HIC LIBER AB AMICIS MUSAE
EMORY UNIVERSITY
LI BRARY
APPEAL
to the
FEOFIiE OF THE UNITES STATES.
shewing the
CONDITION OF THE SLAVES OF THE SOUTH,
contrasted
WITH THE POOR LABORERS
op
SWIE®IPIi MMW)
"The highest happiness, which is Capable of being enjoyed in
this world, consists in peace of mind."—Zimmerman.
fyf (£)*■. (*t. hourd
Charleston*
printed by thos. a. hayden,
No. 44 Queen-Street.
1835.
AN APPEAL, Ac.
i would make some apology for entering upon a subject to which I am a
stranger—when it has been repeatedly treated by far better minds, aided
by acquirements, greatly superior to the humble pretensions of the writer;
were it not, that now we have arrived at a crisis, which demands that every
true patriot, should exert himself for his country, and furnish his mite for
the preservation of our peace and prosperity. If my efforts are weak,
they are honestly exerted and with a pure intention. I hope that the fol-
lowing remarks will not be thrown aside as useless or out of season, until
the true intention of the writer be found out, and the importance of the
subject well weighed. What, at another period, would be unnecessary
and altogether useless, becomes of great importance under existing
circumstances. For the writer at any other period to have dipped his feather
for his present purpose, would have shown strong symptoms of Lunacy.
But now I hope that the emergency of the times will compensate for
the deficiency of talent and ability. If by my feeble efforts, I can bring
one man in our favor, who now is against the peace and prosperity of
this country,—If I can make a few more, who are now lukewarm in
the cause, take an interest for the salvation, or rather the preservation of
this happy, thrice happy country, then will my labors be amply rewar-
ded. Yes, if I can awaken, to a sense of duty, any one who may be
slumbering over this gathering volcano, I will have achieved much, and
I will sit down content, and satisfied, that for once I have done some good
to my country. I trust that this weak appeal will not be made in vain to
my fellow-citizens, but that they will listen attentively to my reasons, and
judge of me according to the facts, I will endeavor to lay before them. It
is not a subject of as trifling importance as many may be induced to
believe. It is one that may compromise the peace and prosperity of this
whole nation ! Yes, it may be the means of ultimately creating a feeling
of rancor and hatred, among the people of the South, towards those of the
North, and vice versa,which may sow the first seeds of serious and 1 amenta-
ble consequences! I am not an alarmist, but I think it behooves us to
avoid every appearance of evil. We all have an interest in the prosperity
4
of our common country—the northern citizen is interested in the prosperity
of the'south, as well as the south in that of the north. That brotherly love,
which baused our forefathers of the thirteen colonies to unite, and pledge their
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, is surely not yet extinguished!
No! I trust that the same spirit, which animated them, prevails yet in every
true American bosom ! But I know too well the independence and mag.
nanimity of soul of the Southern citizen, to think for one moment, that he
would submit to the reiterated and unmerited insults, that some few fanatics
of the north would offer him, if they are not restricted by the north.
Neither will he stoop to the degrading humility of begging any redress
from a people, who should not feel interested for liis welfare, but who
could witness with indifference those assasias aiming at him the deadly blow.
I am aware that a part of my intended readers, are not acquainted with
all the'circumstances, connected with the slave of the south, and it is for
such that I write,—it is for their information that I layw the following facts
before the public. This is a subject, \yhich of late has threatened to
shake the fabric of this government to its very foundation and deluge the
land with the blood of the innocent! The northern people are not well
acquainted with the true character and situation of the slave. Although
they may iiave many free Africans among themselves, yet the very limited
intercourse, that the better class of people have with the free negroes, does
not permit them to have a correct knowledge of their capacity and charac-
ter. The sympathies of the northern people are excited by the infiamma.
tory declamations and publications of the incendiaries, who have the de-
struction of the peace of this country in view. When a man is unac-
quainted with any subject, his mind can easily be prejudiced in favor or
against it, according to the manner in which it is first brought before him.
These early impressions are hard to be eradicated, especially when the
means of better information are not at hand. My aim, in writing this
short essay, is to correct if possible some of those wrong impressions, en-
tertained by some of the northern towards, the southern people, and thereby
to lessen the danger of this country being deluged in blood, by people
who ought to be friends and whose interest it is to remain such. It is no
chimera, no delusion of a distempered fancv, but an awful fact, that there
are now, in our own happy land, fiends clothed in the robe of religion, who
pretend to follow the footsteps of " the prince of peace," and are daily
working for the ruin of this nation ! They endeavor to spread desolation
and bloodshed among the happy inhabitants of this country, and to kindle
one of the most murderous wars that ever befel a nation. They are en-
deavoring to bring an enemy to the bed chamber, in the dead hour of the
night, to butcher women and children in their sleep, and then to create a
civil war nmong the citizens of this republic!
