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OBSERVATIONS on the S l a v
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s and the Inden
те
d S e r va n t s, inlifled
in the Army, and in the Navy of the United States*
Jufium , et tenacem propojiti virum^
Non avium ardor prava jubentiumy
Non vultus infiantis tyranni
Mente qualit fcltda. -
Si fradius illabatur orbisy
Impavidwn f orient ruina\
Horace,
TH E Refolve of Congrefs, for prohibiting the importation
of Slaves, ddemonftrates the confident zeal of our rulers in
the caufe of mankind. They have endeavoured, as early and
as extenfively as it then was in their power, to seform our morals,
by checking the progrefs of the general depravation, which, fooner
or later, proves the ruin of the countries, where domeflic flavery is
introduced.
From the liberal fpirit of that refolve, which, foon after, was moft
cheerfully fupported by their conftituents, it is natural to infer that,
had not the neceffity of repelling the hoftilities of powerful invaders
To deeply engaged the attention of the fcveral legiflative bodies of
our Union, laws would, long fince, have been made, with every
piecaution, which our fafety might have dictated, for facilitating
emancipations. Many Slaves, however, too many perhaps, are in-
cautioufly allowed to fight under our banners. They fhare in the
dangers and glory of the eff orts made by
и
s, the free born members
of the United States, to enjoy, unditturbed, the common rights of
human nature * and they remain Slaves!
. The exquifite fenfibility, the enlightened equity of a free people*
cannot fufixr them to be ungrateful. — To ftand indebted for the re¬
covery of the leaf! portion of our rights, to a race of men, whofe
unhappy lot muft be to continue in a ftate of the moft difhonour-
*ble degradation, would be too painful, too humiliating. — Have we
not ourfelves taught thofe men, on the moft rational principles, and
with all the eneigy which our feelings could give us, to execrate
that ftate as unnatural, and contrary to the laws of God ? Would
public faith had been pledged to die Slaves, before they were permit¬
ted to fight in our came, that their own liberty was one of the recom-
penfes, which they were to receive, for their courage and fidelity !
It would have been a reftitution, not a rtcomptnfe, though policy,
to conceal our blufhes, fhould have fuggefted a name for it, which
could not wound our pi ide*
Other States have lixewife, on extraordinary emergencies^ hazarded
to employ Slaves in their wars ; but immediate, or conditional
emancipation waT,~at the fame tiilje, held up, and moftTeligiouTly^
bellowed on them, as the facred retribution of gratitude. God for¬
bid, we fhould act with lefs generofity and juftice on fimilai occa-
fioris !
France, in the iflands of Guadaloupe and Martinico, as well as
Spain, in the ifland of Cuba, have, during the courfe of the laft war,
exhibited to us fuch laudable examples. The Slaves, whom they
intrufted with arms, in the defence of their territories, were not on¬
ly allowed to diipofe of their whole pay as they thought fit, but in¬
discriminately partook of every other advantage given to the free¬
born foldiers of their refpedtive States; Britain knows, and we may
remember, that theft: freed men, animated by fuch encouragements,
fought with the greateft intrepidity. They were remarkably faith¬
ful, and none of them deferted.— -Were they not certain, that, had
they been guilty of that crime, or had they been made pri loners of
War, the enemy would have fold them, in the fame manner that
they fold the Slaves who fell into their hands ? But the owners
were indemnified by the State to which they belonged, for the lofs
they fuftained, on account of their Slaves, who were emancipated
for having affifted in its defence.
Neither the Slaves who bear arms for us, nor their owners, have,
as yet, obtained fuch advantages from any of the United States. Gur
non-emancipated foldiers are almoft irrefiftibly tempted to defert to
our foes, who never fail to employ them againft us. There, at leaft,
befides the uncontroled difpofal of their whole pay, they have a
chance for being gifted by the enemy, whom found policy may in-
fpire to be generous in this cafe, with that freedom, which our laws
do not authorize them to claim as their reward from us, for whofe
liberty they daily expofe their lives. It is true, that they are pro¬
portionally but few in the fervice ; and yet, could we reft affined,
that no great misfortune ever will arife from the want of benevo¬
lent refolves in their behalves, our domeftic peace, and the jealoufy
of that honour which impels men to warlike atchievements, would
demand the moft ferious attention of the Congrefs, refpefiing the
political exiftence of inlifted Slaves, or the -oriety of excluding
them from being at any time employed, as is !d/r s . Teamen, in our
wars.
