unknown to us in every respect1 unless by geography1 which few of us understand4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting look upon the ,colonization ,society as a vicious1 nefarious and peace-disturbing combination1 and that its leaders might as well essay to cure a wound with an argument1 or set a dislocated bone by a lecture on logic1 as to tell us their object is to better our condition2 because its members acknowledge slavery to be a national evil1 and use no means to annihilate it1 but are exerting all their energies and influence to persuade the free people of color to remove to ,africa1 whose rights to ,columbia's happy soil holds good with any other citizen in ,america4 ,resolved1 ,that we look upon the conduct of those clergymen who have misled their respective congregations with the preposterous idea of the necessity of transporting the free people of color to ,africa1 as highly deserving the just reprehension directed to the false priests and prophets by the true prophets of the ,most ,high2 yet we gratefully acknowledge the respect we entertain for those who have defended our cause--we mean our white friends4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting appoint ,mr ,george ,chester of ,harrisburg1 as agent for the ,liberator1 and will use our utmost endeavors to get subscribers for the same4 ,resolved1 ,that we will support the ,colony in ,canada1 the climate being healthy and the rights of our brethren secured4 ,resolved1 ,that the gratitude of this meeting1 which is so sensibly felt1 be fully expressed to the ,editors of the ,liberator and ,genius of ,universal ,emancipation1 ,messrs ,garrison and ,lundy1 whose independence of mind and correct views of the rights of man have led them so intrepidly to speak in favor of our cause4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and sent to the ,liberator for publication4 ,,jacob ,d4 ,,richardson1 ,chairman4 ,,jacob ,g4 ,,williams1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,rochester4 ,,rochester1 ,n4 ,y41 ,october1 #ahca4 ,a large number of the colored citizens of ,rochester having convened themselves together1 for the important object of taking into consideration the anti-republican principles of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 the ,rev4 ,mr ,johnson was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,a4 ,lawrence was appointed secretary4 ,the meeting was then briefly addressed by the secretary as follows3 ,countrymen and ,brothers--,when viewing the inhumanity and anti-christian principles of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 in plotting our removal to ,africa1 7which is unknown to us as our native country17 it seems as though we were called upon publicly to express our feelings on the subject4 ,we do not consider ,africa to be our home1 any more than the present whites do ,england1 ,scotland1 or ,ireland4 ,this is the land our fathers have tilled before us2 this is the land that gave us our birthright4--,the meeting then ,resolved1 ,that we never will remove to ,africa2 but should any of our brethren wish to emigrate1 we would recommend ,canada as a country far more congenial to our constitutions2--that we give our most sincere thanks to our friendly advocates ,messrs ,garrison and ,knapp1 and ,mr ,benjamin ,lundy1 who are crying unto their fellow men1 night and day1 to let their countrymen go free3 they will be called blessed by many generations yet to come4 ,the ,colonization ,society say that they cannot treat us as men while we are with them2 but if we will go out of their reach1 they will begin their charity4 ,what should we think of such religion as this8 ,because our skin is a little darker than theirs1 they say they cannot think of treating us as men4 ,the scripture says1 ',beware of wolves in sheep's clothing'--and such they seem to be4 ,we earnestly believe1 with our generous friend ,garrison1 that it would not be a hard matter to exceed them in doing right4 ,our blessed ,lord said1 that we should do to all men as we would have them do to us4 ,now what would they think1 if we should tell them that they would be better off in ,new ,holland or in ,tartary8 ,resolved1 ,that we will do all in our power to support the ,liberator1 printed by ,mr ,garrison1 and all other works in our behalf4 ,resolved1 ,that the foregoing proceedings be published in the ,liberator4 ,,henry ,,johnson1 ,chairman4 ,a4 ,,lawrence1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,providence4 ,,providence1 ,november #a1 #ahca4 ,at a respectable meeting of the colored people of ,providence1 ,r4 ,i41 duly appointed and publicly holden at the ,african church1 on the #cast of ,october1 #ahca1 to take into consideration the objects and motives of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,mr ,george ,c4 ,willis was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,alfred ,niger appointed secretary4 ,the meeting was then addressed at some length by the chairman1 stating their object in assembling together1 and exposing the injustice and prejudice by which he believed the friends of ,african colonization were actuated4 ,the following preamble and resolutions were read by the secretary1 and unanimously adopted3 ,whereas our brethren1 in different parts of the ,united ,states1 have thought proper to call meetings to express their disapprobation of the ,american ,colonization ,society2 we1 concurring fully with them in opinion1 have assembled ourselves together for the purpose of uniting with them1 in declaring that we believe the operations of the ,society have been unchristian and anti-republican1 and at variance with our best interests as a people4 ,therefore1 ,resolved1 ,that we will use every fair and honorable means in our power1 to oppose the operations of the above mentioned ,society4 ,resolved1 ,that we are truly sensible that we are in this country a degraded and ignorant people2 but that our ignorance and degradation are not to be attributed to the inferiority of our natural abilities1 but to the oppressive treatment we have experienced from the whites in general1 and to the prejudice excited against us by the members of the ,colonization ,society1 their aiders and abettors4 ,resolved1 ,that we view1 with unfeigned astonishment1 the anti-christian and inconsistent conduct of those who so strenuously advocate our removal from this our native country to the burning shores of ,liberia1 and who with the same breath contend against the cruelty and injustice of ,georgia in her attempt to remove the ,cherokee ,indians west of the ,mississippi4 ,resolved1 ,that we firmly believe1 from the recent measures adopted by the freemen of the city of ,new ,haven1 in regard to the establishment of a ,college for our education in that place1 that the principal object of the friends of ,african colonization is to oppose our education and consequent elevation here1 as it will deprive them of one of their principal arguments for our removal4 ,resolved1 ,that as our fathers participated with the whites in their struggle for liberty and independence1 and believing with the ,declaration of that ,independence1 'that all men are created free and equal2 that they are endowed by their ,creator with certain unalienable rights1 among which are life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness2' and as we have committed no crime worthy of banishment--,therefore ,resolved1 ,that we will not leave our homes1 nor the graves of our fathers1 and this boasted land of liberty and christian philanthropy4 ,resolved1 ,that1 our unfeigned and sincere thanks be tendered to ,messrs ,garrison and ,knapp1 and to every true friend to our cause1 for their unwearied and truly benevolent exertions in our behalf4 ,resolved1 ,that we will earnestly recommend the ,liberator1 published in ,boston by the above mentioned gentlemen1 to the patronage of our friends throughout the country4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and sent to ,boston1 with the request that they may be published in the ,liberator4 ,,george ,c4 ,,willis1 ,chairman4 ,,alfred ,,niger1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,trenton4 ,,trenton1 ,november #cj1 #ahca4 ,at a respectable meeting of the free people of color in ,trenton1 convened in the ,mount ,zion church1 ,november #cj1 #ahca1 for the purpose of considering the subject of colonization on the coast of ,africa--,on motion1 the ,rev4 ,lewis ,cork was called to the chair1 and ,abner ,h4 ,francis appointed secretary4 ,the meeting was addressed by ,messrs ,gardener and ,thompson2 after which1 the following resolutions were unanimously adopted4 ,resolved1 ,inasmuch as we1 free people of color1 have done all that is in our power to convince the white inhabitants of these ,united ,states1 that it is our wish to live peaceably with all men2 and inasmuch as our general demeanor has been that of industry and sobriety1 notwithstanding there are some among us to the contrary1 as well as among the whites2 therefore we do most solemnly declare1 that the statements made to the contrary by the ,rev4 ,mr ,crosby1 in his late addresses in this city1 and all statements by petitioners to legislative bodies1 and by the ,colonization ,society1 or any thing of the same nature1 are a positive libel on our general character4 ,resolved1 ,whereas we have lived peaceably and quietly in these ,united ,states1 of which we are natives1 and have never been the cause of any insurrectionary or tumultuous movements as a body1 that we do view every measure taken by any associated bodies to remove us to other climes1 anti-christian and hostile to our peace1 and a violation of the laws of humanity4 ,resolved1 ,that if1 in the opinion of government1 our stay or liberty can no longer be granted in the ,states in which we live1 we see nothing contrary to the constitution of these ,united ,states1 or to christianity1 justice1 reason or humanity1 in granting us a portion of the ,western territory1 as a state1 with the same franchise as that of ,pennsylvania1 ,new ,jersey1 or any other free ,state2 for we challenge the ,union to prove that1 as free men1 we have ever given the least ground for the uncharitable censures that have been cast upon us4 ,resolved1 ,that we view the ,american ,colonization ,society as the most inveterate foe both to the free and slave man of color2 forasmuch as the agents thereof1 and its members who have petitioned the several legislatures1 have unequivocally declared its object1 to wit1 the extermination of the free people of color from the ,union2 and to effect this they have not failed to slander our character1 by representing us as a vagrant race2 and we do therefore disclaim all union with the said ,society1 and1 once for all1 declare that we never will remove under their patronage2 neither do we consider it expedient to emigrate any where1 but to remain in the land and see the salvation of ,god4 ,nevertheless1 if any of our brethren should be compelled or see proper to emigrate1 we would recommend to them ,upper ,canada or ,mexico4 ,resolved1 ,that we view with the highest emotion of gratitude1 the benevolence of ,great ,britain and that of the ,canada ,company1 in affording an asylum in the ,wilberforce settlement1 in ,upper ,canada1 for our oppressed brethren of the ,south1 who have been or may be forced1 by unconstitutional