My object here is to show the real state of the case, that would seem to
call for the extermination of every citizen of the South according to the
pretensions of these fanatics. I will not enter into a discussion of the
legality or illegality of slavery; I leave that subject for abler pens than
mine,—there are many and abler pens than mine engaged in that task.
My aim, as I have already said, js tp give a true statement of the case, a
true picture of the situation of the slave in the South, as far as my abilities
will permit. In order that my reader may judge of my opportunities of
knowing, of my former prejudices, and my interest in" the case, which we
5
all know have a great influence upon our actions, 1 think it proper to state
first, that I am not a native of the South. In my early education, in the
' first principles inculcated in me, I was taught to despise any thing in the
shape of tyranny—with the word slavery, I associated starvation, chain,
dungeon,barbarity, and scourge of every kind. I was taught to look upon a
slave-holder, as a monster in human shape, destitute of all the nice feelings
of sympathy. In fine, I was taught to look upon him as a little nero. I
thought it impossible to hold slaves, withbut keeping them in shameful and
torturing subjection. I was taught that all men were born free and equal,
that their mental capacities were all alike capable of improvement, and
that to keep one in subjection to the other would necessarily deprive the
former of all the enjoyments of life; that the master was destitute of feeling
for his slave and only looked upon him with disdain and scorn. I was led
to believe that the slaves were kept in a hopeless and deplorable subjection,
and entirely at the whimsical disposition of the cruel owner, and destitute of
all the enjoyments of life. It did not appear to me that the interest of the
master was contrary to this—I did not know that the Southern people
were a charitable, humane, and generous people. I was not acquainted
with the usages and peculiarities of the country where slavery is tolerated.
It was impossible for me to associate any other idea with slavery, than that
of Algerine barbarity. I believed that the beings held in bondage saw no
peace, that the anxiety to be free kept them miserable, under the rod and
hard task of the master !
Thus we are apt to attach wrong ideas to words—and thereby make a
monster for our own fancy and never look at things as they are. We are
as wise as the man who in fear of goblins got frightened at his own shadow,
and exerted himself to get rid of it until exhausted he fell in a swoon!
But before we touch upon a subject that may involve the peace and pros-
perity of a country, we ought to be thoroughly acquainted with its bearings,
we ought to know whether there is any just cause to involve the
country in all the horrors of a civil war, and if there be none, the instiga-
tors should be viewed in the light of traitors and assassins, and treated ac-
cordingly.
But to return,—with my mind thus full of prejudices and ill founded no-
tions, I removed to the South. 1 had witnessed the deplorable and helpless
situation of the poor in Europe, the hardships they have to endure from
their yiqsters—or if you will, employers, being obliged to serve for
wages, which can at best be but a remuneration barely sufficient to
afford a scanty sustenance. 1 have also witnessed the condition of the ser-
vant in the free States, which is but nominally different from that of
those of Europe. The servant here and there is looked upon as an in-
ferior being and treated as such. Circumstances force him to bear the
whims of his employers, the scorn of the proud, and withal to be subject to
all the cares and anxieties of providing for himself, and to apply his earn-
ings in such a way as to meet his wants, which he can but barely do under
the most favorable auspices—as to time for recreation and rest, he
has none; he cannot appropriate one moment to himself, without incurring
the displeasure of his master, who proscribes him and pronounces upon
him the anathema of a discharge ! Forgetting that the slave was not thus
precariously situated,! was led to look upon him as being in a much worse
condition. Thus it is that the mind when uninformed by correct know-
6
ledge is open to all sorts of false notions. There is no such a thing as a
sound vacant mind. If it is not stored with true ideas, it is incumbered
with false impressions. It is the honest view of correcting such opin-
ions, among my fellow.citizens of the free States, which has induced
me to lay before them this lame production of mine. I hope that I shall
not be deemed an apostate to the cause of freedom. If I have changed
my opinion upon the subject of Southern slavery, it was not from abstract
reasoning, but the fruit of five year's constant observation and residence
among the southern people. This subject having grown to such a degree
of importance, as to endanger the peace and prosperity of this whole
nation, will be a sufficient excuse, I trust, for disclosing my sentiments
upon it—at any other time they would not be worth the slightest degree
of attention. But now I think it the duty of every patriot to inform him-
self upon this question. It is not with the fanatic that true information can
be had, but with the unprejudiced observer, who has opportunities to see
the real state of thirgs.
