1
[Benjamin Reading Rush?]
AE12935
PERSONAL SLA VERY ESTABLISHED,
BY THE SUFFRA GES OF C USTO M A ND RIGHT REA SON.
Being A Full A nswer To the gloomy and visionary REVERIES, of all th e fanatical and enth usiastical W RITERS on t hat SUBJECT.
Ho w ev er am ia bl e Ju stic e a n d v ir tu e m ay be in ou r a bst ra ct id ea s of t h e m , t h e p o li c y o f K i n g d o m s an d C o m m e r c i a l St a t es , o u g h t e v e r t o b e regulated by the m ore im portan t con sideration s of necessity and conv enience.
MA CH IAVELU S AM ERICA NU S, vol. 3d. P age 273. All D iscords harmony not un derstood; All partial evil, universal good: An d, spite o f Pride, i n err ing R easons spit e,
One T ruth is clear, Whatever is, is right. ESSAY O N MAN. Ph iladel phi a: Pr int ed by Joh n D un lap, in Mar ket-St reet . M, DC C ,LX X III.
In ener gy an d spirit, Personal Slavery Established (1773) re sem bl es t he essa y s of Addison an d Steele, but in to ne an d structure it is the obv ious descendan t of Jonathan Sw ift. U n s i gn e d a n d a p p a r e n t l y n o t a t t ri bute d to anyo ne duri n g i ts auth o rs li fe tim e , Personal Slavery clearly seems to m e to be the w ork of Benjam in Ru sh. It bears the m arks of his literary stylethe com plex and som etim es mean derin g senten ces, the rather bom bastic ge n e r a l i z a t io n s , a n d t h e o c c a si o n ally e cce ntri c pun ctuati o n, e spe ci ally th e rath e r o dd us e o f dashes to separate items in lists. It also bears m arks of Rushs dark humo r, of the sm ile co n ce alin g sm ol de rin g a n ge r. Fin ally , it sha re s im po rt an t sim ilar iti es w ith Ru shs A n Address to the Inhabitants of the British Settlements in America, upon Slave-Keeping (1773)and in deed r efers to that do cum ent extensiv ely w ithin its pages. (If indeed R ush is the autho r of bo th essays, his aside on plag iarism in Personal Slavery be co m e s a rath e r n eat ly pac kage d pr iv ate joke.) The w ork is slyly d edicated to the Wor shipful Com m ittee-Men o f the Roy al African C o m p a n y ; g o l d /m a t e r i al i sm i s t he u n d e r ly i n g m e t a p ho r o f th e in s c r ip t io n . About half the pamphlet is devoted to a feigned co ndem nation of popular anti-slavery tracts, w hereby the au th or sub tl y exc or ia te s slav er y . Re ga rd in g Jo hn Wo ol m an s Considerations on Keeping Negro es (1762), for exam ple, he w rites: As his argum ents again st the practice are all d raw n fr om th e O ld an d Ne w Test am en t, a n d t he ir au th or it y ha s be en lo n g si n ce re jec te d b y som e of ou r m ost prev ailing systems of politic ks, I think it is un nec essary to say m ore, than that it appe ars t o b e th e d ul l pr od uc tio n of a v isio n ary en thu siast. And co n ce rn in g Be n ezet s A Caution and Warning (1766), he sn if fs:
I hav e fo un d t hat thi s ge n tle m an has n o Neg ro es, an d n o c on ce rn s in tr ade . We c a n t he r e fo r e b e a t n o d if f ic u l ty i n a c c o u n t in g f o r a c er t ai n c o n t r a ct i o n o f s e n t i m e n t , e v i d e n t i n h i s abstract i de as o f ri g h t and w ro ng . Th e y are m e re ly th e o r e t ic k, an d a li t tl e ac q u ai n t an c e w i t h m e n a n d th i n g s w o u l d c o n v i n c e h im , [t h ey ] are better calculated for the am usem ents of re cluse bigo ts, than the attentio n o f m en en du ed w it h a m or e l ib er al t ur n of th in kin g, an d e n lar ge d i de as. Admitted ly, the satire of Personal Sl avery Established is subtle to the poin t of bein g easily misinterpre ted. It is possible that m any o f the authors contem poraries, reading to o qu ic kly an d c asu all y , m isse d h is c en tr al a rg um en ts al to ge th er , m isc on str ui n g h im as a de fen de r o f th e slav e tr ade . Ind eed , it m ay be tha t, ev en w ith in the co n text o f th e au tho rs ov erall purpo ses, indiv idual passages of the essayespecially those w hich rely on circu lar logic to poin t up the foolishness of the narrators view s, or those w here the author attem pts to m ock the argum ents of pro-slav ery w hites merely by hav ing the narrato r repeat them m ay hav e been offen sive to the v ery peo ple w ith w hom the autho r align s himself: slaves and abolition ists. These same passages, even in co ntext and fo r similar reasons, m ay rem