laws1 to leave their rightful home and place of nativity1 without any cause except that of having a dark skin4 ,resolved1 ,that this meeting approve the establishment of a college1 as recommended by the ,annual ,convention held in ,philadelphia last ,june1 and that we give all possible aid to that institution4 ,resolved1 ,that we view the ,liberator1 edited by ,william ,lloyd ,garrison1 as a great herald in the cause of liberty1 and that we recommend to the colored citizens of ,trenton the utility of subscribing to the above named paper4 ,resolved1 ,that there be a committee of three appointed to draft an address more expressive of our views on the above subject4 ,resolved1 ,that the following persons compose that committee--,sampson ,peters1 ,robert ,thomas1 ,george ,cole4 ,,lewis ,,cork1 ,chairman4 ,,abner ,h4 ,,francis1 ,secretary4 ,,address4 ,we1 the undersigned1 in conformity to the above appointment1 beg leave to present to the public1 in a calm1 unprejudiced manner1 our decided disapprobation of the ,american ,colonization ,society and its auxiliaries1 in relation to the people of color in the ,united ,states4 ,we are well convinced1 from the mass that has been written on the above subject by those who have preceded us1 that it will be difficult to avoid repetition2 nevertheless2 we hope to touch some points which have not been fairly understood by that ,society4 ,they have supposed that our objections are to civilizing and evangelizing ,africa2 but we beg leave to say1 that it is an error4 ,we are well aware1 that there is no surer way to effect this great object than to plant among the heathen1 colonies of ,christian missionaries4 ,we wish1 therefore1 to be understood1 that we highly approve of the evangelizing of ,africa1 but disapprove of the present measures of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 if their motives have not been misrepresented by their agents and others1 in some previous addresses in this city and elsewhere4 ,but viewing them as we now do1 we must say that1 in our opinion1 their false representations of our general character--their recommending our removal from our native land--their opposition to our having a part of the ,west appointed to us--their objections to our proposed college1 and of our march to science--their false statements in relation to the health of the colony at ,liberia1 with a variety of other subjects of the same nature--all lead to a conclusion1 that it is our greatest foe4 ,we would here ask the public a few questions4 ,first--,is the gospel of ,jesus ,christ calculated to lead to insurrectionary measures8 ,if so1 why then send it to the heathen8 ,second--,what gentleman1 who has set his slaves free1 has been murdered by them for so doing8 ,third--,what have those ,states1 who have washed their hands clean of the cursed stain of slavery1 lost by it8 ,fourth--,what neighborhood1 where education and general information have been disseminated among the people of color1 is the worse for it8 ,in closing our remarks1 we would say1 that we do think that the subjects looked to by the ,colonization ,society1 to civilize ,africa1 are incompetent2 for we do suppose that men selected for such an important enterprise1 should be men of deed and sound piety--men of regular and industrious habits1 of scientific knowledge and general experience3 that such men can be obtained1 we have no doubt2 and if there cannot1 let us first prepare some in this country4 ,,sampson ,,peters1 ,,robert ,,thomas1 ,committee4 ,,george ,,cole1 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,lyme4 ,,lyme1 ,ct41 ,january #i1 #ahcb4 ,at a respectable meeting of the colored citizens of this place1 held pursuant to public notice--,mr ,luther ,wright was called to the chair1 and ,mr ,daniel ,r4 ,condol appointed secretary4 ,after some animated remarks by ,messrs ,wright and ,condol1 it was ,resolved1 ,that it is the sincere opinion of this meeting1 that the ,american ,colonization ,society is one of the wildest projects ever patronised by a body of enlightened men2 and further1 that many of those who support it would be willing1 if it were in their power1 to drive us out of existence4 ,resolved1 ,that though we be last in calling a meeting1 we feel no less the pernicious influence of this ,society than the rest of our brethren2 and that we will resist every attempt to banish us from this our native land4 ,resolved1 ,that we place unshaken reliance upon the promises of ,jehovah1 and believe that he will take our reproach away1 and give freedom to those who are held in captivity4 ,resolved1 ,that we are not for insurrection1 but for peace1 freedom and equality4 ,resolved1 ,that the thanks of this meeting be rendered to ,messrs ,garrison and ,knapp1 for their benevolent exertions in behalf of the oppressed descendants of ,africa2 and that they be requested to insert these proceedings in the ,liberator4 ,,luther ,,wright1 ,chairman4 ,,daniel ,r4 ,,condol1 ,secretary4 ,a ,,voice ,,prom ,,lewistown4 ,,lewistown1 ,pa41 ,january #i1 #ahcb4 ,at a numerous meeting held by the free people of color of the borough of ,lewistown1 in the ,african ,methodist ,episcopal church1 ,samuel ,johnston was called to the chair1 and ,martin ,johnston appointed secretary4 ,the following resolutions were then read1 and unanimously adopted3 ,resolved1 ,that we will not leave these ,united ,states1 the land of our birth1 for a home in ,africa4 ,resolved1 ,that we will strenuously oppose the colonizing of the free people of color in ,liberia4 ,resolved1 ,that we are willing to emigrate to any part of the ,united ,states which may be granted to us4 ,resolved1 ,that we will support the ,liberator1 a paper published in ,boston1 edited by ,william ,lloyd ,garrison2 and also the colony in ,upper ,canada as an asylum for our oppressed brethren4 ,resolved1 ,that a committee be appointed to prepare an address to be published in the ,liberator4 ,resolved1 ,that the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the ,chairman and ,secretary1 and forwarded to the editor of the ,liberator for publication4 ,,samuel ,,johnston1 ,chairman4 ,,martin ,,johnston1 ,secretary4 ,,address4 ,we1 the undersigned1 in conformity to the above appointment1 beg leave to present to the public1 in a calm and unprejudiced manner1 our reasons for opposing the scheme of ,african colonization4 ,this is the land of our birth4 ,the ,declaration of ,independence declares1 that 'all men are born free and equal3' it does not say that the white man or the black man is free1--but all1 without respect to color1 tongues1 or nation4 ,we therefore consider all laws to enslave or degrade the people of color as contrary to the letter and spirit of this ,declaration2 and that according to it we are freemen1 and have as indisputable a right to enjoy our liberty as any white man4 ,to deny it to us1 because we differ in color1 is oppression4 ,to say that ,africa is our native country is untrue4 ,here we were born1 and here we mean to die2 for all men are born free4 ,we wish to return our grateful thanks to our friends1 and to the friends of the abolition of slavery4 ,we consider slavery a national sin1 which1 if not speedily overthrown1 will cause this nation to mourn and weep2 for ,god has declared that ,ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto him1 and he will hear her cry4 ,we would say to colonizationists that we consider them our foes instead of our friends4 ,it is vain for them to say that we would do better in ,liberia2 for we do not believe it4 ,there is room enough in this country for us2 and if they be our friends1 let them meliorate our condition here4 ,let them join in the work of immediate abolition of slavery4 ,let them wash out the stains which disfigure the national character4 ,and then let them tell us about ,liberia4 ,one reason why we are opposed to leaving these ,united ,states is this3 you have so long denied us the enjoyment and protection of the laws of ,god and man in this country1 that you wish now to oppress us still more4 ,but thanks be to ,him who holds all things in his hand1 we believe ,he will plead our cause4 ,your skirts are already dyed with the blood of millions of souls4 ',vengeance is mine--,i will repay1' saith the ,lord4 ,awake1 ye wolves in sheep's clothing4 ,your cup is now full4 ,you are daily causing innocent blood to be shed4 ,how long1 ye slavites1 ye kidnappers1 ye that traffic in human flesh1 will you sleep8 ,when will you awake to your best interests8 ,for remember that you will not always be able to hold your victims in servile chains4 ,j4 ,g4 ,,smith1 ,m4 ,,walker1 ,committee4 ,m4 ,,johnston1 ,a ,,voice ,,from ,,new-,,bedford4 ,,new-,,bedford1 ,january #bc1 #ahcb4 ,at a meeting of the people of color in ,new-,bedford1 ,january #bc;d1 for the purpose of considering and giving their opinion of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 and the actual evil or benefit of that ,society to the objects of its supervision1 the free people of color1 ,mr ,richard ,johnson was called to the chair1 and ,richard ,g4 ,overing appointed secretary4 ,after an address from the chair1 it was moved that resolutions expressive of the views of the meeting1 respecting the ,colonization ,society1 be drawn up1 and published in some newspaper not adverse to the rights and well being of all men1 be their color what it may4 ,the following are the resolves of the meeting3 ,resolved1 ,that in whatever light we view the ,colonization ,society1 we discover nothing in it but terror1 prejudice and oppression2 that the warm and beneficent hand of philanthropy is not apparent in the system1 but the influence of the ,society on public opinion is more prejudicial to the interest and welfare of the people of color in the ,united ,states1 than slavery itself4 ,resolved1 ,that the ,society1 to effect its purpose1 the removal of the free people of color1 7not the slaves7 through its agents1 teaches the public to believe that it is patriotic and benevolent to withhold from us knowledge and the means of acquiring subsistence1 and to look upon us as unnatural and illegal residents in this country2 and thus by force of prejudice1 if not by law1 endeavor to compel us to embark for ,africa1 and that too1 apparently1 by our own free will and consent4 ,resolved1 ,that as great a nuisance as we may be in the estimation of that ,society1 we yet have a hope in ,him who has seen fit to continue our existence through days worse than which we do not fear1 and which emboldens us as peaceable citizens1 to resolve to abide the issue of coming days in our native land1 in which we ask no more than the age in which we live demands1 and which this nation1 as republicans and christians1 should not refuse to grant4 ,signed in behalf of the meeting4 ,,richard ,,johnson1 ,chairman4 ,r4 ,g4 ,,overing1 ,secretary4 ,the foregoing resolutions and addresses are given in plain1 it may be occasionally in severe language2 and display an intensity of feeling1 a depth of abhorrence1 and a firmness of purpose1 honorable to men who appreciate their rights and love their country4 ,before ,i proceed1 however1 to comment upon these important proceedings1 ,i shall make some quotations from the essays and addresses of colored writers1 in order to sustain my assertion that the ,american ,colonization ,society is directly opposed to the