The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-09-02


name, in an elaborate discourse often published,
called upon his country, "in the present blaze
of light " on the injustice of Slavery. to prepare
the way for its total abolition" This he
gladly thought at hand. If we Judge of the fu-
ture by the past, y said the celebrated preacher,
within fifty years from this time il will be
as shameful for man to hold negro slave as
TO be guilty of common robbery OF theft
Thus, at this time, the Church, in harmony
with the Nation, by its leading denominations,
Quakers Methodists, Presbyterians, and Con-
gregatonalists, Numbered against Slavery.
The COLLEGES were in unison with the Church.
Harvard University spoke by the voice of Mas
sachusetts, which had already abolished Slave
ry. Dartmouth College, by one of its learned
professors, claimed for the slaves equal priv
leges with the whites" Yale College, by its
President the eminent divine, Ezra Stiles, be-
came the head of the Abolition Society Of Con-
necticut. And the University of William and
Mary, in Virginia testified its sympathy with
this cause at this very time, by comforting upon
Granville Sharp, the acknowledged chief of
British Abolitionists, the honorary degree of
Doctor OF Laws
The LITERATURE of the land such rs then
existed, agreed with the Nation, the Church
labor of his life; jefferson, in his Notes on Vir-
ginia Barlow, in his measured verse Rush. in
u work which inspired the praise of Clark
son; the ingenious author Of the Algerine
Captive the earliest American novel, and
though now but little known, one of the earli-
est American books republished in London
were all moved by the contemplation OF Slave
ry. "lf our fellow citizens of the Southern
States are deaf to the pleadings of nature" the
latter exclaims in his work Il will conf lure
them, for the sake of consistency, to cease to
deprive their fellow-creatures of freedom, which
their writer's their orators, representatives and
senator's and even their constitution of Gov
eminent, have declared to be the inalienable
birthright of man"
Such sir, mt the adoption of the Constitution
and at the first organization of the National
Government was the out-spOken. unequivoca
heart of the country Slavery was abhorred
Like the slave trade, it was regarded as TEN
porary; and, by many, it was supposed tina
they would both disappear together Voice
OF Freedom filled the air. The patriot, tn,
Christian, the scholar, the writer We'd in 10y
ty TO this cause. All were Abolitionists.
Glance now at the earliest Congress under
the Constitution. From various quarters me-
MORALS were presented to this body against
| Slavery. Among these was one from the DO
lition Society of Virginia, wherein Slavery il
pronounced mot only an odious degradation
but an outrageous violation of one of the most
essential rights of human nature, and utterly
repugnant to the precepts of the Gospel
Still another, OF more important character
came from the Abolition Society of Pennsylva
MIA, and was signed by Benjamin Franklin, a
President This venerable man, whose actv
life had been devoted to the welfare of man
| kind at home and abroad-whO, both as phi
| losopher and statesman, had arrested the ad
miration of the worldwide had ravshed tin
| lightning from the skies and the sceptre from
a tyrant-who, as member of the Continental
| Congress- had set his name to the Declaration
Of Independence, and, rs a member OF the Ma
tional Convention, had again set his name t
the CONSTITUTIONAL whom more, perhaps, thar
in any other person. was embodied the tru
| spirit of American Institutions ut once practi
cal and humane-than whom no one could b
4 more iamiliar with the purposes and aspira
tons OF the founders--thls veteran. eighty fou
years of age, within few months of his dealt
now appeared by petition at the bar of tina
Congress, whose powers he had helped to d,
, fine and establish. This was the last polite
, act of his long life Listen now to the praye
of Franklin:
Your memorialists particularly engaged in n
tending 10 the dstressos arising from Slavery b,
evc il TO be their indispensable duty TO present th
subject 10 your notice. They have observed wit
real satisfaction that many important and salutar
powers vested in you for promoting the wclfar
and securing the blessings of liberty 10 the people
| the United States and as they conceive that thes
blessings ought rghtully to be administered cifh0m
dia1icfiOR Of coioy, to all descriptions Of people 81
al ,y,/y Ia
fh0t nothing tchih ran he done for he RELIEF If nh
Unh0ppy OlerfS Of their carr uU be either 0tiied o,
dcloyed.' Under these impressions they earnestly
cntrcat your serious attention TO the subject of Sa
very that yOu HiH he ple1Sod 10 c0HHeRaHcc he res
! forat,0R NJ HbytY Ia MOse unhappy men, WhO niOne
ia ms h7Dd Of FreedoDi 0Je degtddef into JrJyftHG
b0dge, and whO amidst the general Joy of surround
| ing freenen, are groaning in sorvo subsection; tha
you will promote mercy and ustic0 towards this dis
tressed race and Mat VOn irtH step 10 he CeyV perg,
| ofthe yo,cer rested az you FIR DfSCOURAGING
e"erg sl~c,es 9 trg6fc IN me lArsoHS Of O"r JAIoN
| mem
Important words In themselves keynote
of the times From his grave Franklin seems
still to call upon Congress 10 step 10 the pera
verge of The pOuers rested IN ii 10 DISCOURAGE
SLAVERY and, in making this prayer, he pro-
claims the true national policy of the Fathers
Not encouragement, but Encouragement OF
| Slavery was their rule.
| Sir, enough has been said to show the senti-
ment which, like vital air, surrounded the
| National Government as it stepped into being
In the face of this history, and in the absence
Of any positive sanction il il absurd TO suppose
| that Slavery, which under the Confederation
was merely sectional, was now constituted q
national institution. But there is yet another
| link in the argument.
In the discussions which took place in the
local conventions on the adoption of the Con
stitutioD, sensitive desire was manifested d
surround all persons under the Constitution
| with additional safeguards. Fears were cx.
pressed from the supposed Indebtedness OF
| some of the powers conceded to the National
| Government and also from the absence of n
Bill Of Rights. Massachusetts, on ratifying
the Constitution, proposed series Of amend
ments, at the head of which was this, charac-
terized by Samuel Adams. in the Convention
as "a summary of a Bill Of Rights"
THAT it be- explicitly declared that all powers not
expressly delegated by the aforesaid Constitution
reserved TO the several States, TO be by them oxor
cised.'
Virginia, South Carolina, and North Caro-.
lima, with minoritics in Pennsylvania and Ma.
ryland, united in this proposition. In pursu.
ance of these recommendations, the first Con.
grcss presented for adoption the following arti
Gle which, being ratified by a proper number
of States, became u part Of the Constitution, ns
the 10th amendment:
THE powers not delegated TO the United States by
the Constitution prohibited by it to the States
reserved To the States respectively 10 tho peo
pie"
Stronger words could not be employed to
limit the power under the Constitution, and to
protect 10 people from all assumptions Of the
National Government, particularly IN derOga-
tion Of Freedom Its guardian character com.
mended it to the sagacious mind Of Jefferson
who said 81 consider the foundation corner