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'A 
 
 DIALOGUE 
 
 CONCERN ING THE 
 
 SLAVERY 
 
 OF T H E 
 
 AFRICANS; 
 
 Shewing it to be the Duty and Interejl of the American 
 States to emancipate ail their African Slaves. 
 
 WITH AN 
 
 ADDRESS to the owners of fuch Slave*. 
 DEDICATED TO THE HONOURABLE THE 
 
 CONTINENTAL CONGRESS . 
 
 To wivch is prefixed, the Inftitution of the Society, in 
 New- York, for promoting the ManumiJJion of Slaves, 
 and protecting fuch of them as have been , or may be , 
 liberated. 
 
 Open thy mouth, judge righteoufly, and plead the caule 
 of the poor and needy. Prov. xxxL 9. 
 
 And as ye would that men lhould do to you, do ye a If ,b t« 
 them likewife. Luke vi. 31. 
 
 NORWICH : Printed by Judah P. Spooner, 1776 
 
 N E W - Y O R K: 
 
 Re-printed for Robert Hodc'i, 
 
 m,dcc,lxxxv. 
 
- 
 
A refpeClable number of Citizens bowing form¬ 
 ed tbemfelves- into a Society for promoting 
 the Manumiffion of Slaves, and protecting 
 fuch of them as have been , or may be , liberat¬ 
 ed > the following Extracts from their Pro - 
 ceedings , are publifhed for the information 
 of the Public,, 
 
 w nr HE benevolent Creator and Father of men, hav- 
 *- ing given to them all an equal right to life, li¬ 
 berty, and property, no Sovereign power on earth can* 
 juilly deprive them of either ; but in conformity to im¬ 
 partial government and laws to which, they have ex- 
 prefsly or tacitly confented. 
 
 “ It is our duty, therefore, both as free Citizens and: 
 Chriftians, not only to regard with companion, the hr- 
 juftice done to thofe among us who are held as Haves y 
 but to endeavour, by lawful ways and means, to enable, 
 them to (hare eq.ually with us, in that civil and religi¬ 
 ous Liberty, with which an indulgent providence has 
 blefted thefe States, and to which thel'e our brethren 
 are, by nature, as much- entrcled-to as. ourfelves. 
 
 “ The violent attempts lately made to feize and’ex'- 
 port for fale, fevcral free Negroes, who were peaceably 
 following their refpeftive occupations, in this city, 
 mud excite the indignation of every friend to humani¬ 
 ty, and ought to receive exemplary punifhmcnt. 
 
 “ The hope of impunity is too often, an invincible 
 temptation to tranfgrelTion ; and as the hclplefs 
 dition of the perfons alluded to, doubtlefs expofed them 
 to the outrage they experienced, fo it is probable that 
 the likecircumltances may again expofe them and others 
 to fimilar violences. Dcftitute of friends and of know¬ 
 ledge, (Irnggling with poverty, and accuftomed to fub- 
 miffion, they are under great difadvantages in afieiting; 
 their right*, , 
 
 r 
 
L' 4- ]' 
 
 Thefe confiderations induce us to form ourfelv^s* 
 into a Society, to be ililed a Society for promoting thc- 
 Manumiffion of Slaves, and protecting fuch of them, as 
 nave been, or may be, liberated. 
 
 “ And that the objects of the Society may be pur- 
 fued with uniformity and propriety, we have agreed 
 that it fhall be regulated by the following rules : 
 
 I. The Society, at their next Meeting, fhali elect, 
 by a majority of votes, to be taken, by ballot, a Prefi- 
 den, Vice-Prefident, Secretary, and Treafurer, who fhall 
 reflectively continue in office for one year from th$ 
 time of their election, at the expiration of which time, 
 and of every fucceeding year, there fhall be a new elec¬ 
 tion of officers in the fame, manner. 
 
 II. The Prefident fhall have authority to maintain 
 order and decorum at the Meeting of the Society, and 
 to call a fpecial Meeting at any time upon the requeit 
 ©f the Standing Committee herein after-mentioned. 
 
 III. The Vice-Prefident, in the abfence of the Pre- 
 iident, fhall have the fame authority given to the Prefi¬ 
 dent ; and in cafe the Prefident fhould die or he dif- 
 placed, the Vice-Prefidentfhall officiate till a new Pre¬ 
 fident be.elected. 
 
 IV. TheuSecretary fhalHteep a record of the pro¬ 
 ceedings of the Society, in a book to be provided for 
 the purpofe, and fhall caufe to be publifhed, from time , 
 to time, fuch part of the proceedings or refolutions ss 
 the Society may order, or the Prefid.sat, with the con- 
 fent of the Standing Committee, between the Meetings 
 ©f the Society, may think proper to direct. 
 
 V. The Treafurer., if required Jby the Society, fhall 
 give lecurity for the faithful difeharge of the trull re- 
 pofed in him, and fhall keep regular accounts of the 
 monies he has received and paid, obferving always to 
 pay no monies without an order figned by the Prefi¬ 
 dent, and a majority of the Standing Committee, who 
 are prohibited from drawing, between the hated Meet¬ 
 ings of the Society, for a larger fum than Ten Pound 
 
[• s- ]’ 
 
 »nlefs impovvered by a fpecial order of the Society at- 
 a previous Meeting, 
 
 ,VI. It'any of the officers a|?ove named, fhould die, 
 refign, or bedifplaccd, the Society fhall fill the vacancy 
 in the mode prefcribed by the firit rule, and if the Pre- 
 fident and Vice-Prefident, or the Secretary, or Treafurer 
 be abfent at any of the Meetings, the Society may ele& 
 one to officiate in his room, pro tempore. 
 
 VII. The Society fhall .meet once in every quarter, 
 that is to fay, on the fecond Thurfday in February j 
 on the fccond Tfiurfday in-May ; on the fecond Thurf¬ 
 day in Auguil, and on the fecond Thurfday in Novem^. 
 ber in every year, at fuch place as fhall from time to 
 time be agreed upon, in .order to receive the reports of 
 the Standing Committee, and devife the ways and means 
 of accompjifh.ing the objedls of this Inflitutiom 
 
 VIII. That eight Members, with the Prefident or 
 Vice-Prefident, be a quorum of the Society for tranf- 
 adling bufinefs. 
 
 IX Every Member, on- fubferibing thele rules, fhall 
 pay into the,hands of the Treafurer, the fum cf Eight 
 Skillings , and the fum of Four Shillings at the commence¬ 
 ment of each quarter, and all donations to the Society 
 fball be ma e through the Prefident, who fhall pay them 
 to the Treafurer, and report the fame to the Society at 
 the next quarterly.Meeting. 
 
 X. Any perfon defiring to be admitted a Member .of 
 this Society, fhall be propofed to the Society ataQuar-_ 
 terly Meeting, and be ballotted for at the next Quarter¬ 
 ly Meeting, and if, upon counting the ballots, two- 
 thirds of the Members prefent fhall be found . to be in. 
 his favour, he. fhall be declared a Member. 
 
 XI. The Society fhall have the power of expelling 
 any perfon whom they may deem unworthy of conti¬ 
 nuing a Member of it. 
 
 XII. A Standing Committee of fix Members, fhall 
 be ele&ed by ballot, at the firfl Quarterly Meeting, four 
 of the Committee fhall be a quorum, and it fhall be - 
 sheir duty, to carry into execution in the re^efs, and. 
 
r e ] 
 
 at tHe expencc of the Society, the orders given to thcnr 
 by the Society, and generally to purfue fuch mea- 
 fures as appear to them belt calculated to attain the 
 ends of the Society. It fhall likewife be their duty 
 to report their proceedings in writing at the'next Quar¬ 
 terly Meeting of the Society, at which time, the two 
 firft Members of the Committee named on the Minutes,., 
 (half be releafed from fervice, and two other perfons 
 elected by ballot, to ferve in their room-. And at eve¬ 
 ry fucceeding Quarterly Meeting, the fame ceremony 
 fiiall be obferved with refpedl to two otherMembers of 
 the Committee in the order which their names hand on 
 tiie Minutes. 
 
 XIII. The foregoing rules-(hall be in force without 
 alteration, for the fpace of fix months, from the firft' 
 Quarterly Meeting, after which period they fiiall be 
 fnbjeft to fuch alterations as lhall be agreed upon by 
 a majority of the Members of the Society at a Quarter¬ 
 ly Meeting/’ 
 
 At a Meeting of the Society on the 10th inftarrt,. 
 tliey proceeded to eled by ballot, their officers and 
 Standing Committee, and on counting the ballots,, the 
 following perfons appeared to be elated. to wit. 
 
 The Hon. JOHN JAY, Efq; P ref Jen t. 
 Samuel Franklin , Vice-Prelident, 
 
 "John Murray, Jan. Treasurer.. 
 
 John Keefe , Efq; Secretary. 
 
 Mel an Jon Smith , 
 
 Lawrence Entires, 
 
 .Dr. James Cog[well, \ Standing 
 Ez.ek.iel Robins, , Committee. 
 
 William Goforth , | 
 
 Elijah Cock , J 
 
 After the Election was clofed, the Society ordered, 
 that the Standing Committee, at their diferetiort, re¬ 
 ceive the fubferiptions of fuch perlons defiring to be¬ 
 come Members of the Society as were prevented from 
 attending this Evening v and that the Committee pub- 
 
T ? .1 
 
 proceedings of the Society in fuch manner as 
 they may judgermoft proper for the information of the 
 Public. Publifhed by Order of the Prefident, 
 
 And Standing Committee, 
 JOHN KEESE, Sec’y. 
 •City of New-Tor k, Feb. 4, 1785. 
 
 At a Quarterly Meeting, of the Society for promot¬ 
 ing the Manumiffion of Slaves, and prote&ing fuch of 
 them as have been, or may be, liberated, held at the 
 Coffee-Houfe, in the City of New-York, on the 10th 
 Day of November, 1785 ; Ordered, That the following 
 rule, for the government of the Society, be fubflituted 
 inftead of the 10th rale, viz. 
 
 <£ Any perfon, defiring to be admitted a Member of 
 this Society, fhall apply to the handing Committee; 
 who fhall propofe him to the Society at the fubfequent 
 Quarterly Meeting, when he fhall be ballotted for ; 
 and if upon counting the ballots, two-thirds of the 
 Members prefent, fhall be found to be in his favour, 
 he fhall be deemed a Member.” 
 
 Ordered, That the handing Committee take order for 
 printing two thoufand copies of a Pamphlet, entitled, 
 “ A Dialogue concerning the flavery of the Africans ; 
 fhewing it to be the duty and intereh of the American 
 Colonies to emancipate all the African Slaves, dedi¬ 
 cated to the Honorable the Continental Congrefs, pub- 
 lifhed at Norwich, in the year 1776, with an Appendix 
 and Notes thereto.” Extract from the Minutes, 
 
 By Order of the Society, 
 JOHN KEESE, Scc’y. 
 
 At a Meeting of the Standing Committee, of the 
 Society for promoting the Manumiffion of Slaves, See. 
 held the 12th Day of November, 1785. 
 
 Refolded, That a Pamphlet, entitled, “ A Dialogue 
 on the flavery of the Africans, &c.” be immediately 
 publifhed, agreeable to the Order of the Society. 
 
 By Order of the Committee, 
 
 WILLIAM SHOTWELL, Sec’y. 
 
T * ’I 
 
 To the Honourable Members of the CONTINENTAL 
 CONGRESS, Reprefentatives of the Thirteen 
 United American Colonies*. 
 
 Much honoured Gentlemen, 
 
 A S God the Great Father of the Univerf^ has madfe 
 you the fathers of thefe Colonies ; and in anfwer 
 to the prayers of his people, given you counfel, and that 
 wifdom-and integrity, in the exertion of which, you 
 have been fuch great and extenfive bleflings, and ob- 
 tained the approbation and applaufe ofyour conftituents, 
 and the refpedl and veneration of the nations in whofe 
 fight you have adled, in the important, noble ftruggle 
 for Liberty : We naturally look to you in behalf of 
 more than half a million of perfons in thefe Colonies, 
 who are Under fuch a degree of opprefiion and tyran¬ 
 ny, as to be wholly deprived of all civil and perfonal 
 liberty, to which they have as good a right as any of 
 -their fellow men, and are reduced to the moll abjedh 
 date of bondage and flavery, without any jull caufe. 
 
 We have particular encouragement thus to apply to 
 you, flnce you have had the honour and happinefs of 
 leading thefe Colonies to refolve to flop the flave- 
 trade $ and to buy no more ilaves imported from Afri¬ 
 ca. We have the fatisfadlion of the bell: affurances 
 that you have done this not meerly from political rea- 
 fons; but from a conviction of the unrighteoufnefs and 
 cruelty of that trade, and a regard to jultice and bene¬ 
 volence, deeply fenfible of the inconfiltence of promot¬ 
 ing the flavery of the Africans, at the fame time we arc 
 "aflerting our own civil liberty, at the rifque of our for¬ 
 tunes and lives. This leaves in our minds no doubt of 
 your being fenfible of the equal unrighteoufnefs and 
 
 * The reader is delired to obferve, that the firft edition of 
 ibis dialogue was published early in the year 1-776? before the de¬ 
 claration of cur Independence. 
 
f T 1 
 
 opprefiion, as well as inconilfience -with ourfelves, \w 
 holding fo many hundreds of thoufands of blacks in Ha- 
 very, who have an equal right to freedom with our- 
 felves, while we are maintaining this Itruggle for our 
 own and our children’s, liberty : aird a hope and con¬ 
 fidence that the cries and tears of thefe opprefied will 
 be regarded byyou^.and that your wifdom and the- 
 great influence you have in thefe colonies, will be fo 
 properly and effedlually exerted, as to bring about a to¬ 
 tal abolition of fiavery, infuch a manner as ftrall greatly 
 promote the happinefs of.thofe opprefied flrangcrs, and 
 the beltdntereft of the public. 
 
 There are many difficulties and.obftacles, we are fen- 
 fible,*in the way of this good work : But when the pro¬ 
 priety, importance, and necefiity of it, come into view, 
 we think ourfelves warranted to addrefs you, in the 
 words fpoken to Ezra, on an occafion not wholly dif- 
 fitmilar. “ Arife, for this matter belongeth unto you 
 we alfo will be with you : be of good courage and do it.” 
 
 The righteous and merciful governor of the world, 
 Kas given the greateft .encouragement to go on, and tho¬ 
 roughly execute judgment, and. deliver the fpoiled 
 out.of the hand, of the opprefior, both in his word, and 
 in the wonderful things he has done for us lince we have 
 began to reform this public iniquityBut if we Hop- 
 here, what will be the confequence >- 
 
 It is obfervable, that when the Swils were engaged, 
 in their firuggle for liberty-, in which they fo °re- 
 m ark ably fuec eeded, they entered, into the.* following 
 public rcfolvc “ No Swils fihall take away any, thing 
 by violence from another, neither in time of war, nor 
 peace. 5 ' * How reafonable and important is it that we 
 fliould at this time heartily enter into, and thoroughly 
 cxccute fuch a refolution V And that this implies the 
 emancipation of all our.African fiaves, furely none.cm.. 
 dottbr.- 
 
 * Dr., Zvet. y’s Short Accounts. o> 
 
 A 
 
\- "O j 
 
 Inr this view, the following dialogue is humbly offered 
 ta your perulal, hoping that i: may have your approba¬ 
 tion and patronage. 
 
 May you judge the poor of the-people, fave the 
 children of the needy, relieve the opprefled, and de r 
 liver the fpoiled out of the handsof the oppreffor ; and be 
 tfee happy inftraments of procuring and eilablifhing 
 univerfal Liberty to white and black, to be tranf- 
 Knitted down to the latell pofferity f With high efteem, 
 and the moll friendly fentim^mts, Wc are, honourable 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 Your very humble fervants. 
 The EDITORS. 
 
 -A ~-U - ' <•-* . 
 

 A DIALOGUE, &c.. 
 
 A. Ql K t What do you. think of the motion made by- 
 
 fome among us, to f ree all our African Haves ? 
 They fay, that our holding thefe blacks in fiavery, as 
 we do, is an open violation of the law of God, and is 
 fo great an inftance of unrighteoufnefs and cruelty, that 
 we cannot expedb deliverance from prefent calamities, 
 and fuccefs in our ftruggle for liberty in the American 
 colonies, until we repent* and make all the rellitution 
 in our power. For my part, I think they carry things 
 much too far on, this head; and if any thing might be 
 done for the freedom -of our flaves, this is not a proper 
 time to attend to it, while we are in fuch a Hate of war 
 and diftFefs, and affairs of much greater importance de¬ 
 mand all our attention, and the utmoft exertion of the 
 public. 
 
 B. Sir, I am glad you have introduced this fubjedl i 
 efpecially, as you own a number of thefe Haves; I fhall 
 attend to it with pleafure, and offer my fentiments up¬ 
 on it freely, expecting you will as freely propofe theob- 
 jedlions you fhall have againft any thing I fhall advance. 
 And I take leave here to obferve, that if the flavery in 
 which we hold the-blacks, is wrong ; it is a very great 
 and public fin ; and therefore a fin which God is now 
 teilifying againfi in the calamities he has brought upon 
 us, confequently mull be reformed, before we can rea- 
 lonabJy expedi deliverance, or even fincerely afit for it. 
 
 It would be worfe than madnefs then,: to put off atten¬ 
 tion to this matter, under the notion of attending to . 
 more important affairs. This is adling like the mari¬ 
 ner, who, when his Hi ip is filling with water, negledts . 
 lollop'the leak o' ply the pump, that he may mend fiic 
 
[ 12 ] 
 
 fails. There are at the lowed computation, 800,000 
 Haves in Britijh America, including the Weft-India iflands; 
 and a great part of thefe; ore in the colonie3on the con¬ 
 tinent. And if this is in every inftance wrong, un- 
 righteoufnefs and oppreffion ; it mud be a very great 
 and crying fin, there being nothing of the kind equal to 
 it on the face of the earth. There are but few of thefe 
 Haves, indeed in New-England , compared with the vafl 
 numbers in the iflands and the fouthern colonies; and 
 they are treated much better on the continent, and cfpe- 
 oially among, us, than they are- in the Weft-Indies.. 
 But if it be all wrong, and real .oppreffion .of the poor 
 helplefs blacks, we, by.refufing.to break this yoke, and 
 let thefe injured captives go free, do-practically juflify 
 and fupport this fiavery in general., and make ourfelves,, 
 in a meafure at lead, anfwerable for the whole: and 
 we have no way to exculpate ourfelves from-the guilt of 
 the whole, and bear proper tediniony againlt.this great 
 evil, but by freeing all our Haves. Surely, then, this* 
 matter admits of no delay ;Tut demands our firft, and 
 mod ferious attention, andipeedy reformation. 
 
