The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-26
SLAVERY ORDAINED OF GOD"

Is the title of q book written by Rev. Fred
A. Ross, d. D., of Huntsville, Alabama, ap'
published by ]. B. Lippincoa 4 Co., of Phiadel
phia; 1857. It consists of two speeches an
five letters, all upon the subject of Slavery, ant
all designed to prove that Slavery is God-ap
pointed, Heaven. ordained institution. The bool
is literary curiosity and moral curiosity
and we might amuse, if not instruct, our readers
with specimen of its reasoning and its ethics
But this would open before rs too broad q field
| We propose to con6ne ourselves to much mar
rover limits. We shall notice only his seeons
letter to Rev. Albert Barnes. .
"This letter." says Dr.. Roes, ais the exami
nation and refuta!ion of the infidel theory of hu
man government foisted into the Declaration o.
Independence" he here alludes to that par
of the Declaration of Independence which as
serts that ell men are created equal; that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain un
| alienable rights; that among these are life, lib
erty, and the pursuit of happiness" According
to DR.. Ross, "this is the affirmation of liberty
claimed by infdelity." And thus, he says, il
teaches as fact that which is not true, AND
it claims as a right that which God has moi
given"
Such an assault upon the doctrine of human
rights-and by such man-seems little
startling, especially when we consider how that
declaration of rights has stood for three quar-
tiers of century, challenging the faith of the
nation and receiving the assent of the world
But it we'll illustrates the desperate expedients
| to which man will resort in an emergency
| when once he has undertaken the defence of q
desperate case.
But, to the Doctors argument. "The para.
graph" he says, sis chain of four links, each
of which is claimed to be self.evident truth. y
By this metaphor, he admits its logical consist
ency and connection, and claims that by
breaking one link, he can destroy the chain.
Let US see how he assails the first. He saws.
"The first and controlling assertion is, that all
men are created equal which proposition as
l understand it, is that every man and woman
on earth is created with equal attributes OF
body and mind" Who else ever put such a
construction upon that phrase in our declara.
ton of rights No one, doubtless. Indeed, it
is scarcely possible to believe that DR.. Ross
himself could ever have thought of such con.
struction, until he took his pen to attack it,
when, indeed, it became necessary for him to
attribute to it some meaning more Questionable
than Its true one. And 80, forsooth, he makes
it say what all mankind know is "a self evident
lie."
After covering three or four pages of his
book with sort of salmagundi, more or less
connected with this false construction, he at last
ventures to state what common sense claims
as the true construction, to wit, that the pas.
sage in question Sincerely asserts that all men
are created equal in natural rights" he
says, That is not the meaning of the clause,
for that is the meaning of the next sentence. )"
Thus ne attempts to prove that one sentence
cannot assert certain proposition, by showing
that subsequent sentence does assert it \; and,
as the Doctor seems to be a little vain of his
logic, we offer this as sample. To us it seems
a singularly happy, if not quite con elusive
mode of demonstration. And yet he himself
seems not quite satisfied with it, so he proceeds
to construct another argument. He says, "there
are four links to the chain of thought in this
passage: lst That all men are created equal.
I'd. That they are endowed by the Creator with
certain unalienable rights 3d. That Govern.
ment derives its just powers from the consent
OF the governed. 4tb. That the people may
alter and abolish it," &c. "These links (he says)
are logical sequences. n The mean.
ing, then, give to that first link, and to the
chain following, is the sense, because, if you
deny that meaning to the first link, then the
others have no logical truth whatever" Thus
we have a second demonstration of the true
meaning of the phrase, All men are created
equal"
So We have demonstration first and demon.
stration second, that the true meaning of this
phrase is, that every man, woman, and child, on
the face of the earth, is equal-precisely equal
bodily and mentally, morally and physically,
automatically and psychologically, to every
other man, woman, and child. And this very
obvious truth is not only made prominent in
cur Declaration of Independence, but it's dis
covery is ascribed to the sagaci.y of Thomas
jefferson. The sages of nc, and the heroes of
the Revolution, thought it worthy to stand as
the cornerstone of our National Independence /;
and their children through successive genera.
tions, for three-quarters of a century, have an.
nually repeated it, amid the roar of exultant
cannon, and all the demonstrations of jubiant
Thanksgiving, in commemoration of the day Of
its fret public announcement. And this natu
raj and physical equality of all the individuals
of the race, is what DIR. Ross would have US
believe they intended to declare, as the founda.
ton of their claim to liberty. But, notwith
standing the Doctors confidence in his con.
struction, and his double demonstration of
it's truth, he must excuse US, if we still find
little difficulty in admitting its truth. He must
still allow us to believe, that when the patri-
srchs of the Revolution used the phrase, " all
men are created equal" they understood what
they we're saying; and that they meant to as.
sert the common and equal rights of the race.
When, in the next sentence, they averred that
certain of those rights were unalienable, they
knew whereof they affirmed. When, in the
sentence following, they enumerated as "among
these, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
did they err Are not these unalenable 2
Can a man indeed lawfully-(for we speak not
of what is uplawfully done)-sell his life
What compensation shall he receiver Can
Justice be satisfied, if it be taken for less than
fair equivalent? Is liberty less dear than
hfe2 How the arch of heaven rings with the
CT
life in its defence How many more millions