{"collection":"philosophy-ethics","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_66487/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_66487","id":"gutenberg_66487","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66487","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - American","Category: History - Modern (1750+)","Category: History - Religious","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Fourth of July orations","Slavery -- United States"],"text":"The year of jubilee; but not to Africans: a discourse, delivered July\n     4th, 1825, being the 49th anniversary of American independence\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n                                  THE\n\n\n\n                            YEAR OF JUBILEE;\n\n\n\n                          BUT NOT TO AFRICANS:\n\n\n\n                              A Discourse,\n\n\n\n                       DELIVERED JULY 4TH, 1825,\n\n\n\n          BEING THE 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.\n\n\n\n                                 \u2500\u2500\u2767\u2500\u2500\n\n\n                         BY NATHANIEL S. PRIME,\n\n      Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, in Cambridge, N. Y.\n\n\n                                 \u2500\u2500\u2767\u2500\u2500\n\n\n\n                              SALEM, N. Y.\n\n                     PRINTED BY DODD AND STEVENSON.\n\n                                 1825.\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                             TO THE READER.\n\n\nThough no apology for the present publication, or for the form in which\nit appears, will be attempted, yet it may not be improper or\nuninteresting to state a few facts relating to its origin.\n\nThe author has been in the habit, for a number of years past, of\ncelebrating the anniversary of our Independence with public worship in\nhis own congregation. Previous to the last 4th of July, notice to that\neffect was given, and at the same time it was stated that the subject of\ndiscourse would be\u2014not American _Liberty_, but\u2014American _Slavery_: in\nconnexion with which, the object and operations of \u201c_The American\nColonization Society_\u201d would be brought into view, and its claims upon\npublick patronage defended and urged. A similar notice was sent to the\nother congregations in this place with an invitation to attend.\n\nTo a very respectable audience, thus convened, the following discourse\nwas delivered, and a contribution taken up in aid of the Colonization\nSociety.\n\nAt the close of the service, a meeting was organized, of which the\nfollowing are the minutes:\n\n\u201c_The Hon._ John M\u2019Lean _was chosen Chairman, and_ Gerrit Wendell,\n_Secretary_.\n\n\u201c_The following resolutions were then unanimously adopted._\n\n\u201cResolved, _That it is expedient and proper, in the view of this\nmeeting, hereafter to celebrate the anniversary of our National\nIndependence with religious exercises._\n\n\u201cResolved, _That Messrs._ John Ashton, Sidney Wells _and Dr._ Matthew\nStevenson _be a committee to make arrangements for the next anniversary,\nby designating the place of meeting, and procuring a speaker for the\noccasion_.\u201d\n\n\u201c_On motion of Mr._ Ashton, _seconded by_ Sidney Wells,\u2014Resolved _that\nthe Rev. Mr._ Prime _be requested to furnish for the press, a copy of\nthe Address delivered by him this day, and that the above mentioned\ncommittee be authorized to adopt the necessary measures to procure its\npublication_.\u201d\n\nAlthough the proposal of the last resolution was totally unexpected to\nthe author, yet he is willing frankly to acknowledge that its adoption\nwas extremely grateful to his feelings; not only as an explicit approval\nof the sentiments which had been delivered, expressed by many of his own\ncongregation and others, whose judgment he highly reveres; but also as\naffording the sanction of their authority in proclaiming them to the\nworld. And, that it might have the full influence of that authority, the\naddress is printed, with the exception of a few verbal corrections, and\nthe addition of two notes, precisely as it was delivered.\n\nThe author cannot say that the views exhibited are the result of any new\nconvictions in his own mind. Though he was familiar with slavery from\nhis birth, yet from his earliest recollection, it was revolting to his\nfeelings; and the first emotion of humanity that left an indelible\nimpression on his memory, was that of commisseration for the degraded\ncondition of a negro child about two years younger than himself; and\nfrom that moment, he never felt at rest on the subject, till the last\nvestige of the evil was removed from his parental dwelling. The same\nsentiments with respect to the universal guilt, and consequent danger of\nthe American people, he has entertained ever since he became acquainted\nwith the institutions of his country, and has occasionally exhibited\nthem; but he acknowledges himself highly censurable in not having more\nfrequently and pointedly urged them. He therefore presents this address\nto the publick, not only in compliance with the wishes of those whom he\ncannot refuse, but as a small atonement for having so often neglected to\nemploy his pen, and raise his voice against an evil so extensive in its\noperation, and so alarming in its consequences.\n\n_Cambridge_, July 5th, 1825.\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                            A DISCOURSE, &c.\n\n\nTHE words from which I propose to address you, on this occasion, you\nwill find recorded in \u201cThe DECLARATION of the INDEPENDENCE of the UNITED\nSTATES of AMERICA;\u201d\u2014the first clause after the preamble.\n\nThe words are these:\n\n    \u201c_We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are\n    created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with\n    certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty,\n    and the pursuit of Happiness._\u201d\n\nMan, considered as a rational and social being, occupies a variety of\nimportant relations in the universe of God. In the first place he stands\nrelated to that great and glorious Being who gave him existence, and he\nis under the most solemn and indissoluble obligations, to the exercise\nof eternal reverence, love and gratitude. However indifferent he may\nfeel, in his present fallen state, to the demands of heaven, and however\nnegligent he may be of the duties which result from those demands, it is\nan incontrovertible truth, that the service of God has the first and\nhighest claim. Hence, the first and greatest commandment of the law is\ndeclared, by the divine Saviour to be this; \u201c_Thou shalt love the Lord\nthy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy\nmind, and with all thy strength._\u201d Mark xii. 30. An immediate and\nconstant compliance with this precept should be the first object of\nevery human being.