2d. My avocation affords me many opportunities for observing, and my
preconceived notions suffered my eyes to leave nothing unnoticed, with re-
gard to the happiness of the slave. Following the practice of physic, I
had many fair opportunities not only to know the situation of the slave,
but also to find out his disposition and the mental capacities of the African
as well as their actual condition. Being frequently called to visit planta-
tions, and desirous of ascertaining all the hardships and privations of the
slave, I anxiously inquired into the severity of their treatment and the
difficulties of performing their tasks.
3d. That the reader may judge of my interest in' the case, I will re-
peat that I own no slaves, nor ever did. I hope therefore that I shall not
be accused of speaking through interested motives : To say that I am not
interested at all would be to acknowledge myself a traitor to my country!
It is impossible for any man knowing the true state of the case as I do,
and seeing the movements that the abolitionists are making, to look on
with an indifferent eye ! I am not interested in holding slaves, but in the
preservation of my country—I am interested for the peace and happiness
that every rational soul enjoys in this land.
After five years of daily observations, I am forced to come to the con-
elusion that my errors with regard to the master and the slave were very
great. I found here humanity displayed, not only through interested mo.
tives in the master for the slave, but also through the pure feeling of
sympathy, which is a stranger in the northern bosom towards the negroes.
Often when I felt the vicissitudes of fortune and the shocks of adversity,
which those, who are said to be free, are liable to feel, and viewed the pre-
carious situations of many, the load of cares we frequently groan under,
the peace destroying anxieties that follow us every where, I could almost
envy the more peaceful, even, and careless destiny of the slave. I own
there are exceptions in all general rules; even the rose-bush has thorns;
there is no sweet without bitter in the cup of life. If the slave has to obey,
he is a stranger to care and sorrow, and all the anxieties that necessarily
spring from the whims of blind fortune, which often embitter life almost past
endurance. Notwithstanding all my former prejudices and my Utopian
dreams smothered in my own breast, I was forced to hush the clamors my
former notions would induce me to utter against the slaveholder, on seeing
7
that there was no ground for them. When I pictured to my mind the real
state of the poorer class in Europe and America, and contrasted it with that
of the slave, I had to blush at my own delusion! I have found to my
astonishment that the poor free black or white was to be pitied, but not
the careless, indolent, indulged and happy negro, who looks to his master
for the protection and support, which he daily receives.
But to come to the point in a correct manner, let us take our eye from
the kaleidoscope, and look at things as they are. Let us examine the state
of society, as it is in countries, where nominal slavery is not tolerated,
and see if there be no real slaves where the name is changed to
servants; and that it should be so is the order of nature, and the best proof
of the fact is that it has ever been so since we have a record of the history
of man. Since the creation of the world, there has been as great variety
in the dispositions and capacities of men, as in their sizes and faces. This
variety was no doubt intended by the creator for a good purpose; at any
rate it is not for me to critisise the design of the Almighty, it is enough for
me to know that the fact is such. By the great variety of dispositions and
capacities implanted in us,we become better suited to promote each other's
individual happiness. The capacities of one individual will fit him for a
certain purpose, or to follow a certain occupation, necessary for the well-
being of others, who would be unhappy to follow that particular occupa-
tion, while they will follow others equally advantageous with the first,which
he might not be able to pursue himself. Thus we have philosophers, poets, of
various grades, mechanics of different branches, and cultivators of the soil,
while we receive from the scientific, the labors of the superior intellect, or
from the poet the enchanting strains,which form such a feast to the elevated
and polished mind; while we execute the plans of the architect, or while we
live in harmony under the wise laws enacted by the statesman, we may in
return follow other employments, of a lower order, that while we
receive the benefit of those labors, which the God of nature has made us un-
fit for, #e may follow others,which though not less necessary and useful, are
still less noble, and thereby promote each other's happiness, by pursuing our
own object of selection.
Labor is as indispensable for man as food and clothing, since neither of
those necessaries can be procured without labor. The enjoyments of this
life require something more than our bare sustenance; men are endowed
with many appetites, which become necessary to be supplied. Labor is re-
quired for these, and it is upon the satisfaction of these that their true happi-
ness depends. The different appetites, which cause man to act, also cause a
fluctuationin his present affairs. Again, circumstances over which we have
no controul very frequently turn the wheel of fortune in such a manner,as to
cause a great revolution in the possessions of men. He who is in affluence
to-day may be in indigence to-morrow. Thus have the affairs of men kept
fluctuating since the days of Adam. And no doubt the Creator inten-
ded all this for the accomplishment of his design. Christ told his Apos-
ties that they should always have the poor with them, of course he was no
agrarian, and he was well skilled in the nature of mankind. There are
always some men whose nonchalance, or bad habits, or misfortunes, will
bring them to the necessity of laboring with their hands in order that they may
procure wherewith to supply their own wants. Indeed, were every one as
*ieh as Cro?Sus. labor would still have to be done, as it is absolutely indispen-
8
sable to our existence. The working class therefore must necessarily be*
much the largest, since all are consumers, the producer as well as the idler,
and since one man produces but little more than he consumes. He who
consumes all he produces by his labor must necessarily be poor, or contin.
ually under the necessity of laboring for his own support—This circum-
stance will for ever subject him to the disposal of the affluent, and he must
be a servant, whether he be a slave or not.
