Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1857-04-01

; W tHe ieSi>auNc, the Juolclai anD e4Pcu
tive branches of government. The peo-
, pie must raiify. or repudiate the judg-
ment you have rendered. Their decis-
ion will be fnal-conclusive upon u
ALL
/. This enquiry into the views of those
who framed The Declaration of Indepen
dence. is more properly question oI
history than of law and il is the duly
not only of statesmen, but OF every elec
tor, to be familiar with il. Every intel
ligent citizen Of the free States has been
intimately acquainted with it from his
childhood. From the day en- which
those important doctrines were pro-
claimed they have been taught in our
schools, repeated in stories at the fire
side by our revolutionary sires: We
have read them and repeated the read
ing during our winter evenings and on
Sabbath days. To argue to cur people
that Jefferson and Hancock, and Frank
lin, the Adamses and their compatriots,
believed that all men, including the
whole family of man, are endowed by
their Creator with the inalicnable right
to life. liberty and happiness. would be
as superiuous as to argue the existence
Of sun in the heavens. Yet viii pro
ceed to examine The proofs on which
you charge those great and good men
with the use of language conveying
ideas. which they did not intend 10 ex-
press. In approaching the subject you
premise as follows:
at becomes necessary, therefore, to
determine WHO were citizens of the seve.
raj States. when the Constitution was
adopted. In order 10 do This We must
recur 10 the Colonies when they sepa-
rated from Great Britain. formed new
Communities, and look their place amcpg
the family of nations. They who were
recognized as citizens Of States declared
their independence of Great Britain, and
defended it by force of arms"
With this proposition l agree. 1t is
important that We should start from a
correct point. Who were lhsy that sep.
araled from Great Britain? who declared
their independence? who defended ii by
force Of arms? | answer lhat under the
laws of every colony. the free colored
man held The same rights, enjoyed The
same legal privileges. which the free
whites enjoy ed; and such is 10 this day,
and ever has been the character Of Eng
iish laws. Those laws never have had
relation to complexion or color, either in
the kingdom or the colonies Of Great
Britain. From he day on which the Mag
M Charta was exiorted from KIM john
TO the present time, The law Of England
has drawn distinction between classes.
but never has regarded color or COM
p!exion. Kings, Dukes, Ears, Lords.
BsrOns. Free People, and Scrfs. held
positions, each enjoying their own pecu-
liar rights: but never did tie question OF
color or of race enter into The legislation
OF England.
AT The time of prcmulg ting the De-
clsralion Of Independence, the free col
ored men owed the same allegiance 10
the British crown which the white men
owed. The same act committed by
free coiored man constituted treason, as
much es lhoug gh committed by a white
man; be vas held smeniable, criminallY,
for the same acts and punished in the
same way. He contracted and was con
tracted with /; sued white men and was
sued by them, and enjoyed precisely the
same protection of government and suf
fered The same burthens with the white
men. In every sense and 10 every pur-
pose. they were free subjects of the Brit
ish crown, and citizens of the colonies,
precisely as the whites were.
In each Of The colonies they had from
the commencement of the agitation
which preceded bos;iliiies, deeply sym
psthised and participated 10 the discus
sion # the rights of the colonies. and
one of tie martyrs sacrificed in the cause
of liberty on the memorable fifth of
March, ITO, was black man. Black
men entered the continental army at its
first formation. They fought as brave
iy, they died as freely as the white men,
and q, the time when the Declaration Of
Independence was proclaimed. colored
men Who had descended from African
slaves" were serving in the troops of
every colony.
On the 4;h of July. l776, the signers
of the Declaration appealing to the Su
preme Judge of the world for the recti
tude" Of their intentions, in The name
and By the authority of The good people |
Of those colonies solemnly proclaimed |
them 'Jres and Lndependent States. -
They declared the colonies. including
every citizen and inbabitant thereof, a6-
sotued from all allegiance TO the British |
crown, and from all political connexion
with the Stale OF Grea. Britain. Ia do !
lng this they did not except The cOiored
people, nor the people of dark complex
ion, nor those who had descended from
African slaves. Will you or any other
man pretend that free eolored men, tho /
descended from African slaves, we're no! |
included in the term people, repestedly '