Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-03-19
der to do this we must recur to the Colonies
when they separated from Great Britain,

iOfL1eU new COMuuultACS, duO s.HOOn ViaCAl
place among the family of nations. They
who were recognised as citizens of the States
declared their independence Of Great Britain
and defended it by force of arms. Another
class of persons, who had been imported al
slaves, or their descendants, were not recog.
Missed or intended to be included in that me.
morable instrument-the Declaration of In.
dependence. It is difficult, at this day te
realize the state of public opinion, respect,
ing that unfortunate class, with the civiliz.
ed and enlightened portion of the world, al
the time Of the Declaration of Independence
and the adoption of the Constitution; but
history shows they have for more than 9
century been regarded as beings of an infe-
rior order, and unfit associates for the white
race, either socially or politically; and had
no rights which white men were bound fc
respect; and the black man might be redac-
ed to slavery, bought and sold, and treated
as an ordinary article of merchandise. This
opinion, at that time, was fixed and univer-
sal with the civilized portion of the white
race It was regarded as an axiom in mo-
rails, which no one thought of disputing,
and every one habitually scted upon it,
without doubling for moment the correct
ness of the opinion And in no nation was
this opinion more fixed or more generally
acted upon than in England, the subjects Of
which Government not only seized them on
the Coast of Africa, but took them as ordi-
nary merchandise, to where they could make
profit on them. The opinion thus enter
tanned, was universally impressed on the
Colonists this side of the Atlantic; accord
ingly, negroes of the African race were re-
garded by them as property, and held, and
bought, and sold, as such in every one of
the thirteen Colonies which united in the
Declaration of independence. and afterward
formed the Constitution. The doctrine of
which we have spoken was strikingly en-
forced by the Declaration of Independence.
It begins thus: s.When in the course of
human events, it becomes necessary for one
people to dissolve the political bands which
have connected them with another, and to
assume among the powers Of the earth, the
separate and equal station to which the laws
of nature and of natures God entities them,
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind
requires that they should declare the causes
which impel them to the separation" and
then proceeds: ssWe hold these truths to be
self-evident- that all men arc created equal;
that they are endowed, by their Creator,
with certain unal:enable rights; that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. That to secure these rights,
Government was instituted among men, de-
irving their just powers from the consent Of
the governed" &c. The words before quo
ted would seem to embrace the whole human
family; and if used in similar instrument
at this day would be SO understood. But it
is too clear for dispute that the enslaved
African race were not intended to be inclu-
ded, for in that case, the distinguished men
who framed the Declaration Of independence,
would be fagrantly against the principles
which they asserted. They who framed the
Declaration of Independence were men Of
too much honor, education and intelligence,
to say what they did not believe; and they
knew that in no part of the civilized world
were the negro race, by common consent,
admitted to the rights of freedom. They
spoke and acted according to the practices,
doctrines, and usages of the day. That un-
fortunate race was supposed to be separate
from the whites, and was never thought or
spoken of except as property. These opin-
ions underwent no change when the Consti-
tuition was adopted. The Preamble sets
forth for what purpose and for whose benefit
it was formed. It was formed by the peo-
ple-such as had been members of the orr
ginal States-and the great object was to
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity." It speaks in general
terms of citizens and people of the United
States when providing for the powers grant
ed, without defining what description of per-
sons should be included, or who should be
regarded as citizens But two clauses of
the Constitution point to the negro race as
separate, and not regarded as citizens, for
whom the Constitution was adopted. One
clause reserves the right to import slaves
until 1903, and in the second the States
pledge themselves, one to another, to pre-
serve the rights of the master, and to deliv-
er up slaves escaping to their respective
Territories. By the first clause the right to
purchase and hold this property is directly
sanctioned aud authorized by the persons
who framed the Constitution, for twenty
years; and the States pledged themselves to
uphold the right of the master as long as
the Government then formed should endure
And this shows conclusively that another
description of persons were embraced in the
other provisions of the Constitution These
two clauses were not intended to confer up
on them or their posterity the blessings of
liberty SO carefully conferred upon the whites.
None Of this class ever emigrated to the u
nited States voluntarily. They were all ar
ticles Of merchandise. The number eman-
cipated was few as compared with those who
were held in slavery, and not sufficiently
numerous to attract public attention as a