That there have been, are now, and will ever be, poor people, obliged to
work, not only for their own support, but also for the support of those, whose
good fortune, or merit, or talent, has placed them above the necessity of
laboring at the drudgeries of life, is an axiom that no rational man will pre-
tend to deny. Let even the Agrarian laws take the sway, and equalize the
property of the world among its inhabitants, and they would not hold as
long as the division should be making. But the thing is impossible. It is
so arranged in the fitness of things, by the great planner of the universe,
that these inequalities in property and capacities should exist, and it is not
for weak and short sighted man to alter the decrees of heaven, or the laws
of nature. As it is necessary to have laborers, it is also necessary to have
different occupations, suited to the various grades of genius and dispositions
among men. In our common concerns, it is necessary to plan before we
execute—and he who plans is necessarily above the one who executes, as
the former must have more foreknowledge and judgment than the latter;
and that the one should be subjected to the other, is for the benefit of both.
It is not every one who is possessed of forethought sufficient to plan. Many
a soldier,who can brave the cannon's mouth with indifference, cannot com-
mand an army. Nations, and generations in their millions, have produced
but few Alexanders, Hannibals, Julius Caesars, or Napoleons. By the su-
perior order of their intellect, nations, which they commanded, or rather,
the nations of which they were masters, rose superior to their neighbors,
who had less able masters' and thereby were subdued to the greater genius,
until another equally great rose to oppose the former. The talent of a
good General is of as great necessity as an army of brave men, and the
prosperity of both depend upon the subjection of the latter to the former; it
is not only necessary to have physical force but we must have judgment to
direct it. It would be adverse to the happiness of the world, that every
man should possess the same degree of talent and genius, the same powers
of mind, and the same inclination to follow one occupation. Nay, it would
lead to the destruction of the world, and well was the Creator apprised of
this, and He provided for it accordingly.
No one pretends to blame an individual, who by his greater powers of
mind, accumulates to himself sufficient property in the world, to place
himself and his descendants above the necessity of being obliged to work at
the common drudgery of every day occupation. His nobler employments
are of infinitely more advantage to the community than his daily labor,at what
there are a vast number able to accomplish, who are not fitted for
higher pursuits. Had Scipio Africanus, been obliged to plough his
ground still, he would not have been able to command the Romans, and
the great Carthage might have been the mistress of the world, and thous-
ands who could plough as well as Scipio, could never have headed the Ro-
man army. It was then just, nay it was necessary for the preservation of
the whole city of Rome, that this meaner employment should be taken from'
9
him, and he who could not head the army and'protect the city from its pow-
erful enemy, by the superior order of his genius, should plough the ground
of Scipio and procure him all the necessaries of life, while he was engaged
in the protection of the whole country; and certainly more honor was due
to Scipio than to his ploughman.
Now then we see it is in the fitness of things, that some beings should
be employed in meaner occupations than others and iti is just that occupa-
tions should rank higher in grade according to the4greater benefit de-
rived, for mankind at large. Such certainlyjjhas been the practice of the
world for ages. There are sortie exceptions to the general rule, but so
far as they go, they always reflect obloquy upOn the nation or the peo-
pie guilty of such exceptions. The treatment and death of Socrates will
ever reflect a dark shade upon the history of Athens—But even here the
exception is comparatively speaking, but transitory—after generations do'
ample justice to merit, tho'a little too late sometimes. But if, the inge-
nious and talented are to be praised and to have immunities above those,who
are inferior to them, the happiness of the latter is not to be disregarded.
But it must constitute one of the principal cares of those, who are able to
govern, to provide for the comfort of those, who are to obey as well as to
direct their labors, so that all work to the advantage of each other, and thus
a nation becomes one family, where every riiembermay enjoy his full share
of blessings, according to his merits or capacities. It is very evident that
there is no better way to provide for the poor and daily laborer, than to
make the rich and affluent directly interested in the preservation and propa-
gation of the former. For this state of things to be so, some one must be
deprived of a certain portion of his liberty. But without digressing any
farther, let us examine the state of things, as it is all over the world, where,
nominal slavery exists, as well as where it is not tolerated.
