Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-10-08
aeli5eellantuus &eaaing.
SLAVERY IN NEW ENGLAND.
Interesting Paper Read Before the Bos-
tonian Society.

tonian Society.
"Negro Slavery in New England
was the subject of a paper read be
fore the Bostonian society in the Ole
State house by Abram English Brown
Mr.. Brown is well-known for his anti
uuarian research, and the results o.
his investigations in the line of the
slavery of colonial days were received
with much interests.
The speaker prefaced this paper by
saying: "Negro slavery is an anoma'
|ly of New England history for more
than century and half. The most
superficial student cannot fail to de-
tect it, so indelibly is it stamped upon
the yellow leaves of our records" A
bunch of old manuscript found in a
family chest in a neglected garret in
cited Mr.. Brown to the study of the
subject in hand.
Mr.. Brown said, in trying to account
for the origin of slavery in New Eng
land, that it was forced upon our col
onial ancestors by the mother country,
and was in contradiction of the spirit
which actuated the first settlers.
The system was most common in the
commercial towns, and early appeared
in Boston. A description of Boston in
1857 has "You can bring with you
hired help in any vocation whatever
there is an absolute need Of them to
till the land. You may also own
Negroes and Negresses; there is not a
house in Boston, however small may
be its means, that has not one or two
there are those that have five or six,
and all make good living"
The speaker urged that there was
distinction between the colored SER
want and the slave. The former
could be bought and sold only for a
limited period, while there was no
difference between the possession of
Negro slave and a cow or any other
piece of property, for the slave was
not legally person.
Rhode Island and Connecticut were
shown as provinces where slavery was
very general and of much longer du'
ration than in sister provinces. This
was accounted for by the charter gov
ernments having been retained to a
much later date. New Hampshire
was we'll represented in the slave busi.
ness, particularly at Portsmouth and
the vicinity of the Piscataqua, where
Sir William Pepperell fourished and
imported Negroes and rum in liberal
quantities. Bills of lading to the effect
were cited.
While the speaker had an abundance
of evidence from the rural towns oil
Massachusetts, he confined himself in
the main to Boston, being the port
from which must 60 out mighty infu'
ence by land and water.
He said-Our ancestors show their
Inconsistency when opposing the acts
of parliament from 1865 to ITS and
declaring that they would not be made
slaves; and at the same time were
holding slaves and buying and selling
them at will. AS Boston was first to
act in the resistance of the threatened
slavery by the mother country, so she
was first TO act in the question of free
ing slaves. In the town meeting OF
1866 the voters adopted instructions
fer their representatives in general
court 'sto use their influence to enact
law to prohibit the importation and
purchase of slaves in future" One
of the first acts of the provincial con-
gress of October, 1774, was in this lam
guage: awhile we are attempting to
free ourselves from our present embar'
rassments and preserve ourselves from
slavery, we ought also to take into
consideration the state and circum-
stances of the Negro slaves of this
province"
Some individuals freed their slaves
voluntarily, and more would have
done so had it not been for the laws
in regard to pauperism, which com
PEELED the owners to secure the town
against their freed slaves becoming
''town charges"
There were about 1000 slaves in
Boston in 1855, and 10 less when the
Revolution broke out.
A careful but decided step was taken
toward abolition when there was in
serted in the bill of rights of Massa'
chusetts the clause, "all men are born
free and equal" While this was
shown to be nothing decisive, it was
there with a view to establish the
liberation of the Negroes on gen.
eral principles, and so regarded by the
people. The test came when in 1881
a white master was arrested for fog.
ging his slaves, and in defense he urged
that the Negro was his property, and
as such should be used as he chose
To this the court paid little heed, and
a fine was imposed. The case was
passed upon by the supreme court
and the decision obtained was that un.
der the new state constitution and bill
of rights slavery could not have legal
existence in Massachusetts. Thus the
death blow was struck to that system
which had been kept up during the
colonial and provincial governments
The speaker amused and entertained
the audience for awhile by showing the
audience the manner in which slavery
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