\n\nBut although this is the first, it is not the only duty of man. He\noccupies other relations, and, of course, is subjected to the authority\nof other duties. Passing over all the other subordinate connexions of\nman, as foreign from our present purpose, I shall here notice only his\nrelation to his own species, and the obligations which result from that\nrelation. All men are formed by the same hand, born into the same world,\nunder the same circumstances, and are bound by considerations both of\nduty and interest to respect each other\u2019s rights, and to promote each\nother\u2019s happiness. These duties are next in importance to those which\nrelate to God. Therefore, our blessed Lord, after declaring the precept\nalready quoted to be the first commandment of the law, adds, \u201cAnd the\nsecond is like\u201d to it, \u201c_Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself_.\u201d He\nthen declares, with respect to both, \u201cThere is no commandment greater\nthan these.\u201d Here then we have a concise, but complete exposition of\nman\u2019s duty in relation to his own species. It is applicable to all the\npossible circumstances of life; and at the same time, so plain, that the\nsmallest share of intellect is sufficient to understand and apply it. It\naccords precisely with that golden rule which the Saviour delivered, in\nhis sermon on the mount; \u201c_All things whatsoever ye would that men\nshould do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the\nprophets._\u201d Matthew vii. 12. That is, all the duties which God has ever\nrequired of man in relation to his own species, either in the law or the\nprophets, are comprehended in this single precept, _Do to others just as\nyou would wish them to do to you_. Did this principle regulate the\nconduct of all men, the earth would instantly resume the first bloom of\nEden. Not only would war, and murder and rapine cease to desolate the\nearth, but animosities and contention and oppression of every kind and\ndegree would instantly disappear. Adventitious circumstances might still\nproduce distinctions in the relative situations of men; but pride, that\nfiend of hell and enemy of happiness, would be banished from the human\nbreast; and one more prospered of heaven than his fellows, would look\ndown upon them, not to despise their poverty, nor to rejoice in their\nmisery, nor to deprive them of their _liberty_; (the last earthly\nblessing that man can lose;) but to compassionate their necessities, to\nconsole them under adversity, and to administer to their relief. The\nwhole human family would be bound together by the sense of a common\nnature, and the bonds of sincere affection: in a word, they would feel\nthat they were _bone of each other\u2019s bone; and flesh of each other\u2019s\nflesh_; and in all cases, and under all circumstances, they would act\nlike _brethren_.\n\nFrom these remarks, you will perceive that the words of my text,\nalthough they are not a part of the inspired volume, contain sentiments\nin perfect accordance with the divine declarations. This consideration\ntherefore is sufficient to entitle them to the highest respect. But, in\nthis favoured land, they do not need this argument to give them\nauthority. They are the words of our _fathers_; not spoken by the\nfireside, or in the closet, while they rested quietly in the midst of\ntheir domestick circles, without a witness of their declarations; but\nproclaimed and published to the whole world, while they stood in\njeopardy of their lives and all that they held dear on earth; and with a\nsolemn appeal _to the_ SUPREME JUDGE _of the world for the rectitude of\n[their] intentions_. Nay, more; some of them sealed this declaration\nwith their own blood, and voluntarily laid down their lives, to deliver\ntheir posterity from tyranny and oppression, and to procure for them the\nblessings of _liberty_ and self-government. Confining ourselves to this\nview of the subject, we should pronounce that native American unworthy\nof his parentage and the name which he bears, who would not revere the\nwords of his father, uttered under such circumstances. Nay, that man,\nlet him be who he will, and let his circumstances be what they may, is\nunworthy to tread American soil and breathe American air, who does not\ncheerfully and sincerely adopt the words of my text, as containing the\nsentiments of his heart, \u201c_All men are created equal, and are endowed by\ntheir Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life,\nliberty and the pursuit of happiness._\u201d\n\nWhen this declaration, particularly this clause of it, was reported in\nheaven, (and I presume to believe that the sun had not set on the fourth\nof July, 1776, before the transactions of the American Congress were\npublished to the celestial hosts,) what think you were the expectations\nof angels and the spirits of just men made perfect, with respect to the\nstate of things which would succeed in this nation? Doubtless, the\nformer, in whose respective ranks _liberty_ and _equality_ are not only\n_professed_ but _practised_, expected, upon their first mission to this\nlower world, to see the American people, without distinction of\ncomplexion or circumstances, enjoying the blessings of freedom. And with\nequal probability may we imagine, that those happy souls who had been\nredeemed from the earth, and who had here witnessed, with their own\neyes, the oppressions of man exercised upon his own species; some of\nwhom had, perhaps, themselves been personally guilty in this matter, and\nhad found, from their own experience, that the last pollution, from\nwhich a Saviour\u2019s blood can wash the human soul, is the sweat or blood\nof a black man\u2019s body; I say, we may safely imagine, that, among these,\nthere was one universal shout of joy. They rejoiced to hear, that, in\none nation at least of this fallen world, after the lapse of almost 6000\nyears, THE RIGHTS OF MAN were at last understood, and a solemn\nresolution to respect them had been unanimously adopted: that universal\nemancipation had been proclaimed to three millions of the human family.\n\nIn view of these considerations, could angels and redeemed souls have\nreasonably expected or believed, _if there is any sincerity in man_,\nthat from the benefits of this solemn declaration, adopted under all the\nsolemn circumstances just mentioned, and with the most solemn appeal to\nheaven, _every sixth man_ was excluded, and _doomed to perpetual\nslavery_; and _that_, for no other reason, than because the God of\nnature had caused them to be born in a torrid clime, where the sun had\nburnt their skin and crisped their hair, and they had been transported\nagainst their will, to a land inhabited by white men?\n\nAnd if the celestial hosts were then restrained from an universal\nclamour of disapprobation, by the consideration that such an exception\nwas rendered necessary by the existing circumstances of the country, and\nthe impossibility of emancipating 500,000 slaves while our shores were\ninvaded by a foreign foe; could they have been persuaded to believe,\nthat, after heaven had espoused the cause of America, and God himself\nhad fought her battles, and victory had crowned her arms, the American\npeople would permit almost half a century to roll away in the enjoyment\nof unexampled liberty, prosperity and happiness, while slavery would be\npermitted to increase with the increase of their wealth and population?\nCould they expect that this solemn declaration of Independence would be\nannually read the 50th time, accompanied with the roar of cannon, the\ndisplay of banners, and shouts of joy, and that thousands and hundreds\nof thousands of dollars would be expended on every return of this\nanniversary in feasting and dissipation and tumult, and yet _no year of\nJubilee_ be proclaimed to the oppressed sons of Africa?