Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1839-06-28

some years before-been smothered in blood
The Southampton instruction in Virginia.
while illustrating the happy state of content
ment Of the condition OF the slaves in the
South, and their nf1ectionate gratitude fol the
kind treatment oftheir masters, left upon the
latter deep Impression OF terror at the dam
ger always impending over the heads The
debates in the legislature Of Virginia upon
the proposition Of Mr.. Thomas JEFFERSON
RANDOLPH for the gradual abolition of slav-
cry upon the plan recommended BY his
grandfather in the Memoir Of his life, writ
ten by himself were soon followed by the
Dissertation upon Slavery by Professor Dew
ofWilIiam and Mary College, under the form
Of review of those debates
This work forms new era in the history
Of the United States, and of North American
politics and morals II is the clearest and
most striking illustration Of the essential and
unavoidable nature Of slavery ever exhibit
ed. 1t is worthy of having been devised by
the tortured spirits Of Miltea,s Pandemonl-
um. Ii is the offspring of Despair, bidding
defiance 10 the God OF Heaven.
1t begins by abjuring the selfevident truths
OF The Declaration of Independence, and with
dispensation--the natural equality OF man.
kind. 1t maintains that the African is DIFF
ferent and inferior race 10 the White Euro
pean, and born and destined by Nature to
live in subsection under him. You will per-
ceive that this position. laid as the basis OF
an argument to sustain the institution of sla-
very, denies 10 the colored man the posses
sion Of an Immortal suuf.s This must, in.
deed, necessarily and unavoidably be the
foundation Of every theory 10 justify slavery.
For it.
The soul, secure in its existence, smiles
Al the drawn dagger, and defes its point
the soul ofo man can never be made the
property Of another. 1t is the soul that con-
stitutes the man and, by the laws of Ma
lure and Of Natures God, you cannot make
a human being your slave without depriving
him OF his immortal soul, and degrading
him to the level of the grazing OK The
teacher Of the new school OF William and
Mary and his followers tell us that this has
been done already that God-yes, they use
the name OF God ?-has made Two varieties
of the human race-one 10 be masters, and
the other to be slaves-one 10 loll upon
down, and dream OF moral philosophy, the
other TO be beasts of burden to pamper the
idle and worthless existence of their mas
tiers. pass over the revolving character Of
this first principle the irreconcilable oppo
sition TO the vital principle OF Christianity,
TO do uulo others as you would that they
should do unto you; lis fiat contradiction 10
that express declaration Of Divine inspira.
ton. that God bath made of one blood al;
III
physical force as the ultimate arbiter of the
relations between man his brother man;
set aside all these considerations, l,i ask
you, fellow-cilizens, for one moment 10 re-
feet deeply-deeply 10 reflect upon the i'm
pending consequences OF this new theory up
on this Union, and upon the free Institutions
Of that portion Of it yet in the enjoyment Of
freedom.
In the Declaration Of Independence. the
natural equality Of mankind and the natural
rights OF man are declared TO be sef-evident
truths and from these truths are inferred,
as equally self.evident, that Governments
are Instituted among men to secure these
rights that Governments derive their inst
powers only from the consent ofthe govern
ed, and that, whenever any form OF government
becomes destructive to these ends, it is the
right of the People to alter or TO abolish it,
and TO institute another government TO Sc,
cure the same ends in its stead.
Let us waive the question now whether
these principles are true or false, whether
they are sefevident or controvertible. The
signers OF the Declaration Of Independence,
aud The People in whose name and by whose
authority they spoke held them TO be selfev-
ident. So they declare. with an appeal to
the Supreme Ruler ofthe world for their sin
cerity and il is upon the basis Of these prin-
cples, and of them alone that they declare
the People OF the thirteen Colonies absolved
from their allegiance to the British Crown,
released from their duties as subjects Of the
British Empire, and constituting one People
of thirteen united, free, and independent
States.
Upon these principles their Union had
been formed, and was by them declared per-
petual Upon these principles the Conslitu-
ton Of the United States & those of all the
separate States have been professedly found.
ed They have been considered as the inn
movable and eternal foundation ofall our pc.
litca institutions, and we have gloried in
them as first introduced under our auspices
to the admiration and emulation OF the
world Of man. We have all known that
there was another theory of the human gov
eminent, founded upon the supposed I'M
limited and illimitable nature of constituted
power-that the issue the seven years wal
of our Independence. was precisely the con-
flct between these two theories Of govern
ment the theory of human rights and the
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