Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-05-09
J. POLAND.
SLAVERY,--.THE PAST.

Tho dark catalogue of wrongs and sufTe ring
connected with the history of slavery, from its
commencement in this country to tho present time,
forms bloody page in the annals of this nation,
which time can eface, and calls for the ven
geance of Heaven to be poured out upon our gull
ty land, which nothing but timely repentance can
avert. Never did nations professions and prac-
tce come in such harsh collision as our own; with
one hand we have penned the mmortaltruth that
all men are created free and equal, and with the
other we have forged the chains by which one
sixth of our own country men have been bound IN
cruel savery-with one foot we have trod the OPP
pressor in the dust, and refused allegiance to any
foreign power, the other we have put upon the
necks of millions of our own brethren, and crush
ed them into goods and chattels.
1t is well for the friends Of humanity occasion
ally to look at the origin and progress ofthis bloody
system, that we may be better pre- pared to combat
successfully with this giant foe. The same year
1920, that our fathers fled from oppression in
the old world, to seek an asylum in the new,
company of twenty slaves were landed at Jemes-
town, in Va, and were Immediately purchased by
the planters and reduced TO a state of oppression
hundred times worse than that against which
they had rebelled and from which they had but
just escaped. Slavery from these small begin
nings spread rapidly, and it was less than Il
century before its dark waves had rolled over the
whole land and polluted every foot of American
soil. Even those who had braved the pers of the
ocean-scaed Plymouth rock, and bravely en-
countered death in all its horrid forms, to escape
from the direct control of monarchs power, soon
found it convenient to make slave ofthe African,
and impose burthens upon him too numerous for
a brute to bear. At length that power from which
our fathers attempted to escape, became too OPP
pressive to be longer endured, they to repel
| its encroachnents and called on the slaves to as
sst in driving the common enemy from our shores,
with the promise Of freedom if their efforts were
crowned with success. Many, in view of this pre-
cious boon, entered the field of combat, and con-
tended long and bravcy fol equal liberty, but
when the contest was ended and freedom was pro-
claimed throughout the land instead of releasing
the slave from his bondage, new chains were forg
ed and riveted moro closely upon his bleeding
limbs. Every colony at that time was deeply
implicated in The guilt of slavehoIding; even Yer
mont whose soil has never been pressed with
the foot OF a slave, acknowledged as such since
she became separate state, was then slavery
cursed territory. When the National Conattution
was formed, they had not the hardihood TO admit
the word slave into that document having just
burst the chains of slavery and come into the sun
light of freedom themselves, but they gave the
STAKEHOLDER the right to import slaves until after
1sOS-the implied right to slave representation
and by an express act made every foot of land If
the nation, hunting ground for slave cachers By
yielding to the slave power once, it only prepared
the way for new conquests, and in short time i
assumed so bold front and had such undispuet
sway. that it defed all opposition, and bound thu
whole nation, hand and foot, in its hellish chains
from which it has never yet had sufficient strength
and courage to break away. few even then saw
the dark cloud that began to hover over thu
land, and Numbered in the ear of the nation tb
= note of alarm, but it was unheard by the mass
and this power which might then have been crush
ed at single blow, was left to strengthen itself
especially IN the virgin and fruitful soil of tn
# South, until it now defies the combined energies
n the whole nation to effect its overthrow. Ne,
II England however found it to be opposed to he
) interests to hold slaves, and abolished the syster
j. soon after the revolution was over Pennsylvani
n and some other suites pursued the same cours
l. about the same time. New York did not entirel
l. get rid of slavery until 1895 Though nearly on
% half of the nation is nomiualy free from SLAYER,
l. yet there are now IA slave states, one more tina
y all the states when the union was formed, and Ii
3 mere handful that were then slaves have inerea
ed to nearly $1,000, and are now increasing Il
every day. The system that was then but an il
l. FAINT has now assumed the courage and strength
S. manhood 1t has controlled every departme