ain o f fe n si v e t o d ay . St i ll , t h e c a r ef u l r e ad e r fi n d s m u c h t o p ra ise i n th e au t h or s st y l e, co n t e n t , a n d d el iv e r y . His po in t, ag ain an d ag ain , is tha t th e id eo lo gy an d so ci al pr act ic e sec ur in g e qu alit y, fairness, or self-preservation for whites in the Am ericas secures no such ben efits for the black slav es unde r their d om inatio n. Again an d again , he skew ers the social, religiou s, and political hy pocrisy o f selfish, opportu nistic w hites wh o refu se, on ev ery lev el, to acknow ledge th ei r o w n gr ee d, d up li ci ty , an d i n hu m an it y . Aga in an d a ga in , he em ph asiz es t ha t u n ju st laws, cruel punishm ents, and social inequities are not m erely the un fortun ate fruits of the slav e t ra de , bu t t he v er y fo un da ti on up on w hi ch it s co n ti n ua n ce de pe n ds. Amon g the m ost bitterly sarcastic passages of Personal Slavery Established a r e th o se w h i c h r e sp o n d t o d en u n c i a t io n s o f b l ac k i n t e ll i g en c e a n d a cc o m p l i sh m e n t , d en u n c i a t io n s s u c h a s Ar t h u r L e e s An Essay in V indicati on of the C ontin ental C olonies of A meri ca (1764)))w herein Lee agrees w ith abolition ists that slavery admits of little c ultiv ation , and m ust therefor e be alw ays an en em y to v irtue an d scienc e, but argues that blacks are inv olv ed in the m ost gross idolatry and the most stupid reveren ce, that their m ethod of feedin g is not o ne r em ov e abov e absolute bru tes, that cruelty, cu nn ing , perfidy, and c o w a r d i c e ar e t h e i r i n h e r e n t a t tri bute s))an d, t he re fo re , th at th e l oa th som e f ru it s of slavery deriv e no t so m uch fro m the institutio n itself as from the inb orn and u nc hang ing b la c k c ha r ac te r (13, 38). T h e w r i t e r o f Personal Slavery answer s Lees notion s in one of the stronge st defenses of black accom plishmen ts and keenest castigation s of white big otry c om p o se d d u r in g t h e ei g h te e n t h c e n t u r y , ski l lf u ll y e m p l o y in g p o i n t ed r e fe r e n c e s t o m i s ce g e n a ti o n and im plicit critic ism o f the dou ble-standar ds gov ern ing relation s betw een w hite m en an d black wom en to und erscore w hite rejection of blacks in the face of their m anifest hum anity and w it. The Juv enalian c on clusion to Personal Slavery , cle arl y d er iv ati v e o f Sw ift s A Modest Proposal, damns the sharply-defined class structure spawned by white laziness and greed and the incredible destruction of human life and dignity occasioned by the slave tradewhich, in one of the most apt and horrifying metaphors of the age, is compared to cannibalism.
PERSONA L SLA VERY ESTABLISHED, &c.
THE DEDICATIO N.
T O T H E W O R S H IP FU L C O M M IT T EE-M EN O F T H E R O Y A L A F R IC A N C O M P A N Y . MA Y IT PLEASE YOU R W OR SHIPS, TH E inten tion of the pu blicat ion b efore y ou, being t o vin dicate a cau se wh ich has been a principal object of your attention, has a consequent claim to your patronage, I shall therefore make no apology for inscribing it to you. Notw ithstanding the endeavours of ignorant bigots, to represent the Slave Trade in an odious light, I hope this humble attempt to expose them, will meet your approbation; and convince the world that the lustre of your characters is by no m ean s im pai red , bu t th at l ik e pu re m eta l, t he m or e th ey are ru bb ed b y th ose enthusiastic advocates for liberty, the brighter they w ill shine. I am under no per son al o bl iga tio ns t o y ou th e gr ati tu de I feel ari ses for m a no bl er so ur ceit is a just tribu te to that genero us disinterested exertion of benev olence and philanthropy, which has been the principal means of heaping wealth and honours on Euro peans and A merican s, and rescuing man y mill ions of wr etched Africans, as b r a n d s f r o m t h e f i r e , and ev en com pellin g them to th e enjoy men t of a m ore refin ed state of hap piness, th an th e parti ality of fate had assigned them in th eir na tive stat e. Go on , wo rthy sirs! in the gloriou s work ; and contin ue to m erit from every liberal mi nd, t hat gr atitu de and ad mi ratio n, w hich w arm ly im press that of, hon our ed g e n tl e m e n , Your m ost obedient, and very humble servant, THE AUTHOR.