\n\nBut such is the fact. This day commences the 50th year of freedom to\nAmerican white men, and yet a million and a half of our fellow men,\nwithin our own dwellings, are this moment groaning under the chains of\nbondage. Tell me not, as it is often told by the advocates of slavery,\nthat they are incapable of providing for themselves; and are therefore\nhappier in their present dependent condition, than if they were\nimmediately emancipated. I cheerfully admit that the little feathered\nsongster that was hatched in a cage or incarcerated before his wings\nwere fledged, may be ignorant of most of the sweets of liberty; and\nafter being long accustomed to have his food provided by his owner\u2019s\nhand, might be incapable of finding it, in equal profusion, in the\nfields and forests; but does this prove that he has not a nature adapted\nto the enjoyment of liberty, and equally entitled to the privilege with\nother birds?\n\nBut on this point reasoning is needless. I appeal to my text. \u201cALL _men\nare created equal_,\u201d said our forefathers, \u201c_and are endowed by their\nCreator with certain unalienable rights; among these are life_, LIBERTY\n_and the pursuit of happiness_.\u201d For the space of fifty years we have\nbeen reiterating the same maxim and at the same time declaring that it\nis \u201ca self-evident truth.\u201d Now, I say, let us aim at consistency of\ncharacter. Let us reduce the principle to practice, and prove to the\nworld that we believe what we say, or blot it out from the declaration\nof our rights and privileges. We may abhor the tyranny of kings and\nemperors, and commiserate the degraded state of their oppressed\nsubjects, but a greater incongruity cannot be found in any nation than\nthat which exists in our own. In one hand we hold the protestation that\nall men are equal, and entitled to the enjoyment of life and liberty;\nand in the other, we firmly grasp the chains of slavery and wield the\ngoads of correction. We proclaim to the world that we are the only\nnation of freemen on earth, and yet daily practise the most absolute\ndespotism. It is frequently the case that the same publick newspaper\nwhich unblushingly asserts the equality of our rights, and the justice\nof our institutions, advertises a whole village of _human beings for\nsale_. Again I say, let us aim at CONSISTENCY: either acknowledge to the\nworld that we are tyrants and despots, or act according to our\nprofessions.\n\nThat my text contains a correct assertion, I am not disposed for a\nmoment to question: and I should surely be employed to no purpose in\nattempting to prove to others, what they have asserted for half a\ncentury, to be \u201ca self-evident truth.\u201d If then, all men are, by their\nbirth, entitled to the same natural rights and privileges, they can be\ndivested of them only by the authority of Him who has the power of life\nand death in his hands. The God of nature has a perfect right to\nauthorize one nation to subjugate another, as he delivered the\nCanaanites into the hands of Israel. But surely this is no argument in\nfavour of American slavery. When we have found a \u201c_Thus saith the Lord_\u201d\nfor the subjugation of Africans, then, and not till then, shall we have\na right to make them our slaves.\n\nA man may also forfeit his liberty, and even his life, by the commission\nof crimes against the interests of society. And in all such cases, every\nnation on the globe has a charter from the King of heaven to inflict\nmerited punishment. But surely no man of common sense will pretend that\nthis authorizes any individual or commonwealth to reduce to perpetual\nbondage, and entail the same on their posterity, those who have never\nviolated a single law of the land.\n\nThe time has been when the event of war has been supposed to confer on\nthe victorious party the right of enslaving the vanquished. But this is\nnow universally acknowledged to be a principle of barbarism, and is\nabandoned by the civilized world. Where then is our charter for the\noppression of our fellow men?\n\nPerhaps the most plausible argument in support of American slavery, (and\nit is one that has been newly discovered, for it was first introduced\ninto Congress on the Missouri question,) is, that the New Testament\ndistinctly recognises without any mark of disapprobation, the relation\nof masters and servants, and St. Paul in his Epistles explicitly enjoins\non the latter the duty of respect, obedience and fidelity. This argument\nhas been triumphantly urged as presenting Divine authority for slavery.\nBut pray tell me, are there no servants but slaves? Is there no such\nthing as the relation of master and servant unless where slavery exists?\nIf so, tell Great Britain to blot the word from her vocabulary, that it\nhas no meaning in the English language, and is exclusively of American\norigin and use.\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d says the advocate of slavery, \u201cthis argument is not to be got rid\nof in this way. This is mere quibbling. St. Paul speaks not only of\nservants, but of _bond-men_; and he actually enjoins it on every man to\nabide in the same calling, or condition, wherein he is called. And he\nspecifies particularly that if any one is called being a _servant_, he\nis to rest contented with the assurance that he is the Lord\u2019s _free\nman_. 1 Cor. vii. 20-22. Nay, in his Epistle to Philemon, he had a fair\nopportunity to put this question at rest for ever; but instead of\nrebuking the master for holding slaves, he returned the _runaway_ to his\nservice.\u201d[1] On this ground, it has been asserted, that those who hold\nslaves are more obedient to the Scriptures than those who do not.\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n  This whole argument, in all its parts, was once urged with amazing\n  zeal, on the floor of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.\n\nIf I am not greatly mistaken in regard to the nature of this argument, I\ncould prove, in the same way, that tyranny and despotism are approved of\nGod; and that those who submit to such a kind of government, live in\ngreater conformity to the Scriptures than the citizens of a republick.\n\nThe manner in which I would argue is this. St. Paul, in his Epistle to\nthe Romans, says, \u201cLet every soul be subject unto the higher powers; for\nthere is no power but of God, the powers that be, are ordained of God.\nWhosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of\nGod; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.\u201d\u2014Rom.\nxiii. 1, 2. Now this solemn injunction, under this awful sanction, was\nimposed by inspiration upon the Christians of Rome, at the time that the\ncrown of that empire was worn by Nero, one of the most cruel and\nblood-thirsty tyrants that ever disgraced a throne. By his own direction\nthe city was set on fire, which raged for nine successive days,\nspreading desolation and ruin; and then to furnish himself a pretext for\npersecuting the Christians, he laid the crime to their charge, and\nfiercely commenced the bloody work. \u201cSome were wrapped in the skins of\nwild beasts, and torn in pieces by dogs; some were crucified, and\nothers, clothed in garments covered with pitch, were set on fire; while\nthe cruel monster calmly sat in the window of his palace and enjoyed the\nscene of his own barbarities.