wishes of our free colored population4 ',a ,,colored ,,baltimorean',,ah records his sentiments in the following style3 ',we believe1 sirs1 that the people of color in the ,united ,states will never be prevailed over to abandon the land of their birth1 and every thing vernacular with them--to forego many advantages which they now possess1 and many more which they have in prospect1 for the imaginary1 or if real1 the fleeting and short-lived honors held out to them by our ,americo-,african empire4 ,why should we exchange a temperate and salubrious climate1 adapted to our constitutions as ,americans1 for one1 to us1 fraught with disease and death8 ,why should we leave a land in which the arts and sciences are flourishing1 and which is beginning to yield to our research1 for one1 where the irradiating beams of the sun of science have yet to be announced by the bright star of hope8 ,why should we leave a land illuminated with the blaze of gospel light1 for one enshrouded in pagan gloom8 ,why should we1 who are in tolerable circumstances in ,america1 who enjoy many of the comforts of life1 and are evidently on the advanced march of mind1 cast away these certain1 real1 and growing advantages1 for those which are precarious and chimerical8 ,why should we abandon our firesides1 and every thing associated with the dear name of home--undergo the fatigues of a perilous voyage1 and expose ourselves1 our wives1 and our little ones1 to the deleterious influences of an uncongenial sun1 for the enjoyment of a liberty divested of its usual accompaniments1 surrounded with circumstances which diminish its intrinsic value1 and render it indeed a dear earned morsel8 99 99 99 99 99 99 ',but it is the hope of accomplishing the entire subversion of the slave trade and ,mahometan superstition1 and all their subsidiary concomitants1 that has actuated the ,christian and stimulated the philanthropist4 ,noble objects indeed6 ,and who are those christians and philanthropists8 ,our friend tells us1 without distinction1 that they are those noble and heroic men who have enlisted under the banner of colonization4 ,but how happens it that some of the most distinguished of these christians and philanthropists are themselves slaveholders1 and so far abettors of the slave trade as to be actually guilty of selling into a cruel and interminable vassalage the hapless victims of their tender mercies8 ,again1 how is it that none but the free people of color have been chosen to evangelize ,africa8 ,is it because they are under an exclusive moral obligation to dispel the gloom of ,mahometan superstition8 ,is it because they are pre-eminently qualified in point of morals and information for the missionary enterprise8 ,none will say this4 ,perhaps we shall be told1 that the identity of their color gives them a decided advantage over every other people4 ,but how is it that those wicked white men1 who are in the habit of resorting thither for the most nefarious purposes1 have access to these people8 ,and we have not forgotten that during the visit of the ,rev4 ,g4 ,r4 ,mc,gill1 in ,baltimore1 he informed us that colored men from the ,united ,states1 being thought by the natives to be men of information1 are received and treated as white men1 and denominated by the same epithet4 ,since then it does not appear that we are pre-eminently qualified for this work1 why should it be pressed upon us8 99 99 99 99 ',tell us not that the ,sovereign ,ruler of the universe1 who is not a respecter of persons1 whose tender mercies are over all his works1 will never elevate us to the dignity of men and christians1 unless we emigrate to ,africa4 ,tell us not that in this christian country1 this land of the free and home of the brave1 we must for ever remain a degraded and proscribed race--that we must for ever be treated as the outcasts of creation4 ,we are aware that this doctrine has been asserted with all the confidence of inspiration by some of our gospel ministers4 ,we have heard them proclaim it in a tone calculated to strengthen the prejudices existing against us4 ,they seem to forget that there is a superintending providence--that ,he1 who sits upon the whirlwind and directs the storm1 has ever manifested himself a friend to the oppressed of every clime4 ,they seem to forget that the religion of ,jesus1 wherever it reigns with unrestrained sway1 demolishes every partition wall1 and exterminates out of the heart all those bitter prejudices which impede the march of the ,messiah's kingdom4 ,we should like to have these prophets give us their ideas in relation to the millennial reign of ,christ4 ,we should like to have them inform us whether or not the general prejudices and their inseparable accompaniments1 which now lie upon1 and operate against us1 on account of our color1 will be consistent with this glorious reign of peace1 and love1 and joy4 ,let these ministers consider that much of our degradation is chargeable to the indifference 7to say the least7 that they manifest in regard to our situation--that if they as patterns of piety hold us at a distance1 it is but natural for the inconsiderate to follow their example4 ,let them recollect that while they are making powerful and irresistible appeals to the humanity of the ,american people in behalf of the oppressed of other climes1 they have a people among them whose claims upon their liberality are paramount to those of any other4 ,let these ministers tell us how often they make it their business to visit those portions of their flocks whose crime is1 their color4 ,nay1 one of them said not long since1 to be familiar with the people of color would destroy his usefulness among the whites4 ,but whether they do their duty in relation to us or not1 we indulge in no fears in regard to our future condition4 ,we are not distrustful of the goodness and power of ,him who has overruled the evil designs of those men that first tore our ancestors from their native shores1 who is still overruling1 and who will continue to overrule the designs of all who would treat us as the offscouring of the earth1 because our ,creator has not given us a color as white as their own4 ,if ever there was a people who could look up to ,heaven with unshaken confidence for protection1 it is that people whose sufferings are not the consequences of their crimes2 it is that people whose misfortunes work in them the graces of faith1 patience and hope4 ,and why should we not cherish these invaluable graces8 ,we are told by high authority1 that all things shall work together for good to them that love ,god--that ,he will give grace and glory1 and no good thing will ,he withhold from them that walk uprightly4 ,you see1 sirs1 we have one straight forward course to pursue--one marked out by the hand of unerring wisdom4 ,this course we intend to pursue1 without giving ourselves any uneasiness as to the issue2 this we leave to ,him who has the administration of the universe in his hands1 and who has declared for our encouragement1 even the very hairs of your head are all numbered4 ,tell us not of the wisdom1 and power1 and number of our enemies2 ,he who has given us a hope1 which at least makes our condition tolerable1 will say to them1 as ,he did to the tempestuous billows1 ,hitherto shalt thou come1 but no further2 and here shall thy proud waves be stayed4' 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ',what effect have the evils of slavery in this happy land upon the mind of the liberal1 the unprejudiced1 and philanthropic ,lafayette8 ',hear him1 he will speak for himself3 ,when ,i am indulging in my views of ,american prospects and ,american liberty1 it is mortifying to be told that in that very country a large portion of the people are slaves4 ,it is a dark spot on the face of the nation4 ,such a state of things cannot always exist4 ,it was a sight of the evils alluded to1 and their inseparable concomitants1 that extorted from the pen of ,mr ,jefferson that comprehensive and soul-thrilling sentence--,i tremble for my country when ,i reflect that ,god is just1 and that his justice cannot sleep for ever4 ,but may we not indulge the hope that the evils spoken of will yet awaken the sympathies of the ,american people--soften their cruel prejudices--arouse their slumbering energies--and produce in them an unconquerable determination to wash from their stars and stripes one of the blackest spots that ever cursed the globe1 or stained the historic page8 ,shall we be told that invincible prejudices render this great desideratum impracticable8 ,and what is this but a libel upon the ,american people8 ,what is it but to say1 there is in them a moral incapacity to do justice1 love mercy1 and walk uprightly8 ,colonization orators1 designing politicians1 ministers of ,jesus1 tell me1 how can you thus libel your countrymen8 ,surely1 there is a regenerating1 a redeeming spirit in the land--a spirit transforming misanthropes into philanthropists--bondmen into freemen--abettors of slavery into champions of liberty--a spirit that will yet drive from ,america the demon of slavery1 and render it indeed the land of the free and the home of the brave4',,ai 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ',i have just found time to notice a few very exceptionable features of a communication over the signature of ,a ,marylander1 published1 a few days ago1 in the ,american of our city4 ,the writer is unquestionably entitled to the credit of being a thorough-going colonizationist4 ,he writes in the true spirit of the cause4 ,he seems to be under an excitement produced by the publication of our anti-colonization resolutions4 ,this being the case1 it is not to be expected that he would1 throughout his communication1 avail himself of the guarded1 accommodating1 and conciliating language usual with colonization writers and declaimers4 ,after being convinced that the people of color are not to be persuaded to leave the land of their birth1 and every thing vernacular with them1 for regions which he tells us are now dark as the valley of the shadow of death1 he says1 ,i would propose then that ,maryland should colonize her own free blacks4 ,he does not add the usual qualification1 with their own consent3 he knows this will never be obtained4 ,he therefore says3 ,i earnestly hope that the time is now come when our state will wake up to all the importance of this subject1 and will instantly commence a system of measures imperatively demanded by the sternest principles colonization principles8 of sound policy4 ,we would tell this precocious statesman that we are not to be intimidated into colonization measures by the angry effusions of his illiberal soul2 that we had rather die in ,maryland under the pressure of unrighteous and cruel laws than be driven1 like cattle1 to the pestilential clime of ,liberia1 where grievous privation1 inevitable disease1 and premature death1 await us in all their horrors4 ,we are emboldened thus to speak1 not from a reliance on the mere arm of flesh2 no--it is the righteousness of our cause1 a knowledge of the attributes of ,deity1 combined with a consciousness of innocence under suffering1 that have inspired us with a moral courage which no oppression shall shake1 no fulminations overawe4 ,our limits will not permit us to expatiate1 at this time1 on the import of the terms1 a system of measures--the sternest principles1 