Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-07-04
Origin and Progress of the North
American Slave sTrade,


Chesapeake, and landed cargo of slaves on the
James River. From that time 10 the present, ne
gro slaves have been found in North America
During the first century of colonial life, few me-
groes were from time to time introduced into the
plantations. But the 18th century opened with
events deeply affecting the future fortunes of the
black race, and strangely connecting slaves with
the career ofpublic government By the begin
ing of that century, the once mighty empire oi
| Spain had grown weak. The line of her ancient
monarchs was drawing to an end in the person oil
feeble and dying sovereign; and the war of the
Spanish succession lashed the elements of strife
into foam. Louis XIV wished to place his
land and Germany resisted his wish, and all Eu-
rope was thrown into the uproar OF ten years
war. When it ended, England obtained as her
share of spoils, magnificent prize. Her prize
was the monopoly of the slave trade. By the trea-
y of peace at Utrecht, in l7IS, she gained the ex-
elusive privilege Of bringing African slaves into
the Spanish West Indies, and to Spanish Amer-
ca. Immediately companies were chartered, ships
built and for thirty years England was the active
slave merchant of the world. Her ships, and her
ships exclusively, visited the African coast for
slaves, and animmense harvest of profit was reaped
from the unboly traffic. The western shores Of
Africa everywhere bore witness to the activity of
her traders, and with British manufactures the
Christian nation purchased slaves from the black
pagan kings on the African coast The slaves
were shipped to the West Indies, to the Spanish
main, and to the North American colonies. Their
importation into the plantations was found prof
liable mercantile speculation. and the English
slave ships entered with their cargoes into every
port of the Atlantic, South of Maine.
But the provinces at an early day dreaded the
introduction of negroes. They tried at first to le
gislate upon the subject, and passed laws prohib
iting their Importation, but slaves were an article
of commerce, and Britain had undertaken to regu-
late the trade of America. The anti slavery legis
lation they attempted, consequently came into col
lision with the legislation of the mother country,
and was nulli6ed. Repulsed here, they tried re-
monstranee upon the subject; but what did Eng
lish merchants and manufacturers care for a colo
nial remonstrance! 1t was opposed to their inter-
ests, and was not worth the paper on which it was
written. The enduring Quaker might talk of the
light of Con in the soul, and assert that man was
by divine right free; the Puritan might demonstrate
against traffcking in the image Of his Creator (;
and the planter of the South might send his petit
with negro slaves; but all these petitions, remon-
sirances, and sublime truths, were unheard and
unheeded in the onward laundering Of the great
Juggernant of commercial interest. English mer-
chants counting their money and eating their beef
and pudding, though. only of making yellow gum
eas out of black Africans.
The coonists were however, strenuous in the
opposition to the slave trade, notwithstanding their
been disregarded and their remon-
strances treated with neglect. The Penns tried
to abolish slavery and TO prevent the introduction
of negroes into the province of Pennsylvania, but
the attempt failed. Oglethorpe excluded slaves
from Georgia, till the British government offered
their introduction. Virginia pefsevered In her op
position; but says Mr.. Madison, the British
government constantly checked the attempts of
Virginia, to put stop to this internal traffic. -
South Carolina, like Virginia, tried to close her
ports against slave ships but South Carolina had
the right of the British government to
regulate colonial commerce, and her resistance to
the slave trade was Intellectual. These efforts did
not set bounds to the dark current which interest
caused to flow from the African coast. The en-
tire commercial policy of England in reference to
this trade may be announced in single sentence,
as follows
"We cannot allow the colenists to check or in
any degree discourage traffic so beneficial to the
English nation"
So said the Earl of Dartmouth in TIT, when
the American jewel was falling from the English
crown. His earlship felt the passion which urged
the negro upon our country, and cleared at bound
all the hedges and distractions raised by the Peo-
pie.
But, besides this commercial motive for forcing
the negro upon the provinces there were POLITICAL
considerations which were powerfully operative in |
bringing about the same result. Negroes said
he British statesman, negroes cannot become re-
,ublicans; and they will be power in our hands
o restrain the unruly coonists.' Here was The
yerm of the opposition of the British governments
O a cessation OF the slaye-irade. Merchantile In
crest without doubt, suggested the argument butt
he government made by adoption, the suggestion
IS rules Of action, and slave ships continued to
IL No. H.