THE PREFACE.
IT is well observed by some author I have read, that the best human institutions partake of imperfection; and the most excellent constitution has its defects.The liber ty of the pr ess has doubt less some adv antages; b ut it may be qu estioned w h e t h e r th e se o u t w e ig h i t s i n c o nv e n i en c es . W e m a y c e r t a in l y r e c k o n am o n g t h e lat ter , th e op po rt un iti es w ith w hi ch i t fu rn ish es w e a k men of venting the idle dreams of a distempered brain; or designing ones of carrying on their dark purposes, by m isrepresentation, slander, or other mischievous means. Had it not been for this unrestrained liberty of the press, the task I have undertaken w ould have b een pr obab ly needless; and I had been spared th e distress w hich attend s me, in being obliged to expose my poor abilities to the publick view. C onfiding h o w e v e r in i t s c a n do u r , I w i l l n o t i n cr e as e m y c l ai m o n i t s p a t ie n ce b y a l o n g pr eface. I w ill on ly say , th at i n gr ati tu de t o t he a ut ho r o f Sl a v e r y n o t f o r b i d d e n b y s c r i pt u r e , &c. I have endeavoured to adopt this plan so fully , that the following pages may answer the purpose of a second edition of that celebrated work , with som e cor rec tio ns, tr ansp osit io ns, and em end ati on s. NEW -CA STLE C OU NT Y, N ov. 26th, 1773.
PERSONAL SLAVERY ESTABLISHED, &c.
HA VING attentively perused several of the late publications on the subject of personal Slavery, I think it may not be amiss if I state, in a summary way , the argum ents addu ced in th em for and agai nst th e practi ce; and dr aw such
conclusions, as may be warrantable from the premises. The first on the subject, wh ich I shall notice, is a pamphl et intitled, C o n s i d e r a t i o n s o n k e e p i n g N e g r o e s , & . b y J o h n W o o l m a n . As his arguments c against the practice are all drawn from the Old and N ew T estament, and their authority has been long since rejected by some of our most prevailing systems of politicks, I think it is unnecessary to say m ore, than that it appears to be the dull productions of a visionary enthusiast. The next w ork in m y catalogue, is A shor t ac co un t o f th at p ar t o f Afri ca in hab ite d b y t he Neg ro es, &c. The author or compiler of this work has taken great pains to convince us, that he concurs with a num ber of other au thors in con demnat ion of the Slave-trade, as unjust, cruel, and impolitic; and to support their opinion s, relates a number of what he w ould sup po se ar e fact s. N ow as th ose su pp osed facts c on stit ut e th e fou nd ati on of m ost of his argumentsif they are removed, little need be said to prove his opinions to be idle and nugatory. Those facts are generally the relations of men, who are, or have been concerned or employ ed in the trade to Africa for Slaves, unsupported by a single affidavit, or any other l e g a l proo f of their a uth orit y ; and m oreov er m en speaking in a cause in which they are parties; and therefore cannot be supposed to tell th e w hole truth, even could w e suppose wh at they have told is the truth. I could produce numberless authorities from our law book s, to prove that no evidence can be admitted but w hat is well established o n o ath , and t hat al l offered by parties to the m atter in dispu te, mu st be rejected. Such is the law, an d the law being allowed to be the perfection of reason, it follows that the arguments of our autho r on th e subject of slavery, re no t only unreasonab le, but also illegal, and therefore inadmissable.Proceed we therefore to consider, A c a u t i o n a n d w a r n i n g t o G r e at- Bri tai n and h e r co lo n i e s , & by A nt. Be ne z e t. I c. w ill pr om ise t hat on a pa rt icu lar enq ui ry , I ha ve fo un d th at t hi s gen tle m an h as no Negroes, and no concerns in trade. We can therefore be at no difficulty in accounting for a certain contraction of sentiment, evident in his abstract ideas of righ t and w ron g. T hey are m erely theor etical, an d a litt le acqua intan ce wi th m en and th in gs w ou ld c on vi nce hi m , ar e bet ter calc ul ate d for th e am usem ent s of r eclu se b i g o ts , t h a n t he a tt e n t io n o f m e n e n du e d w i t h a m o r e l i be r al t u r n o f t h i n k i n g , a n d enlarged ideas. The general arguments he has made use of, are so similar to those of the last m ention ed piece, that the obj ections I have adv anced in con sidering t h a t, are also applicable to this. The extract of a sermon preached by the Bishop of Gloucester, which he has presumptuously tacked to the end of his pamphlet, is such an absurd rhapsody, as in less corrupt times would have deprived the Bishop of h is See . Pe rh aps i t h as be en t end erl y w in k ed at , as o w in g to th at i nt ense application, which at the time that it opened the treasures of know ledge to his view , obscu red hi s faculties in u sing th em. T he n ext pie ce on th e sub ject , w hi ch I h ave m et w ith , is An a d d r e ss t o th e in hab ita n ts o f th e Br iti sh set tle m en ts in Am er ic a, u po