\u201d And yet this is the man, whom the apostle\ncommands the Christians to revere as \u201cthe minister of God;\u201d the\nresistance of whom is threatened with damnation. Was not Paul then the\nadvocate of tyranny and oppression? Just as clearly as he was the\nadvocate of slavery.\n\nIn the same manner I think it can be shown that polygamy is approved by\nSt. Paul, at least among the Gentiles. He expressly ordained that \u201ca\nbishop or deacon must be the husband of one wife.\u201d 1 Tim. iii. 2, 12.\nNow the inference is fair, that all other men might have more than one.\nPrivate members of the church are not restricted in their inclinations\nin this respect, only the officers of the church are not indulged. I see\nno way to avoid this conclusion. How then shall we reconcile these\napparent inconsistencies?\n\nIn my view, the solution is plain and easy. Upon the first introduction\nof the gospel into any pagan land, there always will be many evils\nexisting, which are so completely wrought into the customs, interests\nand institutions of society, that it is impossible to correct them at\nonce. Nay, if it were possible, the sudden revolution would instantly\nproduce unspeakable misery. Take, for instance, the last mentioned case:\nSuppose, in a nation where polygamy is extensively practised, every man\ncould be induced to repudiate all his wives but one; how many thousands\nof helpless women and children would be turned on the wide world,\nwithout the means of support, exposed to inevitable wretchedness and\nwant! The sudden adoption of the true Christian principle, under these\ncircumstances, would be productive of vastly greater misery than is now\nexperienced from this horrid pagan practice; and the Christian religion\nwould be execrated as a system of cruelty.\n\nWhat then is to be done? Must Christianity sacrifice its holy principles\nat the shrine of pagan impurity? Must we be satisfied to have men\nembrace _the faith of the gospel_, while they retain their own _ungodly\npractices_? No! But wisdom is profitable to direct.\u2014Some method must be\nadopted by which these deeply-rooted evils may be branded with disgrace,\nand thus gradually but effectually eradicated. For this purpose St.\nPaul, or rather the Holy Spirit, ordained in those countries where\npolygamy was common, that \u201ca bishop or deacon must be the husband of one\nwife.\u201d A man that sincerely embraced the gospel, might be admitted to\nthe privileges of the church without first turning half a dozen women\nout of doors; but he never could arise to any dignity, or be capable of\nholding any office in the church. Now you plainly perceive that the\nnecessary operation of this simple regulation, was to abolish gradually,\nbut effectually, this vile practice; not however, by sovereign authority\nor absolute force, but by the voluntary consent of the party concerned.\n\nThus it appears to be the genius of the gospel to tolerate an evil for a\nwhile, where the immediate and total abolition would be productive of\ngreater miseries and crimes; while, at the same time, it requires the\nuse of all prudent and effectual measures for its ultimate extirpation.\n\nI humbly conceive that it is on this ground alone, that the Scriptures,\nin certain cases, allude to despotism, slavery and many other evils\nwithout a distinct expression of disapprobation. Had the evangelists and\napostles explicitly denounced the tyranny of Rome, and declared that\nslavery was contrary to the law of nature, and the law of God, they\nwould have been instantly slain, or driven, at the point of the sword,\nfrom every province of the Roman empire.\n\nOn this account every argument founded on such texts of Scripture in\nsupport of slavery, is of no more weight than the dust of the balance.\n\nThat slavery is an evil is generally acknowledged in those parts of our\ncountry where the least of it exists; and of course, where the most of\nits horrors are unknown. And there are undoubtedly many in the\nslave-holding states who deplore the evil, and would gladly remove it,\nif there was no obstacle in the way. But it is a matter of deep regret\nthat there are thousands of our countrymen, claiming the style of\nrepublicans, who are the unblushing advocates of slavery. And what is\nworse than all, and what renders the extirpation of this evil the more\nhopeless, is, that when our northern citizens remove to the south, many\nof them become not only the owners of slaves, but in many instances, the\nwarmest advocates of the principle of slavery. This amazing change in\nsentiment and feeling, I am unwilling to ascribe so much to what is\noften alleged, that they find the evils of slavery far less than they\nexpected, and the subjects of it contented and happy; as to the fact,\nthat familiarity with any vice blinds the human mind to its enormity. I\ndoubt not that the most enthusiastick republican of our country, if he\nfound it for his interest to reside under the most despotick government\nof Europe, would, after a number of years, return with the report, that\nthe subjects of that country were much better contented, and vastly more\nhappy than he had anticipated; and it would not be strange if his zeal\nfor democracy, and hatred of monarchy were equally diminished. But this\nwould never prove to me, that the subjects of a despotism are as happy\nas they would be, if they were placed in a situation, and prepared, to\nenjoy the blessings of a free government.\n\nThat this is the true reason of this change, I think is evident from the\nfact, that our northern men, after they become familiar with slavery,\ncan calmly indulge themselves in that kind of treatment of slaves, which\nwould previously have made them shudder. In this connexion I will\nmention a _fact_, which for the credit of New-England, and the honour of\nreligion, I would gladly conceal to the judgment day, if the\ncircumstances of the case had not been publicly displayed through this\nregion of country. Two years ago a native of Vermont, and a minister of\nthe gospel too, who has resided some years at the South, passed with his\nfamily, through this town and put up for the night within the sound of\nmy voice where I now stand. They were attended by a servant-girl, who\nwas not permitted to eat at a table or sleep on a bed, though in the\ntrue spirit of northern feeling, both were kindly proffered by the\nlandlady. She spent her night on the naked floor, with no other pillow\nthan her bundle of clothes; and set out in the morning in an open\nwaggon, to endure the heat of a summer\u2019s sun, with no other covering for\nher head than the woolly fleece which nature gave. Such kind of\ntreatment, for aught I know, may be deemed necessary at the south, as I\nunderstood, it was then alleged, to keep the blacks from being \u201c_exalted\nabove measure_;\u201d yet surely it cannot be witnessed, without sentiments\nof indignation, in a northern clime. And for the honour of humanity, to\nsay nothing of the gospel ministry, I pray God, that my own eyes may\nnever again witness a similar scene.