c4 ,we would barely remark that the climax of injustice and cruelty1 here suggested1 nay1 recommended1 is the legitimate fruit of the operations of the ,american colonization societies relative to the free people of color4 ,we have always believed that the system of measures here recommended1 would be the dernier resort of these christian associations4 ,the unmerited abuse1 that has been so unsparingly heaped upon us by colonizationists for expressing our opinions of their project as connected with our happiness1 their manifest determination to effectuate their object regardless of our consent1 abundantly corroborate the opinion we have long since entertained4 ,we turn1 however1 from the contemplation of the persecution and oppression1 which1 it seems1 are in reserve for us1 to notice1 briefly1 the moving cause of this virulent and relentless attack upon our rights and happiness4 ,the census just taken1 says ,a ,marylander1 admonishes us in the strongest manner1 of the necessity of prompt and efficient measures to drain off this description of our population4 ,here then is the patriotic1 the benevolent1 the christian principle1 by which the colonization societies1 throughout our land1 are actuated4 ,this is the selfish policy of which we complain1 and which should be execrated by all true patriots1 philanthropists1 and christians4 ,our increase is represented as an alarming evil--an evil1 said one of our colonization orators in the pulpit1 not long since1 which threatens our very existence4 ,now1 if all this be true1 how can they1 on their own principles1 say we can never be a people in this country8 ,surely1 they are taking effectual steps to convince us1 that the enjoyment of our rights in this1 our native land1 is not only possible1 but highly probable4 ,this we have always believed4 ,and we hope and pray1 that it may be accomplished in a way sanctioned by the gospel of peace3 without confused noise1 or garments rolled in blood4 ,but this glorious victory over pride and prejudice1 by gospel weapons1 will never be accomplished by colonization principles4 ,nor will those ministers of the gospel have any part or lot in this matter1 who solemnly declare1 in the face of heaven and earth1 that we can never enjoy1 in this country1 those inalienable rights of man1 whose inviolable preservation promotes the welfare of the whole human family4 ,such ministers virtually declare that they do not believe the doctrines they are bound to preach2 that ,he1 from whom they profess to have received their commission1 is1 indeed1 a hard man1 reaping where he has not sown1 and gathering where he has not strawed2 that ,he requires of them and their flocks1 that which they are morally incapable of performing2 that they cannot love their neighbor as themselves1 or do unto others what they wish done unto themselves1 because their ,lord1 in his wisdom1 has given some of their fellow creatures a different color from their own4 ,these temporising1 retrograde reformers are doing a serious injury to the people of color4 ,they heed not the warning of ,heaven3 ,do my people no harm4 ,they are doing more to strengthen the cruel and unchristian prejudices1 already too powerful against us1 than all the slaveholders in the ,union4 ,they hesitate not to declare1 that1 in ,america1 we are out of the reach of humanity4 ,they seem to think that the religion of the benevolent ,saviour which enjoins1 honor all men1 and which explicitly says1 if ye have respect to persons1 ye commit sin1 is nothing more than a dead letter1 or must for ever remain powerless1 in the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,and have these men the face to contend with the infidels of our land8 ,why1 one infidel1 with the bible in his hands1 would chase a thousand1 and two put ten thousand to flight4 ,but notwithstanding these discouraging circumstances1 our cause will yet triumph4 ,he who is for us1 is stronger than all that are against us4 ,the rulers of the land may take counsel together1 and some of the professed ministers of ,jesus may come into their secret1 but ,he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh3 the ,lord shall have them in derision4 ,fear not then1 my colored countrymen1 but press forward1 with a laudable ambition1 for all that heaven has intended for you and your children1 remembering that the path of duty is the path of safety1 and that righteousness alone exalteth a nation4' ,if excellence of style1 a dignified carriage1 sound logic1 a high and abiding faith1 and fervent piety1 confer credit upon a writer1 few have ever better illustrated these traits than ',a ,,colored ,,baltimorean1' or deserved a nobler tribute of praise4 ,he who would be ashamed to acknowledge such a man as his countryman and brother1 has yet to learn his own insignificance and what constitutes the majesty of human nature4 ,the following is an extract of a letter from a colored gentleman of wealth and respectability in ,philadelphia1 whose friendship is courted by honorable men1 and whose usefulness is scarcely exceeded by any other citizen3 ',is it not preposterous to one1 like myself1 whose family has resided in the state of ,pennsylvania ever since the great lawgiver1 ,william ,penn1 came last to this state from ,england2 and who fought for the independence of my country1 whose ,declaration asserts1 that all men are born with free and equal rights--is it not preposterous to be told that this is not my country8 ,i was seven months on board of the old ,jersey ,prison ship in the year #aghj1 the times that tried men's souls2 and am ,i now to be told that ,africa is my country1 by some of those whose birth-place is unknown8 ,is it not a contradiction to say that a man is an alien to the country in which he was born8 ,to separate the blacks from the whites is as impossible1 as to bale out the ,delaware with a bucket4 ,i have always been decidedly of opinion1 that if the ,colonization ,society would take but half the pains to improve the children of color in their own country1 and expend but half the money that they are devoting to accomplish their visionary scheme of christianizing ,africa1 by offering premiums to master mechanics to take them as apprentices1 they would do more to destroy prejudice than any thing else4 ,when ,i look at this globe1 containing eight or nine hundred millions of inhabitants1 and see that they differ in color from the frozen to the temperate and torrid zones1 and that every thing is variegated1 ,i am astonished that any man should be so prejudiced against his fellow-man2 but we pray for the aid of the ,almighty to take the scales from their eyes2 and that the ,liberator may be one of the instruments in commencing the work4',,aj ',i would ask some of our pretended white friends1 and the members of the ,american ,colonization ,society1 why they are so interested in our behalf as to want us to go to ,africa8 ,they tell us that it is our home2 that they desire to make a people of us1 which we can never be here2 that they want ,africa civilized2 and that we are the very persons to do it1 as it is almost impossible for any white person to exist there4 ,i deny it4 ,will some of those guardian angels of the people of color tell me how it is that we1 who were born in the same city or state with themselves1 can live any longer in ,africa than they8 ,i consider it the most absurd assertion that any man of common sense could make1 unless it is supposed1 as some have already said1 that we are void of understanding4 ,if we had been born on that continent1 the transportation would be another matter2 but as the fact is the reverse1 we consider the ,united ,states our home1 and not ,africa as they wish to make us believe2--and if we do emigrate1 it will be to a place of our own choice4 ',i would also mention to the supporters of the ,colonization ,society1 that if they would spend half the time and money that they do1 in educating the colored population and giving them lands to cultivate here1 and secure to them all the rights and immunities of freemen1 instead of sending them to ,africa1 it would be found1 in a short time1 that they made as good citizens as the whites4 ,their traducers would hear of fewer murders1 highway robberies1 forgeries1 c4 c4 being committed1 than they do at present among some of the white inhabitants of this country4',,ak ',colonization principles1 abstractly considered1 are unobjectionable2 but the means employed for their propagation1 we think1 are altogether objectionable4 ,we are deprived of our birthright1 and pointed by the colonization partisans to another country as a home4 ,they speak of the prejudices which exist against us1 as an insuperable hindrance to the improvement of our situation here4 ,we are sickened by the constant reiteration of extraneous mass1 ,african inferiority1 c4 which tends immediately to justify the slaveholder in his crime1 and increase already existing prejudice4 ,the ,colonization ,society never will effect the removal of slavery4 ,the ,god of justice will never1 in my opinion1 let this nation off so easily4 ,it is in vain to hold back4 ,the eyes of all will ultimately be opened to see that nothing but universal emancipation can possibly avert impending wrath4',,al ',how long1 oh6 ye boasters of freedom1 will ye endeavor to persuade us1 your derided1 degraded fellow countrymen1 to the belief that our interest and happiness are prized in high estimation among you8 ,be it known1 that we are not all such misguided1 deluded mortals as to be duped by your plans2 that we will not suffer ourselves to become so infatuated as to hurl reason from her throne1 and succumb to your glittering1 showy1 dissimulating path to eminence4 ,we spurn with contempt your unrighteous schemes1 and point the finger of derision at your fruitless attempts4 ,you have commenced them in a day1 when liberty1 justice and equality are claimed by almost all1 as nature's rights2 for behold6 a beam of science1 lucid as the sun1 has divinely fallen upon the lightless intellects of a portion of that ignoble part of your fellow creatures1 who have been so long the victims of your fell injustice and inhumanity4 ,would to ,god that conscience might subdue your malignant prejudices4 ,tell us not that our condition can never be bettered in the land of our birth3 you know it not4 ,make but the attempt in consecrating a portion of your time1 talents and money upon us here1 and you would soon find the cause of ,afric's injured race vindicated by her descendants2 and the day which now dawns would be speedily ushered into blazing light1 declaring in its effulgence the joyful sound of ,liberty--,justice--,equality1 to all mankind4',,am ',there is much to be surprised at1 little to admire1 and nothing worthy of imitation1 in the bubbles of our friends1 the colonizationists4 ,they have enlisted the prejudices and the support of the wealthy and influential in their favor2 they have succeeded in sending some two or three thousand to ,liberia2 and they are flattered with their partial success1 and no doubt look forward to the time when they will behold the whole of the colored inhabitants of ,america1 in the far distant land of ,africa4 ,but let them not anticipate too much2 they have yet one obstacle to overcome which threatens to overthrow their baseless fabric2 or at any rate impede their progress4 ,their