 ' A. 1 acknowledge ihe.fta've trade , as it has been car* 
 ried on with the Africans , cannot be judified. But I 
 am not yet convinced that it is wrong to keep thofe in 
 perpetual bondage, who by this, trade have been iranf- 
 ported from Africa to us,, aud are become our Haves. 
 If I viewed this in the light you do, Lfhoukl agree with 
 you that it is of thehigheil importance that they (hould 
 all be made free without delay ; as we could not ex- 
 pe£l the favour of Heaven, or with any cond&sncy aik 
 it, fo long as they are held in .bondage.. 
 
 B. 1 am glad you have attended to the affair fo much 
 as to be convinced of the unrighteoufneis of the Have 
 trade. Indeed, this convi&ion has been fo fpread of 
 late, that it is has reached a! mod all men on the conti¬ 
 nent,. except fome of thole who are too deeply interefted 
 in it, to admit the light which condemns it. And it 
 has now but few advocates, I believe, being generally- 
 condemned, and. exploded*. And the. members of.the*. 
 
t J 3 J 
 
 Continental Congrcfs have done themfelv.es much ho¬ 
 nour, in advifing the American colonies to drop this trade 
 entirely ; and refolving not to buy another ilave, that 
 /hall be imported from Africa . 
 
 But I think it of importance that this trade (hould not 
 only be condemned as wrong, but attentively confidered 
 in its real nature, and all its /hocking attendants and 
 circumdances; which will lead us to think of it with a 
 detedarion and horror, which this feene of inhumanity,, 
 oppreflion and cruelty, exceeding every thing of the 
 kind that his ever been perpetrated by the fons of men, 
 is fuitei to excite ; and awaken us to a proper indigna¬ 
 tion againft the authors of this violence and outrage, 
 done to their fellow men ; and to feelings of humanity 
 and pity towards our brethren, who are the miferable 
 /offerers. Therefore, though I am not able to paint 
 this horrid feene of barbarity and complicated iniquity, 
 ta the life, or even to tell the one half which may be 
 ■old, in the fliort time allotted for this converfation 
 yet I will fugged a few particulars; leaving you, if you 
 .picafe, to coni'. It the authors who have given a more 
 particular defcription. 
 
 Molt of the Africans are in a date cf heathenifm ; 
 and lunk down into that ignorance and barbarity, into 
 which mankind naturally fall, when deititute of divine 
 revelation. Their lands are fertile, and produce all the 
 nece/Tuies of life: The inhabitants are divided into 
 many diiiind nations or clans; and ol courfe are fre¬ 
 quently entering into quarrel's, and open war with each 
 other. The Europeans , English, Frejicb, Dutch , &c. have 
 carried on a trade with them for above ioo years; ar.J 
 have taken advantage of their ignorance and barbarity, 
 to perluade them to enter into the inhuman p rad ice of 
 jelling one another to the Europeans, for the commodi¬ 
 ties which they carry to them, mod of which, they 
 itand in no real need of: but might live as well, or bet¬ 
 ter without them : particularly fpiritous liquors, which 
 have been carried to them in great quantities by 
 
 B 
 
& . , *■ • 
 
 '[ *4 3 
 
 Americans. They, by this means, have tempted and ex¬ 
 cited the poor blacks to make war upon one another, 
 in order to get captives, fpreading diltrefs, devaftation 
 and deftrudtion over a vaii country ; by which many 
 millions have perifhed : and millions of others, have 
 been captivated, ana fold to the Europeans and Americans, 
 ..into a fiate of fiavery, much worfe than death. And 
 the inhabitants of the towns near the fea, are taught to 
 exert all the art and power they have, to entrap and de¬ 
 coy one another, that they may make Haves of them, and 
 fell them to us for rum; by which they intoxicate them- 
 leives, and become more brutilh and favage than other- 
 wife they could be, fo that there are but few inftances 
 of fobriety, honefty, or even humanity, in thefe towns 
 on the lea, to which the Europeans have acccfs : and 
 they who live the furtheil from thefe places, are the 
 lea ft vicious, and much more civil and humane. 
 
 They ft and in no need of the rum that is carried there 
 in fuch vaft quantities, by which fo many thoufands 
 have been enflaved, and which has fpread fuch infinite 
 mifchief among them. And I leave it with you tocon- 
 iider to what a dreadful degree the Americans have, by 
 this abominable pradlice, brought the curie upon them, 
 pronounced by an infpired prophet ; and how very ap¬ 
 plicable it is to this cafe. Ai Woe unto him that giv- 
 “ eth his neighbour drink : that putt eft thy bottle to 
 “ him, and makelt him drunken alfo, that thou mayft 
 * l look on their nakednefs And is not this curfe evi¬ 
 dently come upon us, in a.dreadful degree, in fuch a 
 way, as to paint itielf out, fo that he who runs may 
 read, it ? We have put the bottle to our neighbours 
 mouths, by carryingimmenfc quantities of rum to them, 
 
 I apd indeed them to drink, that we might take advantage 
 Tof their weaknefs, and thereby gratify our lufts. By 
 this means multitudes of them have been enllaved, and 
 carried to the Weft-India, illands, there to be kept to hard 
 labour, and,treated ten thoufand times worfe than dogs. 
 In confequence of which, incredible quantities of rum* 
 
 u. 15. 
 
and molafles which has been diflilled into rum among'/ 
 ourfelves, have been imported ; the moft of which Is 
 confumed in intemperance and drunkennefs, in fuch a 
 dreadful degree, as to exceed any thing of the kind in 
 any part of the world ; by which thoufands, yea milli¬ 
 ons, have ruined themfelves, body and foul, for ever. 
 Let any one confider this, and forbear to confefs, if he 
 can, that this woe has fallen heavily upon us, and that in. 
 fuch a way and connection as to point-out the iinful 
 caufe. 
 
 But to return. This trade has been carried o'n for 
 a century and more, and for many years p?dt, above an 
 hundred thoufand have been brought off the coaft in a 
 year, fo that many, many millions have been torn from 
 their native country, their acquaintance, relations and 
 friends, and molt of them put into a hate of flavery, both 
 themfelves, and their children for ever, if they fhall have 
 any poflerity, much vvorfe than death. When numbers 
 ©f thefe wretched creatures are collected by the favages, 
 they are brought into the public market to be fold, all 
 naked as they were bbm.' The more than favage flave- 
 merchant views them, and fends his furgeon, more par¬ 
 ticularly to examine them, as to the foundnefs of their 
 limbs, their age, fkc. All that are palled as fit for fale, 
 are branded with a hot iron in fome part of their body, 
 with the buyers mark ; and then confined, crowded to¬ 
 gether in fome clofe hold, till a convenient time to put 
 them on board a fhip. When they are brought cn 
 board, all are immediately purirr irons, except fome of 
 the women perhaps, and the.fmall children, where they 
 are fo crowded together in that hot climate, that ccr..-‘ 
 nronly a confiderable number die on their paffage to the 
 Weft Indies , occafioned partly by their confinement, 
 partly by the grief and vexation of their minds, from 
 the treatment they receive, and the fituation in which 
 they find themfelves. And a number common;v die 
 after they arrive at the Weft-ladies, in feafoning to the 
 climate; fo that, commonly, not above feventy in an * 
 hundred furvivc their tranfpoitaAon ; by which meaF.^- 
 
E '6 T 
 
 about thirty thoufand are murdered every year by this 
 llave-trade, which amounts to three millions in a cen¬ 
 tury. When they are brought to the Weji-Indics , they 
 are again expofed to market, as if they were fo many 
 beafts, and fold to the highcft bidder j where again 
 they are feparated according to the humour of the tra¬ 
 ders, without any regard to their friendfhips or relations,, 
 cl hufbands and wives, parents and children, brothers 
 and fillers, See. being torn from each other, without 
 the Ieaft regard to any thing of this kind, and fent to 
 different places,, without any profpedl of feeing each 
 ether again. They are then put under a talk-mailer,by 
 the pmchading planter, who appoints them their work, 
 and rules over them with rigour and cruelty, following 
 them with his cruel whip, or appointing one to do it, if 
 poiTibie, more cruel than himfelf. The infirm and fee¬ 
 ble, the females, and even thofe w ho are pregnant, or 
 have infants to take care of, mult do their talk in the 
 field equally with the reft ; or if they fall behind, may 
 be fure to feel the lafh of their unmerciful driver. 
 Their allowance of food at the fame time is very coarfe 
 and fcant, and muft be cooked by themfelves, if cooked 
 at all, when they want, to be afleep^ And often they 
 have no food but what they procure, for themfelves, by 
 working on the fatbath ; for that is the only time they 
 have to themfelves. And to make any complaint, or 
 petition for relief, will expofe them to feme levere pu- 
 nifhment, if not a cruel death. The Ieaft real or fup- 
 pofeable crimes in them, are punifhed in the moft cruel 
 manner. And they have no relief; there being no ap¬ 
 peal from their mailers fentence and will, who com¬ 
 monly are more like favage beaft.% than rational, hu¬ 
 man creatures. And to petition for liberty, though in 
 the moft humble and mod eft terms, is as much as their 
 lives are worth as few efcape the moft cruel death, 
 who prefume to hint any thing of this kind to their 
 mailers : It being a maxim with thofe mere than cruel 
 tyrants, that the only way to- keep them under, and 
 prevent their thinking of the fweets of liberty, is to pa- 
 
[ «7 J 
 
 Jii!h the lead intimation of it in the feverefi manner, as 
 the molt intolerable affront and infult on their mailers. 
 Their labour is fo hard, and their diet fo fcant and poor, 
 and they are treated in all refpe&s with fuch oppreffion 
 and cruelty, that they do not encreafe by propagation 
 in the iflands, but conilantly decreafe, fo that every 
 planter mult every year purchafe five at leali to every 
 hundred he has on his plantation, in order to keep his 
 number from diminifliing. 
 
 But it is in vain to attempt a full description of the 
 Oppreffion and cruel treatment thefe poor creatuies re¬ 
 ceive conftantly at the hands of their imperious, unmer¬ 
 ciful, worfe than Egyptian taik-mafters. Words cannot 
 utter it. Volumes might be written, and not give a 
 detail of a-thoufandth part of the fnockingly cruel 
 things they have fuftered, and are conilantly fuffering. 
 Nor can they pofii'cly be conceived of by any one, 
 who lias not been an eye witnefs. And how little a 
 part does he fee! They who are witneffes to any part 
 of this horrid feene of barbarous oppreffion, cannot but 
 feci tlie truth and propriety of Solomon's words : “ So 
 
 I returned, and confidered all the oppreffions that are 
 done under the fun : and behold the tears of the opprd- 
 fed, and they had no comforter ; and on the fide of the 
 oppreffors there was power; but they had no comforter. 
 W herefore I praifed the dead, which are already dead, 
 more than the living which are yet alive* Solomon 
 never law any oppreffion like this, unlefs he looked for¬ 
 ward to this very inflance, in the fpirit of prophefy. 
 
 ■d. Sir, there is one important circumftance in favour 
 of the Have-trade ; or which will at leal! ferve to coun- 
 terbalknce many of the evils you mention ; and that is; 
 we bring thefe (laves from a heathen land ; to places of 
 gofpcl light; and fo put them under fpecial advantages 
 to be faved. 
 
 JB. I l now this has been mentioned by many in fa¬ 
 vour of the Have-trade : but when examined, will turn 
 greatly againd it. It can hardly be faid with truth, 
 
 * Eccl, iv, i, 2. 
 
 
that the Weft-thdia iflands are places of gofpel light. 
 But if they were, are the Negroes in the leafl benefited 
 by it ? Have they any accels to the gofpel ? Have they- 
 any inftru&ion, more than if they were beads ? So far 
 from this, that their mailers guard again It their having 
 any inftrubtion to their utmolt; and if any one would 
 attempt any fuch thing, it would beat the riique of his 
 life. And all the poor creatures learn of Chriftianitv, 
 from what they fee in thofe who call themfelves Chrif- 
 tians, only ferves to prejudice them in the higheft degree 
 again ft the Chrifiian religion. For they not only fee 
 the abominably wicked lives of moil of thofe who are 
 called Chriftians, but are conilantly oppreffed by them, 
 and receive as cruel treatment from them, as thev could 
 from the vvorft of beings. And as to thofe who are 
 brought to the continent, in the fouthern colonies % 
 and even to New - England , lo little pains are taken to 
 initrud them, and there is fo much to prejudice them 
 againft ChriPtianity, that it is a very great wonder, and 
 owing to an extraordinary divine interpofition, in 
 which vve may fay, God goes out of his common way,, 
 that any of themihould think favourably of Ghrif+ianiry,, 
 
 and cordially embrace it. As to the molt of them, no 
 wonder they are unreachable, and get no good by the 
 gofpel ; but have imbibed the deeped prejudices again it 
 it, from the treatment they receive from proleiTed 
 Chiillianf: $ prejudices which molt of them are by their 
 circurnftances retrained from expreuing ; while tney 
 are fixed in the ftrongelt degree in their minds. 
 
 But if this was not the cafe,.and all the Haves brought 
 from Africa * were put under the belt, advantages to be¬ 
 come Clinicians, and they were in circumltances that 
 
 * It can be proved,, that fince the war begun, a propofal was 
 made to fend forne blacks, who were qualified to teach Chriftisn- 
 ity, into the. fouthern colonics, to teach the blacks there, arid 
 attempt to Christianize them : but the gentlemen who were bet¬ 
 ter acquainted with the difpofition of fiave-holders, in thofe parts, 
 difeouraged the delign, and f id the mafters or tne biaCA... hi ge¬ 
 neral, would not fuffer any fuch tiring ! 
 
t >9 1 
 
 tended to give them the molt favourable idea of Chrif- 
 tians, and the religion they profefs * ; and though all 
 concerned in this trade, and in fiavery in general, Ihould 
 have this wholly in view, viz. their becoming Chriftians, 
 by which they fhould be eternally happy; yet this 
 would not ju&ify the flave-trade, or continuing them 
 in a llate of flavery : For to take this method to chrif- 
 tianize them, would be a diredt and grofs violation of 
 the laws of Chritl. He commands us to go v and preach 
 the gofpel to all nations ; to carry the gofpel to them, 
 and not to go, and with violence bring them from their 
 native country, without faying a word to them, or to 
 the nations from whom they are taken, about the gofpel, 
 or anything that relates to it. 
 
 If the Europeans and Americans had been as much en~ 
 gaged to chrilrianize the Africans , as they have been to 
 enflave them ; and had been at half the coll and pains 
 to introduce the gofpel among them, that they have to 
 captivate and deftroy them; we have all the reafon in 
 the world to conclude that extenfive country, contairr- 
 ing fuch a vail multitude of inhabitants, would have 
 been full of gofpel light, and the many nations there, 
 civilized and made happy ; and a foundation laid for 
 the falvation of millions of millions ; and the happy in- 
 ilruments of it have been rewarded ten thoufand fold 
 for all their labour and cxpence. But now, inilead of 
 this, what has been done on that coaft, by thofe who 
 pals among the Negroes for Chriibians 'j-, has only 
 ferved to .produce and fpread the greateft and moft deep- 
 rooted prejudices againft the Chriftian religion, and 
 bar the way to that which is above all things defirable, 
 
 * Which cannot be the cafe, fo long 2 s they are held in a 
 ft ice of tlavcvy, or they' are brought away from their native coun- 
 tiy in the manner they are j fo that the fuppofition is inconfift- 
 e/;t, and deftroys ttfelf. 
 
 ■f For they have no way to get an idea of a Chriftian, but 
 from the appearance and conduct of the Europeans or Americans, 
 in the practice of all their unrighteoufncf3, cruelty, profaner.efs 
 .-and debauchery. 
 
t 2° ] 
 
 their coming to the knowledge of the truth that they 
 might be Hived. So that while, by the murdering or 
 enHaving millions of millions, they have brought a 
 curie upon themi'elves, and on all that partake with 
 them, they have injured in the higheil degree innumer¬ 
 able nations, and done what they could to prevent 
 their falvation, and to fatten them down in ignorance 
 and barbarity to the lateit poilerity !—Who can realize 
 all this, and not feel a mixture of grief, pity, indigna¬ 
 tion and horror, truly ineffable ! And mult he not be 
 filed with zeal to do his utinolt to put a fpeedy Hop to 
 this leven-headed moniter of iniquity, with all the hor¬ 
 rid train of evils with which it is attended. 
 
 And can any one confider all thefe things, and yet 
 pretend to juitify the Have-trade, or the flavery cf the 
 Africans in America? Is it no: impofiible, that a real 
 Chriitian, who has attended to ail this, fftould have 
 any hand in this trade ? And it requires the utmott 
 ilretch of charity to fuppofe that any one ever did, or 
 can buy or fell an African Have, with a Hncere view to 
 make a true ChriiUan cf him *. 
 
 * It has beer, often fa’.J, in vindication of the fl3ve-trade, tha^ 
 the blacks are to cruel to each other, that they would put their 
 captives to death, if they could not fell rliem 5 fo that they who 
 boy them fave their liver, and do them the greateit kindnefj. 
 A id, at the fame time, this trade is of the greateit advantage to 
 the Weft-India iilands and the fouthern States, and to all in 
 connexion with them : For while men cannot do the bufinefs 
 which is done by the blacks, in thofe hot climates, fo that were 
 not the blacks introduced and improved, ail this labour, and the 
 produce cf it, mull ceale. 
 
 A fiver. Thefe fuggeftions may be a fufheient vindication of 
 the llave-trade with the interefied and inattentive j but the im • 
 partial and judicious wiii fee with how little reafonar.d truth they 
 are urged, when they have attended to the following obiervations. 
 