There is in the army and navy of the Unite-., States another clafs
of opprefkd men, whole fingular ufefulncfs, were they interefted to
remain witii uc, and whofe power to do us nun iberlefs injuries, if
provoked ( > fly to the enemy for an afylum, are of the greateft im¬
portune j/w this j nefure. Their education, national prejudices and
attachments, the moral principles of a confiderable part of them,
. and t • opprobrious ftate to which they are all very unjuftly de¬
graded,- annot have been eonlldered in their different points of
view, before they were invited to inlift ; otherwise, the poffibility
of many evils which the relolve relative to them portends, irt
its original tenor, would have been dilcovered, and confequently
prevented;
The oppreffed perfons here meant, are, f.w of them exceptpd, Eu¬
ropeans, and born in
сйё
dominion;: of Greac-Britain. They are thole
unhappy beings, whom the covetoufnefs and treachery of the Brnuh
merenants, as well as the collufion of the Britilii admmi. .ration,
have doomed, whether convicts or not, to temporary flavery amongft
us, before we became free. Even now, thefe temporary Slaves are,
to our di/honour !• as remorltlefsly fold as the Africans, or their off-
fpring ; nay, the flagitioufnefs of the deed is aggravated by the
mockery and hypocritical ltile of the owners who advertife them
for fale 5 — -who, afhumed of their own iniquiroufnfs, vainly recur
to fubterfuges, that it may be extenuated in the minds of others—
It is THE TIME, not THE BODY, or the peifon, of the in¬
dented fervant, of either fex, which is To be sold! The b6dy
or perfon, of luch fervant is, however, fubjectcd, not by law, but
connivence, to the wanton barbarity or lewd attempts of the pur-
chafer. It is, in fact, as abfolutcly fubjectcd as the body or perfon
of a Negro, man or'woman, who is fold as a legal Slave. — Can it
be much longer fuffered, in this land of freedom, thus to fport with
human nature ?
Now that we are an independent people, the diffolutenefs and
oppreflion, which are infeparable from that impious trade, will have
but a very fhort duration. They muft ceafe of themfelves at the
expiration of the limited terms of fervitude, the longeft of which
can fcarcely exceed four years, from this time ; and but few of our
brethren will fo long groan under the fcandalous yoke. It is there¬
fore unreafonable to believe, and it would be exceffively cruel to
infinuate, that any other confideration prevailed on our Delegates*
to deprive themfelves and their conftituents of the god-like pleafure
of giving unconditional deliverance from «flavery, to all the men,
women and children ofEuropean. defer nt, who had been betrayed
Into it, and fold to us, by their European brethren. But pardon¬
able as the omiffion may be, neither humanity nor felf-love will
let us reflect upon it without regret;
Oh ! may we Toon blot out the reproach which that negleft has
juftly rendered us liable to, fince we abolifhed the novercal govern¬
ment of Britain ! May we foon impart, at leaft to thoft- victims,
devoted by her degenerate and unnatural Tons to temporary fl .very,
the fame bleflings, to the enjoyment of which we are now reft >red !
Let us endear ourfelves to tnem by a£b of juftice ;— let our ftlfifh-
nefs and feverity no longer ftrengthen the prejudices of their edu¬
cation, nor induce them to behold Us as their oppreffors and enemies.
They have already been courted to inlift in our fervice ; but*
unhappily for us, as well as for them, the indemnification allowed
to the matters, was not a gift to the redeemed fervants- — It was no
more than a loan to them — They muft difeharge it out of their
bounty money ; and, if that be infufficient, out of their pay ! An
amazing number of thefe men eagerly feized the unexpected oppor¬
tunity ottered them, to refeue themfelves from unlawful bondages
but the conditions on which they were to obtain their freedorrf,
imprefling no idea of gratitude on their minds, they determined to
defert to the enemy, as foon as they could. In the mean while, moft:
of them quickly difappeared from the corps in which they inlifted.
They afterwards re-inlifted, and deferted, as often as they found
officers who, over-anxious to fill up their companies with greater
expedition, or led by fordid motive-, were lefs inquisitive than they
ought to have been.
The treafury of the United States has been, by thefe means, fpo-
liated of an immenfe fum : The extravagant Stipulations received,
and fo ealily acquired by fuch unprincipled recruits, who have been
muttered as Subllitutes, for exempting Militia men from being
draughted, have been fquandered, together with the bounty money,
in the moft flagrant riots ; and the loweft kind of profufion has
been exhibited all over our territories; That profufion is, perhaps,
one of the principal caufes, which have concurred in railing the
fpirit of extortion with fuch ftupendous rapidity, and to that pro-
grefiive height, in every part of the United States, that it muft now
be fpeedily forced down, to a degree which may admit fome tolera¬
tion. — And indeed, Ihould our abfurd cc m/daifance to extortioners,
that is to traitors, continue but a few weeks longer, we might ex¬
perience far greater woes than thofe we could rcafonablv fear from
the combined malice and power of Great-Britain, unallotted by ouc
own rapacioufnefs or confpiracy.
The fervice of the Militia men who have already procured, or
may hereafter procure, fubftitutes of the caft we have d eferibed, will
be loft to the United States, during the war, or three years ; for,
the
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