\n\nBut let the plea be reiterated as often as it may, that the slavery\nwhich exists in our country is not so appalling as northern men suppose;\nit is still an evil, that exists contrary to the law of nature and\nnature\u2019s God, and in the face too, of American rights and privileges.\nAnd beyond this, it stands necessarily connected with other evils, which\nare more shocking to the feelings of humanity, than slavery itself. Take\nfor example, these simple facts. By the laws of some of the\nslave-holding states, no man can emancipate his own slaves; and any\nperson is liable to the barbarous and disgraceful punishment of being\n_whipped_ on the naked back, if convicted of _teaching a slave to read_.\nThus the poor Africans are not only deprived of their liberty, but are\ncompletely cut off from almost the only means of information, with\nrespect to their duty to God and their fellow men, and of preparation\nfor the eternal world; of the only means that can alleviate their\nsorrows and enliven their solitude. By these laws, a pious and\nbenevolent master, who has inherited a hundred slaves, and who would\ngladly deliver them from bondage, or, at least, alleviate, by every\nmeans in his power, the miseries of their condition, is compelled,\nagainst every feeling of his heart, not only to hold them in servitude,\nbut to keep them in absolute ignorance.\n\nAlthough these laws are founded neither in humanity, nor Christianity,\nyet evidently in _good policy_; and they are necessarily connected with\nslavery, in the extent to which it exists. The physical power of the\nblack population, in many districts of our country, bears such an\nalarming proportion to that of the whites, that nothing is wanting on\ntheir part but information, to enable them to assert and maintain their\nrights. Only let them know what they are, and of what they are capable,\nand in one month\u2019s time the Tragedy of St. Domingo would be re-acted on\nthis side of the Gulf-Stream.\n\nBy this time, my hearers, I presume you have begun to inquire for the\nremedy of this \u201clegion of evils:\u201d and some of you may have drawn the\nconclusion, that nothing short of the immediate and absolute\nemancipation of all the slaves of our country would satisfy my mind. But\nthis is not the fact. However highly my feelings may be wrought on this\nsubject, they have not got the better of my understanding. I am\nperfectly satisfied that it is one of those evils which cannot be\nremoved by a single stroke. The immediate emancipation of all the\nslaves, would doubtless be attended with consequences, both upon\nthemselves and the whites, vastly more terrible and distressing, than\nall the horrours of slavery. And if St. Paul himself were now on earth,\nand consulted on the subject, I doubt not he would disapprove of such a\nmeasure. It has been already shown that there are evils existing in the\npagan world, which are directly opposed to Christianity; and yet the\ngenius of the gospel, upon its first introduction, does not demand their\nimmediate and entire abolition. And although this country is not\nstrictly speaking a pagan country, yet the practice in question is a\npagan practice; and so effectually wrought into the habits and feelings\nand institutions of our land, that its complete extirpation must\nnecessarily be the work of time.\u2014But here let it be particularly\nobserved, that, in all such cases, we have no licence for the toleration\nof any sinful custom, a single moment, without the adoption of wise and\nprudent measures calculated ultimately to abolish it.\n\nThis, it appears to me, is the only course that can be adopted in this\ncountry for the annihilation of slavery; and in this point of view, I\nintroduce to your notice, the object and operations of the \u201c_American\nColonization Society_.\u201d\n\nThis association was formed, at the city of Washington, in the beginning\nof the year 1817; and is patronized by many of the most distinguished\nofficers of the general government. The Chief Justice of the United\nStates has been, from its first formation, the president of the Society.\nIts object is the transportation to Africa of the free people of colour,\nwho are willing to go, and the establishment of them in a colony, or\ncolonies, under all the advantages of civil and religious privileges.\nThough its incipient measures were attended with some adverse\nprovidences, yet it has progressed with as much success, and with as\nflattering prospects as could possibly have been anticipated. A district\nof fertile territory on the Western Coast of Africa has been purchased\nof the natives, and a flourishing colony planted there, under the\ndirection and control of resident agents. Schools are organized, and the\nmeans of grace established among them. The plan has been countenanced,\nthough not explicitly approved, by the government of our country; and it\nhas been distinctly recommended by the supreme judicatories of several\nof the most numerous and respectable denominations of Christians to the\npatronage of their members, especially on this interesting occasion.\n\nAs this Society, since its organization, has met with considerable\nopposition, I feel it to be my duty to present a few considerations in\nsupport of its claims.\n\nIf the slaves of our country are ever to enjoy all the blessings of\nfreedom, it must evidently be, in a state of total separation from the\nwhite population. Such are the present feelings of our citizens, and so\nfirmly are they fixed in their breasts, that we need never expect to see\nthe blacks amalgamated with the whites in all the social connexions of\nlife. In what district of our country will the latter become willing to\nconnect themselves with the former in the relations of the domestick\ncircle? What legislature will be willing to admit the negro to equal\nprivileges and powers with the white man, on the floor of the senate\nchamber? What University will hold forth the same advantages and honours\nto our own children and the descendants of Africans? But until all these\nthings are realized, if they must live together in the same territory,\nthe negro\u2019s mind will forever be depressed to the dust with a sense of\nconscious inferiority, and can never aspire to those elevated\ndistinctions of which it is capable. And this is the grand reason of all\nthat present dulness and stupidity, which are frequently adduced, as\nevidence that negroes are a race of beings but little elevated above the\nbrutal creation. If therefore universal liberty should be proclaimed\nthrough our land, and the African race still be permitted to live in the\nmidst of us, disfranchised by our feelings and customs, if not by our\nlaws,[2] of the rights of freemen, we have no reason to suppose that\nthey would be essentially improved or benefited by their freedom. It is\ntherefore most palpably manifest, that if our slaves are ever to enjoy\nall the blessings of liberty, they must not only be liberated from the\nchains of bondage, but at the same time, be placed in a situation in\nwhich they may aspire to all the advantages and distinctions of\ncivilized life.