 There is no evidence that thofe people did kill the captives, 
 in general, ivhich they took in war ; but the contrary is evident, 
 from the account given of them by thofe Europeans who have 
 travelled and lived longed- among them. They represent thofe 
 nations, which have not been corrupted by the whites, to be, 
 in general, induftrious, friendly and hoipitable 5 and in a great 
 erfure happy in the enjoyment ct fociety, and the comforts ot 
 me. [See Ajhort account of ibat part cf Africa ;nbal:te.l by toe 
 
C 21 ] 
 
 A. AIL this feems to be little to the purpofe * nee 
 it was granted in the beginning of our cotiverfation, 
 that the flave-trade, as it has been carried on, is not to 
 bejulfified. But what is this to the quelhon wepropond 
 to confider ; which is x Whether it be wrong to hold 
 tile blacks we Have among us in a Hate of fiavery, or 
 ought to fet them free without delay: To this you 
 
 have laid little or nothing as yet. 
 
 Negroes, printed at Philadelphia, 1762.] -And there is abun¬ 
 dant evidence from hiftory, and tefiimoaies incoutcftible, "hat 
 thefe nations have been encouraged and induced'to carry on mod 
 of their wars, for more than a century pad, by the Europeans 
 and Americans, that they might get captives to fell to traders in 
 the foals and bodies of men ; and where this trade has been the 
 means of Having one life, it has deli roved millions. There-fere, 
 if'profiling Chriftians, infteadef encouraging them in the : t cru¬ 
 elty, and tempting them to defiroy, captivate, and fe i each 
 other, had taken as much pains to teach them humanity and be¬ 
 nevolence, as. they have to reduce millions to a ftate of fla-very 
 vorfe than-de.ith j they might have faved as many lives, as now 
 they have been the means of deftroying. 
 
 Befides, the cruelty of thofe favager to each" ether, is no war¬ 
 rant to the Have trader to buy thofe fuppofed victims, and put 
 them into a ftate of ffivery, which, by their own confelTion, is 
 vvorfs than death. -This, lurely, is not an a£t of mercy, but of 
 cruelty. The voice of mercy and humanity is againft felling 
 them as Haves. Who does not know that, tC one who was the 
 means of preferving a man’s life, is not, therefore, eutituled to 
 make him-a flave, and fell him, as he does a piece of goeds." 
 
 As to othsr fuggeftions, viz. That the blacks are iiecefiarv to 
 cultivate the lands in thofe hot climates, fir.ee the whites are 
 not able to labour there, it may be obferved, that there is not the 
 ? eafl evidence of this , but much of the contrary. Whites are healthy, 
 and do the labour in the Eaft-Ir.'dres, which blacks do in the Weil, 
 in the fame climate j end that- to much greater advantage, of 
 which authentic accounts have been pubiifhed. The truth i.s, 
 mod of the whites which are born in the ibuthern dates, or the 
 Weft -Indies, are not educated to labour, hut, great part of the-:.., 
 in, idlenefs and intemperance. B he.blacks are introduced to do 
 the work, and it is thought a difgrrce for a white perfion to get 
 his living by. labour. By this means, the whites in general are 
 vicious, and all imbibe fuch a haughty and tyrannical fpint, by- 
 holding fo many Haves, that they are above labour, and many of 
 them, rather a plague than a bleding to ail about thc-r. • ‘ -•d 
 
 B a 
 
r 22 ] 
 
 Ail I have faid upon the flavc-Crade, to file tv the' 
 arwighteouinefs, the cruelly, the murder, the opposition 
 to Chriltianity and the fpread of the gofpel among the 
 jlfnc£oti , tne deflrudlion of whole nation?, and myriads 
 of fouls, wdiich are contained in this horrid praftice, 
 has been principally with a view to a more clear and 
 nrisfadlory determination of the quetlion before us, 
 wliicn you have now renevVedly propofed—For I think 
 
 whole families arc ruined for ever, by means of this flavery. 
 ^-Vncreas, ir Ah lean flaves had never been introduced, cr this 
 ( - ivery were now aboli/had j and every manjrad bis farm or plan¬ 
 tation, no more than He could cultivate to the-beftadvantage, by 
 the Help c; his children, and perhaps a few hired men 5 this 
 would introduce indudrv, temperance and ^economy $ the land 
 would produce much more than,it does now j and the country be 
 hlied with indultrious, virtuous inhabitants, happy themfelves, 
 ar.d bleflir.gs to all around them, inn-ead of the comparatively 
 sew rajnilies now, many of which area burden to the earth, and 
 a i fa race to human nature.—This brings rise words of Solomon 
 Ve.'h to mind, Sccl. viii. 9. iC There is a time, when one naan 
 uleth over another te bis own hurt. ' 
 
 V/e cannot hsficate to fay, this fage obfervation is verified in 
 he mod driknig manner, and to the higheft degree, in the flavery 
 nJer consideration. It is an unfpeakable hurt to the public, to 
 .he commonwealth. If it is inconfiftent with republican princi- 
 ies, and tends to overthrow the liberty of thofe (dates, and irj- 
 • reduce monarchy and tyranny, to have fuch flavery tolerated 
 mong us, and fo rhaJiy petty lQvereigns and lores, ruling pver 
 number of ya.Tals with defpotic fvvjy. Their childrenjvatural- 
 ?y imbibe thofe arbitrary principles, and grow up as unfit to be 
 ufefui members of thofe free, republican dates, as do the children . 
 of the mod haughty monarch on the globe. .And thofe men 
 . ule over themfelves to their own hurt, and^the,hurt, the mifery 
 .Hid ruin of their families, temporal and Eteknal. 
 
 Hut, it it fhopid dill be thought by any, cr it ee in faff true, 
 that thofe climates cannot be cultivated. bv whites j let it be re- 
 r.ie rr.be ye i, that this is no judifi>?tio,n of the horrid flave trade, 
 >nc! : : retry now praftifed ; refit \>.s good, reafon why the jvhifcs 
 fnou'a abandon the places where they cannot live, uulefs it be on 
 ...iS.h: .ioi ufothe. f, as good as themfelves .; and renounce the bu- 
 which is carried on jn the.exercife of fo much unrighteouf- 
 .icfh snd cruelty. If the blacks cr/yhsan labour there, the lands: 
 ..v? theirs, bv right; and they.ought to be allowed to poflfefs them, - 
 rv (reemen, 'n;id.cupy the fruit of their labour, . 
 
[ 23 ] 
 
 ■ he following proportion may be advanced as undeni¬ 
 able, viz. if the flaw-trade be unjvfiifable and wrong \ 
 then our holding the Africans and their children in bondage , 
 is unjuJUfiable and wrong-, and the latter is criminal in 
 J'ome proportion to the inexprefible hafenefsand criminality cf 
 the former. For, 
 
 First, If they have been brought‘into a fcate of 
 flavery, by unrighteoufnefs and violence, they having 
 never forfeited their liberty, or given am cnc a right 
 to enflave and fell them; then purchaling them of thefe 
 piratical tyrants,-and holding them in the fame Hate of* 
 bondage into w-hich they, contrary to all right, have 
 brought them, is continuing the exercife of the fame 
 unrighteoufnefs and violence towards them. They 
 have yet as much a right to their liberty as ever they 
 had, and to demand it of him -who holds them in bon¬ 
 dage ; and he .denies them their right, which is of more 
 worth to them than every thing elfe they can have in 
 the world, or all the riches the unjulimailer does or can 
 poF’efs j and therefore injures them in a very high de¬ 
 gree every hoar he refufes or negledls. to fet them at 
 liberty.- Befides, 
 
 Secondly, Holding thefe blacks in a Hate of fiavery, 
 is a praflical junification of the ilave-trade, and fo 
 brings the guilt of that on the head of him, who fo far 
 partakes in this iniquity, as to hold one of thefe a Have, 
 who was unrighteonily made fo by thefe Ions of vio¬ 
 lence. The old addage, “ The partaker is as bad as 
 the thief,” carries fuch a plain truth in it, that every 
 one mull difeern k : And it is certainly, acplicable to 
 this cafe.. 
 
 It is impofirble to buy one of thefe blacks and de¬ 
 tain him a Have, vvithout partaking with him who firlt 
 reduced him to this Hate, and put it in his power thus 
 to poflefs him; and practically ju Hi lying him for fo 
 doing, fo as to bring upon himfelf the guilt of firlt er.- 
 fiaving him. It is not therefore poifible for any cf our 
 (lave-keepers to juilify themlelves in what tli y arc doing, 
 tiniefs they can juilify the Have trade. If they fail here,.' 
 
[ 2 + ]. 
 
 they, bring on themfelves an awful degree of the guilts, 
 or the whole. 
 
 Thirdly, By keeping thefe flares, and buying and. 
 felling them, they aftnaliy encourage, and promote the 
 flave-trade : And therefore, in. this view, keeping llaves, 
 and,continuing to buy and fell them, istto bring on us. 
 the guilt of the Have.trade, which is hereby fupported. 
 Eor fo long as llaves are.bought and poll e fled, and in-, 
 demand fo long the African trade will be. fupported. 
 and encouraged. 
 
 A. But there is a Hop put to the importat’on of Haves, 
 into th z American Colonics, as they have refoived no- 
 more (hall be bought. This being the cafe, the keep¬ 
 ing thofe we have among us in slavery, is i.o encou. 
 ragement to the Have-trade. 
 
 B. I grunt, it this refutation flioiuld be perpetual, 
 and extend, to the Weft Indies, it would di icon rage the 
 flave-trade ; to far as the Americans are concerned in it: 
 But it vvould.be more effectually diicountenanced and 
 condemned, if flavery was wholly aboliihed ; and it can¬ 
 not be con fluently done without this.. For il it be 
 wrong to import and buy them new, it was always 
 wrong ; and therefore they that are already Haves a. 
 mong us, are injured, and unjuflly enflaved ; and we• 
 have made them our (laves without the lealt right ; 
 and ought to retract it, and repair the injury, done to 
 them, lo fur as is in our power, by fetring them free, 
 and compenfating them other wile, fo far as we are a- ie. 
 There is therefore a palpable inconflflcncy in refolving 
 to import and buy no. more Haves ; and yet refufiug to 
 let thofe go ouc free, which we have already enfluved,. 
 unlefs there be. iorne inluDerable impediment, in the 
 
 way. 
 
 The whole I’have faid concerning the unlawfulnefs. 
 of keeping the blacks in flavery, ii the trade by which 
 thev are become our Haves be unlawful, mav be illuF- 
 trateu by the following example. 
 
 A number of robbers invaded a certain province, an«l 
 took off moil of their goods and effefle. and carried them 
 
I ^ ' [ 25 ] 
 
 to a neighbouring province, and fold thenr-io the inha¬ 
 bitants ; and the robbers finding this encouragements 
 continued the practice for many years. At length the 
 people of the injured province applied to their neigh¬ 
 bours, who had their goods of the robbers, and were now 
 in pofl’effion of them, and afked them to reftore what was 
 taken from them by violence, and to which they had 
 a good and indifputable right; it being impofiible thefe 
 robbers could give aright to what they had unjuflly ta¬ 
 ken from them. But the people in whofe pofleffion the 
 ftolen goods were found, utterly refufed to deliver them 
 up to the injured people who demanded them. They 
 told them, they had indeed been greatly injured, and 
 they mull condemn the robbers as very injuiious and 
 cruel in what they had dene: But as they now had 
 ■thefe goods in their own pofiefiion, they intended to 
 keep them, and looked on themlelves under no obliga¬ 
 tion to deliver them up, though they furfered fo much, 
 and would probably perifh for want of them. And 
 they intended Hill to buy all the robbeis fhould bring 
 •-to them. 
 
 To th s the injured replied, “ By partaking with 
 *' fhe:e robbers in receiving the goods at their hands, 
 ' 1 - you pra&ically juilify their conduct, and mull fhare 
 u with them in their guilt. For by this means you en- 
 “ courage them, and are determined to go on to encou- 
 u rage them in this violence and rapine : And by con- 
 “ demning them, you equally condemn vourfelves, and 
 “ mult remain under this condemnation tiii you reilorc 
 
 the goods we demand ; ana refolve never tc purchafe 
 “ anv thus taken from us by violence.” 
 
 Upon this they determined to purchafe no more of 
 them, but refufed to deliver up what they had already 
 got in poffellion. But the oppreffed told them, they 
 did right in refolving to injure them no more in thac 
 way ; but they were now very inconfiftent with thern- 
 felves ; for it it were wrong to purchafe any more, it 
 ■was as wrong to withhold vvnat they had already gotten 
 
•[ -6 ] 
 
 in pofleflion : And they had no other way to juftify 
 themfelves in detaining their goods, and to be confid¬ 
 ent, but by proceeding to take whatever thofe robbers 
 fhould bring to them in future, and juftifying them¬ 
 felves in fo doing, and the robbers in all their depre¬ 
 dations. 
 
 A. This reafoning loojts fomething plaufible, I con- 
 fefs; but the holy fcripture approves of making and 
 keeping flaves; and this furely is fufficicnt to keep us 
 in countenance. 
 
 B. I hope you will not appeal to the holy fcripture, 
 in fupport of a practice, which you and every one elfe 
 mull allow to be fo inexpreflible unjuft, inhuman and 
 cruel, as is .the fiave-trade ; and confequently fo glar¬ 
 ingly contrary to the "whole tenor of divine revelation. 
 And if the Have-trade is fuch a grofs violation of every 
 divine precept, ’tis impoffible to vindicate the flavery 
 to which the Africans have been reduced by this trade, 
 from the holy fcripture. Of this we have fuch a cer¬ 
 tainty a priori, that would be a horrid reproach of di¬ 
 vine revelation, to pretend this pra&ice can be fupport- 
 ed by that; or even to look into it with any hope or 
 expectation of finding any thing there in favour of \u 
 And if there be any paflages in the bible, which are ca¬ 
 pable of a conftru&ion in favour of this practice, we 
 may be very certain it is a wrong one. In a word, if 
 any kind of flavery can be vindicated by the holy 
 -fcripturcs, we are already fure our making and holding 
 ►the Negroes our flaves, as we do, cannot be vindicated 
 by any thing we can find there; but is condemned by 
 the whole of divine revelation. However, I am wil¬ 
 ling to hear what you can produce from fcripture, in 
 favour of any kind of flavery. 
 
 A. You know that a curfe was pronounced on 
 the pollerity of Ham, for his wickednels, in the fol¬ 
 lowing words, A fer<var.t of fervants Jhall he be ur.to his 
 brethren. He could not be a fervant unto his brethren, 
 •unlefs they made him fo ; or at leall held him in fervi- 
 
[ *7 ] 
 
 rode. The curie could not take place unlefs they ex?-- 
 cuted it, and they Teem to be by God appointed to do 
 this. Therefore while we, the children of Japhetk^ 
 are making fuch abjedt flaves of the blacks, the children 
 
 ef Ham, we are only executing the righteous curfe de¬ 
 nounced upon them ; which is fo far from being wrong 
 in us, that it would be a fin., even difobedience to the 
 revealed will of God, to refufe to make Haves of them, 
 and attempt to fee them at liberty. 
 
 B . Do you think, my good Sir, it was the duty of 
 Pharaoh to make the Israelites ferve him and the Egyp¬ 
 tians, and to afflidt them, by ruling over them with ri¬ 
 gour, and holding them in hard and cruel bondage, be- 
 canfe God had exprefsly foretold this, and faid it fhould 
 be done ? And was the Affyrian king blamelefs while 
 he executed the judgments which God had threatened 
 to inflict on his profeffing people l Did God’s threaten¬ 
 ing them with thofe evils, warrant this king to diftrefs, 
 captivate and deltroy them, as he did ? And will you 
 fay, the Jews did right in crucifying our Lord, be- 
 Cilifs by this they fulfilled the feriptures, declaring 
 that thus it mult be ?—Your argument, if it is of any 
 force, will aflert and juftify all this and therefore, I 
 hope, will be renounced by you, and by all who have 
 the lead regard for the holy feripture, with proper ab¬ 
 horrence. 
 
 But if this argument were not fo fraught with ab- 
 furdity and impiety as it realiy is, and it were granted 
 to be forcible, with refpedt to all upon whom the men¬ 
 tioned curfe was denounced ; yet it would not juftify 
 our enflaving the Africans , for they are not the pofteri- 
 ty of Canaan, who was the only Ion of Ham that was. 
 doomed to be afervant of fervants. The other fons of 
 Ham , and their polterity, are no more affedted with - 
 this curfe, than the other fons of Noah , and their polte¬ 
 rity. Therefore this prediction is as much of a war¬ 
 rant for the Africans enflaving us, as it is for us to make 
 Haves of them. The truth is, it gives net the leafl flia- 
 
r 28 ]• 
 
 opw cf a right to any one of the children of Noah to 
 make Haves of any of their brethren *. 
 
 jl. The people of Ifrael were allowed by God to 
 buy and make Haves from the nations that were round 
 about them, and the Grangers that lived among them ; 
 which could not have been the cafe, if this was wrong 
 and unjuft. And why have not we an equal right to 
 dp the fame ? 
 