Under existing circumstauces, we see that there must be poor people,
or that property or wealth will forever steal from the many to the few, and
these few by means of their larger possessions will be able to procure
the poor to labor for them. Whenever one labors for another and is under
the command of the former, the latter is necessarily a servant. Circumstan-
ces, force him tothis and the burden is not unfrequently heavy, and although
he is free, still it becomes an absolute necessity for him to bear it. If we
go to the North and examine the state of the poor class we shall find it SO.
Still they are free? Yes, free to starve or work, and put themselves under
the command of a master, who has no interest in their welfare, nor in their
health, who, while he gives plenty of work to the father, cares not a cent
whether the children have a bit of bread to satisfy their pressing wants.
. The poor laborer of the free countries^ so called, is more in slavery, than
the real slave. Circumstances make it necessary that he should work for
others, that is, he is forced to be a servant. Such servants have not only to
please the whims of their masters, or to call them by a more fashionable
name, employers, but they have the care of providing for^themselves, their
wages barely support them, without ever enabling them to lay up any saving
in case of adverse fortune, and when disabled by age or sickness, they ne-
cessarily become objects of charity. And if they have any independence or
laudable pride they become objects of suffering and misery. I grant that
there are exceptions to this. But I will produce as many Slaves who have
emancipated themselves and procured for themselves and families a com-
2
id
fortable living by industry; although I contend generally that the Atn-
can race is less capable of improvement, and the proof of this is that a negro
cannot thrive where there are sufficient white laborers. The laboring class
every where is looked upon as a set of inferior beings by the affluent and
proud. If the more benevolent extends the hand of charity to the poor it is-'
to make him feel his dependence and littleness. But even this is badly done;
do We not hear every day that many starve to death in Europe? Can any
enormities exceed this? Yet who is to blame? the sufferer,or the institutions
of the cduntry, or the rich who wallow in abundance and luxuries of all
kinds? Such heart-rending scenes are never to be found among us, because
the rich are directly interested in the preservation of the working class, and
they are by law obliged to provide for them comfortable clothing and
wholesome food!
I shall not be told that the sufferings and privations of the working class
is misrepresented here. I have observed these things myself, and it is not
from hearsay that I write. I have myself seen and known whole families
of free white people, for months to live upon herbs picked in the woods
and the fields, boiled in water without salt or spice of any kind, or flesh or
bread, to sooth the bitterness of the native plant!—The most plentiful harvest
affords them but a scanty pittance. But when the inclemency of the
weather injures the crops in the least, famine stai'es a vast number in the
face! This state of things now exists in Europe, aye in England, whence
come those hypocritical fanatics, who try to deluge this happy coun-
try in blood to remove an imaginary evil, while they can witness all
the real slavery of their country, the degraded state of their breth-
ren and countrymen, not only as menial slaves, but see them starve to*
death without the least remorse of conscience! But they must come
here and create a disturbance about the emancipation of a race of people,
when experience proves that race incapable of living to advantage in
that state. The slave of the South is incapable of higher enjoyments
than he has now, and were it not for the name, I doubt not that many, very
many of the poorer class, both of Europe and America, would gladly and
thankfully livethe life of our slaves! If there be any objects of charity,
any individuals who require amelioration in their condition, they have
them at. home in abundance. Let the foreign emissaries make their poor
brethren and countrymen as happy and as comfortable as the slave in the
South, and then we will be more ready to hear their clamors. Let the*
Northern fanatics provide for the poorer class among themselves as the
slave is provided for here, before they bring the knife to our throats, for
being more charitable than they are.
It is not my aim to blame the institutions of any country, because there
are rich and poor people, because the poor are subjected to the rich, and
because they are liable to suffer from their indigence. I have already
endeavored to show that it was a natural consequence that there should be
so.ue poor, indeed that this class must be the largest portion of men, de-
pendent more or less upon the protection and wisdom of the affluent and
wealthy—or in other words, I have endeavored to show that it is a neces-
sary consequence, that there should be slaves, either bound by the law of
the land or by circumstances to obey the command of their masters.
But my endeavors are to show that the condition of the poor free man is
worse than that, of the slave, The poor- laborer, who has a family of
i i
/ hiklren to rear up in the world, and who depends upon his ownoseiiious
for support, can but barely afford them their daily bread. He cannot give
them that necessary education that would be requisite to ameliorate their
situation; they are necessarily kept in the lower circles of society and
doomed to labor daily for their support; in fact they are slaves, from father
to son! Were the poorer class to reflect well upon this as well 83 upoii
the real sufferings they have so frequently to put up with, I am certain this
would cause a sudden decrease in the population of the globe. But as the
means of improvement are withheld from them, the mind is not sufficient-
3 v enlightened to contract the fire of youth. The young laborer, rising to
maturity and accustomed to hardship, thinks not of improvements nor of
amelioration in his condition; or careless of the consequences that are to
follow, rushes at once into the state of matrimony; numerous offspring are
the consequence; pressing wants stare him in the face; there is no time for
improvement, although it might be offered gratuitously; he must have em-
ployment—or" starve. This affords at once an obedient menial slave to
the affluent, a slave who costs no more than his bare sustenance and that
of his family in the most economical manner, and sometimes not even
that! Thus it is that our free States and Europe can furnish us with the
products of labor cheaper than the slaveholder can manufacture them
with his slaves!
