Atlantic slave trade

My Lord, the dignity of the subject of this little treatise, not any persuasion of its merits as a literary composition, encourages me to offer it to your Lordship's patronage.

the cause of freedom has always been found sufficient in every age and country to attract the notice of the generous and humane and it is therefore in a more peculiar manner worthy of the attention and favor of a personage who holds a distinguished rank in that illustrious island the very air of which has been determined upon late investigation of its laws to be an antidote against slavery i feel a satisfaction in the opportunity which the publication of this treatise affords me of acknowledging your lordship's civilities which can only be equalled by the respect with which i am your lordship's much obliged and obedient servant thomas clarkson the preface as the subject of the following work has fortunately become of late a topic of conversation i cannot begin the preface in a manner more satisfactory to the feelings of the benevolent reader than by giving an account of those humane and worthy persons who have endeavored to draw upon it that share of the public attention which it has obtained among the well-disposed individuals of different nations and ages who have humanely exerted themselves to suppress the abject personal slavery introduced in the original cultivation of the european colonies in the western world bartholomew de las casas the pious bishop of chiapa in the fifteenth century seems to have been the first this amiable man during his residence in spanish america was so sensibly affected at the treatment which the miserable indians underwent that he returned to spain to make a public remonstrance before the celebrated emperor charles v declaring that heaven would one day call him to an account for those cruelties which he then had it in his power to prevent the speech which he made on the occasion is now extant and is a most perfect picture of benevolence and piety but his entreaties by opposition of avarice were rendered ineffectual and i do not find by any books which i have read upon the subject that any other person interfered till the last century when morgan godwin a british clergyman distinguished himself in the cause the present age has also produced some zealous and able opposers of the colonial slavery for about the middle of the present century john woolman and anthony benizet two respectable members of the religious society called quakers devoted much of their time to the subject the former traveled through most parts of north america on foot to hold conversations with the members of his own sect on the impiety of retaining those in a state of involuntary servitude who had never given them offense the latter kept a free school at philadelphia for the education of black people he took every opportunity of pleading in their behalf he published several treatises against slavery and gave a hearty proof of his attachment to the cause by leaving the whole of his fortune in support of that school to which he had so generously devoted his time and attention when alive till this time it does not appear that any bodies of men had collectively interested themselves in endeavoring to remedy the evil but in the year seventeen fifty four the religious society called quakers publicly testified their sentiments upon the subject declaring that to live in ease and plenty by the toil of those whom fraud and violence had put into their power was neither consistent with christianity nor common justice impressed with these sentiments many of the society immediately liberated their slaves and though such a measure appeared to be attended with considerable loss to the benevolent individuals who unconditionally presented them with their freedom yet they adopted it with pleasure nobly considering that to possess a little in an honorable way was better than to possess much through the medium of injustice their example was gradually followed by the rest a general emancipation of the slaves in the possession of quakers at length took place and so effectually did they serve the cause which they had undertaken that they denied the claim of membership in their religious community to all such as should hereafter oppose the suggestions of justice in this particular either by retaining slaves in their possession or by being in any manner concerned in the slave trade And it is a fact that through the vast tract of North America there is not at this day a single slave in the possession of an acknowledged Quaker.