n Slav e-kee pin g, &c. As th is piece i s p a r t ic u l ar l y a n i m a d v er t e d o n i n [Sl a v e r y n o t f o r b i d d e n b y S c r i p t u r e, ] a j u d ic i ou s and very candid defence of the practice in general, and particularly of the WestIndia planters from the calumnies it contains, I shall state the sum of the arguments from each [of these tracts], together. This last tract[, then,] is entitled, Sl av e r y n o t f o r bi d d e n b y Sc r i pt u r e; o r, a D e fe n c e o f t h e W e st -I n d ia p la n t e rs f r o m t h e a s p e r s i o n s , & . b y a W e s t -I n d i a n . As the au thor s place of residence was such, as c must afford him the best opportunities of being well acquainted with his subject; and it does not appear from the title page, that he had any concern in the slave trade, nor had reaped any advantage from the labour of slaves, we cannot hesitate
in giv ing h is sentim ents th eir du e w eight, in op positi on t o all t hat h as been a d v an c ed a ga i n st S l av e r y , b y m e n w h o h a v e n ot h a d h i s o p p o r t u n it i es . F r o m t h e observation I have already made, I have left but little room to doubt which side of the qu estion I espou se; and it w ill ap pear fur ther eviden t from tho se I may mak e, as in exp ressing m y sentim ents on the Ad d r e s s I shal l be apt , ve ry freq uen tly , to use the w ords of th e D e fe n c e : In adopting this method, I hope I shall not incur the charge of plagiarism, as I believe the offence of that crime consists in borrow ing from an author w ithout confessing the debt. These things being premised, I shall pro ceed to con sider th e Ad d r e s s no t o nl y as it rel ate s to S lav ery , bu t al so as a m ost s ca n d al o u s a n d au d a ci o u s l i b el o n e v e r y in div idu al i nh abi tan t o f e v e r y i sl a n d i n t h e W est-Ind ies. Th e auth or of th e Ad d r e s s, pretending to aim at the reformation o f manki nd, points out the practice of personal Slavery, as one particular that h e thin ks req uir es it, and recomm ends the adoption of a plan that he opines would be likely to abolish it, never giving himself time to consider our natural frailtiesthe imp ossibility of absolute perfectionthat there are faults in every hum an institution; and that till self-interest ceases to have influence over the actions of men, proposals that strike at the very root of their temporal intereststheir easetheir convenience and grandeur, w ill never be listened to. He might as well have poured forth his eloquence against the lawless ambition of Kings in sacrificing millions of their fellow creaturesthe knavery of Statesmenthe avarice of Bishop s, Law y ers, Phy sicians and Mer chant sthe en dless endeavo urs of m en univ ersally to overreach on e another, an d the contin ued scene of bloodshed and cruelty exhibited by most of our favourite sports: all which it is evident, from his not men tion ing th em, he secretly appr oves; I say , he m ight a s well have p our ed forth his eloquence on all or any of these, as exercise his declamatory powers on Slavery . A m an of a liberal and ben evolent w ay o f think ing, w ould h ave seen that they are all but th e necessary consequences of the imperfection of our natu re; and that his leisure hours might have been better employ ed, than in railing at slavery, w hi ch a t th e w or st can no t b e said to sacr ific e m ill io ns fo r so tr ifli ng a pit tan ce as a small spot of land. T h e Ad d r e s se r absurdly endeavours to prove from scripture, that the Slavery tolerated by the Mosaic law, was essentially different from that now im posed on the A fricans; an d gives som e reasons (as speciou s as he can m ake t hem ) to con vin ce us they m ight have particular reasons for the kind of slavery th ey did tolerate. He mi ght as w ell hav e inferr ed that if the adv ocates for Slav ery , justify the pr actice under th e law; th e other part s of it, in every particular , are still obligator y ; and although subjecting us to some inconvenient ceremonies, would give us a title to man y valuable pr ivileges, as turning off a wi fe we mi ght be tired of, & c. & c. But as I observed at setting out, the authority of scripture is now generally rejected by men of a liberal way of thinking. I shall therefore be more brief on any argum ents drawn from it on either side, and confine myself to such, as in my ow n opinion, are reason able an d in p oint . Is it not high ly prob able th at the A fricans w e enslave, are descendan ts of the ver y same H eathen that w ere r o u n d a b o u t t h e Is r ae l it e s, w h o we all know lived a long time in Africa? If so, as they still remain unconverted, are they not y et in t he sam e predica men t w ith t heir a ncestor s? An d as, w itho ut m uch arro gance w e may esteem ou rselves as Israelites, or at least descended from them , will it be denied that we are entitled to the liberty of enslaving the Africans and the H e a t h e n r o u n d a b o u t us also? This last is a trade we might drive on w ith very little s h ip p i n g, a n d m a y b e w o r t h y o f c o n si d er a t io n .