proceedings have not obtained the approbation of those1 whose approbation is most needed1 the colored people themselves4 ,they are most strangely mistaken if they suppose that it is an easy matter to win them1 either by sophistry or force4 ,the press has begun its revolutionizing work1 overturning in its progress every thing calculated to suppress inquiry or to blind the understanding4 ,already have the intrigues of the designing been exposed1 and already have the colored people set their faces against oppression4 ',the ,colonization ,society has erred in matters of policy2 for instead of exerting themselves to gain the confidence of the colored people1 and thus by persuasion to have rid the country of them1 they have acted in a manner calculated to disgust every humane mind1 and have rendered it an utter impossibility to remove them2 and it is most fortunate for the unfortunate1 that they have detected those intriguing spirits in their humane and charitable undertaking4 ',how many hours of anguish1 how much incalculable misery has been prevented2 in short1 how many human beings have been saved from an untimely grave1 by the timely interposition of the ,,press6 ,it has said1 let it be so1 and it was so2 its thunders have been heard1 and the oppressor trembles like the earthquake3 it has overthrown1 yea1 totally demolished the sharp-edged sword of the ,colonization ,society4 ',support the ,,press then1 ye people of color1 and the result will be a total overthrow of all the darling schemes of the aforesaid darling ,society2 it has accomplished wonders1 yea1 wonders already2 much more can1 nay1 will be done2 again ,i say1 support the ,,press4',,an ',the ,african ,colonization ,society declares that we the people of color shall have no part nor lot in the free institutions of this country4 ,why8 ,because the ,creator of all--the sovereign ,ruler of the universe1 who holds in his hands the destiny of nations1 thought fit and proper1 in his infinite wisdom1 to tincture us with a darker hue than the paler part of community6 or1 if ,i may say1 because the lot of our predecessors happened to be cast in the torrid zone1 beneath the scorching beams of a vertical sun6 ,these are the objections the ,african ,colonization ,society offer to this community to our remaining in this country--in the land of freemen6 ,these are the considerations that prompt them to tell us that we the descendants of ,africa can never be men unless we abandon the land of our birth1 our homes and people1 and submit to that uncongenial clime1 the barbarous regions of ,africa1 amidst unyielding contagion and mortality6 ,o1 that man would remember1 that knowledge and virtue1 not complexion1 are the emblems that constitute the value of human dignity6 ,with these1 we are worthy--without them1 we are unworthy4 ,by the acts and operations of wicked men1 shielded under a cloak of religion1 we the people of color are doomed to all the miseries that the human body is able to sustain--deprived of light1 knowledge and social intercourse1 by the colonization gentlemen4 ,with all their pretended zeal and love of liberty1 manifested towards the ,african race1 ,i count them as enemies1 not friends4 ,i do not solicit their love1 nor regard their friendship4 ,i speak for one3 ,i never did1 and never will court an enemy as a friend1 knowingly1 let him be whom he may--let him belong to church or state1 ,i feel the weight of their predominant power1 and the finishing blow they are about to strike4 ,thus we move by them1 poor and pennyless1 despised and forsaken by all2 creeping through your streets1 submissively bowed down to every foot whose skin is tinctured with a lighter hue than ours--thus we sojourn in solitude1 not for our crimes but color4 ',i came here for the purpose of showing to this community1 that the people of color of the ,united ,states disapprove of the ,african ,colonization plan4 ,they do not wish to emigrate to ,africa4 ,these six hundred or more1 that the gentleman tells you are now waiting for a passage to ,liberia1 are not the free people of color of the ,united ,states2 they are1 if any1 the poor1 old1 worn-out southern slaves1 freed on the condition to go to ,africa1 or die in the tracks of slavery1 no more fit for their cotton and rice fields--for the laws of those states forbid the master1 let him be possessed of all the fine feelings that the human mind is able to contain2 unless he banishes them to some distant region1 across that mighty ocean they speak of1 they cannot be free4 ,according to the laws of those states1 and the basis on which the ,society is built1 the emancipated slaves are not free until they stand upon the shores of ,liberia4 ,thus the ,northern and ,middle ,states are called upon for donations to enable the monarch of the south to bury his slaves in the sands of ,africa2 thus far1 northern capital is instrumental in parting asunder parents and children--no more to meet1 until ,jehovah will stand upon the four corners of the earth1 and proclaim deliverance to the captive6--when the arm of tyrants shall cease to sway the rod of tyranny over the heads of their helpless children--until all creation shall vanish and crumble into nothing4 ',about the time of the formation of this ,society1 the people of color1 in different sections of the ,union1 took the alarm--they thought there was something wrong in the views of that combined body4 ,so1 the free people of color of ,richmond1 convened themselves together in the state of ,virginia1 where the gentleman says the ,african ,colonization ,society first originated4 ,they assembled themselves together for the purpose of ascertaining each other's feelings with regard to that combined body1 and after mature reflection1 they petitioned ,congress--,i will give you the words of their memorial1 which are sufficient evidence to substantiate in the mind of every rational person1 that the people of color wish to remain in this country4 ',at a meeting of a respectable portion of the free people of color of the city of ,richmond1 on ,friday1 ,january #bd1 #ahag1 ,william ,bowler was appointed chairman1 and ,lentey ,craw1 secretary4 ,the following preamble and resolution were read1 unanimously adopted1 and ordered to be printed4 ',whereas a ,society has been formed at the seat of government1 for the purpose of colonizing1 with their own consent1 the free people of color of the ,united ,states2 therefore we1 the free people of color of the city of ,richmond1 have thought it advisable to assemble together under the sanction of authority1 for the purpose of making a public expression of our sentiments on a question in which we are so deeply interested4 ,we perfectly agree with the ,society1 that it is not only proper1 but would ultimately tend to the benefit and advantage of a great portion of our suffering fellow creatures1 to be colonized2 but while we thus express our approbation of a measure laudable in its purposes1 and beneficial in its designs1 it may not be improper in us to say1 that we prefer being colonized in the most remote corner of the land of our nativity1 to being exiled to a foreign country--and whereas the president and board of managers of the said ,society have been pleased to leave it to the entire discretion of ,congress to provide a suitable place for carrying these laudable intentions into effect--,be it therefore ',resolved1 ,that we respectfully submit to the wisdom of ,congress whether it would not be an act of charity to grant us a small portion of their territory1 either on the ,missouri river1 or any place that may seem to them most conducive to the public good and our future welfare1 subject1 however1 to such rules and regulations as the government of the ,united ,states may think proper to adopt4 ',,wm4 ,,bowler1 ,chairman4 ',,lentey ,,craw1 ,secretary4',,ao ',the colonization craft is a diabolical pursuit1 which a great part of our christian community are engaged in4 ,now1 brethren1 ,i need not enlarge on this point4 ,you that have been observing1 have already seen the trap under the bait2 and although some of our population have been foolish enough to sell their birthright for a mess of pottage1 yet ,i doubt whether the ,colonization ,society will entrap many more4 ,it is too bare-faced1 and contrary to all reason1 to suppose1 that there is any good design in this project4 ,if they are willing to restore four-fold for what they have taken by false accusation1 they can do it to better advantage in the bosom of our country1 than at several thousand miles off4 ,how would you do1 brethren1 if your object was really to benefit the poor8 ,would you send them into a neighboring forest1 and there deal out that food which they were famishing for8 ,now we stand different from beggars4 ,our ancestors were stolen property1 and property which belonged to ,god4 ,this is well known by our religious community2 and they find that the owner is about to detect them4 ,now if they can slip away the stolen goods1 by smuggling all those out of the country1 which ,god would be likely to make an instrument of1 in bringing them to justice1 and keep the rest in ignorance2 by such means1 things would go on well with them1 and they would appease their consciences by telling what great things they are doing for the colored population and ,god's cause4 ,but we understand better how it is4 ,the deception is not so well practised1 but that we can discover the mark of the beast4 ,they will steal the sons of ,africa1 bring them to ,america1 keep them and their posterity in bondage for centuries1 letting them have what education they can pick up of themselves2 then transport them back to ,africa2 by which means ,america gets all her drudgery done at little expense1 and endeavors to flatter the ,deity1 by making him a sacrifice of good works of this kind4 ,but to the awful disappointment of all such blasphemers1 they will meet the justice of ,god1 which will be to them a devouring sword4',,ap ',though delivered from the fetters of slavery1 we are oppressed by an unreasonable1 unrighteous1 and cruel prejudice1 which aims at nothing less1 than the forcing away of all the free colored population of the ,united ,states to the distant shores of ,africa4 ,far be it from me to impeach the motives of every member of the ,american ,colonization ,society4 ,the civilizing and christianizing of that vast continent1 and the extirpation of the abominable traffic in slaves1 7which1 notwithstanding all the laws passed for its suppression1 is still carried on in all its horrors17 are no doubt the principal motives1 which induce many to give it their support4 ',but there are those1 and those who are most active and influential in this cause1 who hesitate not to say1 that they wish to rid the country of the free colored population2 and there is sufficient reason to believe that with many1 this is the principal motive for supporting that ,society2 and that whether ,africa is civilized or not1 and whether the slave-trade be suppressed or not1 they would wish to see the free colored people removed from this country to ,africa4 ',africa could certainly be brought into a state of civil and religious improvement1 without sending all the free people of color in the ,united ,states there4 ',a few well-qualified missionaries1 properly fitted out and supported1 would do more for the instruction