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n  In some of the states, even where slavery is abolished, the blacks are\n  disfranchised of the rights of citizens. To the eternal disgrace of\n  our own state, the despotick principles of our Constitution have been\n  multiplied instead of being diminished by the late Convention. By the\n  old Constitution, only one class of citizens were divested of certain\n  natural rights without having committed any crime to forfeit them. But\n  by the present Constitution there are two. And the reasons in both\n  cases are very similar; in the one, _wearing a black coat_, and in the\n  other, _a black skin_. But the operation of these regulations is much\n  more oppressive in the latter, than in the former case. The colour of\n  a man\u2019s dress depends on his own will; but, \u201c_the Ethiopian_ CANNOT\n  _change his skin_,\u201d if he would.\n\nThis is the immediate object of the Colonization Society. Nor is it a\nmere matter of doubtful experiment. A similar attempt has long since\nbeen made by the British nation, at Sierra Leone, and the result has\nfully proven to the world, that the minds of black men are as capable as\nthe whites, when placed under equal circumstances of improvement. The\nsame results are beginning to be realized in the infant colony planted\nby our own countrymen at Cape Mesurado. And nothing is wanting, but the\npatronage of our own citizens, to extend the same advantages to hundreds\nand thousands of the degraded and oppressed sons of Africa, who are\nstill in our land.\n\nIn further confirmation of the same views, it may be observed, that in\nthe slave-holding states there are many owners of slaves who would\ngladly emancipate them, but are expressly prohibited. It is impossible,\ntherefore, for them to proclaim \u201cliberty to the captives,\u201d unless they\ncan transport them without the limits of the state. What then can such\nbenevolent masters do with their slaves? To turn them out into our\nwestern wilds, would be to expose them to certain starvation; or if any\nsurvived, they would be hunted down as wild beasts, by a herd of brutal\nkidnappers, and carried back and sold to less merciful masters than they\nserved before. To transport them to a foreign shore, if any individual\nwere able to incur the expense, without any concert of action, would be\nto expose them to immediate death by barbarous hands. It is therefore\nimpossible to afford those who are disposed, an opportunity to\nemancipate their slaves, without such a concert of action as shall\nprotect the colony in its infantile state, till it shall acquire\nstrength and ability to defend itself. Such is the object of the\nColonization Society.\n\nLet not this effort of beneficence be paralized by the plea, that it is\nan insignificant undertaking compared with the magnitude of the evil\nintended to be removed. Did you never see a cloud, no bigger than a\nman\u2019s hand, at its first appearance, finally overspread the whole\nhorizon and pour a copious blessing on the thirsty earth? What plan of\nbenevolence, in this fallen world, was not small at its commencement?\nEven the kingdom of God was once like _a grain of mustard seed_; but it\nhas gradually increased and will continue to grow till it fills the\nworld. The Herculean labour of abolishing the slave-trade, with all its\nbloody horrours, was commenced, within our recollection, by a single\nindividual, in the legislature of a single nation, amidst the clamours\nof a host of opposition; and yet that individual has lived, and we have\nlived, to see the horrid traffick proscribed, not only by that nation,\nbut by the civilized world, and the practice declared _piracy_ by\nseveral nations. What influence then can a consideration of the\nsmallness of the means, compared with the end, have upon the benevolent\nmind in relation to this subject? It may indeed stimulate to increased\nexertion, but it surely can produce no discouraging effect.\n\nBut even admitting that the efforts of this Society should never\nultimately accomplish the object of its aim, _the entire abolition of\nAmerican slavery_, there is one important result which it cannot fail to\nproduce. Besides securing the blessings of freedom and self-government\nto some of those who had previously groaned under the chains of bitter\nservitude, it will afford a ready introduction of the blessings of\ncivilization and the gospel to the benighted tribes of Africa. It is\nrecorded in God\u2019s sure word of prophecy, that \u201cEthiopia shall stretch\nforth her hands to God,\u201d while \u201cthe isles of the sea shall wait for his\nlaw.\u201d In view of the numerous and simultaneous efforts of the Christian\nworld to extend the blessings of the gospel to the ends of the earth, we\nmay justly consider the exertions of the American Colonization Society\nas ultimately, though not directly, aiming at the same object; and we\nmay with propriety regard the Institution as one important wheel in that\nvast system of moral machinery which, under the blessing of heaven, is\ndestined to regenerate a fallen world.\n\nIn this view of the subject, I cannot but indulge in what some may call\nthe flights of fancy, but what I fondly persuade myself is the reality\nof vision. O Africa, long oppressed and degraded Africa! Heaven has\nwitnessed thy bitter sufferings, and the long black catalogue of thy\nwrongs is hid up in store against the day of retribution. But I see the\nSun of righteousness arising upon thee, with healing in his wings. I see\nthe shades of more than Egyptian darkness dispelled by his resplendent\nrays. I see thy wounds, which have been bleeding for ages, instantly\nstaunched and healed. I see the ferocity of the tyger exchanged for the\nmeekness of the lamb. I hear thy groves and plains resounding with the\nshouts of joy and gladness, and the still sweeter song of redeeming\ngrace and love. I see \u201cthy wildernesses and solitary places made glad,\nand thy desert rejoicing and blossoming as the rose. Thy parched ground\nhas become a pool, and thy thirsty land springs of water. In the\nhabitation of dragons, where each lay, there is grass with reeds and\nrushes. And a high way is there, and a way that is called the Way of\nHoliness: the unclean shall not pass over it: but it shall be for thee;\nthe way-faring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall\nbe there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be\nfound there; but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the\nLord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon\ntheir heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness; _and sorrow and\nsighing_ shall flee away.\u201d Isaiah xxxv. 1-10. These blessed results I\nsee effected by the instrumentality of America, the author of all thy\nwrongs. And though thy sweat and tears and blood have, for ages, been\ncrying to heaven from the ground, for vengeance on her devoted head; yet\nnow I hear thy voice, in the true spirit of gospel forgiveness,\nintreating pardon for thy guilty murderers. \u201cO remember not against them\ntheir _former_ iniquities.\u201d I see a tide of pious joy and gratitude,\nflowing from thy streaming eyes, sufficient, if aught but a Saviour\u2019s\nblood were sufficient, to wash away their crimson stains. O happy, happy\nland, once wretched and forlorn! Thy mother\u2019s children shall no longer\nbe angry with thee, because thou art black, because the sun hath looked\nupon thee\u2014they shall no longer make thee keeper of their vineyards,\nwhile thine own vineyard lies waste. Thy complexion is indeed black, but\ncomely; and thy soul has been washed in the fountain of redeeming grace,\nas white and as pure as the redeemed of any other clime; and thou canst\nnow chaunt as high a note of praise to the God of thy salvation; and\nthough here thou hast been excluded from the rights of freemen, and the\nsociety of white men, yet in heaven thou shalt mingle, without\ndiscrimination, among the blood-bought throng, and there occupy as high\na throne, and wear as bright a crown.