 B .—And why have not we an equal right to invade 
 any nation and land, as they did the land of Canaan , 
 and deftroy them all, men, women and children, and 
 bfafts, without faving fo much as one alive ? It was 
 right for the Ifraciites to do this,, becauie they had a 
 divine per million and direction to do it, as the God of 
 Jjrael had a right to deftroy the feyen nations of Canaan 
 in what way he. thought beft,.and to dire£t whom lie 
 pleafed to do it. And it was right for them to make 
 bond-fervants of the nations round them, they having 
 an exprefs permilTicn to do it from him who has a right 
 to difpofe of all men as-he pleafes. God faw ft, for- 
 wife reafons, to allow- the people of Ifro.il th l 2* C' 
 and poftefs Haves 5 but is this any licence t© ns to en- 
 flave any of our fellow men, any more than their be¬ 
 ing allowed to kill the feven nations in Canaan , is a war- 
 raiitto us tokiilanyof our fellow men, whom we pleafe, 
 and are able to deftroy, and take pofieifton ot their 
 eftates ? This muft be anfwered in the negative, by 
 every one who will allow' himfelf a moment’s reficdfcipn. 
 God gave many directions and laws to the Jews, which 
 had no refpect to mankind in general ; and this under 
 
 * If it ihould be aiked, why Canaan fhouid be fingled out 
 from the other Tons of Ham, and curled for the fns of his fa¬ 
 ther ? May we not conclude that the curie fell on all Ham’s., 
 pofterity, and that Canaan only is mentioned, as including all 
 the reft ? It muft be anfwered, No, by no means. We have 
 no warrant.to do this. The father finned ; and God mightjuftiy. 
 have curfed all his pofterity. But in his wifdom and lovereign 
 goodnefs, he curfed only one branch of the family. And how 
 cffedlually this has taken place, the feripture informs us. 
 
f 2 9 ] 
 
 confederation has all the marks of fuch an one. There 
 is mot any thing in it, or relating to it, from whence 
 can be deduced the ieaft evidence that it was deiigned 
 to be a regulation for ail nations through every age of 
 the world, but every thing to the contrary. The chil¬ 
 dren of Ifrael were then diftinguiflied from all other na¬ 
 tions on earth j they were God’s peculiar people, and 
 favoured on many accounts above others ; and had ma¬ 
 ny things in their comlitution and laws that were de¬ 
 fined to keep up their feperation and diftindlion from 
 other nadons,and to make the fpecial favour of Heaven 
 towards them more apparent to ail who had any know¬ 
 ledge of them : And this law refpe&ing bondage, is 
 fuited to anfwer thefe ends. This diftinttion is now at 
 an end, and all nations are put upon a level ; and, 
 Chrift, who has taken down the wall of feperation, has 
 taught us to look on all nations as cur neighbours and 
 brethren, without any refpecl of perfons, and to love 
 all men as ourfelves, and to do to others as we would 
 they fhould treat us ; by which he has mod eftecfually 
 uiiohihcd this nermillion given to the 
 
 o c 1CA 
 
 il 
 
 'A-&. 
 
 many other inftitutions, which were peculiar to them. 
 
 Befidcs, that this permiffion was not deiigned for all 
 nations and ages, will be very evident, if we confider 
 what fuch a fuppoHtion implies: For if this be fo, then 
 all other nations had a right to make flaves of the Jeivs. 
 The Egytians had a rig* t to buy and fell them, and keep 
 them all in bondage for ever. And the nations round 
 about Canaan , had a right to bring them into bondage, 
 as they fometimes did. And the Babylonians and Ro¬ 
 mans had a good warrant to reduce them to a itate of 
 captivity and fervitude. And the Africans have a good 
 right to make flaves cf us and our children. The in¬ 
 habitants of Great-Britam may lawfully make flaves of 
 all the Americans, and tranfport us to England , and buvi 
 and fell us in open market, as they do their cattle and 
 horfes, and perpetuate our bondage to the lateft gene¬ 
 ration. And the Turks have a good right to all the 
 Ghriilian flaves they have among them ; and to make as 
 
C 3° ] 
 
 many more flaves of us and our children, as friall be in 
 their power ; and to hold them and their children in 
 bondage to the lateft pofterity. According to this, every 
 man has a warrant to make a bond flave of his neigh¬ 
 bour, whenever it lies in his power - T and no one has 
 any right to his own freedom, any longer than he can 
 keep himfelf out of the power of others. For inftance, 
 if the blacks now among us, fhould by Tome remarks 
 able providence have the power in their hands to re¬ 
 duce us, they have a right to make us and our children 
 their Haves ; and we fhould have noreafon to complain. 
 
 This would put mankind into fuch a fibtc of perpe- 
 tuai war and confuJion, and is fo contrary to our lov¬ 
 ing our neighbour as ourfelves, that ho who has the 
 leal! regard for his fellow men, or the divine law, muft 
 rejeft it, and tlie principle from which it flows, with 
 the greateft abhorrence. Let no Chrijiian then, plead 
 this permiflion to the Jews to make bond Havesof their 
 neighbours, as a warrant to hold the flaves he has made. 
 
 and confequently for univerfal flavery. 
 
 ^ r* i i • 1 i r 
 
 Our wnsc wm vuu 
 
 o ^off-ores in the 
 
 __ ____ _ _ 
 
 new teftament, which are in favour ot flavery, and fup- 
 pofe Chriftian malbers to; have Chriftian flaves; and 
 the mailers are fo far from being directed to free them, 
 that ’tis fuppofed they may hold them in bondage ; and 
 their mutual duties in this relation are inculcated ? 
 Paul the Apoftle is fo far from bei Mg difpefed to have 
 fervants made free, that he fays, Let as many fer<v ants as 
 are under tJje yoke , count their own majiers worthy of all 
 honour* ! And in the following words luppofes that 
 believing majiers had iervants, whom he exhorts to fei\e. 
 fuch matters with the more chearfulneis, out of lefpedt 
 
 to their Chrittian character. 
 
 B. Before I make a dired anfwer to this, I beg leave 
 to remind you, that whatever other kind ot flavery thefe 
 pafl'ages will vindicate, they certainly will not lupport 
 the flave-trade, and. that flavery of the negroes into 
 
 * l Tim, vU *e. 
 
r ] 
 
 which they have been brought by this trade, w&ich is 
 manifeftly unrighteous from beginning to end ; and 
 therefore can be nothing to our prefent purpofe, viz. to 
 jullify Chriftian mailers among us in holding the blacks 
 and their Children in bondage. 
 
 I grant there are bond fervants who are made fo, and 
 may be held in this ilate, confident with juilice, hu¬ 
 manity and benevolence. They are fuch, who have 
 forfeited their liberty to the community of which they 
 are members, by fome particular crimes, and by debt, 
 in fome inilances; and are for this condemned to fer- 
 vitude for a longer or fhorter time, and fold by the civil 
 magiilrate. And perfons may put themfelves into this 
 date bv their own voluntary a£t. There were doubtlefs 
 
 4 0 
 
 fuch in the Apoille’s days ; and if mailer and fervant, 
 in this cafe, were converted to Chriilianity, the fervant 
 would Hill be under the yoke, and the Apoille’s exhor¬ 
 tation highly proper. Therefore if every mailer, when 
 he embraced Chriilianity, was obliged to free all his 
 fervants who had not evidently forfeited their liberty, 
 and not one who refufed to do this, was admitted into 
 a Chriftian church ; yet there might be many mailers 
 and fervants in the firil Chriftian churches: And the 
 pafiages of feripture under confideration prove no more 
 than this : And therefore will not juilify any mailer 
 holding one fervant in bondage againil his will, fo much 
 as an hour, who has not evidently brought himfelf into 
 this Hate by his own crimes, and been adjudged to it, 
 after proper trial, by the civil magiilrate. Thefe ferip- 
 tures therefore are infinitely far from juilifying the fta- 
 • very under ponfideration ; for it cannot be made 'to ap¬ 
 pear that one in a thoufand of thefe ilaves has done any 
 thing to forfeit his own liberty, And if there were 
 any fuch, they have never been condemned to ilavery 
 by any tv ho arc proper judges, or had any authority to 
 a£l in the affair. But if this were the cafe of any, thty 
 certainly cpuld not forfeit the liberty of their children, 
 and caufe them to be born ilaves. 
 
 But it may be further obferved, that it might be dif- 
 
[ 3 2 3 
 
 iicult in many cafes at that day, to determine What 
 fervants were juitly in a ftate of bondage, and who had 
 a right to their liberty (which is not the cafe w r ith re- 
 fpe£t to the flaves whofe caufe I am now pleading). 
 And the Apollles did not think it their bufinefs to ex¬ 
 amine into every inftanee of flavery, and find the ori¬ 
 ginal ground of it, in order to determine, whether the 
 fervant ought to be fet free or not; and as it w r as taken 
 for granted by all, or moll, that the flavery which then 
 took place was generally juft : And if every one who 
 embraced Chriftianity, and had (laves mud undergo a 
 ftritl examination, and be obliged to difmifs his fer¬ 
 vants, unlefs he could produce good evidence that they 
 had forfeited their liberty ; this, as circumftances then 
 were, would have greatly prejudiced the world againft 
 the Chriftian religion and tended to retard its propaga¬ 
 tion : I fay, confidering all thefe things, the Apcftles 
 might be dire&ed not to intermeddle in this affair, fo 
 far as to enquire into every inftanee of flavery, whether 
 it was juft or not; but to treat it as if it were fo, unlefs 
 there were particular, poiitive evidence of the contrary 
 in any inllances ; only giving general rules for the di¬ 
 rection and conduct of mailers and fervants, which, if 
 applied and put into practice, would net only render 
 this relation comfortable, where it ought to fubfift : but 
 would effect the liberty of all the iervants, who were 
 evidently reduced to that ftate unjunjv ; and were 
 Anted to put an end to flavery in general. Thus the 
 Apoitle Paul , fpeaking to mailers, fays, Majiers give un¬ 
 to sour fervants that vohich is juft and equal* . The mailer 
 who conformed to this rule, mull not only treat his fer¬ 
 vants with equity, in all inllances; but muft fet at li¬ 
 berty all who were evidently unjuftly enflaved, and 
 therefore had a right to their freedom. And if any 
 Chriftian mailer refufed to do this, he would bring upon 
 him the cenfure of the church, for difregarding this 
 Apoftolic rulef* And the lame Apoftle fays to the fer- 
 
 * Col. iv. i. 
 
 •f 2 ThelT. ill. 6, 
 
[ 3 -3 . ] 
 
 varrt, If thou mayeji be made free, ufe it rather $ ? In 
 thei'e words it is declared, that Havery is, in itfelf con- 
 fidered, undelirable, and a calamity, in every inllance of 
 it; and therefore that it ought to be avoided and abo- 
 liihed, as far as poflibLe. And not only the fervant is 
 warranted and commanded to defire and feck to be 
 made free ; but the mailer is alfo implicitly required to 
 fet him at liberty, if there be no infuperable impedi¬ 
 ment in the way y for if the fervant ought to delire and 
 attempt to obtain his freedom, the mailer -ought to defire 
 it alfo, and aflilt him to obtain it, if it can be effedled j 
 and will do it, if he loves his fervant, as himfelf : And 
 the church to which the fervant belongs, and every 
 member of it, ought to do all in their power to procure 
 the freedom of every fuch fervant y for will any one fay 
 they ought not to do their utmoil in afllfting their poor 
 fuffering brother to obtain his liberty, which God has. 
 commanded him to- defire and feek ? This Apoftolic 
 command therefore, being properly regarded, would 
 foon put an end to moll inllances of Havery in the Chrif- 
 tian church, if it did not wholly abolilh it y efpecially 
 at this day, when many of the impediments in the way 
 of freeing Haves, which were in the Apollles days, are. 
 removed. And it may be left to the conferences of all 
 Have-holders among us, whether-,, if it had been left to> 
 them, fuch a diredlion and command would ever have 
 been given to any- fervant whatever, as is here given by 
 the Apollle ; and whether, now it is given, they ap¬ 
 prove of it, and praflice accordingly. So far from it, « 
 that moll of them, even profeffin-g ChriHians, hold their 
 fervants at fuch a dillance, and treat them.in fuch a man¬ 
 ner, that the poor fervant dare not fo muc h as treat 
 with his mailer about h s freedom';, and if he fhould 
 fav a word, is pretty fure to receive nothing .but angry 
 frowns, if not-blows. And if any one undertakes to- 
 plead the caufe of thefe opprefled poor, vvhofe right i 3 
 turned afide in the gate, and they have no helper.,,he. 
 
 C 2 
 
 J Cor. ; viU. z w 
 
I J 
 
 nmy -expcfl to feel the refentmont of almoft every keeper 
 of Haves, who knows him. And is there one church*, 
 now in this land, who are ready to do what is in their 
 power to obtain the freedom of the {laves which belong 
 to them ; or are willing calmly to conlider and debate 
 the queftion among themfelves, whether it be right to k 
 hold the Negroes in bondage ? Where is the church 
 that has done any thing of this kind * ? And how few 
 churches are to befound, that would not be greatly dif- 
 turbed, and filled with refentment, if live queftion were 
 ferioufly propoled, and urged to be confidered ? 
 
 Let none who are confciousy all this is true, urge the 
 Apofcle Pan?* authority in favour of the Have-keeping 
 which is pradiifed in Britijb America. 
 
 But to return. The Apoftle feems-to have conducted 
 in this cafe, as he did in that of civil government. He 
 ccnlidered this as a divine infti.tution, and pointed out 
 ?he end and defign of it, and the duty of civil rulers, 
 and of the fubjeft, without particularly applying it to 
 the government Chriftians were then under, fo as ex- 
 prefslv to juftify or condemn the particular firm of 
 government that then took place ; or the condudl of 
 thofe who then had the civil authority in their hands; 
 and that for very, obvious reafons, grounded on the ftate 
 and circumftanees cf the Church and of public affairs 
 at that day. We may as well infer from this, that the 
 civil governors cf that day were not nnjuft and tyran¬ 
 nical, which is moft contrary to known {aft, as we can, 
 that the ffavery which then took place was in general 
 juft and right, from his pointing out the duties of mai¬ 
 lers and fervants, without mentioning and.condemning 
 any particular inftapees cf unjuft Havery. 
 
 * Since the Sr ft edstioa of this. Dialogue, a number of Churches 
 i«r. New-England, bay.e. firmed themfelves from this iniquity, 
 and, determined not to tol_M me the holding at the Africans in 
 tlaycry. If ail the Churches in thefe United States wt u!d come 
 fhto the fame rm am e, and imitate the Friends, called Quakers, 
 in this article, would th?y not aft oi-ie like Uhvifttau Churches 
 thq.a they new do ■' 
 
C_ 35 ] 
 
 A. You v/eil obferved that .ths apofties did not inter¬ 
 meddle with the affair ot flavery, To as to condemn 
 malters for holding their Haves ; or tell the fervants 
 their mailers had no right to keep them in bondage ; 
 but ought to free them, &:c. I wifh all were as wife 
 and prudent now ; efpeci lly ininiilers of the gofpel : 
 But all arc not fo. Many make fiich a clamour about 
 holding our Negroes in bondage ; and fome minifters 
 have of late faid fo much in public about freeing our 
 Haves ; and have fo inveighed againft the African.^, ave- 
 trade, and even keeping our blacbs in flavery, that ma¬ 
 ny of the negroes are become very uneafv, and are 
 much more engaged to obtain their liberty than they 
 tiled to be. 
 
 I.think, if any thing.be faid on this fubjeft, it fhould 
 be in private ; and not a word of this kind ihould be 
 lifped in the hearing of our fervants; much lefs ought 
 minifters to fay any thing about it in public ; left the 
 blacks fhould all take it into their heads that they are 
 treated hardly, and. never be eafy till they are fet at 
 liberty. 
 
 B \—■ It has been obferved, there, were reafons, pecu¬ 
 liar to the ftate of things at that time, wdiy the apoftles 
 fhould not be fo particular on this head : which reafons 
 do not take place now. The Havery that now takes 
 place is in a Chriftian land, and without the exprefs 
 fanblion of civil government: And it.is.all of the fame 
 kind, and from one original ; which is.moft notoriously 
 unjuft ;and if it be unrighteous in one inftance, it is fo in 
 almoft every inftance ; and the anrighteoufnefs o.f it is 
 moft apparent, and moft mafters have no colour of claim* 
 to hold their fervants in bondage. And th's is become 
 a general and crying fin ; for which we are under the- 
 awful frow ns of Heaven. Thefe things, which make 
 the cafe fo different from the flavery which took place 
 in the apt file, days may be a good reajon of a -different 
 conduit ; and make it duty to oppofe, and bear tefti- 
 mony, both in public, .and,more piivately, againft this . 
 
[ s« 3 
 
 evil practice, which is fo evidently injurious to indivi¬ 
 duals, and threatens our ruin as a people. . 
 
 As to making fervants uneafy, and deflrous of liberty* 
 See. I would obferve, that moll of them do not wane 
 to be informed that they are greatly injured and oppref- 
 fed ; that they are reduced to a Hate of flavery, without 
 thelealtcolour of juftlce. They have fenfe and difeerning 
 enough to be fenfible of this, without being told ^ and 
 they think much of it almoit every day, though they 
 are obliged to keep it to themfelves, having- none eo pity 
 them, or fo much as hear their complaints. They have 
 a thoufand times more difeerning and fcnfibility in this’ 
 cafe than their mailers, or moft others. And their aver- 
 fion to flavery, and defires of liberty, are inextinguilha-'- 
 ble. Therefore their hearing it aflerted that they 
 ought to be fet at liberty, gives them no new light and 
 conviction, except it be, that he who afierts it, has fome 
 difeerning of what they have long known, and moil • 
 fenfibly felt; and has courage enough-to aflert that in 
 their favour,, which they have long felt the truth of; . 
 but dared not fo much as lifp it out.—But if by this - 
 means any of your fervants fnould be more fully con¬ 
 vinced of their right to liberty, and the injuftice done 
 them in making, them flaves, will this be fuch a dread¬ 
 ful evil ? Would you deiire they ihould be held in ig¬ 
 norance, that you may exercife your tyranny, without 
 oppofition or trouble from any quarter ? As reafona- 
 bly might* Pharaoh be angry, and complain of Mofes - 
 and Aaron , for faying a word to thofe whom he had re¬ 
 duced to flavery, about" their cruel bondage, and their • 
 obtaining their liberty. 
 
 It has always been the way of tyrants to take great 
 pains to keep' their vaflals in ignorance, specially to 
 hide from them the. tyranny and oppreflion of which, 
 they are the.fubjefts,. Andd'or this reafon they are ene¬ 
 mies to the liberty of the prefs* and are greatly pro¬ 
 voked when their conduCl is let in a true light before 
 the public,, and the unrighteoufnefs they praChife, pro¬ 
 perly expofed. The complaint we arc.novv canfidering^ 
 
f 37 ] 
 
 items to be of the fame kind with this, and well be¬ 
 comes all thofe petty tyrants, who have Haves in their 
 poiTefiion, which they are confcious they cannot vindi¬ 
 cate, but the unrighteoufnefs will be detected, if free 
 enquiry and freedom of fpeech cannot fee fuppreHed. 
 And this complaint is of the fame kind with the con¬ 
 duct of the mailers of flaves in the Weji-Indies, in op- 
 poling their being taught any thing of chriffianity ; 
 becaufe they know every gleam of this light carries a 
 difcovery of the unrighteoufnefs of the treatment they 
 receive. 
 