Our auth or, in attempting to prove the inconsistency of Slavery u nder the Christian dispensation, is quite blasphemous. He wou ld imply that although there is no expr ess precept against the Slave-trade to Africa or keeping Slaves, they are both absolutely repugnant to the very genius and spirit of Christianity. Ju st as if we w ere to imagine any evil w as intended to be removed that w as not expressly for bi dde n i n t he N ew T estam ent . T hi s w ou ld b e to sup po se th at t he l aw less ambition of Kings sacrificing millions of their fellow creatures, and the little catalogue of other necessary consequences of the imperfection of our nature, before men tion ed, are in consisten t w ith t he C hri stian r eligio n. H ow absurd is such rea son in g! H ow im pi ou s its a ut ho r! T is w ell he i s no t w ith in th e rea ch o f a Po pi sh i n q u i si t i o n ; h e ce r t ai n l y w o u l d h a v e m a d e a p r i n ci p a l c h a ra c te r i n an Auto de fe . N o t w i t h s t an d i n g h i s a b su r d i t ie s, a n d h i s b e i n g t o t al l y u n a c qu a i n t ed w i t h t h e subject, I admit his arguments have some weight in these northern colonies. Truth and justice should h ave very distinct ideas annexed to th em at th e pole, from wh at t h e y c o n v ey u n d e r t h e e q u i no c t ia l . T h er e i s a c er t a in po li ti cal n e ce s s i ty by w hich those ideas should be regulated; and as this necessity may be very different in different latitudes, a practice may be meritorious in the W est-Indies, which in Canada is far otherwise. Had our author and his associates confined their slander to their ow n countr ym en, and expressly excepted the W est-Indians from any share in them, I should have had no objection to the display of their abilities. He certainly never considered that the inhabitants of the British islands in the West-Indies, hold to th e valu e of 22,000,000 in l ive stock , exclu sive of qu adru peds and o ther chattels; and that were his pernicious doctrines (which thus impiously exclude the idea of political necessity) to prevail, they might soon be twenty -two m illions of m o n e y p o o r e r th a n t h ey n o w e st e em t h e m s el v e s t o b e. R u m , S u g a r , R i c e an d Ind igo are in disp ensa bl e ne cessar ies o f life , an d if w e ex clu de N egr oes, w e m ust intr odu ce wh ite m en in their culti vatio n, w hich w oul d never answ er; for t hey could not sustain the labour as well as blacks, as this author himself is pleased, with unusual candour, to allow ; and perhaps it might be rather difficult (especially if they w ere Britons) to persuade them to submit, to w hat their masters might think a proper correction in compelling them to it. The obstinacy of their tempers might occasion an exertion of spirit in the master s, that w oul d som etim es brin g the li ves of the lat ter as w ell as the for mer into some danger, as without doubt it would happen now and then, that a s u r vi v i n g f el l o w s er v a n t m i gh t b e ha r d y e n o u gh t o i n fo r m , a n d cl a i m t h e vengeance of the laws, which in the case of white men, may n ot be suffered to remain as they now are. Besides this, there would be a danger that industrious servants wo uld frequent ly become m asters; and if this ever happened in th e sugar colonies, and they were not able to mak e fifty h ogsheads of sugar each; by joining in the expence, they might obviate the difficulties arising from the great expence of sugar-work s; for it appears it is no more worth w hile to erect proper works for the manufacture of any less quantity, than it would be in a wheat country, for every petty farmer to bu ild a mill for the grinding of his own grain. By such means in tim e th e gr eat estat es of t he W est-Ind ian s w ou ld b e di vi ded , an d m any fam ili es, who by honest industry have risen to affluence, could rise no h i g h e r. This would probably discourage that profusion of expence, for which the W est-Ind ian s hav e bee n al w ay s rem ark abl e, an d w hi ch h as be en so adv ant ageo us t o the M oth er C oun try , a consid eratio n hi ghly w orth y of attent ion; even if by such a division of estates, the revenues of government w ere not lessened, which w ould cer tai nl y be t he c ase if t he n um ber of w h i t e s was increased, who w ould