and improvement of the natives of that country1 than a host of colonists1 the greater part of whom would need to be instructed themselves1 and all of whom for a long period would find enough to do to provide for themselves1 instead of instructing the natives4 ',how inconsistent are those who say1 that ,africa will be benefitted by the removal of the free people of color of the ,united ,states there1 while they say1 they are the most vile and degraded people in the world6--,if we are as vile and degraded as they represent us1 and they wish the ,africans to be rendered a virtuous1 enlightened and happy people1 they should not think of sending us among them1 lest we should make them worse instead of better4 ',the colonies planted by white men on the shores of ,america1 so far from benefitting the aborigines1 corrupted their morals1 and caused their ruin2 and yet those who say we are the most vile people in the world1 would send us to ,africa1 to improve the character and condition of the natives6 ,such arguments would not be listened to for a moment1 were not the minds of the community strangely warped by prejudice4 ',those who wish that that vast continent should be compensated for the injuries done it1 by sending thither the light of the gospel and the arts of civilized life1 should aid in sending and supporting well qualified missionaries1 who should be wholly devoted to the work of instruction1 instead of sending colonists1 who would be apt to turn the ignorance of the natives to their own advantage1 and do them more harm than good4 ',much has also been said by colonizationists1 about improving the character and condition of the people of color of this country1 by sending them to ,africa4 ,this is more inconsistent still4 ,we are to be improved by being sent far from civilized society4 ,this is a novel mode of improvement4 ,what is there in the burning sun1 the arid plains1 and barbarous customs of ,africa1 that is so peculiarly favorable to our improvement8 ,what hinders our improving here1 where schools and colleges abound1 where the gospel is preached at every corner1 and where all the arts and sciences are verging fast to perfection8 ,nothing1 nothing but prejudice4 ,it requires no large expenditures1 no hazardous enterprises1 to raise the people of color in the ,united ,states to as highly improved a state1 as any class of the community4 ,all that is necessary is1 that those who profess to be anxious for it1 should lay aside their prejudices1 and act towards them as they do by others4 ',we are ,,natives of this country2 we ask only to be treated as well as ,,foreigners4 ,not a few of our fathers suffered and bled to purchase its independence2 we ask only to be treated as well as those who fought against it4 ,we have toiled to cultivate it1 and to raise it to its present prosperous condition2 we ask only to share equal privileges with those who come from distant lands to enjoy the fruits of our labor4 ,let these moderate requests be granted1 and we need not go to ,africa nor any where else1 to be improved and happy4 ,we cannot but doubt the purity of the motives of those persons who deny us these requests1 and would send us to ,africa1 to gain what they might give us at home4 ',but they say1 the prejudices of the country against us are invincible2 and as they cannot be conquered1 it is better that we should be removed beyond their influence4 ,this plea should never proceed from the lips of any man1 who professes to believe that a just ,god rules in the heavens4 ',the ,american ,colonization ,society is a numerous and influential body4 ,would they lay aside their own prejudices1 much of the burden would be at once removed2 and their example 7especially if they were as anxious to have justice done us here1 as to send us to ,africa17 would have such an influence upon the community at large1 as would soon cause prejudice to hide its deformed head4 ',but alas6 the course which they have pursued1 has an opposite tendency4 ,by the scandalous misrepresentations1 which they are continually giving of our character and conduct1 we have sustained much injury1 and have reason to apprehend much more4 ',without any charge of crime1 we have been denied all access to places1 to which we formerly had the most free intercourse2 the colored citizens of other places1 on leaving their homes1 have been denied the privilege of returning2 and others have been absolutely driven out4 ',has the ,colonization ,society had no effect in producing these barbarous measures8 ',they profess to have no other object in view1 than the colonizing of the free people of color on the coast of ,africa1 with their own consent2 but if our homes are made so uncomfortable that we cannot continue in them2 or if1 like our brethren of ,ohio and ,new ,orleans1 we are driven from them1 and no other door is open to receive us but ,africa1 our removal there will be any thing but voluntary4 ',it is very certain1 that very few free people of color wish to go to that land4 ,the ,colonization ,society know this1 and yet they do certainly calculate1 that in time they will have us all removed there4 ',how can this be effected1 but by making our situation worse here1 and closing every other door against us8',,aq ',my attention was forcibly attracted by a communication in ,mr ,poulson's ,daily ,advertiser of the #afth inst4 which states1 that ,mrs ,stansbury of ,trenton1 ,n4 ,j4 has presented one thousand dollars to the ,colonization ,society4 ,now ,i think it is greatly to be regretted1 that this highly generous and benevolent lady has been induced to make this donation for the purpose of conveying some of the superannuated slaves to ,africa1 when objects of much greater importance could be attained by offering a premium to master mechanics to take colored children as apprentices1 so that they would become useful to themselves and others4 ,it is an inquiry becoming of the utmost importance1 what is to become of those children who are arriving at the age of manhood8 ',i am greatly astonished that the ministers of the gospel should take so active a part1 in endeavoring to convey the freemen of color to ,africa4 ,even in ,boston and ,new-,york1 they have taken the lead in support of this object4 ,they cannot be aware of the great injury they will be the means of inflicting on us3 instead of doing this1 they should endeavor to remove prejudice1 to ameliorate and improve the condition of the colored people by education1 and by having their children placed in a situation to learn a trade4 ,i hope1 through the assistance of ,divine ,providence1 that the ,liberator may be the means 7especially in ,boston1 the ,cradle of ,liberty and ,independence7 of guiding the people of this country in the path1 which equal justice and the public good so evidently indicate4 ',i have never conversed with an intelligent man of color1 7not swayed by interested and sinister motives17 who was not decidedly opposed to leaving his home for the fatal clime of ,africa4 ,i am well acquainted with all the masters of vessels1 belonging to this port1 who have been to the coast of ,africa2 and they all agree in representing it as one of the most unhealthy countries in the latitude of #dj4 ,in the months of ,june and ,july1 the thermometer is at from #hh to #ij degrees4 ,what must it be1 then1 in the latitude of #f or #g1 under a vertical sun1 and where1 after the rainy season1 the effluvium which arises from the putrefaction of vegetables is productive of the most fatal effects8 ,sir ,james ,l4 ,yeo agrees with their account1 in his statement laid before the ,admiralty of ,great ,britain4 ',has any one1 in either of our southern ,states1 given any thing like a thousand dollars to promote emigration to ,africa8 ,not one has shown so much compassion for the oppressed slave4 ,general ,mercer1--who is1 ,i believe1 the ,president of the ,colonization ,society1--promised to emancipate his slaves1 and to sell his large possessions in ,virginia1 and to remove with them to ,africa--7my friends inform me1 and ,i believe him to be one of the most humane and best of masters47 ,mr ,key1 the great advocate1 and the late ,judge ,washington1 promised to liberate their slaves3 ,i believe that neither of them has performed his promise4 ',according to a statement made by ,mr ,key1 they have removed in fourteen years about as many hundred emigrants4 ,i will venture to say1 that at least a half million have been born during the same period4 ,we ask not their compassion and aid1 in assisting us to emigrate to ,africa3 we are contented in the land that gave us birth1 and for which many of our fathers fought and died1 during the war which established our independence4 ,i well remember that when the ,new ,england regiment marched through this city on their way to attack the ,english army under the command of ,lord ,cornwallis1 there were several companies of colored people1 as brave men as ever fought2 and ,i saw those brave soldiers who fought at the battle of ,red ,bank1 under ,col4 ,green1 where ,count ,donop the commander was killed1 and the ,hessians defeated4 ,all this appears to be forgotten now2 and the descendants of these men1 to whom we are indebted for the part they took in the struggle for independence1 are intended to be removed to a distant and inhospitable country1 while the emigrants from every other country are permitted to seek an asylum here from oppression1 and to enjoy the blessings of both civil and religious liberty1 equally with those who are entitled to it by birthright4 ',i think the ministers of the gospel might do much towards destroying the domestic slave trade1 which breaks asunder the sacred ties of husband1 wife and children4 ,not a voice is raised by them against this most cruel injustice4 ,in the ,british colonies1 this is not permitted2 yet it exists in the only true republic on earth4',,ar ',my ,friends and ,countrymen3--,i trust1 by this time1 you have known well my sentiments in relation to the ,american ,colonization ,society2 and the great objects1 which have been set forth1 of a general union of interest1 in funds and education1 for the permanent establishment and furtherance of our prosperity1 in this our native country4 ',in addition to what has been already said on the subject1 ,i shall briefly set forth some of the leading causes of our wretchedness and misery2 and the prominent motives of the ,colonization ,society in sending us away4 ,much theory has been used1 in the discussions upon our civil and political situation1 in this country4 ,we have been branded1 in many instances1--may ,i not say1 in the highest courts of the nation1 courts of justice and equity1 in public and family circles8--as being an inferior race of beings1 not possessing like intellect and faculty with the whites4 ,we are represented as being incapable of acting for ourselves2 consequently not educated and qualified to be admitted into public places1 to vindicate the integrity of our race1 and the qualifications we are capable of acquiring4 ,many of our noble statesmen1 orators and lawyers1 have made our capital ring with the empty sound of inferiority1--degradation1--the impossibility of tolerating equality with the blacks4 ,sacred writ has been carefully examined by these gentlemen of science1 and construed to suit their narrow consciences4 ,prophets have arisen among them1 