 The prefent lituation of our public affairs, and our 
 ftruggle for liberty, and the abundant converfation this 
 occafions in all companies ; while the poor Negroes 
 looks on, and hear what an averfion we have to Haver;/, 
 and how much liberty is prized ; they often hearing it 
 declared publicly and in private, as the voice of all, 
 that Havery is more to be dreaded than death, and we 
 are refolved to live free or die, See.. See. This, I fay, 
 neceffarily leads them to attend to their own wretched 
 Situation, more than otherwife they could. They fee 
 themfelves deprived of all liberty and property, 
 and their children after them, to the Iateff poflerity, 
 iubje&ed to the will of thofe who appear to have no 
 feeling for their mfiery, and are guilty of many in- 
 itances of hard heartednefs and cruelty towards them, 
 while they think themfelves very kird ; and therefore 
 to make the leall complaint, would be deemed the 
 height of arrogance and abufe : And often, if they havn 
 a comparatively good mailer now, with conltant dread, 
 they fee a young one growing up, who bids fair to rule 
 over them, or their children, with rigour. 
 
 They fee the Havery the Americans dread as worfe 
 than death, is lighter than a feather, compared to their 
 heavy doom ; and may be called liberty and happincls, 
 when contralled with the moil abject Havery and un¬ 
 utterable wretchednefs to which they are fubje&ed.. H 
 And in this dark and dreadful Situation, they look 
 round, and find none to helo—no pitv-*-ho hcoe r 
 
 D 
 
t 3 
 
 And when they obferve all this cry and flrugglc for li¬ 
 berty for ourfelves and children ; and fee themfelvesand 
 .their children wholly overlook-ed by us, and behold the 
 fans of liberty , opprefling and tyrannizing over many 
 thoufands of poor blacks, who have as good a claim to 
 liberty as themfelves, they are fhocked with the glaring 
 inconflftence, and wonder they themfelves do not fee 
 it. You nmft not therefore lay it to the few who are 
 pleading the caufe of thefe friendlefs diftreffed poor, 
 that they are more uneafy than they .ufed to be, in a 
 fenfe of their wretched Hate, and from a defire of liber¬ 
 ty ; there is a more mighty and irrefiftable caufe than 
 this, viz. all that pafles before them in our public 
 ftruggle for liberty. 
 
 And why fltould the mkiifters of the gofpel hold 
 their peace, and not teftify again!! this great and public 
 iniquity, which we have reafon to think, Is one great 
 caufe of the public calanrties we are now 7 under ? How 
 can they refute to plead the caufe of thefe opprefled 
 poor, againfl the cruel opprefl'or ? They are com¬ 
 manded to lift up their voice, and cry aloud, 
 and fhew the people their fins, &c. Have w 7 e not rea¬ 
 fon to fear many of them have offended Heaven by 
 their fllence, through fear of the mailers, who Hand 
 ready to make war againfl anyone who attempts to de¬ 
 prive them of their ilaves; or bccaufe they themfelves 
 have Haves, w'hich they are not willing to give up ? 
 
 Might they not fully expofe this iniquity, and bear 
 a conilant teflimony againfl it, in fuch a manner as 
 would have no tendency to influence our fervants to 
 behave ill in any refpeCl ; by giving them at the fame 
 time proper cautions and directions? 
 
 A, It is impoflible to free all our Negroes ; efpecially 
 ' at once, and in prefer.t circumflances, without injuring 
 
 them, at leail, many of them, and the public to a great 
 degree. Why then is this urged fo vehemently no- zv ? 
 
 J think this proceeds from a zeal, not according to 
 knowledge. 
 
 B. If it be not a fin, an open flagrant violation of all 
 the rules of juflice and humanity, to hold thefe flaves 
 
[ 39- f 
 
 in bondage, it is indeed folly to put ourfelves to any 
 trouble and expence, in order to free them. But if the 
 contrary be true; if it be a fin of a crimfon dye, which, 
 is moll particularly pointed out by the public calami¬ 
 ties which have come upon us, from which we have no 
 reafon to expedl deliverance till we put away the evil 
 of our doings, this reformation cannot be urged with too 
 much zeal, nor attempted too foon, whatever difficulties- 
 ?.re in the way. The more and greater thefe are, the 
 more zealous and adlive ihould we be in removing them. 
 You had need to take care, leilfrom felfifh motives, and 
 a backwardnefs to give up what you unrighteoufly re¬ 
 tain, you are joining with the flothful man to cry, 
 there is a lion in the *ivaj ! A lion is in the ft rests * / 
 While there is no infurmountable difficulty, but that- 
 which lies in your own heart. 
 
 No wonder there are many and great difficulties in 
 reforming an evil practice of this kind, which has got 
 fach deep root by length of time, and is become Co-' 
 common. Bat it does not yet -appear that they cannot 
 be removed, by the united wisdom and ilrength of the 
 American colonics, without any injury to the flaves, or 
 difadvantage to the public. Yea, the contrary is moil 
 certain, as the Haves cannot be put into a more wretched 
 ittuation, ourfelves being judges, and the community 
 cannot take a more likoly Hep to eicape ruin, and ob¬ 
 tain the 1 miles and protection*of Heaven. This matter \ 
 ought doubtids to be attended toby the General AfTem-' 
 blics, and Continental and Provincial Congreffies ; and 
 i; they were as much united and engaged in deviling 
 ways and means to fet at liberty thefe injured Have*,' 
 as they are to defend themfelvcs from tyranny, it would 
 foon be effected. There were without doubt many 
 difficulties and impediments in the way of the 'Je<vss' 
 liberating thole of their brethren they had brought in¬ 
 to bondage, in the days of Jeremiah. But when they 
 were behrged by the Chaldeans , and this- their fin was- 
 
 * Prov. xxtrh 1 1,- 
 
r 4° ] 
 
 laid be fere them, and they were threatened with defe¬ 
 cation if they did not reform : They broke through 
 every difficulty, and fet their fervants at liberty. 
 
 And how great mull have been the impediments, 
 how many the Teeming unanfwerable objections, againft 
 reforming that grofs violation of the divine command in 
 E 2 ras time, by their marrying ftrange wives, of which 
 fo many of the Jews were guilty, and the hand of the 
 princes and rulers had been chief in this trefpafs ! Yet 
 the pious zeal of Ezra and thofe who joined with him, 
 and their wifdom and indefatigable efforts conquered 
 every cbftacle, and brought them to a thorough refor¬ 
 mation. Would not the like zeal, wifdom and refo- 
 lution, think you, foon produce a reformation of this 
 much greater abomination, by finding out an effectual 
 method to put away all our flaves ? Surely we have no 
 reafon to conclude it cannot be done, till we fee a fuii- 
 able Zealand refolution, among all orders of men, and 
 anfwerable attempts are thoroughly made. 
 
 Lot this iniquity be viewed in it’s true magnitude, 
 and in the /hocking light in which it has been fet in 
 this converfation let the wretched cafe of the poor 
 blacks be confidered with proper pity and benevolence ; 
 together with the probable dreadful confequence to 
 this land, of retaining them in bondage, and all objec¬ 
 tions againft liberating them would vanifh. The 
 mountains that are now raifed up in the imagination 
 ©f many, would become a plain, and every difficulty 
 fiurmounted. 
 
 Pharoah and the Egyptians , could not bear to think of 
 letting the Hebrews go out free from the bondage to 
 which they had reduced them ; and, it may be pre¬ 
 fumed, they had as many weighty objections againft it, 
 as can be thought of againft freeing the /laves among 
 us. Yet they were at length brought to drop them all, 
 and willing to fend them out free ; and to be ready to 
 part with any thing they had, ia order to promote it *.• 
 
 * It may be well worthy our fe^ious conffderati©** whether 
 
r 41- ] 
 
 If many thoufands of our children were Haves in Al¬ 
 giers or any parts of the Turkijb dominions, and there 
 were but few families in the American colonies that had 
 not fome child, or near relation in that fad Hate, with¬ 
 out any hope of freedom to them, or their children, un- 
 lefs there were fome very extraordinary exertion of the 
 colonies to effiedl it ; how would the attention of all the 
 country be turned to it ! How greatly (hould we be af- 
 fefted with it! Would it not become the chief topic of 
 converfation ? Would any coll or labour be fpared,or 
 any difficulty or hazard be too great to go through, in 
 erder to obtain their freedom ? If there were no great¬ 
 er difficulties than there are in the cafe before us; yea, 
 if they were ten times greater, would they not be loon 
 furmounted, as very inconfiderable ! I know you, Sir, 
 and every one elle, mufl anfwcr in the affirmative, with¬ 
 out hefitation. And why arc we not as much aifedled 
 with the flavery of the many thoufands of blacks among 
 ourfelves, whofe miferable Hate is before our eyes ? 
 And why fhould we not be as much engaged 
 to relieve them ? The realon is obvious. ’Tis 
 becaufe they are Negroes, and fit for nothing but Haves ; 
 and we have been uled to look on them in a mean con¬ 
 temptible light ; and our education has filled us with 
 ftrong prejudices againll them, and led us to confider 
 them, not as our brethren, or in any degree on a level 
 with us ; but as quite another fpccies of animals, made 
 only to ferve us and our children ; and as happy in 
 bondage, as in any other Hate. This has banifhed all 
 attention to the injuHice that is done them, and any pro¬ 
 per fenfe of their mifery, or the exercife of benevolence 
 towards them. If we could only divell ourfelves of 
 thele Hrong prejudices, which have infenfibly fixed on 
 
 have not veafon to fear the hand of God, which is now ftretched 
 out againrt us, will lie upon us, and the ftrokes grow heavier, 
 unlefs we reform this iniquity, fo clearly pointed out by the par¬ 
 ticular manner in which God is correcting us ; and whether we 
 have any reafon to hope or pray for deliverance, till this refor¬ 
 mation takes place. 
 
f 4* J 1 
 
 our minds, and confider them as, by nature, and by- 
 right, on a level with our brethren and children, and 
 thofe cf our neighbours, and that benevolence, which 
 loves our neighbour as ourfelves, and is agreeable to 
 truth and righteoufnefs, we fhould begin to feel towards 
 them, in fome meafure at leaft, as we fhould towards 
 our children and neighbours in the cafe above iuppofed, 
 and be as much engaged for their relief. 
 
 If parents have a fon preiTed on board a King’s ihip, 
 how greatly are they afiefled with it ! They are hiicd 
 with grief and diftrefs, and will chcarfully beat alraoft ; 
 any coil and pains to procure his liberty : and we won¬ 
 der not at it, but think their exercifes and engagednefs 
 for his deliverance very juft, and (laud ready to condemn 
 him who has no feeling for them and their fon, and is 
 not ready to afford all the afliftance in his power, in or¬ 
 der to recover him. At the fame time we behold vail 
 numbers of blacks among us, torn from their native 
 eosmy, and all their relations, not to ferve on board a 
 man of war for a few years, but to be abjeft, defpifed 
 Haves for life, and their children after them ; and yet 
 have not the leaft feelings for them, or deftre cf their 
 freedom ! Thcfe very parents perhaps, have a number 
 cf Negro Haves, on whom they have not the leaft pity ; 
 and ftar»d ready highly to relent it, if any one efpoufes 
 their cauie fo much as to propefe they fhould be let at 
 liberty. What reafon for this partiality ? Ought this 
 fo to be ? An impartial perfon, who is net under the pre¬ 
 judices of intereft, education and cuftom, is blocked 
 with it beyond all exprefSon. The poor Negroes have 
 fenle esough to lee and feel it, but have no end to 
 fpeak- a word for them ; none to whom they may com¬ 
 plain. 
 
 It has been obferved, that if the General Aftemblies, 
 &c. ofthefe American colonies, would take this matter 
 in hand in earneft, with a concern and reicletion an- 
 fwerable to its real importance y and the whole com¬ 
 munity were properly dilpofed and engaged, the free¬ 
 dom of the Haves among us might foon be dktteu, 
 
t 43 3 
 
 without injury to the public, or thofe who fhall be fet 
 at liberty ; but greatly to the advantage of both. But 
 if this fhould be neglected, will it excufe individual's 
 who have flaves, in their continuing to hold them in 
 bondage ? I think not. If you, Sir, had as many chil¬ 
 dren in 11 a very at Algiers , as you have African flaves in 
 your houfe, would you take no pains, and devife no 
 -method to obtain their liberty, till the public Ihould 
 ■make fome provifion for the emancipation of all flaves 
 there ? If any opportunity fhould prefent, to obtain their 
 liberty, would you not greedily embrace it, though at 
 much hazard and ex.pence ? And if their mailer fhould 
 refufe to let them go free, till there was a general eman¬ 
 cipation of the (Thrift ian flaves in that country., would 
 you juftify him as acting a proper, humane, and bene¬ 
 volent part ? I trow not. How then can you excufe 
 yourfelf, and deliver your own foul, while you have no 
 companion for thefe black children in your houfe, and 
 lefufe to break the yoke, the galling yoke, from off*their 
 necks, becaufe your neighbours will not be fo juft and 
 humane to tlieirs ! 
 
 Some mafters fay, they will give up their flaves, if all 
 mafters will do the fame ; but feem to think they are 
 excufed from fetting their’s free, fo long as there is not 
 a general manumiftion. What has juft been obferved 
 is fuited, I think, to fhew the inefficiency of this ex¬ 
 cufe. Befides, if you define to have all osr flaves freed, 
 why do you not fet an example, by liberating your 
 own ? This might influence others to do the fame j 
 and then you might, with a good grace, plead the caufe 
 of thefe poor Africans . Whereas, while you retain your 
 own flaves, your mouth is flopped, and your example 
 ferves to ftrengthen others, and keep them in coun¬ 
 tenance, while they pradiiie this abominable oppreffion. 
 
 A. My fervants have coft me a great deal of money, 
 and it is not reafonablc I fhould lofe all that. If the 
 public will indemnify me, and pay me what my fer¬ 
 vants are worth, I am willing to free them ; and none 
 can reafonably defire to do it, on any other confidcration. 
 
 B. If your neighbour buys a horfe, or any bcaft, of 
 
,r , < n 
 
 i 44 J 
 
 £'thief who dole it from you, while he had no thought 
 that it was itolen, would you not think you had a right 
 to demand your horfe of your neighbour, and pronounce 
 him very unjuft, if he Ihould refufe to deliver him to 
 you, tiil he had received the whole fum he had given 
 for him ? And have not your fervants as great a right to 
 themielves, to their liberty, as you have to your llolen 
 horfe? They have been ftolen and fold, and you have 
 bought them, in your own wrong, when you had much 
 more realon to think they were ftolen, than he who 
 bought your horfe had to miftruft he was trading with 
 a thief. Though your horfe has palled through many 
 hands, and been fold ten times, you think you have a 
 right to demand and take him, in whofe foever hands 
 you find him, without refunding a farthing of what he 
 coft him ; and yet, though your Negroes can prove their 
 right to themfelves, and conftantly make a demand up- 
 •n you to deliver them up, you refufe till they pay the 
 full price you gave for them, becaufe the civil law will 
 
 not oblige you to doit.-- 'Thou -Hypocrite ! - 
 
 Luke xiii. 15 . 
 
 Had you not been amazingly inconfiderate and ftupid, 
 you would have concluded thele men were ftolen ; and 
 known that no man had a right to fell them, or you to 
 buy them : And muft they be for ever deprived ol their 
 right, which is worth more to them, than all you pof- 
 fels, becaufe you have been fo foolilh and wicked as to 
 buy them, and no one appears to prevent your lofing 
 by the bargain f You would do well to eonfider the aw¬ 
 ful denunciation by ‘Jeremiah. Woe unto him that 
 buildeth his houfe by unrighteoufnefs, and his chambers by 
 ■wrong ; that ufeth his neighbour s fer~oice without wages, 
 and gin: eth him not for his work ! He who refufes to free 
 his Negroes, that he may fave his money, and lay it up 
 for his children, and retains his Haves lor them to ty¬ 
 rannize over, leaves them but a miferable inheritance— 
 infinitely vvorfe than nothing ! 
 
 Eefides, if indifferent perfons were to judge, it would 
 doubtlefs be found that many of your iervant?, il r.oc 
 
I 4F J 
 
 a*f, have much marc than earned what they colt you 
 feme of them double and treble, yea, centimes as much j 
 and in this view, you ought to let them go out free ; and 
 not fend them away empty ; but furnilh them liberally 
 out of your ftore, agreeable to the divine command 
 they haying a much better right to part of your eftatc, 
 tiian your children,and, it'may be, much more likely 
 to make a good improvement of it. 
 
 A. You fpeak of {Servants earning fo much ; but for 
 my part, I think not fo much of this. Mine have ne¬ 
 ver been much profit to me, and moll of them do noi: 
 pay for their victuals and deaths, but are coiuiantly. 
 funning in debt. 
 
 B. The matter is not a proper judge in this cafe. How- 
 common is it for men who hire others, to complain that 
 the labourers do not earn the wages they give; and 
 that they are continually lefing by all the labour they 
 hire ? And if it were- wholly left to him who hires 
 what wages he fhould give the labourer, and he w r as ac¬ 
 countable to none, how foon would his hire be reduced 
 to little or nothing- The lordly felfifh employer would 1 
 foon find out that his labourers hardly earned the food 
 he was obliged to find them. Let your urdnterefted, ju¬ 
 dicious/ neighbours, judge between you and your fer- 
 vants in this matter, and we will give credit to their 
 verdidt. And fuicly you have no reafon to expect we 
 will rely on yours, as you feem ndt really to believe it 
 yo^felf, fince it looks like a contradiction to your own 
 declaration and practice. dor you have been fpcaking . 
 of your fervants as of as much worth to you, at kail, as 
 their firft colt, and reprefented it as giving up your in- 
 tereit, if you fhould free them wi thout a compenfation. 
 Whereas, if what you now fay be true, you will lofe 
 nothing, by freeing them immediately; but rather get 
 rrd ot a burden now on your hands. And if this be 
 true, why do you not free them without delay ? Your 
 holding them in flavery, is a practical contradiction to 
 what you have now fuggeited. 
 
