Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-04-25


to move in favor of the abolition of slavery. Massa
chusetts gave liberty to her slaves as early III
But South Carolina in 1913 exhibited disposition
rather to apostatisc from these doctrines. BY hei
new constitution of that year she limited the right
of suffrage to free whites. but leaving to them the
same protection of life, liberty and property, and
every privilege which was enjoyed by the poor
white people, who were also deprived of the right
of suffrage.
In the same yenr North Carolina gave open and
unequivocal evidence of opposition to the doc.
trine that all men are endowed by their Creator
with tho inalicnable right to liberty. The Qua
kers of that State had emancpatcd their slaves
in obedience to the decree of their yearly meeting
of l776. In l778 the Legislature Of that State
enacte a statute authorizing the reinstatement of
the people thus emancipated. Under this law
greater crimes perpetrated than under any
other which at that time disgraced any christian
government: But even the Legislature of North
Carolina, with all its barbarity, had the grace to
except from the operations Of ihat statute, those
coiored men "who had served in the army Of the
United States" Nor did thoy subject the free
blacks to any other laws than those which govern.
ed free whites. Colored men if free held and ex-
ercsed the same right Of suffrage which white
men enjoyed and were protected in all their rights
by the same laws.
la 1880 Virginia, with the apparent intention of
carrying out the doctrines of the Declaration of
Independence, repealed her law restricting eman-
cipatons havin previously prohibited the further
introduction of slaves into that State Maryland
followed tho example OF Virginia, Pennsy ylvania
and the six States north and east of it proceeded
in good faith and finally c0nsumated the entire alb
clifton Of slavery rcdceming their solemn pledge
to the doctrines proclaimed in l774 and repeated
in l77G. Stimulated by the same patriotic mo-
tives which sweled the hearts Of Greene and 9TH
er patriots, the coloreG men Of Rhode Island fur
nished a regiment of gallant soldiers, who served
with much hcnor as any OF our continental
troops: Connecticut also furnished battalion
Of c0l0red men which served the country with
equal ereIit.
But while the spirit of freedom, avowod at the
commemorate Mt of the war, appeared dominant in
the ten Northern Safes Georgia and the two Car
unas had fallen into the hands Of the tories
They were however, re-conquered by Northern
valor. Iet the mass of the people in those three
States sympahized with the Tories in regard to
the subject Of Slavery; still not one even OF those
States manifested any intention to deprive the free
colored people of any right or privilege which
was enjoyed 10y free whites who were not possess
ed Of sufficient property to entitle them to vote.
The free black men of those States entered the
army and served with such honor that on the 10th
of August l7S1, Gen. Greene writing from South
Carolina said. There is great spirit of enter
prise among the black people, and those that come
out as volunteers are not little formidable to the
enemy. There are also some partclar corps under
Sumpter, Marion and Clark, that arc bold and
daring the rest of the militia better calcu-
lated to destroy provisions than to oppose au
enemy"
At the close Of the war, the right of the free
blacks to citizenship admitted n every State
of the Union and in all but South Carolina they
were admitted to the right Of suffrage. The only
absorbing question in the Southern States was
whether in their seperate organizations they
would emanciphte their slaves. as pledged by the
Declaration of Independence Feeling deeply the
4, IL, 10 h,nt, t1nn
by q failure of the States to redeem their solemn
pledge, Congress issued an address to the people
on the ODD Of April 1888. 1t was drawn up by q
committee composed of James Madison, Oliver
Ellsworth and Alexander lIamiiton, and adopted
by q unanimous vote Of Congress. Their Ian
guage to the people, to posterty, to statesmen and
jurists, to you and me, was to Let it be romem-
bercd that it has ever been the pride and boast of
America that the rights for which she contended
were the nights Of human nature. 1t JUS
tce, good faith, honor, gratitude, and all tine other
good qualities which enoblc tho character OF ma
tion, be the fruits of our (State) establishments,
the cause Of Liberty will acquire a new dignity
and lusre which it has never yet enjoyed and an ex
ample will be set which cannot but have the most
favorable effect on the rights of mankind" These
men had participated in the revolution: They
knew that they had contended tor the rights OF
human nature" They knew they had not in
tended to exclude the African race from the bene
fits of that revolution.
The war being over the influence Of our sages
was exerted to induce the people Of the States to
carry out the work of emnnci patton. For this
purpose Washington and jefferson and Franklin
and Patrick Henry and Hamilton and Jay and
most Of the distinguished mon Of that day employ
cd their pens.
In 1881 Mr.. Jefferson, to carry forward the doc
trines avowed in l776 introduced his proposition
into Congress to consecrate forever all the terrific
ry then owned by the United States and such as
should thereafter, be acquired to liberty.
In 1885 Mr.. King Of Massachusetts,, actnatcd
by the same desire, proposed the immediate and
total prohibition of Slavery in our Western terri
territories Virginia with the two Carolinas voted
against the proposition, and thus gave clear indi
cations of their intended apostacy to the doctrine
Of l776 But in 1887 the ordinance for the gov
erlment Of Northwestern territories was
adopted forever prohibiting slavery therein.
Before the assembling Of the Convention to
frame the Constitution, Delaware, by statute
prohibited the descendants of slaves from voting
in that State, but in no respect did any State in
innate nm intention to take from the colored peo
their rights as free citizens. II any other State
than South Carolina and Delaware tad even de
pryed them Of the right of suffrage have beer
unable TO ascertain the fact: Bat | assert that
when the Constitution was framed and when i
was adopted, the laws of every State, the courts
of every State in the Union regarded Tree black
as free citizens, entitled to the same protector
of life, liberty and property as free white citizens
The courts of every State were open for the re
dress of grievances in the same manner as the,
were open to white citizens. They sued thel
white neghbors and were sued by them, end new
er in any State was the complexion of sutor en-
ouired into for the purpose of determining hi
rights. In your own State, in North Carolina, IL
New York, Pennsylvania and New England thel
voted with whites and enjoyed the same sights ant
privileges and in all the States they enjoyed pre-
cisely the same privileges as the poor whites wh'
did ,iot possess sufficient property to enttle then
TO vote. ... f-..
In the Constitutional Convention no melton wa
made no proposition was presented, no intimatioI
or desire was expressed to disfranchise the .re
black, or to throw around him any disqualification
or draw any distinction between the rights OF tn
people On account Of eolor. But in the amend
inents, when Virginia proposed to declare tn
rights of all free mon to life, liberty aud property
The proposal was repudieted and the memoraDl