who hold forth to the people the continuation of our political thraldom1 unless there be a general removal of all the free among us to the coast of ,africa4 ,others argue1 that1 although they have good feelings towards us1 and would do any thing for us1 if we were out of their sight and out of the hearing of their slaves1 yet to admit us into their circles would be to pervert the present order of society1 and the happiness of the good white citizens of the country4 ,these are generally bible men1 such as hold forth the true oracles of ,god2 yet deny him1 in their actions and words1 the supreme control over all his creatures4 ,there is hardly ever an action performed1 whether good or bad1 but there is generally a reason given for so doing2 and he is a wicked1 daring character1 who cannot find a cloak1 at any time1 to cover his hideous crimes4 ,the men who have been foremost1 in withholding from us our dearest and most sacred rights1 have always held out false colors to the community at large1 7such as1 inferiority1 degradation1 nuisance1 pest1 slaves1 species of monkey1 apes1 c47 to justify their inhuman and unchristian acts towards us1 and to deaden the severe pangs of conscience that harass them4 ,they would wish to appear innocent before the world2 as doing unto all men as they would they should do unto them4 ,do they base their objects1 in full1 upon such frivolous excuses as these8 ,no4 ,the truth is1 actions speak louder than words4 ,it is my candid opinion1 there would have been no ,colonization ,society formed for our transportation to the western coast of ,africa1 had there been no free colored people1 and did not our numbers increase daily4 ,if we1 as a free body of people1 had remained in the same character with slaves1 monkeys and baboons1 there would not have been so much excitement in the community about us2 but as they see by our improvement1 7a great improvement1 indeed1 within forty years17 that the period is hastening on1 'when there will be no other alternative but we must rank among them in civilization1 science and politics1 they have got up this colonization scheme to persuade us to leave our slave brethren1 and flee to the pestilential shores of ,africa1 where we shall be in danger of being forced to hang our harps upon the willows1 and our song of liberty and civilization will be hushed by the impelling force of barbarian despots4',,as ',and in pursuit of this great object the elevation of the people of color various ways and means have been resorted to2 among others1 the ,american ,colonization ,society is the most prominent4 ,not doubting the sincerity of many friends who are engaged in that cause2 yet we beg leave to say1 that it does not meet with our approbation4 ,however great the debt which these ,united ,states may owe to injured ,africa1 and however unjustly her sons have been made to bleed1 and her daughters to drink of the cup of affliction1 still we who have been born and nurtured on this soil1 we1 whose habits1 manners and customs are the same in common with other ,americans1 can never consent to take our lives in our hands1 and be the bearers of the redress offered by that ,society to that much afflicted country4 ',tell it not to barbarians1 lest they refuse to be civilized1 and eject our ,christian missionaries from among them1 that in the nineteenth century of the christian era1 laws have been enacted in some of the ,states of this great republic1 to compel an unprotected and harmless portion of our brethren to leave their homes and seek an asylum in foreign climes3 and in taking a view of the unhappy situation of many of these1 whom the oppressive laws alluded to1 continually crowd into the ,atlantic cities1 dependent for their support upon their daily labor1 and who often suffer for want of employment1 we have had to lament that no means have yet been devised for their relief4',,at ',the ,convention has not been unmindful of the operations of the ,american ,colonization ,society2 and it would respectfully suggest to that august body of learning1 talent and worth1 that1 in our humble opinion1 strengthened1 too1 by the opinions of eminent men in this country1 as well as in ,europe1 that they are pursuing the direct road to perpetuate slavery1 with all its unchristianlike concomitants1 in this boasted land of freedom2 and1 as citizens and men whose best blood is sapped to gain popularity for that ,institution1 we would1 in the most feeling manner1 beg of them to desist3 or1 if we must be sacrificed to their philanthropy1 we would rather die at home4 ,many of our fathers1 and some of us1 have fought and bled for the liberty1 independence and peace which you now enjoy2 and1 surely1 it would be ungenerous and unfeeling in you to deny us a humble and quiet grave in that country which gave us birth6',,au ',sir1 upon the whole1 my view of the operations of the ,colonization ,society1 in relieving the slave ,states of the evil which weighs them down more than a hundred tariffs1 is illustrated by an old fable1 in which it is stated1 that a man was seen at the foot of a mountain1 scraping away the dust with his foot4 ,one passing by1 asked him what he was doing8 ,i wish to remove this mountain1 said he4 ,you fool1 replied the other1 you can never do it in that way4 ,well1 said he1 ,i can raise a dust1 can't ,i8 ',sir1 ,i do not wish to censure the motives of this ,society1 but surely they are visionary4 ,its supporters are bewildered in their own dust1 which is well calculated to injure the vision of good men4 ,the ,commercial ,advertiser says they do indeed wish to wipe away from the national records the stain of slavery1 but hope it may be accomplished 7as the ,virginia ,enquirer has it7 surely but quietly4 ,yes1 ,sir1 and quietly enough6 ',our ambition leads not to superiority1 but to our freedom and political rights4 ,grant this6 we ask no more6 ,if the places in which we dwell are too straight for us and the white population1 place us in a state far to the ,west--take us into the ,union--give us our rights as freemen4 ,let the southern states make all born after a date not two years distant1 free6 and let the ,colonization ,society turn its attention and energies to the removing of liberated slaves there3 the free people will go without their aid4 ,but if the ,government is fearful of retaliation1 it may allay its fears by a consideration of the fact of there not being one freeman engaged in the late insurrections--of freemen informing against slaves--the peaceable manner in which we live in the neighborhoods of the south1 and throughout the whole ,union4 ,the meetings that have lately been held1 and resolutions passed expressive of our disapprobation of such measures1 may all show that such fears are groundless4 ,i repeat again--,give us our rights--we ask no more6 ',yes1 ,sir1 if ,i possessed the ,indies1 ,i would pledge the whole that if such measures were taken1 and such grants made1 no retaliation would be made by us as a body for former evils4',,av ',in no age of our existence have there been more pains taken by priests and people1 in public and private1 in church and state1 to give them currency1 than at present4 ,the whole theme of that wicked1 persecuting combination--the ,colonization ,society--is calculated to impress upon the mind of the public these atrocious maxims which every day strengthen a prejudice not only cherished by the whites against the blacks1 but by the blacks against the whites4 ,that foul fiend of hell1 that destroying angel who hath power to take peace from the earth1 and to kill with the sword1 is gaining a commanding influence very fast over both parties4 ,and who1 but the advocates of the ,colonization ,society1 receive him as a welcome guest8 ,who but they have built him a temple1 and cried1 ,long live ,prejudice against free born ,americans of sable hue6 ,who but they are continually crying1 ,the free blacks are dangerous6 the free blacks are dangerous6 ,away with them--away with them to ,africa6 ,who but they are the apologists for murder1 theft1 and all the horrid concomitants of slavery8 ,who but they have defiled our temples of worship dedicated to ,god for his service1 making merchandise of the souls of men by transferring them over to the keeping of prejudice8',,aw ,other extracts might be recorded1 but these must suffice4 ,i have given the sentiments of the people of color as expressed individually1 in public orations1 in conventions of delegates1 and in popular assemblies4 ,their proceedings evince a keen discrimination between true and false philanthropy1 and an intellectual ability successfully to defend their cause4 ,their instincts are more than a match for the specious sophistry and learned sense of colonizationists3 they meet them on every point1 and on every point achieve a victory4 ,conscious of the fact that in their complexion is found the only motive for their banishment1 they clearly illustrate the hypocrisy and injustice of the ,african crusade4 ,their union of purpose is such as cannot be broken4 ,how intense is their love of country6 how remarkable their patient endurance of wrongs6 how strong their abhorrence of expatriation6 how auspicious the talents which they display6 ,every humane and honorable man will assent to the proposition1 that no scheme for the removal of a numerous people from one continent to another1 ought to be prosecuted contrary to their desires4 ,a scheme cannot be benevolent which thrives upon persecution4 ,benevolent oppression is a solecism4 ,another self-evident truth is1 that no such removal can be effected merely by the presentation of selfish inducements1 or without resorting to coercive measures4 ,to show that coercion is openly advocated by some of the prominent supporters of the ,colonization ,society1 ,i make the following extracts from the speeches of ,messrs ,broadnax and ,fisher1 delivered during the ',great ,debate' in the ,virginia ,house of ,delegates a short time since4 ,mr ,broadnax said3 ',,it ,,is ,,idle ,,to ,,talk ,,about ,,not ,,resorting ,,to ,,force4 ,every body must look to the introduction of force of some kind or other--and it is in truth a question of expediency2 of moral justice2 of political good faith--whether we shall fairly delineate our whole system on the face of the bill1 or leave the acquisition of extorted consent to other processes4 ,the real question--the only question of magnitude to be settled1 is the great preliminary question--,do you intend to send the free persons of color out of ,virginia1 or not8' ',if the free negroes are willing to go1 they will go--if not willing1 they must be compelled to go4 ,some gentlemen think it politic not now to insert this feature in the bill1 though they proclaim their readiness to resort to it when it becomes necessary2 they think that for a year or two a sufficient number will consent to go1 and then the rest can be compelled4 ,for my part1 ,i deem it better to approach the question and settle it at once1 and avow it openly4 ,the intelligent portion of the free negroes know very well what is going on4--,will they not see your debates8 ,will they not see that coercion is ultimately to be resorted to8 ,they will perceive that the edict has gone forth1 and that it must fall1 if not now1 in a short time upon them4' ',i have already expressed it as my opinion that few1 very few1 will voluntarily