And, in some parts of the West Indies, many free negroes are owners of many slaves, who were formerly slaves themselves.
Nor is this all—for Canaan was to be a servant to his brethren, Shem and Japheth—all of which I have seen fulfilled, as the Creeks, Cherokees and Seminoles have many slaves among them.
These facts satisfy my own mind of the truth of our theory; and they are submitted to your consideration.
It may be necessary for the information of some of our hearers, to make some remarks relative to the first introduction of slaves into this country.
The first slaves brought here, were prisoners taken in war among the African tribes, and, according to the universal custom among all savage nations, these prisoners had, by the fortune and rules of war, forfeited life and liberty, and were at the mercy of their captors to be killed, sold into slavery, or retained for their pleasure or service, just as passion, interest or caprice might rule them. The same privilege was also given to the Jews by a law of the commonwealth of Israel. Those Africans, then, who were first imported into this country, were not made slaves by that transaction: it was the fortune of war, that made them such: they were the property of their conquerers, who availed themselves of the privileges which the usages of war give; and who preferred selling to killing them. Now keep in mind that these prisoners had, as already stated, lost all personal liberty forever, by the fortune of war, and that they were as much the property of their captors as any other property their captors had; there was neither violence nor wrong done in selling them; and whether there was any wrong done in buying them, resolves itself into this simple question, whether it would have been better to have suffered those prisoners to have been butchered in cold blood, or buy them, and thereby save their lives: by the latter alternative their condition remained as it was; but by the former it was a death with no alternative. This is the question at issue, and like all similar questions, its answer will depend upon the moral temperaments of the casuists who agitate it. There are but few men, however, who will not prefer the loss of liberty to the loss of life; for this simple and allsufficient reason, that the captive may recover his liberty—but from death’s domain there is no return.
These, then, were the circumstances under which slavery was introduced into our country. But afterward the most iniquitous measures were adopted to procure the requisite number—measures that none but a demon incarnate, would either use or justify—and measures too, still pursued. But we must discriminate justly between the manner in which slaves were first obtained, and subsequently procured.
But, seeing they are among us, let us see whether the retaining
