Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1857-04-08
THE FRITH OF HISTORY VIxBICArED.
LETTER FROM MR.. GIDnIeGs TO JuDsE TANE1
o II.


\ - as Think. the persons who were citizens
- 3 of the Stsies under the Constitution. you
q aes evidently felt the necessity of excluding
x s free persons of the African race. Unless
g re : ON could do that, Drrd Scott must be
. Free .Bufyou cite no decision of either
, - Colonial or Sta,e courts: no Colonial or
Ssaie laws: no historian. writer, nor
- saying of Statesmen or dicta OF juris
Y-i sou assarae that another class ef
per sons sha had been Imported as Ain
eau Slaves. or their descendants. were not
- q secoge;zed or intended to be included in
asssasiias that memorable ins,rument-the Declar
r-te sas.-s alton of Independence.
Al this poin, you err. You sssume
thai the doctrines Of the declaration ap
piled To none bu; citizeas. or FREE men.
.afi's While tlie signers iniend-d 10 assert prin
-.v ciples broad creation. leaving their
-..ssr l. aPplicntion to every nation, government
and people. hey did not attempt TO
fss-s-ss emancipate slaves Of The different colo
las ~, nies; but they laid down principles on
siT,as8 which our ederal goveinm' nj was based,
san and on which it was believed the States
zi,ss =. would thereafter act. But TO exclude
,as, - the free blacks from The rights of ci:iz-n
So 8 :, ship you adroidy connect them with
l' slaves and assert that they were not in
.s M g. cIujed IN those self evident truths, which
-.si--. SO clearly embraced the entire human
da- ls1 race.
Ynur mere assump i"n proves nothing.
,s,pss II aided no hing your :gument; you
-i'' therefore felt the necessity of supporting
a. ri in some way. yet you could not do it
e.. ibY The sayings of those who framed the
81 declaration. nor by history. nor BY stat
..-.. s ute laws, nor by the decision of courts
rs E as you therefore had recourse to onother as
70 ,,s sar ssrtion. declaring that history shows
-H.I = they have fol more than century been
ssai g. regarded as being of an interior order
and unfit associates for the white race,
either socially or politically, and had no
llBdsa rights gtich The whiis men wsre bound to
...-... respect; and the black man might be re-
,1s'2 dueed 10 slavery. bought and sold and
= llsssE treated ordinary article Of n,srchan
= so's.ssA d,se." This opinion (you sa. was fixed
and universal with the white race. For
= tunsteiy for our country, history shows
each of these assertions entirely errone-
IS ous and that the coz,uerse is true.
q showed in my former letter that free
- persons of African blood were ever re-
- garied as ciiz-ns. of the Colonies and of
81 the States until long after the Declara-
{. ton of Independence was announced
= and | asscrt that since the downfall of
{. the Roman Empire. civilized or semi
= civilized people have regarded slo0es
whether Africans. Europeans. or Amer
:. leans. as having no rights or subject to
be treated as ordinary d,tiolss naer-
chandize, except some of cur Slave
4 States.
o6 Far back in the history of our race,
=. amid the moral darkness which sur
rounded the government of Greece and
.ssalasSparta. ihe doctrine which you assert
- was discarded. No STAKEHOLDER of those
-. governments professed to hold the life
;sss of his slave at his own disposal. They
ii- regarded the slave as man, conquered.
ensiaved. degraded. but nevertheless
MAN. entitled 10 the existence which God
., ?. = and nature had bestowed upon him
.5fs-s In Rome IL was Otherwise There the
~ master beld the power of life and death
s.s's ~. over his slave. and actually treated
=. =, him rs an ordinary 0,ticis Of aaerchan
g. go dfze." But the first dawning rays q
s.'.N Cdristiarity dispelled this hesihenism
. this harbarous Practice Tie Law was
i-.s arepeaIed in the second century Of the
= Christian era, ana no similar law has
E-saa fff.EFf -rl-a - tif.a q .zf-1al