undoubtedly consume more am ong themselves. Now th e quantity o f West-India pro duce do es not on ly benefit Br itain in respect to th e reven ue, bu t the Su gar, & c. sent ho m e, b y giv in g em pl oy m ent to th e refi ner s of Su gar , sai lo rs, sh ip -bui lde rs, &c., also c r e a t e s an increase of its inhabitant s; wheth er by any prolific, or w hat oth er qu ality in th e Sugar, & c., I canno t tell; but such is th e fact, as I am in form ed by the D e fe n c e . Was government sufficiently stupid to listen to the complaint of author the of the Ad d r e s s and his associates, or any such visionary enthu siasts, and proclaim liberty to f o u r h u n d r e d thousand N egroes, who are said to be in the British islands only, it is most probable that near f o u r t h o u sa n d ge n t le m e n C h r i st i a n s, a n d a m o n g th em som e of t he r ich est Br iti sh su bje cts, w ou ld b e im m edi ate ly red uce d to a m ost calamitous situationwould be obliged to content themselves with w hat they have already so equit ably acqui red by their labou r; an d one h und red tim es that n um ber of p oo r st up id N egr oes w ou ld b e tu rn ed ad ri ft, a nd for ever after dep ri ved of t h e i r kind care and protection. Wh at an unchristian conduct would th is be? I am really quite tired of this writers absurdities; nor less shocked at his want of humanity . H ad h e an d h is asso ciat es con fin ed t hem selv es to th e sup po sed p ro pr iet y of pr oh ib iti ng t he A fri can tr ade i n ge ner al t erm s, I sho ul d n ot hav e felt th e lea st desire of com batti ng th eir op inio ns. But he has rep resented t he W est-India P lanter s as a set of harden ed mo nsters; or at least th at m any cruel p uni shm ents are in flicted an their Slaves by som e of them. H e little thinks I can trace most of his malicious hints to th e identical persons he aim s at. Does he idly imagin e that there is any difficulty in seeing that the syringe of his venom is principally leveled against the Ho n. Mr . of Mars; John , Esq., of Anta; Mr. - of St. Ks; and -, a certain Honou rable and worthy gentleman of Jamca, who com monly wears blue clothes, & c. & c. I could point o ut several other s who are evidently the particu lar objects of his slander, were I so disposed; but these are sufficient to satisfy the public, that his reflections are altogether p e r s o n a l , an d th at h is Ad d r e s s is wr itten solely w ith a d esign to spr ead them . As to his particular instances of barbarity, h e does not mention one that is well supported by proof, and we cannot admit the possibility of the facts, as the auth or of th e D e fe n c e assur es us h e never w as an ey e-witn ess of one single in stance as particu lariz ed in t he Ad d r e s s, & c . , an d y e t w i t h a ca n d o u r t h a t is ev e r th e comp anion o f truth, h e does allow a f e w instances of the kind m entioned, h ad happened. One or two m ore of these fanatic writers adduce authorities for some of their assertions of this sort. I wo uld no t offer to impeach t he credit of Sir H ans Sloan, but he was certainly a m ilky tempered man, w hose mind w as not properly im pressed w ith t he idea o f the po li ti cal n e ce s s i ty of such a conduct to keep slaves in p r o p e r awe; and I must say, I think as he had received civilities from many men in Jamaica, and considerable addition s were there m ade to his collection o f natural curiosities, his character as a g e n t l e m a n wou ld have shone quite as conspicuously, had he suppressed some of his reflections on their behaviour to their slaves. T h e d es er v i n g p a r t of th e N e g ro e s w i l l m a i n t ai n t h ei r g o od b e ha v i o u r, a n d t h e w orth less from m otiv es of fear take car e n e v e r t o m e r i t p u n i sh m e n t ; so t h a t t h e lit tle sever ity com m on ly used am on g th em is u n m e r i t e d and merely i n T e r r o r e m . But wh en they are faulty, and y ou om it correction, they w ill surely l a u g h heartily at you r folly. If you are foolish enough to be indulgent and easy with them , they wi ll not o nly exercise their risible faculties, but becom e compleat villains; and the chances are ten to one that you r particular favourites are the rin gleaders in every insur rectio n. N otw ithstan ding al l thi s, such is th eir clem ency
and for bearan ce, that the m ost severe pen alties are in flicted on any one w ho chastises a Negro without acquainting the proprietor, or if he should unluckily be in Engl and, w hy then rath er tha n y ou sho uld b e l a u g h e d at (which w e all know is very provoking), a formal complaint to his Manager, who is alway s or gen erally a gentlem an by birt h or educati on, w ill an swer the pu rpo se. Th e w hip w ith w hich the dri ver alw ay s follow the N egroes w hile at th eir w ork , is only carried as a badge of authority, and so little used, that like Edward the Confessors sceptre, it may be han ded dow n t o su cceed in g gen era tio ns. A no th er o bje cti on of o ur sagac io us Ad d r e sso r i s p o i n t ed a t t h e se v er i t y o f th e law s in th e south ern co loni es and island s, respectin g the N egroes. H is ignor ance accompanies him in every lin e; and yet I admit th at at first sight, man