the anti-slavery crusade-第4章

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d　the　whites　fourfold；　the　mere　suggestion　of　emancipation　raised　a　race　question　which　seemed　appalling　in　its　proportions。　Either　in　the　Union　or　out　of　the　Union；　the　rulers　were　determined　to　perpetuate　slavery。　Slavery　as　an　economic　institution　became　dependent　upon　a　few　semitropical　plantation　crops。　When　the　Constitution　was　framed；　rice　and　indigo；　produced　in　South　Carolina　and　Georgia；　were　the　two　most　important。　Indigo　declined　in　relative　importance；　and　the　production　of　sugar　was　developed；　especially　after　the　annexation　of　the　Louisiana　Purchase。　But　by　far　the　most　important　crop　for　its　effects　upon　slavery　and　upon　the　entire　country　was　cotton。　This　single　product　finally　absorbed　the　labor　of　half　the　slaves　of　the　entire　country。　Mr。　Rhodes　is　not　at　all　unreasonable　in　his　surmise　that；　had　it　not　been　for　the　unforeseen　development　of　the　cotton　industry；　the　expectation　of　the　founders　of　the　Republic　that　slavery　would　soon　disappear　would　actually　have　been　realized。　It　was　more　difficult　to　carry　out　a　policy　of　emancipation　when　slaves　were　quoted　in　the　market　at　a　thousand　dollars　than　when　the　price　was　a　few　hundred　dollars。　All　slave…owners　felt　richer；　emancipation　appeared　to　involve　a　greater　sacrifice。　Thus　the　cotton　industry　went　far　towards　accounting　for　the　changed　attitude　of　the　entire　country　on　the　subject　of　slavery。　The　North　as　well　as　the　South　became　financially　interested。　It　was　not　generally　perceived　before　it　actually　happened　that　the　border　States　would　take　the　place　of　Africa　in　furnishing　the　required　supply　of　laborers　for　Southern　plantations。　The　interstate　slave…trade　gave　to　the　system　a　solidarity　of　interest　which　was　new。　All　slave…owners　became　partakers　of　a　common　responsibility　for　the　system　as　a　whole。　It　was　the　newly　developed　trade　quite　as　much　as　the　system　of　slavery　itself　which　furnished　the　ground　for　the　later　anti…slavery　appeal。　The　consciousness　of　a　common　guilt　for　the　sin　of　slavery　grew　with　the　increase　of　actual　interstate　relations。　The　abolition　of　the　African　slave…trade　was　an　act　of　the　general　Government。　Congress　passed　the　prohibitory　statute　in　1807；　to　go　into　effect　January；　1808。　At　no　time；　however；　was　the　prohibition　entirely　effective；　and　a　limited　illegal　trade　continued　until　slavery　was　eventually　abolished。　This　inefficiency　of　restraint　furnished　another　point　of　attack　for　the　abolitionists。　Through　efforts　to　suppress　the　African　slave…trade；　the　entire　country　became　conscious　of　a　common　responsibility。　Before　the　Revolutionary　War；　Great　Britain　had　been　censured　for　forcing　cheap　slaves　from　Africa　upon　her　unwilling　colonies。　After　the　Revolution；　New　England　was　blamed　for　the　activity　of　her　citizens　in　this　nefarious　trade　both　before　and　after　it　was　made　illegal。　All　of　this　tended　to　increase　the　sense　of　responsibility　in　every　section　of　the　country。　Congress　had　made　the　foreign　slave…trade　illegal；　and　citizens　in　all　sections　gradually　became　aware　of　the　possibility　that　Congress　might　likewise　restrict　or　forbid　interstate　commerce　in　slaves。　The　West　Indies　and　Mexico　were　also　closely　associated　with　the　United　States　in　the　matter　of　slavery。　When　Jamestown　was　founded；　negro　slavery　was　already　an　old　institution　in　the　islands　of　the　Caribbean　Sea；　and　thence　came　the　first　slaves　to　Virginia。　The　abolition　of　slavery　in　the　island　of　Hayti；　or　San　Domingo；　was　accomplished　during　the　French　Revolution　and　the　Napoleonic　Wars。　As　incidental　to　the　process　of　emancipation；　the　Caucasian　inhabitants　were　massacred　or　banished；　and　a　republican　government　was　established；　composed　exclusively　of　negroes　and　mulattoes。　From　the　date　of　the　Missouri　Compromise　to　that　of　the　Mexican　War；　this　island　was　united　under　a　single　republic；　though　it　was　afterwards　divided　into　the　two　republics　of　Hayti　and　San　Domingo。　The　〃horrors　of　San　Domingo〃　were　never　absent　from　the　minds　of　those　in　the　United　States　who　lived　in　communities　composed　chiefly　of　slaves。　