\n\nIn urging the claims of this subject, it is necessary that I should\nobviate an objection which is frequently made in this section of the\ncountry. It is said that \u201cthis is a matter in which we have no concern\nat all\u2014that it belongs exclusively to the southern states.\u201d If this plea\nwere founded in fact, are we willing to admit, that the citizens of the\nnorthern states are so selfish, that they have no sympathy for the\nsufferings of humanity, if they are only out of sight? But I am bold to\nassert that this objection is utterly groundless; and that there is not\na single native or naturalized citizen in the United States but is\nverily guilty in this matter. It is a well known fact, that in every\noriginal state in the union, excepting one, slavery has been sanctioned;\nand that it still exists, to a greater or less extent, in all the states\nand territories with the exception of five. Now it is useless for a man\nto plead _not guilty_ to the charge of murder, because he has taken the\nlife of only one individual, while others may have slain their\nthousands. It is the _principle_ we are concerned with, and the\nprinciple of slavery has been as firmly sanctioned in most of the\nnorthern states, as in any part of the union; though our citizens have\nnever found it for their interest to carry it as far. But for this\nsingle circumstance, I presume every farm in this region would now be\ncultivated by the labour, and watered by the sweat of negroes. With what\nan ill grace then can any, who have implicitly or explicitly sworn\nallegiance to the institutions of their respective states and the\ngeneral government, especially those who have been, or still are the\nowners of human flesh and blood, hold up their heads and say, \u201cWe are\npure from the blood of Africans?\u201d\n\nBut, my hearers, I have not yet presented this subject in the light of\nits most appalling darkness; nor applied the sharpest point of its\nuniversal bearing. _The_ _union of these States was originally purchased\nat the price of the blood and groans of Africa_; and _all our citizens_\nfrom the north and the south, from the east and the west, _gave their\nconsent to the bargain_. One section of the constitution of the United\nStates was written, like the laws of Draco, in lines of blood; the blood\nof Africans.[3] By it, all the horrours of the slave-trade, the whole\nroot and stock and branch of which slavery is the bitter fruit, were\nfirmly sanctioned for thirty tedious years. During this gloomy period,\nunder the sanction of the charter of freemen, and of freemen too, who,\nin the days of their emancipation from the chains of despotism, appealed\nto heaven for the sincerity of their intentions, while they declared to\nthe world \u201cthat all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator\nwith an unalienable right to life, _liberty_ and the pursuit of\nhappiness;\u201d under the sanction of such a charter, adopted by such men,\nand under such circumstances, thousands and tens of thousands of\nharmless Africans, who were born free as the air of heaven, or the\nstreams of the fountain, were forcibly dragged from their native shores,\nbound with massy chains, crowded into the filthy hold of a floating\ndungeon, without power to rise or room to stand; and when multitudes had\nbeen swept off by wasting pestilence, and found a watery grave, the\nwretched remnant, emaciated with famine and worn down with disease, were\nsold under the hammer into perpetual bondage. Without the sanction of\nall these horrours, the union of these states would never have been\neffected. And in consenting to this measure, the northern states became\nvoluntarily partakers with those of the south, in all the guilt of the\nbarbarous slave-trade and all its horrid consequences.\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n  Article I. Sec. 9.\n\nO my country! what atonement canst thou make for such bloody crimes?\nWhat fountain, but that which flows from Calvary, can wash away thy\ncrimson stains? In vain wouldst thou offer \u201cmany thousands of rams, or\nten thousands of rivers of oil. The blood of thy firstborn would not\nexpiate thy transgression, nor the fruit of thy body, the sin of thy\nsoul.\u201d Mic. vi. 7. \u201cThough thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much\nsoap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.\u201d Jer.\nii. 22. I beseech thee, do not aggravate thy guilt, and provoke anew the\nwrath of heaven, by justifying thy deeds or pleading innocent of the\ncharge. \u201cFor thy sin is written with a pen of iron, and with the point\nof a diamond; it is graven on the table of thy heart, and\u201d if not \u201cupon\nthe horns of thy altars,\u201d it is inscribed in the archives of thy\ncabinet, and whilst thy children shall read the legacies of their\nfathers they shall remember and bear witness of thy crimes, to the\nlatest posterity. Fly, O fly, in the first place, to the fountain of a\nSaviour\u2019s bleeding veins, and there be washed from all thy pollution:\nand then, as a testimony of thy gratitude, that much, very much is\nforgiven thee, summon all thy energies to repair the injuries thou hast\ndone. \u201cProclaim liberty to thy captives; say to the prisoners, go forth;\nand to them that are in darkness, show yourselves.\u201d Isa. xlix. 9.\nRestore them to \u201cthe land of their fathers\u2019 sepulchres,\u201d and let them\nonce more peacefully enjoy the inheritance of their ancestors. Wherever\nthey may have been born, Africa is their home. Though transported to the\nmost distant countries, and situated in the most temperate regions of\nthe globe, and transmitted through a series of generations, they still\nretain in the constitution of their frames, and on the whole surface of\ntheir bodies, the title of heaven to those torrid climes. The God of\nnature has evidently determined, that they shall never be divested of\ntheir original inheritance. Though \u201cthe descendants of Cush can never\nchange their skin,\u201d yet the time will come when their souls shall be\nmade white in the blood of the Lamb; and then, in their own land, which\nGod allotted to their progenitor, they shall stretch forth their hands\nto God, and under their own vine and fig-tree enjoy the fruit of their\nlabours, without any to molest or make them afraid.\n\nThere is one consideration more, by which I would urge the claims of\nthis subject. If the people of the United States cannot be extensively\naroused to undertake the redress of African wrongs, from motives of\nhumanity, and a sense of duty, the apprehension of personal danger may\nwith propriety be awakened in their minds. God deals with nations, in\nthis world, on a different principle from what he deals with\nindividuals.\u2014The wicked man is often permitted to prosper in his sins,\nand to die without pain; because the righteous retributions of justice\nawait him in the eternal world.