,It would be travelling oyt of my latitude to go into an elaborate discus-
•sian of the mental capacities of the African race, yet I think that a few re-
marks here will not be amiss. There have been iree negroes in this country
for more than a century past.—Many have had all the advantages of educa-
tion,and yet we have never seen a literary character spring .-from among them,
not a single self-made man, no great mechanical genius, all these we fre-
,$uently see spring up from among the poor and obscure, and rise to great
eminence among the white race. But where is an African Franklin, or
Adam -Clark, or Perkins?
The greatest geniuses, that the world can boast of here, sprung up from
the most obscure source—and surmounted every obstacle in their way,
by the superior power of their mental capacities; but where shall we find
such exertions among our colored population? History furnishes us with
no very authentic account of any eminent African philosophers, poets, mo
ehanics—I mean by African, the black race—Among us, when free, what
are the negroes? they are for the most part, an opprobrium to society. Look
in the hovels of your cities, and in the houses of ill fame,and see who inhabit
there? I may be answered that the prejudices of the white population have
kept the colored race from ascending in the grade of usefulness and worth.
But even,here the objection will not stand good. I will admit that this
may be a great draw back upon their prosperity. But how is it in the small
colony, in Brown County, Ohio, where land and the advantages of civilizn-
tion have been given to a parcel of blacks?—Do they improve like their
neighbors of that flourishing state? Does St. Domingo produce now like
it did when under the direction of the white people? How is it wgfbit&o
African in his own native soil! Does he improve his condition?—These
are questions, when answered, which will show how much the negro is ca-
pable of improvement. The highest degree of eminence that we see
them capable of, is to be tolerable mechanics! and even these are in
the smallest number—I think I may safely say that there is not an ex.trao.r-
binarymechanic of the African race in the whole United States. The
highest degree of improvement they are capable of, is to cultivate the soil,
when forced by a master, who drives them and plans the manner in which
they should work. They are never actuated by the noble ambition and
zeal to excel in any art, and the highest office they seek when free, is to black
the boots of some other persons, and they remain content with working at
the lowest drudgery of the common occupations of life, and to these
they only go when pressing wants drive them. Does experience con-
tradict what I say 1 When they are set free do they improve? No, their
natural indolence is so great, that nothing but the most pressing wants drive
them to their employ. To remedy this, in free States, the Legislatures
pass laws requiring free negroes to give a bond of five hundred dollars,
that they will not become a charge to the parish, township, or county. Had
the negro proved worthy of his freedom, such laws would never have been
enacted, nor put in force, but experience proves the necessity of such laws,
and they are daily put in force, in order to get rid of vermin that would
live upon the labor of the industrious
It is admitted by every man of sense, that no greater curse could
befal this country than to set all the slaves free,—a state not natural to
them and in which they are not fit to live. Let us now inquire, whether
their more natural state, viz. that of being in bondage is so deplorable as
it has been represented. It must be admitted that the African is generally
dull, and careless. Care too is the greatest impediment to our enjoyments,
and requires the greatest efforts of the mind; and the negro is incapable of
bearing it. This natural defect must always keep him in poverty. We
have already seen the state of the poor in other countries. Let us now see
whether the slave is not in abetter condition than they, and in a more con-
genial state to his nature.
The African here fills the place of the common labourer of other coun-
tries, but unlike the poor there, who have no protection from the oppression
of the riph and affluent, nothing to protect but their daily labor, nothing to
expect in adversity but a wretched existence and a state of starvation.
The slave is under the immediate care of his maste.r, who is interested in
his welfare and his prosperity, and who watches over his health as weli as
his labors. Being reared '<p in the family nf his owner, he naturally feels
an attachment for him, and vice versa. Instead of being considered as an
inferior being, if he be worthy of notice, he is cherished by his owner as a
member of the family and treated as such, as far as is consistent with his
nature and situation. This, so far from elevating the slave 'nvner above the
laboring class as is the case with the rich, where they are free, brings the
rich in immediate contact with the labourers, and the former know and
sympathize with the latter in their woes and pains, and carefully provide
for them. The slaves are forced to work by their masters and the latter
are bound to provide for them.