y o f them do really a p p e a r harsh, and give an idea r a t h e r unfavourable of the clemency of their legislatures; but on examination, the harshness of this first a p pe a r an c e will entirely vani sh; th ey w ill ap pear ex cusable an d absolu tely necessary to th e g o o d gover nm ent, an d safety of the w hite p eople. Th us the l oo m i n g of the fogs of ign or anc e, w hen disp ell ed b y th e w in ds of po li ti cal n e ce s s i ty , will no more deceive us. T he d ispr op or tio n o f w hi tes an d bl ack s is th ere ver y gre at; and selfpreserv ation , that first and r ulin g prin ciple o f hum an na tur e, has m ade them jealous and p e r h a p s severe in t heir l aw s, but t hey are bu t m ere th re ats a s i t w e r e, a n d only held up, as the drivers whip, to intimidate delinquents. They are found to be essential in the very b ei n g of those colonies. Is it not strange that those thunderheaded scribblers cannot view them th rough the medium of this political necessity on w hich I have so clear ly insisted? Slaves are never capitally punished but for the most flagrant crimes, nor condemned w ithout th e clearest proof; nay , such is their tenderness on this head, that I have known a hum ane gentleman frequently to conceal the most atrocious crime, rather than suffer the unhappy perpetrator to be punished with de ath . T o suppose that masters would choose to forfeit their service forever, which is the undeni able consequence of a c a p i t a l punishment, wou ld be to prove them destitute of com mo n sense as w ell as com passion. In some cases, w e allow slaves have b een bur nt o r gibb eted aliv e, but neith er of th ese modes of p uni shm ent, n or an y oth er e v e r used amon g them, can come u nder the idea of severity , if we reflect on w hat Ravailac, Damien, and others have suffered for murdering, or attempting to murder Kings; or even that c r u e l Israelitish practice of boring the ear of a Slave with an awl, and obliging him to do all his work f a st e n e d in th at shock ing m anner to a door p ost, wh ich tis prob able he w as obliged to drag after him , wh en he had occasion to m ove. The charge of starving their Slaves is as groundless, and may as easily be refuted. W ould y ou, w ise Sir! esteem it good policy to starve a y oke of ox en, and especially in seed time and harvest, on the labour of which you depended for bread? It is certainly true that they do not invite Negroes to their turtle feasts, nor feed them w ith the nicest dainties; but they have a proper allow ance of corn in all places; in some they are allow ed a part of Sunday , and in ot hers even all that day , to raise their own provisions. Nay , it is not very uncomm on for very good m aster s, to giv e th em th eir dai ly all ow anc e, an d al l Su nd ay besi des t o t hem selv es. Hence it sometimes happens that provident, cunning fellows (for such there are even among these brutes) have been know n to sell con siderab le quantities of pr odu ce, a nd in du lge t hem selv es w ith a va ri ety of l u xu r i e s.
It is very evident that notwithstanding the accounts of fabulous voyagers, the Negroes on the western coasts of Africa, are the most stupid, beastly race of ani m als i n h um an sh ape , of a ny in th e w ho le w or ld. T he b ru tal ity , n asti ness, indolence and other c r i m i n a l p r o p en s it i es o f t h e H o t t en t o t s, a r e a c on v i n c in g proof of the truth of my assertion; and though I admit they are not destitute of hospitality to strangers (of which Aesop gives us many instances, even in fourfoo ted bea sts) y et I a m far from th inking this can counterbalance their execrable fondn ess for raw flesh.Th e auth or of th e D e fe n c e asserts that there are four or five different species of men,with submission, I will limit them to four, viz. 1st, Europeans; 2d, Asiaticks; 3d, Americans; and 4th, Africans; and retracting the wo rd s pe c i e s, substit ute g e n u s, w hich is m ore expr essive of my idea as being a general term , by wh ich I wou ld distinguish th e last as only a s pe c i e s of that g e n u s, tho ugh utter ly devoi d of reason . C arry ing th is idea litt le furt her, I w oul d y et subdiv ide th e Afr icans in to five c l a ss e s, arran ging th em i n th e order as they approach nearest to reason, as lst, Negroes; 2d, Ourang-Outangs; 3d, Apes; 4th, Baboo ns; and 5th, M onk ey s. Th e opin ion o f their i rrat iona lity is so wel l supp orted by f a c t s, t h a t t o t h o se a cq u a i n te d w i t h th e m , I n e ed a dv a n ce v er y l i t t l e o n t h e subject; but to rem ove ever y scrupl e from the scepti c, a litt le un deniab le eviden ce may not be improp er. T h e r e n ev e r w a s a c iv i l i ze d n at i o n o f a n y o t h e r co m p l e x io n t h a n w h i te ; nor ever