\u2014But wicked nations exist, in their\nnational capacity, only in this life. Therefore, if national sins are\never visited with the indignation of heaven, it must be in the present\nworld. Hence, we may draw the conclusion, that if American slavery is\noffensive to God, the judgments of heaven are now impending over this\nguilty nation. And in what form they will descend, we need not the\nspirit of prophecy to prognosticate. In several of the slave-holding\nstates, the black population is already nearly equal to the white; and\nthe ratio of increase is so much in their favour, that, in the course of\na few years, they will be far the most numerous. During the period of\nten years intervening between the last United States\u2019 census and the\npreceding, the following was the ratio of increase in several states:\n\n\n    In Kentucky, the blacks increased 57 per cent, whites only 37 per\n       cent.\n       Tennessee, the blacks increased 80 per cent, whites only 57 per\n          cent.\n       Georgia, the blacks increased 40 per cent, whites only 30 per\n          cent.\n       North-Carolina, the blacks increased 22 per cent, whites only 11\n          per cent.\n       South-Carolina, the blacks increased 26 per cent, whites only 8\n          per cent.\n    And in Louisiana as early as 1810 there were 5 blacks to every four\n       white men.\n\nIt is obvious, that, at this rate, in the course of a few years, those\ndistricts of our country will be covered with a black population; in\ncomparison with which, the whites will appear as grasshoppers before\nthem. Now I ask, in such a state of things, what can hinder the blacks\nfrom arising, and after avenging all their wrongs, by slaying their\nopposers, taking possession of those very lands as the reward of their\nown and their fathers\u2019 labours? Do you say, their minds are incapable of\nsuch an enterprize? Look at St. Domingo; what has been effected there by\nthe African race, in as ignorant and degraded a state as is any where\nwitnessed in our own country! And what will our blacks need, but a few\nresolute spirits to concentrate their efforts and direct their energies?\nAnd if the genius of negroes is so far debased in our own country, that\nnature cannot produce them here, they can easily be furnished from the\nkingdom of Hayti. Though that little empire is now at peace with us and\nthe world, yet black men have always a peculiar sympathy for their own\ncolour. Besides this, many of our own free blacks have already gone, and\nmany more will still go to that island, to enjoy all the blessings of\nliberty, civilization and science; leaving many of their brothers and\nchildren and connexions in bondage among us.\u2014And do you think that a\nblack man\u2019s memory is so treacherous, or his heart so callous, that he\ncan forget, or not feel for the wrongs of his own flesh and blood?\nDepend upon it, my hearers, on the shore of that sea-beaten isle, many a\nchampion will stand, and while he looks to the north and rejoices in the\nprivileges which he is permitted to enjoy, he will long to impart them\nto those he has left behind; and if nothing is done, on your part, to\nredress the wrongs of Africa, before you are aware, the alarm of war,\nthe din of arms, and the rage of conflagration will have laid in ruins\nthe fairest portions of our land.[4]\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n  If any are disposed to style this mere conjecture, be it so: but it is\n  no more than what has already occurred, and may occur again. The\n  revolution in St. Domingo originated in France, and was planned by a\n  Society called _Amis de Noirs_, or Friends of the Blacks, organized in\n  Paris for the express purpose of aiding the negroes in recovering\n  their liberty; of which La Fayette and other distinguished citizens\n  were the patrons. And the first individual that drew his sword, was a\n  mulatto who had been educated in Paris, and sent to his native isle to\n  deliver his coloured brethren from bondage.\n\nDo I hear the inhabitants of the north say, \u201cIf such events should be\nrealized, the desolation will not come nigh us; and we will not\ninterfere to avenge the slaughter of slave-holders!\u201d And are you then\nprepared to perjure yourselves? You have sworn to maintain the union of\nthese states, at the price of your treasures and your lives; and are you\nnow meditating treason and rebellion in your hearts? You have become a\nparty to the guilt of slavery, and will you desert your friends when the\ncontract on the part of heaven is to be fulfilled?\n\nBut if you are verily guilty in this matter, do not imagine that you can\nevade the punishment of such a crime. It is the righteous God of heaven\nthat pleads the cause of the oppressed: and, though the scene of battle\nmay not be laid at your doors; though the fiercest wrath may be poured\nout upon those portions of our country where slavery has existed in its\nmost extensive and cruel forms; yet the hand of justice will, in some\nway or other, mete out to every district the full tale of its desert.\nLet us hear no more then of local jealousies and feelings, but as the\nsin has involved us in a _common guilt_, let us aim at a common and\ntimely expiation. The path of present duty lies open before us, and it\nis only by diligent and faithful perseverance therein, that we can\nexpect to escape the indignation of heaven.\n\nThis is a concern in which every citizen of the country is interested;\nwhether he is now or ever has been a slave-holder or not: and there is\nsomething for every one to do. The sympathies of every heart must be\naroused; the patronage of every purse must be secured in favour of these\nincipient measures to remedy the evil; publick attention must not only\nbe aroused by an occasional effusion, but be kept awake by frequent\ncommunications; the general government must be convinced that it is not\nenough to countenance, they must approve and aid this humane\nundertaking\u2014that the fountain of guilt springs from the foundation of\nour Capitol, and that the principal remedy must be applied there; our\nstate legislatures must be made to feel that they also have imbrued\ntheir hands in African blood, and that not a moment is to be lost in\nwashing away the stain. Every motive that can interest the\nphilanthropist, the patriot, the Christian and the Christian Missionary\nis presented in this subject, and he that can be insensible of its\ninfluence is unworthy to occupy a place in human society, unless in the\ncapacity of \u201ca servant of servants.\u201d\n\nMay the voice of timely warning arouse us, before the sword of sleepless\njustice smite our souls.\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n \u25cf Transcriber\u2019s Notes:\n    \u25cb Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.\n    \u25cb Typographical errors were silently corrected.\n    \u25cb Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only\n      when a predominant form was found in this book.\n    \u25cb Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).","title":"The year of jubilee; but not to Africans: a discourse, delivered July 4th, 1825, being the 49th anniversary of American independence","tradition":"philosophy-ethics","translated_text":null,"word_count":9647}