The poor labourer is forced to work by his distress, and no one is bound
to support him in his adversity. The slave has no care but to obey the or-
ders of his master. The poor labourer has all the care of rearing his
family, of providing employment, of obeying his employer and of appro-
printing his little revenue in such a manner that it may meet the demands
of nature. The task of the slave is much lighter than that of the com*
13
inon tree laborer. In proof of this, we advance the known fact, that n>
general ten white laborers will do as much as fifteen slaves. Yet the
negro is certainly equal in physical strength to the white man and there,
fore his task must be easy. It is a well known fact that the people who
are reared in free states are much the hardest masters, because they know
how much work a man is capable of doing, and they would require this of
the athletic negro, but they soon find that they must be more indulgent.
There is none of that barbarity carried on here that the fanadcs of the
north would have us believe. It is true that the negroes are transported
at the will of the master. But even here there is not that great punish-
ment one would be at first induced to imagine. A good and faithful ser-
vantis very seldom sold out of his neighborhood. If his master is forced
to sell him, his good character and conduct at once procure him a home
in the country he was reared and is known in, and very frequently those who
are transported, from one country to another, owe it to their own choice.
But do we not see the people of all ranks and classes often separated from
their relatives and friends in all ages?—again, the trial of parting is not so
great with the slave. If he leaves his family behind, he knows that they
are in as good circumstances as though he were present. But as I have
said, it is an extremely rare occurrence to see the slave,who has a wife or
husband or children, if he or she be of good character, I say it is of rare
occurrence, to see them separated or even transported. It must be said to
the credit of the southern people that they scrupulously regard this, and
that the slaves are indulged in this particular to a degree that none but
actual observers can know. If the slave is restricted in some particulars,
he has other advantages as a set off. He is free from the killing anxieties
of the poor class, his labors are necessarily lighter, he is free from the
horrors of starvation, let his health be what it may. In sickness he suffers
nothing from want of medical or other attendance—He has no care for the
education of his children, nor about their food or clothing. If he be not
free to change his condition from bad to worse, nor suffered to idle his time
away, he is freed from the consequences that would arise from an idle life.
The slave is free to lead a moral life, but not suffered to be depraved or
commit crimes, that, although not exactly punishable by law, are neverthe-
less crimes, which destroy the individual himself and the peace of his rela-
tives. It is among the lower and ignorant class that the most crimes are
committed and the most immoral conduct is pursued. I think that I have
shown that the diminished capacities of the negro would naturally keep
him in the lower class—If I have not demonstrated it, his conduct has
proved it beyond dispute. The slave then is restricted in his bad pro-
pensities by the watching of his master. His natural indolence would
bring him to his original barbarity; but the interest of the master is to
prevent this, and to improve his faculties to the extent of his capacities.
That his condition is not so deplorable is conclusively proved by the rapid
increase of the race. But if there be any way to improve their condi-
tion it is not by rendering their minds dissatisfied, by inflammatory notions,
which must destroy their peace, and render them disobedient and refracto-
ry and cause their masters, who otherwise would be more favorably dis-
posed, to draw the bonds tighter upon them, and curtail the few privi*
leges which could be extended to them.
Freedom is not the natural state of the negro; his diminutive intellect
14
renders him unlit fur any thing but a common laborer. His natural indo-
lence renders him incapable of improvement. Hence it is, that by setting
him free, so far from ameliorating his condition, he is rendered more
miserable. Again, if a little brighter genius than common should be de-
veloped in the slave, as he becomes more valuable, his condition is im-
proved. If he exerts himself there are but very few masters, who will
not allow him the chance of enjoying the fruits of his labor. Let any
one come here and witness the luxuries among our slaves on a festival day,.
No more rags are seen in the streets of Charleston than in any other city
of the same size in Europe or America. You are not assailed here by an
■orphan begging you for a copper to relieve his distress or that of his moth-
er or brother or sister, as there—by a widow bereft of her husband and left
with a family of helpless children. Such cases are not to be met with
among the slave population. They have masters, who will not allow them
to idle their time 'away, and when adversity shows itself, they are not to
prey upon the industrious. The slaves are forced to labor, and they are
provided for—It is generally indolence and laziness that bring on misery,
and the negro is that very indolent and lazy creature. But here he is not
suffered to indulge in fais natural and debasing propensity. Go upon the
plantations and see the sluggard negro enjoy with uninterrupted peace all
the pleasures his contracted mind is capable of, and see if his freedom
would improve his condition, without bringing a weight of anxieties and
cares, that would mar all his enjoyments and embitter his cup of life.