an y indi vidu al em inen t eith er in act ion o r specul ation that w as not r ather incli nin g to th e f a i r. Africa, except a small part of it, inhabited by those of our own c o l ou r , i s t o t al l y o v e r r u n w i t h Ba r b ar i sm n a y , s u ch i s t h e co n t a m i n at i n g influence of black, that I fear I need not except e v e n the w h i t e s amo ng t h e m . Perhaps this observation may assist us in accounting for the few appearances of Barbar ism w e now and th en discov er am ong t he w h i t e s in ou r sout hern colon ies and islan ds, w here b l ac ks bear so large a proportion to their number. But to proceed from this short digression, Africa has no kingdoms of any eminence, but chiefly con sists of petty mon archies, excepting Bildu lgerid, Ethiop ia, N ubia, Ab issinia, M oro cco, and man y oth ers that are rath er large. Th at they are all per pet ua lly at w ar w ith each ot her , w e ar e w ell assur ed, for it i s cert ain ly th e case with all the petty nations, that are not very distant from our European factories on their western coasts, from the river Senegal to the Cape of Good Hope; the H o t t e n t o ts , F e r ly s , a n d s o m e f ew o t h e r s, o n l y e x ce p t ed . T h e st u p i d it y o f t h e nat iv es can no t b e att ri bu ted to cli m ate ; for th at r ul e w ou ld a lso a ffect t he C hi nese and the West-Indians themselves; and besides, the Moors (who are situated at no great distance from the Slave coasts) have always made a figure in history, and the Egy ptian s wer e once em inen t for th e progr ess of the arts. Bu t these are r ather instances of the powers of sagacious instinct than a proof of my opinion, respecting th e ir rat io nal ity of all Africans, being erroneous. Let not any in answer to w hat I have said relating to their governments and wars, object the similarity of description given by Tacitus and other historians, of many European nations in e a rl y a g e s. S u ch a n o b je ct i o n ca n h a ve n o w e i gh t , w h e n w e co n s id e r th e Eu r o p e an s are blessed with reason, and therefore capable of improvement. Besides the descriptions of this kin d are made by Rom an auth ors, w ho generally gave an exaggerated picture of the manners of any people with whom they w ere at war, and especially if they had any particular designs on them, or to enslave them or any thin g else for w hich they could preten d no ju st auth orit y , for such representations might afford them some excuse for their lawless ambition. T his furnishes us, too, with anoth er strong reason for discrediting abundance of idle
tales, on which th e arguments of these gloomy impu gners of Slavery are founded, as I have before observed. I cou ld n ever per ceiv e [th at] th e A fri can s hav e th e m ost dist ant no tio ns o f a supreme being, which had they any rational powers, they would certainly have either by intu itio n, or the ben efit of the co nnect ion w hich tho se near ou r factor ies espec ial ly m ust hav e w ith abu nd anc e of p i o u s w h i t e p eo p l e, w h o s e l a w f u l c o n ce r n s carrying them into Africa, we m ay suppose spare no opportunities of benefitting them in any sense. In the conv ersation of these, the N egroes wou ld frequently hear im precati ons, th at w oul d com mu nicate t he n o t i o n of the whites on this subject. They have, how ever, a confused notion of an evil spirit called J u m b e e , who is able to do them mischief, and it is a custom among them to hang a broken bottle, a bit of rag, or any thing else by w ay of a charm near their ground, w hich they call O b y, and i s I suppose thei r goo d spirit . W hen t heir p rop erty is thu s guarded, few Negro es will hav e the boldn ess to steal any part of it. H ow such irratio nals came by even so much religion is hard to find, except we may be allowed a conjecture that they have a faint noti on of im age wor ship; borr ow ed probably from R oman itin erant Mi ssionari es, as I think Baretti tells us th at am ong t he C atho lick s, wh en any in decency is intended in the presence of a picture Saint or Madonna, a cloth is carefull y placed befo re the p ictur e to con ceal such i ndecency from their view . Th ey also m ake som e little shew o f religion at their funerals, but th is too may be w ell attr ibu ted to i mi tatio n; an d w e may assign the sam e cause, if w e discover any thing like sentiments of friendship, gratitude, or other social ties among them. In arts and sciences, they have n ever m ade the l east prog ress, wh ich is an oth er strong proof of their brutality. In their music, although there seems to be a kind of discordant harmony, I have never been able to discover their having any notion of the g a m u t ; neither have they adopted our best system of astronom y. W hen did...