 I g»aat, what is evident to all the difccrnlrg who a:- 
 
 U * 
 
[ 4.6 ] 
 
 tend to it, that the introdu&ion of fuch a number of 
 ilaves among us is a public detriment* an injury to the 
 commonwealth ; and therefore, in this view, the prac¬ 
 tice ought by all means to be difeouraged and abolifhed 
 by our legiflators : This, however, is confident with in¬ 
 dividuals getting eftates by the labour of their flaves-j 
 and that they are in fad, in ipany inftances, very pro¬ 
 fitable to their owners, none can deny. And if this 
 was not fo, I fhould be very certain of obtaining what 
 I am pleading for, even a general manumiffion. 
 
 A. You have repeatedly fpobe of our flaves being 
 hardly treated and ; abufed- There may perhaps be 
 fome inilances of this among us; but I believe they 
 are generally treated very well, and many of them much 
 better than they deferve- My fervants, I am fare, have 
 no reafon to complain ; they, live as well as ldo myfeif, 
 and in many refpeds much better. 
 
 B. We will take it for granted, for once, that all yon 
 have laid is .true and that your flaves. are treated as 
 well as drey can be, while they are held in a date of 
 
 ilavery. But will this atone for your making them your 
 Ilaves, and taking from them that which it better to them 
 than not only the. belt living, but all the riches on earth, 
 -and- is as much, to be prized as life, it lei f, thilir ll- 
 hSRT-y ? As.well, yea, with much more re®.fun, may 
 a. highway-robber, tell a gentleman from whom he h.vs 
 taken all his money, he has no reaion to complain, finte 
 he had fpaved his life, which was at his mercy, nor had 
 wounded:him,.or flripperf him of his cloaths ; and gp 
 away pleafed; with-the thought that he had .treated htru 
 -with greatkindnefs and generofuy.. 
 
 If a rufHan illou 1 cl feize, ravifh and. carry cit a your.g 
 virgin from aibher relations-and friends, .in to fome lona=- 
 ly care in the wildernefs ; and when he got. full pof- 
 feflicn. of her there, fbodld. treat her with great kindnefs*. 
 providing i or her every, neceh'ary and comfort fhe.couwl 
 hr.?e in,that. Gtuation. And when he was told of his 
 violence and cruelty, and urged to. redone her to her 
 former liberty y, he fhouid r-etufe to re kale her, and to 
 j unify himfclf, ah edge Ids -kind treatment of her, that 
 
r 47 j 
 
 fhe had all the comforts of life, and lived better than 
 himfelf, Sec. Would not this be fo far from j unifying 
 him in the light of the world, or being the lead excufe 
 for his barbarous treatment of her, that his offering it as 
 fuch, would be confidered as a driking evidence of his 
 ftupidity, and that he was an unfeeling, inhumane 
 wretch ? Whether fuch an indance is in any meafure 
 applicable to the cafe before us, I leave you to judge. 
 
 But I mud now afk leave to take back, what was juft 
 now granted; and obfarve, that you are not a proper 
 judge of your treatment of your flaves; and that you 
 may think you-treat them very well, in fonre indances 
 at lead, if not in a condant way, they juflly think them- 
 felves ufed very hardly, being really fubjeeded to many 
 hardfhips, which you would very fenfibly feel and re- 
 fent, if you were in their place, or fhould fee one of 
 your children a (Lave in Algiers treated lo by Ins matter. 
 There are but few,matters of flaves, I believe, who do 
 notrufe then? in a hard, unreafonable manner, in fome 
 indances ar lead ; and mod do fo in a condant-way ; 
 fo that- an impartial, attentive by-dander will be {hock¬ 
 ed with it, while the matter is-wholly infenfible of any 
 wrong. They who from us have vifned the Weft-Indie^ 
 have beheld hew- fer-vants are ufed by their matters 
 there, with a degree of horror, and pronounced them 
 very unreafonable and barbarous ; while the matter, 
 and perhaps his ether domedics have thought they 
 were uled well, being acc.udomed' to fuch u-lage* and 
 never once reflecting that thefe blacks were in any fenffi 
 on a level with theinfclves, or that they have the lead 
 right to the treatment whit*.people may reasonably ex- 
 peebo'- one another ;.and being habituated to view th'efe 
 flaves more beneath: tliern(elves, than the very beads 
 really arc. And are we not, moil of usy educated in 
 thefe prejudices,, and led to ’'lew the ilaves - among us, 
 m fuch a mean, d dpi cable light, as not to be fenfible 
 of the abufes they ft;flier ; when', if we or our children 
 fhould receive fuch treatment, from any of our fellow 
 mum, it would appear, terrible in our fight? The Turks 
 
[ 4? J 
 
 arc by education and caflom, taught to view the Chrif* 
 tian flaves among them fo mucli beneath themfeives, • 
 and in fuch an odious light, that while they are treating 
 our brethren and children, we being judges,! n the moil 
 unreafonable and cruel manner, they have not one 
 thought that they injure them in thedeafl degree. 
 
 Are you fare your flaves have a fufficiency of good 
 food, in feafon ; and that they never want for comfort¬ 
 able cloathing and bedding ? Do you take great care to 
 dealas well by them in thefe things, as you would wifh 
 others would treat your own children, were they haves- • 
 in a flrange land ? It your fervants complain, are you 
 ready to attend to them ? Or do you in fuch cafes'frown 
 upon them, or do l’omething vvorfe, fo as to difconrage. 
 their ever applying to you, whatever they may fuffer, 
 having learned that this would only be making bad- 
 worfe ? Do you never fly into a pafnon, and deal with • 
 them in great anger, deciding matters refpe&ing them,- 
 and threatening them, and giving fentence concerning 
 them, from which they have no appeal, and perhaps' 
 proceed to correfr them, when to a calm by-llander 
 you appear more fit to be confined in Bedlam, than 
 have che fovereign, uncontrouhble dominion over your' 
 brethren, as the foie lawgiver, judge, and executioner ? 
 Do not even your children domineer over your flave3 ? 
 Mull they not often be at the beck of an ungoverned, 
 peevifh child in the family ; and if they do not run at 
 his or her call, and are not allfubmiflion and obedience, 
 mud they not expeft the frowns of their mailers, if not 
 the whip ? 
 
 If none of thefe things,, my good Sir, take place in • 
 your family, have we not reafon to think you almoil-a--- 
 frngular inllance ? How common are things of this • 
 kind, or worfe, taking place between mallets and their 
 Saves ? Ir> how few intrances, if in any, are Haves 
 treated as the mailers would wiih to have their own chil¬ 
 dren treated, in like circumfiances ? How few are fit 
 to be mafters ? To have the fovereign dominion over a -* 
 number of their fellow men, being his property, and 1 
 
I 49 3 
 
 wholly at his difpofal; who mu ft abide his fentenee and 
 orders, however unreasonable, without any poflibility 
 of relief? 
 
 A. I believe my Haves are fo far from thinking them- 
 felves abufedj or being in the leaft uneafy in a Hate of 
 11 a very, that they have no defire to be made free; and 
 if their freedom were offered to them, they would re r 
 fufe to accept it. 
 
 B. 1 mull take leave to call this in queflion, Sir ; 
 and I.think you believe it, in contradiction to all rea- 
 fon, and the flrongeft feelings of human mture, till they 
 have declared it themfelves, having had opportunity for 
 due deliberation, and being in cire.um fiances to aC\ 
 freely, without the 1 ea(l conftraint, or fear. 
 
 There are many mailers (if we believe what they 
 fay) who pleafe themfelves with this fond opinion of 
 their goodnefs to their Hives; and their choice of a Hate 
 of flavery, in preference to freedom, without the leaft 
 f oundation, and while the contrary is known to be true 
 by all who are acquainted with their flav 
 really believe this, they by it only difeover great infen- 
 libility, and want of proper reflection. They have not 
 fo much as,put themfelves in the place of their Haves, lb. 
 as properly and with due feniibillty to confult wdiaf 
 would be their own feelings, on Inch a fuppofitionf 
 Have they themfelves loft all deHre of freedom ? Are 
 toey ddlitute of all tafte of the fweets cf it; and have 
 they no averlion to Havery, for themfelves and children ? 
 If they have thefe feelings, what realbn have they tT 
 conclude their fervants have riot ? 
 
 Bat it feems molt of thofe mailers do not fully be¬ 
 lieve what they fo often fay on this head : For they have 
 never made the trial ; nor can they be perfuaded to do 
 it. Let them offer freedom to their fervants; and give 
 them opportunity to choofe for themfelves, without be¬ 
 ing under the moll diflant conftraint. And if they then 
 deliberately choofc to continue their Haves, the matter 
 
 E 
 
c 5° r 
 
 ■will be fairly decided, and they may continue to poffcfe 
 them with a good confidence*. 
 
 Slaves are generally under fuch difadvantages and re- 
 ilraints, that however much they defire liberty, they 
 dare not To much as mention it to their matters. And 
 if their matter fhould order them into his prefence, 
 and afk them whether they had a defire to be made 
 free, many would not dare to declare their choice, left 
 it fhould offend him, and inftead of obtaining their 
 freedom, bring theml'elves into a more evil cafe than 
 they were in before, as the children of Ifratl did, by 
 defiring Pkaroah to free them. 
 
 In this cafe fuch precaution ought to be taken, as to 
 give the flaves proper aflurance that they may without 
 any danger to themfelves, declare their choice of free- 
 dom: and that it (hall be done to them according to 
 their choice. 
 
 /]. If flaves in general were made free, they would 
 foonbein a worfe ftate than that in which they now are. 
 Many of them kpow not how to contrive for themfelves, 
 fo as to get a living ; but muft foon be maintained by 
 their former mailers, or fome others : And others would 
 make themfelves wretched, and become a great trouble 
 to their neighbours, and an injury to the public, by 
 their unreltrained vices. This would aoubtlefs be the 
 cafe with moft of mine, were they fee free ; and 
 fome of them are by no means able to maintain thein- 
 jelves. 
 
 B. I confefs this objection, at fir ft view, feems to 
 have fome weight in it. But let us examine it, and fee if 
 it be futficie-Rt to hold fo many thoufands in flavery, and 
 their children after them, to the end of the world. 
 Would you have all the white people, who are given 
 to hurtful vices, or are unwilling or unable to maintain 
 themfelves, made flaves, and their children after them, 
 and be bought and fold for life like cattle in the market ? 
 
 * Butthis will give them no right to make flaves of their chil¬ 
 dren, even if the parents themfelves fhould exprefsly confent to 
 it ; for the parent can have no right to fell the liberty of his 
 childicn. 
 
I S' ] 
 
 Would you willingly give up your own children to tliiv 
 ro be (laves for ever to any one who (hould be willing 
 and able to purchafe them, if they were as vicious, or 
 helplefs as you fuppofe many of the blacks would be it 
 fet at liberty ? I am fure you will not anfwer in the af¬ 
 firmative. And by anfwering in the negative, as I 
 know you mud, you will entirely remove the reafon 
 you have now offered for holding the blacks in this (la- 
 very ; till you can (hew why the latter (hould be treat¬ 
 ed fo very differently from the former, which I am con¬ 
 fident you will not attempt. 
 
 A Hate of (laverv has a mighty tendency to fink and 
 contract the minds of men, and prevent their making 
 improvements in ufeful knowledge of every kind : If 
 finks the mind down in darknefs and defpair ; it takes 
 off encouragements to activity, and to make improve¬ 
 ments, and naturally tends to lead the en(laved to aban¬ 
 don themfelves to a (lupid carelefi'nefs, and to vices of 
 ad kinds. No wonder then the blacks among us are, 
 many of them, fa deilitute of prudence and fagacity to 
 aOt for themfelves ; and forne are given to vice. It is 
 rather a wonder, there are fo many inftances of virtue* 
 prudence, knowledge and induftry among them, /nd' 
 (hall we, becaufe we have reduced them to this abjeft, 
 helplefs, miserable (late, by our opprefii-on of them, • 
 make this an argument for continuing ;hem and their ’ 
 children in this wretched condition ! God forbid 1 This 
 ought rather to excite our pity, and aroufe us to take . 
 Come effectual method without delay, to deliver them 
 and their children from this moll unhappy llate. If 
 your own children were in this fituation, would you 
 oiler this as a good reafon why they and their pofterity 
 (hould be made (laves for ever ? Were fome of your ’ 
 children unable to provide for themfelves through infir¬ 
 mity of body, or want of mental capacity ^ and others 
 of them were very vicious, would you have them fold 
 into a (late of flavery for this? or would you make (laves 
 of them yourfelf ? Would you not be willing to take 
 the hell care of them in your power, and give them ' 1 
 
C 5- ] 
 
 all pofHblc encouragement to behave well • and dire<fr 
 and aflid them in proper methods to get a living ? I 
 know you would. And why will you not go and do 
 likcwife to your flaves ? Why will you not take off 
 the galling yoke from their necks, and redore them to 
 that liberty, to whie'h they have as gooci a claim as 
 you yourfelf and your children ; and which has been 
 violently taken from them, and unjudly withheld by 
 you to this day ? If any of them are difpofed to behave 
 ill, and make a bad ufe of their freedom, let them have 
 ail the motives to behave well that can be laid 
 before them. Let them be fubjedt to the fame reftraints 
 and laws with other freemen ; and have the fame care 
 taken of them by the public. And be as ready to di¬ 
 rect and aiTift thofe who want diferetion and afiidance 
 to get a living, as if they were your own children ; and 
 as willing to fupport the helplefs, infirm and aged. 
 And give ail proper encouragement and aififtance to 
 thofe who have ferved you well, and are like to get a 
 good living, if not put under peculiar difadvantages, as- 
 freed negroes mod commonly are ; by giving them rea¬ 
 sonable wages for their labour, if they ftill continue 
 with yon, or liberally furnifhing them with what is 
 fieceffary in order to their living comfortably, and being- 
 in a way to provide for themfelves. This was the di¬ 
 vine command to the people of Ifrael; and does it not- 
 appear, at lead, equally reafonable, in the cafe before 
 m ? When one of their brethren had ferved them the 
 number of years that were fpecified, they were com¬ 
 manded to let him go out free; and then the following 
 injunction is added : And. <whe?i thou fertdeji him out free 
 from thee , them fhalt net let him go aKvay empty : d hou 
 /halt fnrnijh him liberally- cut of thy fcck , and cut of thy 
 floor , and out of thy -ovine prefs : Of that n.vhirenxith the 
 LORD thy GOD hath hkffed thee , thou floalt gi-ve unto¬ 
 ld nr, Deut. xv. 13 , 14 . 
 
 If all who have daves, woul 1 aft fuch a juft, wife, 
 and benevolent part towards them, and treat them in 
 a»y me aid re as they would defire their own children ar.i ; 
 
f 53 J 
 
 near relations fhould be treated, our flaves might all be 
 fet free, without any detriment to themfelves or the 
 'public ; and their mailers would be fo far from iofing 
 by it, that they would be abundantly rewarded for all 
 their benevolence to thefe injured poor. And if our 
 legislators would lend their helping hand, and form 
 fuch laws and regulations, as fhall be properly fuited to 
 p rote 61 and a hill thofe that are freed, and fo as in the 
 belt manner to deter and rellrain them from vi¬ 
 cious courfes, and encourage their indullry and good 
 behaviour ; this would be an additional fecurity to the 
 public again!! any imagined evil confequence of a gene¬ 
 ral manumillion of our flaves; and but a piece ofjuflice 
 to thefe poor dependent creatures, whom we have made 
 fo by our own unrighteoufnefs and oppreflion. This 
 would encourage mailers to free their flaves, and leave 
 the otjeflion we are now confidering without the leaf! 
 Shadow of foundation. 
 
 A. You are doubtlefs fenfible, Sir, that the legifla- 
 tures in thefe colonies, are fo far from giving this en¬ 
 couragement to manumit our flaves, that the laws are 
 rather a clog or hindrance to any tiling.of this kind, as 
 they require the mailer 'to give fecurity.for the mainte¬ 
 nance of his flaves, if they fhouldoefef '.want any aflifl- 
 anee, before he is allowed to nrakre/them free. 
 
 B. I am forry to fay there is too*much truth in this. 
 
 I hope our legiflatures will loon attend with proper 
 concern to this affair; and in their juftice, wifdom and 
 gooanefs, enter upon meafures which fhall en¬ 
 courage and effedl a general emancipation of our flaves. 
 
 Hut if this fhould not be, I think it appears from the 
 oourfeof this converfaiion, that this will not excufe thofe 
 wh ) have flaves from fetting them at liberty, even 
 though they fhould be obliged to maintain them all 
 their days. If any flave-holdcr can lay his hand on 
 his bread, and fincerely fay, if his children were Haves 
 at Algiers , he would not defirc their mafter to free them, 
 unlels he could do it, without any rifque of their ever 
 being a charge to him ; then let him ltill hold his flaves- 
 
r 54 ] 
 
 in bondage with a quiet confidence. Otherwife, I Tee 
 not how he can do it. 
 
 A. If it were granted that our Haves ought to be 
 freed, if times and the public Hate of the American co¬ 
 lonies would admit. Yet in our prefent peculiar, cala¬ 
 mitous, diflrefling Hate, it may be very imprudent and 
 wrong, and tend to great evil to adopt this meafure. 
 MoH of the Haves in populous fea-port places, have 
 now little or no bufinefs to do ; and are lupportea by 
 their m a Hers, while they earn little or nothing. And 
 if they fhould be difmified by their mailers, they could 
 not maintain themfelves, and mull fuffer. And the 
 attention and exertion of the public is fo neceffarily 
 turned to the defence of ourfelves; and this civil war 
 introduces fuch calamity and confufion, that it cannot 
 be expended ; yea his quite impoflible, that there fhould 
 be any proper care of the public, fo as to make the pro- 
 vifion and regulations which would be abfolutely ne- 
 cefTary in this cafe. Though I fuggefled this in the 
 beginning of our converfation, yet I think you have 
 paid little or no attention to it. I wifli this might be 
 well con fidered. 
 