but though this measure appeared as has been observed before to be attended with considerable loss to the benevolent individuals who adopted it yet as virtue seldom fails of obtaining its reward it became ultimately beneficial most of the slaves who were thus unconditionally freed returned without any solicitation to their former masters to serve them at stated wages as free men the work which they now did was found to be better done than before it was found also that a greater quantity was done in the same time hence less than the former number of laborers was sufficient from these and a variety of circumstances it appeared that their plantations were considerably more profitable when worked by freemen than when worked as before by slaves and that they derived therefore contrary to their expectations a considerable advantage from their benevolence animated by the example of the quakers the members of other sects began to deliberate about adopting the same measure some of those of the church of england of the roman catholics and of the presbyterians and independents freed their slaves and there happened but one instance where the matter was debated where it was not immediately put in force this was in pennsylvania it was agitated in the synod of the presbyterians there to oblige their members to liberate their slaves the question was negatived by a majority of but one person and this opposition seemed to arise rather from a dislike to the attempt of forcing such a measure upon the members of that community than from any other consideration i have the pleasure of being credibly informed that the manumission of slaves or the employment of freemen in the plantations is now daily gaining ground in north america should slavery be abolished there and it is an event which from these circumstances we may reasonably expect to be produced in time let it be remembered that the quakers will have had the merit of its abolition nor have their brethren here been less assiduous in the cause as there are happily no slaves in this country so they have not had the same opportunity of showing their benevolence by a general emancipation they have not however omitted to show it as far as they have been able at their religious meetings they have regularly inquired if any of their members are concerned in the iniquitous african trade they have appointed a committee for obtaining every kind of information on the subject with a view to its suppression and about three or four years ago petitioned parliament on the occasion for their interference and support i am sorry to add that their benevolent application was ineffectual and that the reformation of an evil productive of consequences equally impolitic and immoral and generally acknowledged to have long disgraced our national character is yet left to the unsupported efforts of piety morality and justice against interest violence and oppression and these i blush to acknowledge too strongly countenanced by the legislative authority of a country the basis of whose government is liberty nothing can be more clearly shown than that an inexhaustible mine of wealth is neglected in africa for prosecution of this impious traffic that if proper measures were taken the revenue of this country might be greatly improved its naval strength increased its colonies in a more flourishing situation the planters richer and a trade which is now a scene of blood and desolation converted into one which might be prosecuted with advantage and honor such have been the exertions of the quakers in the cause of humanity and virtue they are still prosecuting as far as they are able their benevolent design and i should stop here and praise them for thus continuing their humane endeavours but that i conceive it to be unnecessary they are acting consistently with the principles of religion they will find a reward in their own consciences and they will receive more real pleasure from a single reflection on their conduct than they can possibly experience from the praises of an host of writers in giving this short account of those humane and worthy persons who have endeavored to restore to their fellow-creatures the rights of nature of which they have been unjustly deprived i would feel myself unjust were i to omit two zealous opposers of the colonial tyranny conspicuous at the present day the first is mr granville sharp this gentleman has particularly distinguished himself in the cause of freedom it is a notorious fact that but a few years since many of the unfortunate black people who had been brought from the colonies into this country were sold in the metropolis to merchants and others when their masters had no farther occasion for their services though it was always understood that every person was free as soon as he landed on the british shore in consequence of this notion these unfortunate black people refused to go to the new masters to whom they were consigned they were however seized and forcibly conveyed under cover of the night to ships then lying in the thames to be retransported to the colonies and to be delivered again to the planters as merchantable goods the humane mr sharp was the means of putting a stop to this iniquitous traffic whenever he gained information of people in such a situation he caused them to be brought on shore at a considerable expense he undertook their cause and was instrumental in obtaining the famous decree in the case of somerset that as soon as any person whatever set his foot in this country he came under the protection of the british laws and was consequently free nor did he interfere less honorably in that cruel and disgraceful case in the summer of the year seventeen eighty one when an hundred and thirty-two negroes in their passage to the colonies were thrown into the sea alive to defraud the underwriters but his pious endeavors were by no means attended with the same success to enumerate his many laudable endeavors in the extirpation of tyranny and oppression would be to swell the preface into a volume suffice to say that he has written several books on the subject and one particularly which he distinguishes by the title of a limitation of slavery

the second

Avarice, therefore, which was too powerful for justice on this occasion, immediately turned the scale.