Were he not forced by his master to perform a daily task,, by no means
heavy, he would be forced by circumstances to suffer or to perform a
much more painful one. \ I had ten times rather be the slave of the South-
ern planter than that of the European or American manufacturer. /The
slave here pays a tribute to his master, and in return he receives the pro-
Section of the latter, which secures to him all the enjoyments that his
condition in life could afford him, and protects him from all the miseries
that might arise from misfortune or improper conduct. Again, slaves
have been introduced in the South for cenfuries, they are among
ns and we cannot get rid of them—were the southern people even willing
to do so, no man in his senses would wish to see the slaves set free here in
their present condition, and it cannot be improved. The climate cannot be
borne by the white laborer, but it suits the constitution of the African.—
Liberate the slaves of South-Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and
those productive and flourishing countries will become a complete waste
and a howling wilderness! This must be admitted by all who are in the
least acquainted with the subject.
The state of society so far from suffering, is benefited by African sla-
very. We have not the heart rending scenes of seeing a numerous poor
class, come and tell us their mournful stories of starvation and misery.
We never hear of any slaves dying for want of support or attention. The
orphan of the slave is not left destitute and helpless. There is no master,
who disregards his interest so much as not to care for the prosperity of his
servant. Were the master destitute of all human feelings, his interest is
blended with the welfare and prosperity of the slave, and this will cause
him to be kind and charitable. And here is a fact which is admitted by
all those, who are acquainted with the southern character,, that it is high-
minded, honorable, humane and charitable, nor is the heaj't of the slavo-
15
Bolder grown c'aHouls towards his servants, but on tire contrary every ieei-
ing of humanity of the warm heart is extended to them. How often have
I seen the mistress watch over the sullen negro with a motherly care and
feeling, that I never saw returned by the slave. Thus the tie of sympathy,
and above all that of interest protect the working class of the south from the
sufferings, to which the poor of the free states and of Europe are doomed.
Let no fanatic come and tell me that there is not more, yes, ten-fold more
misery among the lower class of free people than there is among our slavey
I have witnessed both and I Can speak from actual observation. Let those'
fire-brands of hell look at home, and they will see enough objects of pity
to receive all the protection and charity .their vitiated philanthropy is capa-
ble of yielding them. Now where is the good which can possibly arise
from the abolition of slavery? Where are the reasons for the clamors that
have been uttered against the south? I certainly can see none! I hope that I
shall not be called a partial judge, nor be accused of being blinded by interest,
as I have already stated that I own no slaves. My reason for writing this is
to give if possible a more correct idea of the true state of the case to those
who are not willing to join in the destruction of this happy country, and to
give an additional testimony, to my fellow-citizens of the north, of the dishon-
esty and delusion of those, who would wish to destroy the peace of our
common country. This is a subject,in which every true patriot, and every
philanthrophist become directly interested—none but a traitor can fold his
arms and turn an indifferent eye to the threatning attitude this subject
has assumed. Let us not involve our happy country in a civil war without
any just cause. Let us not turn enemies to one another for an imaginary evil.
Let us not shed the blood of our own brethren without any cause! These
things are too horrible to be thought of!
I hope that I shall not be accused of having grown cold or hard hearted
towards the African race, no, I can sympathize with all their woes as rea-
dily as I could ten years ago. But now I know their condition,and I know
that it is not in the power of man to better it. I know that they are not
the objects of compassion, which thev are represented to be by the aboliti-
onists> What I have before stated, I am conscious is strictly true. I
have drawn an imperfect picture of the subject, but I know it to be correct
as far as it goes. I now ask my Country-men, is their room for any set of
men to raise their voices against the institutions of the south,and bring des-
olation war and blood-shed on this country ? When I contemplate
the wicked plans of tbe abolitionists to carry their designs into execution,
it makes my blood chill in my veins. Have we come to the degraded pass
that one portion of our country can be instigated to butcher the other
through the instrumentality of slanderers and fanatics? Are the people of
any part of this country willing to see the other deluged with the blood of
their own brethren and friends? To see the tender female and the innocent
babe, killed and mutilated by an infatuated and brutal savage? Who is there
willing to witness efforts made to turn this peaceful land into a state of
war and blood-shed and finally a barren waste! Who is willing to dissolve
the ties which bind this happy union, for a chimera—for the gratification
of a few fanatics, who are ignorant of the usages and institutions of this
country? Who is there now who can lend his support to these abandoned
wretches? I trust there is none? Yet unless the efforts "of the abolition-
ists be opposed successfully and entirely,these results must follow their ne-
46
farious deeds. The world may rely on it, their is too much of the spirit of
independence among the southern people, to suffer them to be imposed
on, in their private concerns,and to permit an inquisition to be reared among
them, or even to put up with repeated and unmerited insults. These things
cannot and will not be submitted to by the South.