 B. I think the:fa£ls yon have now alledged, as rea- 
 fons againil freeing ou,r Haves at prefent, will, if duly 
 confidered, afford arguments for the very thing you are 
 oppofmg. The flaves who are become unprofitable to 
 their mailers, by the prefent calamitous Hate of our 
 country, will be with the lefs reludfance fet at liberty, 
 it is hoped ; and if no public provifion be made for 
 them, that they may be tranfported to Africa , where 
 they might probably live better than in any other coun¬ 
 try ; or he removed into thofe places in this land, 
 where they may have profitable bufinefs., and are want¬ 
 ed, now fo many are called from their farms to defend 
 our country.—I fay, if this be not done, the maflers, by 
 freeing them, would lofe nothing by it, even though 
 they continue to fupport them, till fome way fliall open 
 for them to help themfelves. I mufl here again delire 
 every owner of flaves to make.their cafe his own, and. 
 
[ 55 ] 
 
 confider, if he or his children were unjuilly in 2 ftate 
 of flavery, whether he fhould think fuch an objedlion 
 againft their being fet at liberty of any weight ? Would 
 he not rather think it reafonable that the mailers who 
 had held them in bondage, againft all right and reafon, 
 would confider their being, by an extraordinary provi¬ 
 dence, rendered unprofitable to them, as an admonition 
 to break off their fins by righteoufnefs and their iniquity 
 tey Ihewing mercy to thefepoor ? And that it ought to be 
 a greater fatisfa&ion to them, thus to do juftice without 
 delay, and relieve thefe oppreffed poor, than to poftefs 
 all the riches, honors and pleafures of this world ? And 
 if thefe mailers fhould difregard fuch an admonition, 
 and negledl this opportunity to fet them at liberty, 
 putting it off to a more convenient feafon, would it 
 not be very grievous to him, and overwhelm him in 
 defpair of their ever doing it ? Is it not very certain 
 that they who make this objedion againft freeing their 
 (laves without delay, would not free them, if the times 
 fhould change, and they again become profitable ! If 
 they mull maintain them, can they not do it as well 
 when they are free, as while they are (laves ; and ought 
 they not to do it with much more fatisfadion ? 
 
 And as to the public, all neceftary regulations and 
 provifion might eafiiy, and very foon be made even in 
 our prefent diltrefiing circumftanccs, effectually to 
 emancipate all our {laves, were the minds of men in 
 general properly imprelTed with theirjmifery, and they 
 fufnciently engaged to do juftice, and fhew mercy * . 
 
 * God is fo ordering it in his Providence, that it feems abfo- 
 lutely ncccflary fomsthing fhould fpeedilv be done with refpedt to 
 the Haves among us, in order to our f.tfety, and to prevent their 
 turning againft us in our prefent ftruggle, in order to get their 
 liberty. Our oppretVors have planned to gain the bi rck?, and 
 induce them to take up arms againft us, by promifing them li¬ 
 berty, on this condition ; and this plan they are profecuting to 
 the utmoft of their power, by which means they have perl'uadcd 
 numbers to join them. And fhould wc attempt to reftrain them 
 by force and feverity, keeping a ftii£t guard over them, and pu- 
 nifhing them feverely, who fhall be detected in attempting to join 
 
/ 
 
 i n 
 
 This objection might be urged ' with much greater 
 fhew of reafon by the inhabitants of Jerufalem, again# 
 freeing their fervants when they were not only in a 
 ftate of war, but fhut up, and ciofely beneged in that 
 city ; yet we find it was their duty to free them imme¬ 
 diately, as theonly way to efcape threatened deftrudtion,; 
 and as focn as they hid done this, they had refpite, and 
 would have obtained final deliverance, had they not re* 
 turned to their old oppreffion, and again brought their 
 freed fervants into bondage. 
 
 This leads me to obferve, that our diilreffes are come 
 upon us in fuch a way, and the occafion of the prelent 
 war is fuch, as in the molt clear and finking manner to 
 point out the fm of holding our blacks in flavery, and 
 adinonifh us to reform, and render us fhockingly in- 
 confident with ourfelves, and amazingly guilty if we 
 refufe. God has raffed up men to attempt to deprive 
 lis of liberty ; and-the evil we are threatened with is 
 flavery. This, with oar vigorous attempts to avoid ir, 
 is the ground of all our diftreffss, and the general voice 
 is, <! We will.die in the attempt, rather than fubmit 
 to flavery.” But are we at the fame time making Haves 
 cf many thousands of our brethren, who have as good a 
 right to liberty as ourfelves, and to whom it is as fweet 
 as it is to us, and the contrary as dreadful ! Are we 
 holding them in the meft abisfl, miierable ftate of fia- 
 very, without the lead compafiionate feeling towards 
 them or their poilerity ; utterly refufing to take off the 
 oppreflive galling yoke ! Oh, the fhocking, the intole¬ 
 rable iaconfiftence ! And this grofs, barefaced in¬ 
 
 cur oppofers ; this will onlv be making bad worfe, and ferve to 
 render our inconliitence, oppre/fion and cruelty, more criminal, 
 perfpicuous and 'hocking, and bring down the righteous vengeance 
 of Heaven on our heads. The only way pointed out to prevent 
 this th eatening evil, is to fet the blacks at liberty ourfelves, by 
 fame public acts and laws ; and then give them proper encou¬ 
 ragement to labour, or take arms in the defence of the American 
 caufs, as they fhal! cho^fe. This would at or.ce be doing them 
 fame degree of j a dice, 2nd defeating our enemies in the feheme 
 td i\ are profecuting- 
 
[ S7 I 
 
 corfiftence, is an open, pradtical condemnation of 
 holding thefe our brethren in flaveryj and in thefe cir- 
 cumftances the crime of perfiiting , in it becomes tm- 
 fpeakably greater and more provoking in God’s fight ; 
 fo that all the former unrighteoufnefs and cruelty ex- 
 ercifed in this practice, is innocence, compared with 
 the awful guilt that is now contracted. And in allu¬ 
 sion to the words of our Saviour, it may with great 
 truth and propriety be faid, “ If he had not thus come 
 in his Providence, and lpoken unto us, (comparatively 
 fpeaking) we had not had fin, in making bond-flaves 
 of our brethren j but now, we have no cloak for our 
 fin. ” 
 
 And if we continue in this evil pradliee, and refafe 
 to let the opprcffed go free, under all this light and ad¬ 
 monition, fuited to convince and reform us \ and while 
 God is evidently correcting us for it, as well as for other 
 fins, have we any reafon to expcdt deliverance from the 
 calamities we are under ? May we not rather look for 
 flavery and deftrudtion, like that which came upon the 
 ob lb irate, unreformed Jews ? In this light, I think, it 
 ought to bee nfidered ov us ; and viewed thus, it af¬ 
 fords a mod forcible, formidable argument, not to put 
 off liberating our flaves to a more convenient time ; 
 but to arife, all as one man, and do it with all our 
 might, w ithout delay, fince delaying in this cafe is aw¬ 
 fully dangerous, well as unfipeakably criminal. This 
 was hinted in the beginning of our converfation, you 
 may remember, and I am glad of an opportunity to 
 confidcr it more particularly. 
 
 A. Yea have repeatedly fpoken. of the attempt that 
 is made to op^refs and enflave the American colonies, 
 and the calamities this has introduced, as a judgment 
 which God has brought upon us for enslaving the Af¬ 
 ricans^ arid fay we have no reafon to expedt deliverance, 
 bur lbll greater judgments, unlcfs this pradfice be re¬ 
 formed. But is not this fuppofition inconfiftent with 
 the courfe of divine Providence fince this war began ? 
 -live we not been flrengther.ed and faccceded in ous , 
 
 •n 
 
 K z . 
 
 ♦ 
 
C ss ] 
 
 sppofuion to the meafures taken agaiail us, even fce 1 - 
 yond our moil fanguine expectations ; and a feries of' 
 events, very extraordinary, and ahnoil miraculous,, 
 have taken place in our favour, and fo ;s remarkably 
 to difappoint our oppofers, and baffle them in all th; r 
 plots and attempts againft us. blow is this confident 
 with the above fuppofition ? If thefe calamities were 
 brought on ns for our fin in enhaving the Africans, and 
 an exprefflon of God’s difpleafure with us on that ac¬ 
 count, would he in. fuch a fignal manner appear on our 
 fide, and favour, proteft and profper us ; even fo that 
 thofe of our- enemies, who are confiderate and atten¬ 
 tive, have been obliged to acknowledge God was for 
 us; I fay, could this be, while we per fid in that prac- 
 sice fo od'enfive to him ? 
 
 B . When 1 fpeakof our being under the divine judg¬ 
 ments for this fin of enflaving the Africans^ I do not 
 mean to exclude other public crying fins found among 
 us, fuch as impiety and profanenefs—formality and in¬ 
 difference in the ferviee and caufe of Chrid and his re¬ 
 ligion—and the various ways of open oppofition to it— 
 intemperance and prodigality; and other indances of 
 unrighteoufnefs, See. the fruits of a mod criminal, con¬ 
 tracted felfiihnefs, which is-the fource of the high handed 
 
 eppreffion we are coniidering. But that this is a fin 
 mod particularly pointed out, and fo contrary to cur 
 holy religion in every view of it, •nd fuch an open 
 violation of all the laws of lighteoufnefs, humanity, and 
 charity, and fo contrary to our proftfflons and-^xer- 
 tions in the caufe of liberty, that we have no reafflrv 
 lo expert, nor can-fincerely aik deliverance, fo long as 
 vre continue in a difpofition to hold lad this iniquity. 
 It we Ihould be delivered while we continue in this 
 evil preface and obiUoatelv refute i.'?orougb!y to execute 
 putement between a man and his neighbour, bet go 
 or, to operefs the . ranger, the lather! eis, and the wi¬ 
 dow. we fizbuki, agreeable to the ipirit of what voa 
 have jud fa id, improve fuch deliverance, God laid. 
 
 X-vs wo. :d. have done- had he delivered .them,. 
 
\ 
 
 [ 59 I ! 
 
 while they refufed to reform. “ Will ye deal, murder,. 
 £cc. and come and (land before me in this houfe, which 
 is called by my name, and fay, IVe an delivered, to do 
 all tbefe abominations r*” Surely this is not to be ex¬ 
 pected or defired. Even the prayer for fuch deliver¬ 
 ance mud be an abomination to the Lord. 
 
 But your objection is worthy of a more particular 
 anfwer.—It has been obferved, that there has been a 
 general refolution to fupprefs the Have-trade in thefe 
 colonics, and to import no more flaves from Africa. 
 This is 2 remarkable inftance of our profefled. regard 
 to j aft ice, and a wife and notable hep towards a refor¬ 
 mation of this evil ; and, as has been obferved, a com- 
 pleat reformation will be the unavoidable confequence, 
 if we will be confident with ourfelves. For no reafon 
 can be given for fupprelhng the flave-trade, which is 
 no: equally a reafon for freeing all thofe who have been 
 reduced to a date of flavery by that trade ; and that 
 fame regard to judice, humanity and mercy, which 
 iviil induce us to ucquiefce in the former, will certain¬ 
 ly oblige us to practice the latter. Have we not, there¬ 
 fore, reafon to think that the righteous, and infinitely 
 merciful Governor of the world, has been pleafed to 
 tefiifv his well-pleafednefs with that regard to righte- 
 oufnefs and mercy which we profefled, and appeared 
 to exercife, in refufing to import any more flaves ; and 
 which is an implicit condemnation of all the flavery 
 praffifed among us, by appearing on our fide in the re¬ 
 markable, extraordinary manner you have mentioned ; 
 by which wonderful interpofition in our favour, he has 
 at the fame time given us the greared encouragement 
 not to flop what we. have begun, but to go on to a 
 thorough reformation, and aft confidently with our¬ 
 felves, by breaking every yoke, and doing judice to all 
 our opprefi’ed flaves ; as well as to repent of and reform 
 all our open, public fins ? So that God is hereby fhew- 
 ing us what he can do for us, and how happy we muy>. 
 
 * See Ter. vii. ".-—lO. 
 
 <• 
 
[ 6° J 
 
 be, under his protection, if we will thoroughly amend 
 our ways, and our doings ; and loudly calling us to a 
 thorough reformation, in this molt kind and winning 
 way. 
 
 But if we obdinately refufe to reform, what we have 
 implicitly declared to be wrong, and engaged to put 
 away the holding the Africans in flavery, which is fo 
 particularly pointed out by the evil with which we 
 are threatened, and is fuch a glaring contradiction to 
 our profeffed aver (ion to (lavery, and itruggle for civil 
 liberty j and. improve the favour Goa is (hewing us, as 
 an argument in favour of this iniquity, and encourage¬ 
 ment to perfilt in it, as you, Sir, have juit now done; 
 have we not the greatest reafon to fear, yea, may we 
 not with great certainty conclude, God will yet with¬ 
 draw his kind protection from us, and puniih us yet 
 feven tinges more r This has been God’s ufual way of 
 dealing with his profefiing people ; and who can fay it 
 
 is not molt reasonable and wite t He then aCts the mod 
 friendly part to thefe colonies and to the matters of 
 (laves, as well as-to the dives themfelves, who does his 
 utmod to effect a general emancipation of the Africans 
 among us : And in this view I could vvifh the corner- 
 fation we have now had on this lubjedt, if nothing 
 better i3 like to be done, were publifhed and fpread 
 through all the colonies, aad had the attentive perufai 
 
 ef every American- 
 
dbdbdbdbdbdberb gfee£**fo 
 
 A A. .A, A. .A. A A ••*• A. _ A A, 
 
 An ADDRESS 
 
 To the OWNERS of 
 NEGRO SLAVES, in 
 the American Colonies, 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 S INCE it has been determined to publifh the 
 preceding dialogue, it was thought proper it 
 ihould be attended with a particular addrefs to you, 
 who are more immediately interelled in the flavcry 
 there confidered. 
 
 It would be injurious, it is confelTed, to conlideryou 
 as the only perfons guilty or concerned in this matter. 
 Thefeveral legiflatures in thefe colonies, the magiftrates, 
 and the body of the people have doubtlefs been greatly 
 guilty in approving and encouraging, or at leail con¬ 
 niving at this pra£lice% Yea, every one is in a meafure 
 guilty, who has been inattentive to this oppreflion, and 
 unaffedled with it, and negle&ed to bear proper tefti- 
 mony againft it. And it is granted, the public ought 
 to go into fome effectual meafurcs to liberate all the 
 Haves, without laying an unreafonable burden on their 
 mailers. But though this be not done, fuch ncgleft 
 will not excufe you in holding them in flavefy ; as it is 
 in your power to fet them free, and your indifpcnfibl-e 
 duty, and really your interell, to do them this piece of 
 jultice, though .others fhould ncgleft to afliit you, 
 ehey ought. 
 
 F 
 
r 6* 3 
 
 It is hoped, you will not be offended with the plain- 
 nefs of fpeech ufed on this fubjeft ; and that, though 
 you fhould at frit think fome of the epithets and ex- 
 preffions which are ufed, too fevcre, and find the fub- 
 jeCt itfelf difagreeable ; this will not prevent your at¬ 
 tentively confidering it, and weighing what is offered, 
 with theutmofl impartiality, and readinefs to receive con¬ 
 viction, how much foever you may find yourfelves con¬ 
 demned. For, if your practice is here fet in a true 
 light, in which it mull; appear to all impartial, judicious, 
 good men; and in which it will appear to all, at the 
 day of judgment; you mud be fenfible you cannot too 
 foon admit the convidlion, and reform. And here it 
 cannot be improper to remind you of your liablenefs to 
 ffrong prejudices, which tend to prevent your feeing 
 w hat in itlelf may be very plain. Our divine teacher 
 fays, “ Every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither 
 cometh to the light, left his deeds fhould be. reproved.” 
 If you are indeed doing evil, according to the import of 
 the preceding dialogue, thefe words of Chriji are lo 
 far applicable to you, and are fuited to awaken your 
 jealouiy of yourfelves, and lead you to attend to the 
 iubject with great concern, circumfpeCtion, and earned 
 prayer to the Father of lights, for that difcerning and 
 wifdom, by which you may, in the cafe depending, 
 come to the knowledge of the truth. And is it net 
 worthy your ferious confideration, that they who are 
 not interefled in this practice, and have no Haves, arc 
 generally., if not every one, fully convinced it is wrong ? 
 Are they not, at lead many of them, as capable of 
 judg : ng in this matter, as you yourfelves are ; and 
 therefore more likely to judge right than you, as they 
 are uninterefled and impartial ? The conviction of the 
 .linjudiiiablenefs of this practice has been increafing, and 
 greatly fpread of late; and many who have had Haves, 
 have found themfclves fo unable to juftify their own 
 conduct in holding them in bondage, as to bcjnduccd 
 to fet them at liberty. May this conviction foon reach 
 every owner of Haves in North-America ! 
 
To this end you are defired to cortider, what iV 
 more than once urged in the dialogue, viz. 
 
 The very incontinent part you ad, while you are 
 thus entiaving your fellow men, and yet condemning, 
 and itrenuoufly oppoting thofe who are attempting to 
 bring you and your children into a ftate of bondage, 
 much lighter than that in which you keep your Saves; 
 who yet have at leafb as good a right to make flaves of 
 you and your children, as you have to hold your bre¬ 
 thren in this ilate of bondage. Men do not love to be 
 incontinent with themfelvcs : and therefore this is fo 
 evident and glaring, that if you will only fu flier your- 
 felves to retied a moment, it mull give you pain, from 
 which you can find no relief, but by freeing yor Saves, 
 or relmquitiling the caufe or public liberty, which you. 
 have thought fo glorious, and worthy to be purfued at 
 the rifk ot your fortunes and lives. 
 