Not only those who were fairly convicted of offences were now sentenced to servitude, but even those who were suspected— new crimes were invented then new punishments might succeed thus was every appearance soon construed into reality every shadow into a substance and often virtue into a crime such also was the case with respect to prisoners of war not only those were now delivered into slavery who were taken in a state of public enmity and injustice but those also who conscious of no injury whatever were taken in the arbitrary skirmishes of these venal sovereigns war was now made not as formerly from the motives of retaliation and defence but for the sake of obtaining prisoners alone and the advantages resulting from their sale if a ship from europe came but into sight it was now considered as a sufficient motive for a war and as a signal only for an instantaneous commencement of hostilities but if the african kings could be capable of such injustice what vices are there that their consciences would restrain or what enormities that we might not expect to be committed when men once consent to be unjust they lose at the same instant with their virtue a considerable portion of that sense of shame which till then had been found a successful protector against the sallies of vice from that awful period almost every expectation is forlorn the heart is left unguarded its protector is no more the vices therefore which so long encompassed it in vain obtain an easy victory in crowds they pour into the defenceless avenues and take possession of the soul there is nothing now too vile for them to mediate too impious to perform such was the situation of the despotic sovereigns of africa they had once ventured to pass the bounds of virtue and they soon proceeded to enormity this was particularly conspicuous in that general conduct which they uniformly observed after any unsuccessful conflict influenced only by the venal motives of european traffic they first made war upon their neighbouring tribes contrary to every principle of justice and if by the flight of the enemy or by other contingencies they were disappointed of their prey they made no hesitation of immediately turning their arms against their own subjects the first villages they came to were always marked on this occasion as the first objects of their avarice they were immediately surrounded were afterwards set on fire and the wretched inhabitants seized as they were escaping from the flames these consisting of whole families fathers brothers husbands wives and children were instantly driven in chains to the merchants and consigned to slavery To these calamities, which thus arose from the tyranny of the kings, we may now subjoin those which arose from the avarice of private persons, many were kidnapped by their own countrymen, who, encouraged by the merchants of Europe, previously lay in wait for them, and sold them afterwards for slaves, while the seamen of the different ships, by every possible artifice, enticed others on board, and transported them to the regions of servitude.

As these practices are in full force at the present day, it appears that there are four orders of involuntary slaves on the african continent of convicts of prisoners of war of those who are publicly seized by virtue of the authority of their prince and of those who are privately kidnapped by individuals it remains only to observe on this head that in the sale and purchase of these the african commerce or slave trade consists that they are delivered to the merchants of europe in exchange for their various commodities that these transport them to their colonies in the west where their slavery takes place and that a fifth order arises there composed of all such as are born to the native africans after their transportation and slavery have commenced having thus explained as much of the history of modern servitude as is sufficient for the prosecution of our design we should have closed our account here but that a work just published has furnished us with a singular anecdote of the colonists of a neighbouring nation which we cannot but relate the learned author having described the method which the dutch colonists at the cape make use of to take the hottentots and enslave them takes occasion in many subsequent parts of the work to mention the dreadful effects of the practice of slavery, which, as he justly remarks, leads to all manner of misdemeanours and wickedness.

Pregnant women, says he, and children in their tenderest years, were not at this time, neither indeed are they ever, exempt from the effects of the hatred and spirit of vengeance, constantly harboured by the colonists, with respect to the Boshi's man-nation.

Speculation and mismanagement had so far reduced the doctor’s finances that he found himself compelled to sell some of his slaves to repair his affairs, and Elizabeth, William’s mother, was among the first that were sold.

William had three brothers who, together with his mother, were taken to the St. Louis Negro market and sold to the highest bidder.

The boys were purchased by a slave trader and sent off to the lower country, but the mother was more fortunate and became the slave of Isaac Mansfield, a gentleman residing in the city of St. Louis.

The last tidings that William had of his brothers was that they had been bought by a planter and sent to his farm on the Yazoo River.

If still living, they are lingering out a miserable existence on a cotton, sugar, or rice plantation in a part of the country where the life of the slave has no parallel in deeds of atrocity.

A bitter smile was on her cheek and a dark flash in her eye.

After remaining on the farm for a few weeks under the iron rule of the overseer, William was again hired out to the proprietors of the steamer Enterprise.

On the second trip of the boat's return from Galena, she took on board at Hannibal a noted slave trader named Walker, who had with him between fifty and sixty slaves, consisting chiefly of men and women adapted to field service.