What　had　happened　on　the　island　was　accepted　by　Southern　planters　as　proof　that　the　two　races　could　live　together　in　peace　only　under　the　relation　of　master　and　slave；　and　that　emancipation　boded　the　extermination　of　one　race　or　the　other。　Abolitionists；　however；　interpreted　the　facts　differently：　they　emphasized　the　tyranny　of　the　white　rulers　as　a　primary　cause　of　the　massacres；　they　endowed　some　of　the　negro　leaders　with　the　highest　qualities　of　statesmanship　and　self…sacrificing　generosity；　and　Wendell　Phillips；　in　an　impassioned　address　which　he　delivered　in　1861；　placed　on　the　honor　roll　above　the　chief　worthies　of　historyincluding　Cromwell　and　Washington　Toussaint　L'Ouverture；　the　liberator　of　Hayti；　whom　France　had　betrayed　and　murdered。　Abolitionists　found　support　for　their　position　in　the　contention　that　other　communities　had　abolished　slavery　without　such　accompanying　horrors　as　occurred　in　Hayti　and　without　serious　race　conflict。　Slavery　had　run　its　course　in　Spanish　America；　and　emancipation　accompanied　or　followed　the　formation　of　independent　republics。　In　1833　all　slaves　in　the　British　Empire　were　liberated；　including　those　in　the　important　island　of　Jamaica。　So　it　happened　that；　just　at　the　time　when　Southern　leaders　were　making　up　their　minds　to　defend　their　peculiar　institution　at　all　hazards；　they　were　beset　on　every　side　by　the　spirit　of　emancipation。　Abolitionists；　on　the　other　hand；　were　fully　convinced　that　the　attainment　of　some　form　of　emancipation　in　the　United　States　was　certain；　and　that；　either　peaceably　or　through　violence；　the　slaves　would　ultimately　be　liberated。

CHAPTER　III。　EARLY　CRUSADERS　At　the　time　when　the　new　cotton　industry　was　enhancing　the　value　of　slave　labor；　there　arose　from　the　ranks　of　the　people　those　who　freely　consecrated　their　all　to　the　freeing　of　the　slave。　Among　these；　Benjamin　Lundy；　a　New　Jersey　Quaker；　holds　a　significant　place。　Though　the　Society　of　Friends　fills　a　large　place　in　the　anti…slavery　movement；　its　contribution　to　the　growth　of　the　conception　of　equality　is　even　more　significant。　This　impetus　to　the　idea　arises　from　a　fundamental　Quaker　doctrine；　announced　at　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　century；　to　the　erect　that　God　reveals　Himself　to　mankind；　not　through　any　priesthood　or　specially　chosen　agents；　not　through　any　ordinance；　form；　or　ceremony；　not　through　any　church　or　institution；　not　through　any　book　or　written　record　of　any　sort；　but　directly；　through　His　Spirit；　to　each　person。　This　direct　enlightening　agency　they　deemed　coextensive　with　humanity；　no　race　and　no　individual　is　left　without　the　ever…present　illuminating　Spirit。　If　men　of　old　spoke　as　they　were　moved　by　the　Holy　Spirit；　what　they　spoke　or　wrote　can　furnish　no　reliable　guidance　to　the　men　of　a　later　generation；　except　as　their　minds　also　are　enlightened　by　the　same　Spirit　in　the　same　way。　〃The　letter　killeth；　it　is　the　Spirit　that　giveth　life。〃　This　doctrine　in　its　purity　and　simplicity　places　all　men　and　all　races　on　an　equality；　all　are　alike　ignorant　and　imperfect；　all　are　alike　in　their　need　of　the　more　perfect　revelation　yet　to　be　made。　Master　and　slave　are　equal　before　God；　there　can　be　no　such　relation；　therefore；　except　by　doing　violence　to　a　personality；　to　a　spiritual　being。　In　harmony　with　this　fundamental　principle；　the　Society　of　Friends　early　rid　itself　of　all　connection　with　slavery。　The　Friends'　Meeting　became　a　refuge　for　those　who　were　moved　by　the　Spirit　to　testify　against　slavery。　Born　in　1789　in　a　State　which　was　then　undergoing　the　process　of　emancipating　its　slaves；　Benjamin　Lundy　moved　at　the　age　of　nineteen　to　Wheeling；　West　Virginia；　which　had　already　become　the　center　of　an　active　domestic　slave…trade。　The　pious　young　Quaker；　now　apprenticed　to　a　saddler；　was　brought　into　personal　contact　with　this　traffic　in　human　flesh。　He　felt　keenly　the　national　disgrace　of　the　iniquity。　So　deep　did　the　iron　enter　into　his　soul　that　never　again　did　he　find　peace　of　mind　except　in　efforts　to　relieve　the　oppressed。　Like　hundreds　and　thousands　of　others；　Lundy　was　led　on　to　active　opposition　to　the　trade　by　an　actual　knowledge　of　the　inhumanity　of　the　business　as　prosecuted　before　his　eyes　and