 A general affembly of one of thefe colonies,* have 
 e-xprefled their eonvidion of this incontinence, and 
 given it as a reaion for freeing our flaves, in the follow¬ 
 ing words, “ Whereas the inhabitants of America arc 
 
 # RHobE-IsiAND. This is a preamble to a propofed ad, 
 “ prohibiting the importation of Negroes into this colony, and 
 averting the rights of freedom of all thofe hereafter born or ma-- 
 numittca within the fame.” It is obfervabie, at fir ft view, that 
 the real'on given for this ad, is equally a reafon for actually free¬ 
 ing all the Negro Haves in the colony, without delay. As 
 Rhode-Ifiand has been more deeply interefted in the Have-trade, 
 and has enfiaved more of the poor Africans, than any other co¬ 
 lony in New-England, it has been to the honor of that colony, 
 that they have lately made a law prohibiting the importation of 
 any more flaves How becoming, honourable and happy would it 
 have been, had they added up to the truth afferted in the preamble 
 mentioned, and taken the lead of all t he united colonies, in ef- 
 fedually providing for the freedom of all their Haves ! 
 
 Since the above was publi/hed, the General Affembly of that 
 State, have made a law, by which all the blacks born in it after 
 March 1784, are made free. And the matters who have Haves • 
 under 40 years old, are authorifed to free them, without being 
 bound, or liable to maintain them, if afterwards they Hiould bo 
 ttnable to fupport thenxfclves. 
 
f 64 ] 
 
 ** generally engaged in the prefervation of their owns- 
 '** rights and liberties, among which that of perfonai 1 
 ** freedom mull be confidered as the greateft; and as 
 thofe who are defirous of enjoying all the advan- 
 tages of liberty themielves, fhould be willing to ex- 
 u tend perfonai liberty to others: Therefore, be it. 
 
 enafied,” &c.--Is it poftible that any one fhould 
 
 not feel the irrefiftable force of this reafon ? And who 
 would be willing to practice this glaring felf-contra- 
 diflion, rather than let his fervants go out free even, 
 though he fhould hereby give up the greateft part of his 
 living, yea, every penny he has in the world ! With, 
 what propriety will all fuch inconfiftent oppreffors be 
 addreffed, by Him before whom mailers and their 
 Haves will fhortly hand, as their impartial judge ? 
 41 Out cf thine own mouth will I judge thee , thou wicked' 
 few ant /” 
 
 Be intreated alfo ferioufly to confider, how very of¬ 
 fensive to God, unri'ghteoufnefs and' the oppreHion of 
 ihe poor* the ftranger an.d fatherlefs, is reprefentea to 
 be, in the holy fcripture. This is often fpoken of as 
 *he procuring caufe of the calamities that came on God’s 
 profefting people of old, and of their final ruin. It 
 may fuffice to quote a few paflages of this tenor, and 
 refer you to places where others are to be found, fcr. 
 xxi. 12. “ O houfe of David, thus faith the Lord,. 
 
 Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver hitn that 
 is fpoiled out of the hand of the opprefor y left my fury go 
 out like fire, and burn, that none can quench it, be- 
 *aufe of the evil of your doings.” Eiek. xxii. 29, 30, 
 51. “ The people of the land have ufed opprefhon, 
 
 and exercifed robbery , and have vexed the poor and needy z 
 
 yea y they have opprefed the f ranger wrongfully. -And 
 
 I fought for a man among them, that fhould make up 
 file hedge, &c.—but I found none. Therefore have I 
 poured out mine indignation upon them,” 8 cc. — Amos 
 iL 6. “ Thus faith the Lord, For three tranfgreftions 
 
 Jfrael y and for four, I will not turn away the punifh- 
 sigpt thereof, hecauje they /old the-righteous for (liver, and' 
 
t 65 } 
 
 the poor for a pair of /Jjoes” Zech. vii. 9 .— 14 . u Thu# 
 the Lord of hofts, faying, Execute true judgment, and 
 fhew mercy and companions every man to his brother. 
 And opprefs not the widow, nor the fatherlefs, the 
 Jlranger nor the poor ; and let none of you imagine evil 
 againft his brother in your heart. But they refufed to 
 hearken—yea, they made their hearts as an adamant 
 done—Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of 
 hofts,” See*. 
 
 Are not the African Haves among us the poor, the 
 ftrangers, the fatherlefs, who are opprefled and vexed > 
 and fold for filver ? And will not God viht and punifh 
 fuch opprelhon ? Are you willing to be the inftruments 
 of bringing judgments and ruin on this land, and on 
 yourfelves and families, rather than let the opprefled go 
 out free ? 
 
 On the contrary, mercy, deliverance and profperity 
 were often promifed them, if they would leave off their 
 oppreffiont, and do juftice, and fhew mercy, in deliver* 
 ing the opprefled, and fhewing kindnefs to the ftranger 
 and the poor. Ifa. i. 16,—18. “ Ceafe to do evil, 
 
 learn to do well, feek judgment, relieve the cpprejjedy 
 
 judge the fatherlefs, plead for the widow-Though 
 
 your ftns be as fcarlet, they flhall be white as fnovv 
 
 -If ye be willing and obedient, ye fhall cat the 
 
 good of the land.” Jer. vii. 1,—7. “Stand in the 
 gate of the Lord’s houfe, and proclaim there this word, 
 and fay—If ye thoroughly amend your ways, and your 
 doings ; If ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man 
 and his neighbour , if you opprefs not the granger, the fa¬ 
 therlefs and the widow, and filed not innocent blood 
 in this place—then will I caufe you to dwell—in the 
 land I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.” Jer. xxii. 
 1,—4. “ Thus faith the Lord, Execute judgment and 
 
 righteoufnefs, and deliver the Jpolled out of the hand of 
 
 * See to the fame purpofc, Ifa. iii. 14, 15. x. 1,-4, Jer. 
 v. 27,—29. vi. 6, 7. xxii. 13,-—17. Amos iv. 1, a. y. it> 
 T2. Villa 4 ,-—§*. 
 
[ 66 ] 
 
 the opprejjor ; and do no wrong, do no violence to the 
 Jiranger , the fatsherlefs, nor widow—For if ye do this- 
 tiling indeed,” &c*. 
 
 How can we attend to the voice of God in thefe fa- 
 cred writings, and not fee that you are moil clearly 
 pointed out. And will you be affronted, or even dis¬ 
 regard us, while we intreat and conjure you, by all that 
 is important and facred, fo far to regard thefe threat - 
 mngs and promifes, and purfue your own higheft in* 
 tore it and that of the public, as to let your opprefl'ed 
 Saves go out free ! Do not fay, “ This is too great a 
 Sacrifice for us to make ; who will indemnify us, if we 
 give up our Servants ? The Sovereign owner of all 
 things has promifed you indemnity ; yea, infinitely 
 more, deliverance irom the awful cu'rfe which comes 
 upon the opprefl'or ; and his,, prptedtion and bleffing.. 
 And here it may be proper to remind you of the di¬ 
 vine anlwer to the king of Judah, when, being ordered 
 to difmifs the mercenaries he had procured to affiil him, 
 he aSced, what he fhouid do for the hundred talents 
 which this army had coil him ? “ And the man of 
 God anfwered, The Lord is able to give thee much 
 more than this.” 2 Chron . xxv. 6,-9. 
 
 Confider alio, how very inconfiilent this injuftice 
 and oppreflion is with worshipping God through Chrift, 
 and attending on the inftitutions of religion ; and how 
 unacceptable and abominable thefe mull be, while you. 
 negledl to let the opprefl'ed go free, and refufe to do 
 juftice, and love mercy. The bible is full of declara¬ 
 tions of this'f-. 
 
 “ To do juftice and judgment, is more acceptable to 
 the Lord than Sacrifice.” Without the former, the 
 latter is nothing but grofs hypocrify, and abomination 
 to God; for he “ will have mercy, and not facrifice.” 
 He requires no devotion, or attendance on any religious 
 right or inftitution, which is inconfiilent with mercy,, 
 
 * See alfo Ifa. xxxiii. 15, j6. lviii. 6 , Jer. v. 1. 
 
 Read Ifa. lviii. and ch. i. v« 10,— 13 . Aiuss v. 21 ,—2. 
 
l 6; ] 
 
 'Or that-is done without the love and exercife of mercy; 
 but rejects all fuch prayers and fervice, as molt difho- 
 nourable and abominable to him. And when we con- 
 iider, that Chriftianity is the greated indance and ex¬ 
 hibition of righteouinels and mercy that was ever' 
 known, or can be conceived of: And the great Author 
 of it is, in the mod eminent arnd glorious degree, the 
 just God and the Saviour ; we fhall not wonder 
 that no offering can be acceptable to him, which is 
 without the exercile and pradtile of righteoufnefs and 
 mercy : And that “ he fhall have judgment without 
 mercy, that hath fnewed no mercy.” 
 
 You who are profeflbrs of religion, and yet the own¬ 
 ers of flaves, are intreated well to confider, how you 
 mud appear in the fight of God, and of all who view 
 your conduct in a true light, while you attend your fa¬ 
 mily and public devotions, and fit down from time to 
 time, at the tabic of the Lord. If your neighbour 
 wrong you of a few Ihillings, you think him utterly 
 unlit to attend that ikered ordinance with you ; but 
 what is this, to the wrong you are doing to your bre¬ 
 thren, whom you are holding in flavery ! Should a man 
 at Algiers have a number of your children his flaves, 
 and ihould, by fome means be converted, and become 
 a profefi’or of Chridianity, would you not expebt he 
 would foon fet your children at liberty ? And if after 
 you had particularly dealt with him about it, a»d of¬ 
 fered abundant light and matter of conviction, of the 
 oppreffion and cruelty of which he was guilty, he 
 ihould be deaf to all you could fay, ani refolve to hold 
 them and their children in flavor/, what would vou 
 think of him, when you lee him at his prayers, and 
 attending at the Loro's fupper r Would you think he 
 -was more acceptable to God, than if he neglected thefc 
 inditutions, and yet had been fo juft and merciful, as 
 to fet all his flaves at liberty ? Yea, would you fcruple 
 to fay, his devotion ard attendance on the holy fupper 
 .were hypocrify and abamina'tion r If Nathan the 
 
[ 68 ] 
 
 prophet vtas here, he would fay, (t Thcu art the 
 tnan* 
 
 The Friends, who are commonly called Quakers, 
 have been for a number of years, bearing teflimony 
 againft this opprefiion, as incontinent with Chritiianity; 
 *nd ftriving to purge themfelves of this iniquity, re¬ 
 jecting thofe from fellovvfhip with them, who will not 
 free their flaves. They indeed do not attend the Lord’s 
 fupper ; and it is granted, they are herein neglecting a» 
 important inftitution of Chrift: But ought it not to 
 alarm you to think, that while you are condemning 
 them for this negleCt, your attendance, in the omitiion 
 of that righteoulnefs and mercy which they praCtife, 
 is inexpreflioly more difhonorable and offenlive to 
 Chrift, than tneir negledt! I hefe things you ought firft 
 to have done, to let the oppretied go free, and break 
 every yoke ; and then not leave the other undone. 
 
 May you all, in this day of your vifitation, know 
 and practice the things that belong to your peace, and 
 the fafety and happinefs of the united American colo¬ 
 nies, by no longer opprefling thefe poor jlrangers wrong- 
 
 * It is granted this opprefiion has been pra&ifed in ignorance 
 by many, if not the moft, who have been owners of (laves : And 
 though this has been a very criminal ignorance $ yet profefi'ors 
 of religion, and real chriltians may have lived is this fin through 
 ignorance, confident with lincerity, and To as to be acceptable to 
 God through Jefius Chrift, in their devotions, &c. But though 
 God has in time paiTed, fuffered us, ignorantly, to walk in this 
 wicked way, he is now ufing fpecial means to open our eyes, 
 and commands all, everywhere, to repent of his iniquity. And 
 they who perfift in this fin, in oppofition to the clear light, and 
 alarming admonitions which are now fet before us, will greatly 
 aggravate their own guiit, if they do not hereby give juft reafon 
 to fufpedb the fincerity of their profelfion- Some, who are in the 
 feriptures, declared to be good men, lived in evil practices, con¬ 
 fident with fincerity in their attendance on divine inftitutions j 
 Tn which practices no Chriftian can now live, confident with his 
 Ckriftian character ; becaule wc enjoy much greater light than 
 they had, and thefe evil ways are more fully expofed and con* 
 demined. 
 
r 69 i ' 
 
 Fally, and doing violence to them ; but by executing 
 judgment, relieve the opprefled, and deliver the fpoiled 
 out of the hands of the oppreffor ! May this counfel 
 be acceptable unto you, and you break off this your fm, 
 and all your fins, by rigbteoufnefs, and your iniquities 
 by fhewing mercy to thefe poor ; that it may be a 
 lengthening of the tranquility of yourfelves, your,la* 
 milies, and of this now diHreffed land 1 
 
 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 To the Second Edition of the Dialogue , con• 
 cerning the Slavery of the Africans. 
 
 ^ I N C E the firfb edition of the foregoing dialogue, 
 O peace has been reitored to the American States ; in 
 which they have obtained all that for which they have 
 contended, and more ; and are become free and inde¬ 
 pendent. Thus we have had profperity, and the fmiies 
 of Heaven, incur attempts, while the flavery of the 
 Africans has not been wholly abolifhed by as. This 
 may be confidered by fome, as an evidence that this 
 flavery, and even the Have-trade, are not fo great and 
 heaven-provoking fins, as they are reprefented to be in 
 the dialogue ; and that the repeated declarations there, 
 that we could not reafonably expedl profperity, until 
 this iniquity was reformed, were groundlefs and rafli. 
 
 The following observations, it is hoped, will ferve 
 to give a juft view of this matter. 
 
 I. Since the pujjdicati&n of tire dialogue, many things 
 have been done, and Heps taken, towau a .reformation 
 ct this evil. In the dates of the Maffachufetts and 
 New-Hampfhi'rc, the flavery of the blacks i> wholly 
 abolifhed. And it is one or the fundamental articles in 
 th-C'Conditution of the propofed Hate of Vermont, that 
 no flavery fhall be tolerated there. The Hates of Rhode- 
 Iiland, Connecticut, Pennfylvania, and the lower coun¬ 
 ties on Delaware, have provided for the gradual abolition 
 
 F - 2 ~ 
 
[ 7 ® J 
 
 ȣ fiavery ; and ordered that all the blacks who flfa'Ft 
 be hereafter born in thole Rates, fhall be free at a cer¬ 
 tain age • And that no more fl'aves fhall be introduced 
 among them. And the Rate of Virginia has repealed 
 a law, which was formerly in force there againR the 
 freeing of blacks ; and now allows the matters of Raves 
 to fre± them when they pleafe. Thus all the Rates but 
 nve, have manifelled a difpofition to promote the free¬ 
 dom of the Africans. And numbers of Raves have been, 
 liberated by their maRers, under a conviction of tire 
 Bnrighteoufnefs of holding them in Ravery. 
 
 This is a great advance in the deft red reformation* 
 and has given ground to hope, that flavery will be 
 wholly aboliftied in all the United States of America. 
 And may it not be confidercd as one reafon why the 
 oranifeient, long-fuffering Governor of the world ha* 
 /pared and profpered us, as he hath done ? 
 
 II. Though we have been thus laved and profpered, 
 ♦vii may , and we have rcafen to fear it will come upon 
 us, if we do net proceed to a thorough reformation of 
 tills fin ; efpccially upon thefe Rates in which, there ia 
 no degree of reformation. What has taken place ftnee. 
 the peace, chieRv by our own imprudence, extravagance 
 and folly*, by which our trade is almoR ruined, and 
 thele Rates are in a great meafure drained of their mo-, 
 ncy, and many evils are introduced, is enough to Ihewr 
 us how eaftly, and how foon*we may be made mile- 
 table and be ruined as a nation, after all that. God hath 
 done for us ; and, at the fame time, is an evidence 
 that he is difpleafed, and hath a controverfy with us.. 
 
 And we may eaftly account fcr this, notwithilanding 
 tire partial reformation relpeCling Ravery, which has 
 been mentioned, when we conftder that amidft other 
 
 epen fir.3 and initances of unrighteoufnefs, we are again 
 gpirvg into the practice of that ieven-fo!d abomination* 
 THE SLAVE TRADE : agaiml which, in the begin¬ 
 ning of the war, vve bore public teft.imony, and en- 
 Hied into a united and foleum retolution wholly to re- 
 
 UIICC ii,j aiiu (Oi, ape'CL Q U VV;lh thpie who .LoU-ifit-, 
 
C 7- I 
 
 perftil m this evil pra&jce. A number of veflels have 
 been Tent from Tome of the Hates in New-England, and 
 from ocher Hates, to s.ifrica , to procure Haves, and they 
 are in fuch demand in the Well-Indies, and fome ot 
 the fouthern Hates, efpecially South Carolina, that fe¬ 
 deral fuccefsful voyages have been made, and thoufands 
 of Haves brought into thefe United States, and fold at 
 an extraordinary price, by which others are tempted 
 and encouraged to go into this trade ; and there is a. 
 profpeft that it will take place to as great a dbgree as it- 
 has heretofore, unlefs it fhould be fupprefled by thofe 
 in public authority, or by the people at large. 
 
 Are not the Hory and denunciations of evil, which 
 we have in the prophecy of Jeremiah , chap. xxxv. ap¬ 
 plicable to this cafe ? The inhabitants of Jerujalem were 
 befieged by the army of the King of Babylon , and 
 brought into great dillrefs and fears of utter ruin : Upon 
 which, "being convinced of their fin in the practice of 
 flavery, which had taken place among them, they being 
 led to it by their King and princes, entered into a re¬ 
 faction and folemn covenant to free all their Haves*. 
 Soon after this their enemies raifed the fiege, and they 
 thought themfclves delivered ; but when their fears 
 and diflrefs were thus removed, they returned to their^ 
 former practice, and reduced to Havery the fervants they 
 had fet at liberty. God then directed "Jeremiah to telL 
 them, that fince they had returned to their former ini¬ 
 quity, which they had folemrdy promifed to relinquifli,, 
 and refufed liberty to their brethren, he would pro¬ 
 claim a liberty for them ; even a mod dreadful liberty 
 to the Ivvord, to the peltilence, and to the famine, and- 
 caufe them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the 
 earth, Sec. If this barbarous trade fhould go on, and 
 Havery be Hill encouraged and promoted in thefe Hates, 
 and yet we efcape the deHrudlion which came on the 
 inhabitants ot JeruJalem , or evils that fhall be as great* 
 it mult be aferibed to mere, fovereign, dillirguiHiing- 
 Jaercy, which we have no rcafon to expeft* 
 
r 72 ] 
 
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