Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/172

CHAPTER XII.

Early Opponents of African Slavery in England and America.

Period from 1660 to 1760: Godwin, Richard Baxter, Atkins, Hughes, Bishop Warburton. — Planters accustomed to take their Slaves to England, and to carry them back into slavery by force. — Important case of James Somerset decided, 1772. — John Wesley. — Motion in House of Commons against Slave-Trade, 1776. — Case of ship Zong. — Bridgwater Petitions. — The Quakers in England oppose Slavery. — Resolutions of the Quakers, from 1727 to 1760. — They Petition House of Commons. — First Society formed, 1783. — The Quakers and others in America. — Action of the Quakers of Pennsylvania from 1688 to 1788. — Benezet writes tracts against Slavery. — His letter to the Queen. — Sentiment in America, favorable to Africans, 1772. — House of Burgesses of Va., addresses the King. — Original draft of Declaration of Independence. — First Society formed in America "for Promoting Abolition of Slavery," 1774. — Opposition to the Slave-Trade in America.

The first importation of slaves from Africa by the English was in 1562, in the reign of Elizabeth. This great princess seems on the very commencement of the trade to have questioned its lawfulness; to have entertained a religious scruple concerning it, and, indeed, to have revolted at the very thought of it. She seems to have been aware of the evils to which its continuance might lead, or that, if it were sanctioned, the most unjustifiable means might be made use of to procure the persons of the natives of Africa. And in what light she would have viewed any acts of this kind, had they taken place, we may conjecture from this fact; that when Captain (afterwards Sir John) Hawkins returned from his first voyage to Africa and Hispaniola, whither he had carried slaves, she sent for him, and, as we learn from Hill's Naval History, expressed her concern lest any of the Africans should be carried off without their free consent, declaring that "It would be detestable, and call down the vengeance of Heaven upon the undertakers." Captain Hawkins promised to comply with the injunctions of Elizabeth in this respect. But he did not keep his word; for when he went to Africa again, he seized many of the inhabitants, and carried them off as slaves, which occasioned Hill, in the account he gives of his voyage, to use these remarkable words: "Here began the horrid practice of forcing the Africans into slavery, an injustice and barbarity which, so sure as there is vengeance in heaven for the worst of crimes, will some time be the destruction of all who allow or encourage it."

Though the slave-trade commenced so early, there were no united and effective efforts made for its abolition till the year 1787; at which period a number of persons associated themselves in England for this benevolent object. However, for a long time previous to the forming of this important association, individuals were continually rising, who, by their writings and labors rendered valuable service to the cause of humanity, and who are properly considered as forerunners inasmuch as they prepared the way for that extensive and united effort which finally succeeded in rendering illegal the abominable traffic. In giving a history of the Abolition of the slave-trade, it will be