consent to emigrate1 if no ,,compulsory ,,measure be adopted4--,with it--many1 in anticipation of its sure and certain arrival1 will1 in the mean time1 go away--they will be sensible that the time would come when they would be forced to leave the ,state4 ,without it--you will still1 no doubt1 have applicants for removal equal to your means4 ,yes1 ,sir1 people who will not only consent1 but beg you to deport them4 ,but what sort of consent--a consent extorted by a series of oppression calculated to render their situation among us insupportable4 ,many of those who have already been sent off1 went with their avowed consent1 but under the influence of a more decided compulsion than any which this bill holds out4 ,i will not express1 in its full extent1 the idea ,i entertain of what has been done1 or what enormities will be perpetrated to induce this class of persons to leave the ,state4 ,who does not know that when a free negro1 by crime or otherwise1 has rendered himself obnoxious to a neighborhood1 how easy it is for a party to visit him one night1 take him from his bed and family1 and apply to him the gentle admonition of a severe flagellation1 to induce him to consent to go away8 ,in a few nights the dose can be repeated1 perhaps increased1 until1 in the language of the physicians1 quantum suff4 has been administered to produce the desired operation2 and the fellow then becomes perfectly willing to move away4 ,i have certainly heard1 if incorrectly1 the gentleman from ,southampton will put me right1 that of the large cargo of emigrants lately transported from that country to ,liberia1 all of whom professed to be willing to go1 were rendered so by some such severe ministrations as those ,i have described4 ,a lynch club--a committee of vigilance--could easily exercise a kind of inquisitorial surveillance over any neighborhood1 and convert any desired number1 ,i have no doubt1 at any time1 into a willingness to be removed4 ,but who really prefers such means as these to the course proposed in this bill8 ,and one or the other is inevitable4 ,for no matter how you change this bill--sooner or later the free negroes will be forced to leave the ,state4 ,indeed1 ,sir1 ,,all ,,of ,,us ,,look ,,to ,,force of some kind or other1 direct or indirect1 moral or physical1 legal or illegal4 ,many who are opposed1 they say1 to any compulsory feature in the bill1 desire to introduce such severe regulations into our police laws--such restrictions of their existing privileges--such inability to hold property--obtain employment--rent residences1 c41 as to make it impossible for them to remain amongst us4 ,is not this force8' ,mr ,fisher said3 ',if we wait until the free negroes consent to leave the ,state1 we shall wait until time is no more4 ,they never will give their consent2 and if the ,house amend the bill as proposed1 their consent is in a manner pointed out by the gentleman from ,dinwiddie--and it is a great question whether we shall force the people to extort their consent from them in this way4--,he believed if the compulsory principle were stricken out1 this class of people would be forced to leave by the harsh treatment of the whites4 ,the people in those parts of the ,state where they most abound1 were determined1--as far as they could learn through the newspapers and other sources1--to get rid of the blacks4' ,what a revelation1 what a confession1 is here6 ,the free blacks taken from their beds1 and severely flagellated1 to make them willing to emigrate6 ,and legislative compulsion openly advocated to accomplish this nefarious project6 ,yes1 the gentlemen say truly1 'few1 very few will voluntarily consent to emigrate'--'they never will give their consent'--and therefore they must be expelled by force6 ,it is true1 the bill proposed by ,mr ,broadnax was rejected by a small majority2 but it serves to illustrate the spirit of the colonization leaders4 ,the editor of the ,lynchburg ,virginian1 an advocate of the ,society1 uses the following language3 ',but1 if they will not consider for themselves1 ,,we must consider for them4 ,the safety of the people is the supreme law2 and to that law all minor considerations must bend4 ,if the free negroes will not emigrate1 they must be contented to endure those privations which the public interest and safety call for4--,in the last ,richmond ,enquirer we notice an advertisement1 setting forth1 that a petition will be presented to the next legislature of ,virginia1 from the county of ,westmoreland1 praying the passage of some law to compel the free negroes in this commonwealth to emigrate therefrom1 under a penalty which will effectually promote this object4 ,so1 too1 at a meeting of the citizens of ,prince ,george county1 in ,maryland1 it was resolved to petition the next legislature to remove all the free negroes out of that ,state1 and to prohibit all persons from manumitting slaves without making provision for their removal4' ,i close this work with a specimen of the sophistry which is used to give eclat to the ,american ,colonization ,society4 ,in the month of ,june1 #ahcj1 ,i happened to peruse a number of the ,southern ,religious ,telegraph1 in which ,i found an essay1 enforcing the duty of clergymen to take up collections in aid of the funds of the ,colonization ,society on the then approaching fourth of ,july4 ,after an appropriate introductory paragraph1 the writer proceeds in the following remarkable strain3 ',but--we have a plea like a peace offering to man and to ,god4 ,we answer poor blinded ,africa in her complaint--that we have her children1 and that they have served on our plantations4 ,and we tell her1 look at their returning6 ,we took them barbarous1 though measurably free1--untaught--rude--without science--without the true religion--without philosophy--and strangers to the best civil governments4 ,and now we return them to her bosom1 with the mechanical arts 444 with science 444 with philosophy 444 with civilization 444 with republican feelings 444 and above all1 with the true knowledge of the true ,god1 and the way of salvation through the ,redeemer4' ',the mechanical arts6'--with whom did they serve an apprenticeship8 ',with philosophy6'--in what colleges were they taught8 ,it is strange that we should be so anxious to get rid of these scientific men of color--these philosophers--these republicans--these christians1 and that we should shun their company as if they were afflicted with the hydrophobia1 or carried a deadly pestilence in their train6 ,certainly1 they must have singular notions of the christian religion which tolerates--or1 rather1 which is so perverted as to tolerate--the oppression of ,god's rational creatures by its professors6 ,they must feel a peculiar kind of brotherly love for those good men who banded together to remove them to ,africa1 because they were too proud to associate familiarly with men of a sable complexion6 ,but the writer proceeds3 ',we tell her1 look at the little colony on her shores4 ,we tell her1 look to the consequences that must flow to all her borders from religion1 and science1 and knowledge1 and civilization1 and republican government6 ,and then we ask her--is not one ship load of emigrants returning with these multiplied blessings1 worth more to her than a million of her barbarous sons8' ,so6 every ship load of ignorant and helpless emigrants is to more than compensate ,africa for every million of her children who have been kidnapped1 buried in the ocean and on the land1 tortured with savage cruelty1 and held in perpetual servitude6 ,truly1 this is a compendious method of balancing accounts4 ,in the sight of ,god1 of ,africa1 and of the world1 we are consequently blameless--and rather praiseworthy--for our past transgressions4 ,it is such sophistry as is contained in the foregoing extract1 that kindles my indignation into a blaze4 ,i abhor cant--,i abhor hypocrisy--and if some of the advocates of the ,colonization ,society do not deal largely in both1 ,i am unable to comprehend the meaning of these terms4 ,of the whole number of individuals constituting the officers of the ,society1 nearly three-fourths1 ,i believe1 are the owners of slaves1 or interested in slave property2 not one of whom1 to my knowledge1 has emancipated any of his slaves to be sent to ,liberia66 ,the ,president of the ,society1 7,,charles ,,carroll17 owns1 ,i have understood1 nearly one thousand slaves6 ,and yet he is lauded1 beyond measure1 as a patriot1 a philanthropist1 and a christian6 ,the former ,president1 7,judge ,,bushrod ,,washington17 so far from breaking the fetters of his slaves1 actually while holding his office offered a large reward for a runaway female slave1 to any person who would secure her by putting her into any jail within the ,united ,states6 ,what a mockery it is for such persons to profess to deplore the existence of slavery1 or to denounce the foreign slave trade6 for they neither cease from their own oppressive acts1 nor act much more honestly than the slave dealers--the latter stealing those who are born on the coast of ,africa1 and the former those who are born in this country6 ,,footnotes3 ,,ae ,john ,neal4 ,,af ,vide the ,fourth ,volume of the ,genius of ,universal ,emancipation for #ahbi4 ,,ag ,alexander ,h4 ,everett1 ,esq4 vide his work entitled ',america1 or a ,general ,survey1' c4 c4 pp4 #bab1 #bbe4 ,,ah ,genius of ,universal ,emancipation for ,november #bg1 #ahbi4 ,,ai ,genius of ,universal ,emancipation1 ,january #bi1 #ahcj4 ,,aj ',the ,liberator' for ,january #bb1 #ahcb4 ,,ak ',a ,colored ,philadelphian'--vide ',the ,liberator' for ,feb4 #ab1 #ahca4 ,,al ,correspondent of ',the ,liberator1' ,feb4 #bf1 #ahca4 ,,am ,correspondent of ',the ,liberator1' ,march #ab1 #ahca4 ,,an ',african ,sentinel1' ,oct4 #h1 #ahca1 printed at ,albany4 ,,ao ,extracts from ',an ,address to the ,gentlemen and ,ladies of the ,county of ,otsego1 ,n4 ,y41 delivered on the #cjth ,september1 #ahcj1 by ,hayden ,waters1 a man of color4' ,the proceedings of the colored inhabitants of ,virginia1 incorporated into this ,address1 are those referred to on page #h as having been accidentally mislaid4 ,,ap ',address delivered before the colored population of ,providence1 ,r4 ,i41 ,november #bg1 #ahbh1 by ,rev4 ,hosea ,easton4' ,,aq ',a ,discourse delivered in ,st4 ,philip's ,church1 for the benefit of the colored community of ,wilberforce1 in ,upper ,canada1 on the ,fourth of ,july1 #ahcj4 ,by ,rev4 ,peter ,williams1 ,rector of ,st4 ,philip's ,church1 ,new-,york4' ,mr ,williams is a clergyman of superior talents and great moral worth1 and beloved by an extensive circle of acquaintance4 ,,ar ,from the pen of the ,colored ,gentleman in ,philadelphia1 referred to on page #eh--vide ',the ,liberator1' ,march #ab1 #ahca4 ,,as ',address delivered before a ,colored ,association in ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 ,august #e1 #ahca1' by ,george ,hogarth4 ,vide ',the ,liberator' for ,august #bg1 #ahca4 ,,at ,conventional ,address of the ,people of ,color in ,philadelphia1 in #ahcj4 ,,au ',minutes and ,proceedings of the ,first ,annual ,convention of the ,people of ,color1 held by adjournment in the city of ,philadelphia1 in ,june1 #ahca4' ,,av ',philadelphia ,evangelist'--vide ',the ,liberator' for ,november #bf1 #ahca4 ,,aw ,correspondent of ',the ,liberator1' ,december #ag1 #ahca4 ,,end ,,of ,,part ,,ii4