Slavery – Historical Miscellany

Thoughts on African Colonization by the Colored Citizens of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, (Pa.,) Sept. 1, 1831.

At a large and respectable meeting of the colored citizens of Pittsburgh, convened at the African Methodist Episcopal church, for the purpose of expressing their views in relation to the American Colonization Society, Mr. J. B. Vashon was called to the chair, and Mr. R. Bryan appointed secretary. The object of the meeting was then stated at considerable length, and in an appropriate manner, by the chairman. The following resolutions were then unanimously adopted:

* * *

Resolved, That we, the colored people of Pittsburgh and citizens of these United States, view the country in which we live as our only true and proper home. We are just as much natives here as the members of the Colonization Society. Here we were born—here bred—here are our earliest and most pleasant associations—here all that binds man to earth, and makes life valuable. And we do consider every colored man who allows himself to be colonized in Africa, or elsewhere, a traitor to our cause.

Resolved, That we are freemen, that we are brethren, that we are countrymen and fellow-citizens, and as fully entitled to the free exercise of the elective franchise as any men who breathe; and that we demand an equal share of protection from our federal government with any class of citizens in the community. We now inform the Colonization Society, that should our reason forsake us, then we may desire to remove. We will apprise them of this change in due season.

——Quoted in Thoughts on African Colonization by William Lloyd Garrison, 1832.

The Trade in Indentured Servants

In the early years of the United States there was a brisk trade in European indentured servants, except in New England, where the trade was outlawed. These servants were slaves for a term: they could be bought and sold, and they had no right to leave a master, no matter how cruel their treatment. Of course there were two great differences from African slavery: first, that the term of service was limited, and children born to indentured servants were not servants themselves; second, that a European appearance made it much easier to take one’s place in society once the term of service was over—and, we suppose, much easier to escape service.

This description is written by William Priest, an English musician who had worked in the theaters at Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Boston. Some of what he reports is second-hand, but much is first-hand knowledge, and he carefully distinguishes the two.

Philadelphia, September 15th, 1796.

Dear sir,

I write this in my way to Boston, where I am going to fulfil my engagement with W—, the particulars of which I informed you of in a former letter.

When I arrived at Newcastle, I had the mortification to find upwards of one hundred irish passengers on board the packet.

For some time before I left Baltimore, our papers were full of a shocking transaction, which took place on board an irish passenger ship, containing upwards of three hundred. It is said, that, owing to the cruel usage they received from the captain, such as being put on a very scanty allowance of water¹ and provision, a contagious disorder broke out on board, which carried off great numbers; and, to add to their distress, when they arrived in the Delaware, they were obliged to perform quarantine, which, for some days, was equally fatal.

The disorder was finally got under by the physicians belonging to the Health Office. We had several of the survivors on board, who confirmed all I had heard: indeed their emaciated appearance was a sufficient testimony of what they had suffered. They assured me, the captain sold the ship’s water by the pint; and informed me of a number of shocking circumstances, which I will not wound your feelings by relating.

It is difficult to conceive how a multitude of witnesses can militate against a fact; but more so, how three hundred passengers could tamely submit to such cruelties, from a bashaw of a captain.

I am happy to inform you the Philadelphia Hibernian Society are determined to prosecute this flesh butcher for murder. As the manner of carrying on this trade in human flesh is not generally known in England, I send you a few particulars of what is here emphatically called a white Guinea man. There are vessels in the trade of Belfast, Londonderry, Amsterdam, Hamburgh, &c. , whose chief cargoes, on their return to America, are passengers; great numbers of whom, on their arrival, are sold for a term of years to pay their passage; during their servitude, they are liable to be resold, at the death or caprice of their masters. Such advertisements as the following, are frequent:—

“To be disposed of, the Indentures of a strong, healthy, irish woman; who has two years to serve, and is fit for all kind of house work.—Enquire of the printer.”

“Stop the villain!

“Ran away this morning, an irish servant, named Michael Day, by trade a tailor, about five feet eight inches high, fair complexion, has a down look when spoken to, light bushy hair, speaks much in the Irish dialect, &c.:—Whoever secures the above described, in any gaol, shall receive thirty dollars reward, and all reasonable charges paid.—N.B. All masters of vessels are forbid harbouring, or carrying off the said servant at their peril.”

The laws respecting the redemptioners² are very severe; they were formed for the english convicts before the revolution. There are lately hibernian, and german societies, who do all in their power, to mitigate the severity of these laws, and render their countrymen, during their servitude, as comfortable as possible. These societies are in all the large towns south of Connecticut. In New England they are not wanting, as the trade is there prohibited. The difficulty of hiring a tolerable servant induces many to deal in this way. Our friend S——lately bought an irish girl for three years, and in a few days discovered he was likely to have a greater increase of his family than he bargained for; we had the laugh sadly against him on this occasion: I sincerely believe the jew regrets his new purchase is not a few shades darker. If he could prove her a woman of colour, and produce a bill of sale, he would make a slave of the child as well as the mother! The emigration from Ireland has been this year very great; I left a large vessel³ full of passengers from thence at Baltimore: I found three at Newcastle: and there is one in this city. The number of passengers cannot be averaged at less than two hundred and fifty to each vessel, all of whom have arrived within the last six weeks!

While the yellow fever was raging in this city, in the year 1793, when few vessels would venture nearer than Fort Miflin, a german captain in this trade arrived in the river, and hearing that such was the fatal nature of the infection, that a sufficient number of nurses could not be procured to attend the sick for any sum, conceived the philanthropic idea of supplying this deficiency from his redemption passengers! Actuated by this humane motive, he sailed boldly up to the city, and advertised⁴ his cargo for sale:—

“A few healthy servants, generally between seventeen and twenty-one years of age; their times will be disposed of, by applying on board the brig.”

Generous soul! thus nobly to sacrifice his own countrymen, pro bono publico. I never heard this honest german was properly rewarded; but virtue is it’s own reward, and there is no doubt but the consciousness of having performed such an action is quite sufficient; at least, it would be to

Yours, &c.

——Travels in the United States of America, Commencing in the Year 1793, and Ending in 1797. By William Priest. London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1802

By a law of the United States, the quantity of water and provision every vessel is obliged to take (in proportion to the length of the passage and persons on board) is clearly defined. A master of a vessel violating this law forfeits five hundred dollars. ↩
The name given to these persons. ↩
These vessels frequently belong to Philadelphia, but land their passengers here, as there is a direct road to the back parts of Pennsylvania. ↩
I have preserved this advertisement, and several others equally curious. ↩

Not Much Fun Watching the Olympics

A story told by Aelian gives us a lively picture of the conditions for the audience at the Olympic Games.

Chap. XVIII. How one that was angry threatned to punish his Servant.

A Chian being angry with his Servant, “I, saith he, will not put you into the Mill, but will carry you to Olympia.” He thought, it seems, that it was a farre greater punishment to be spectator of the Olympick Game, in the excessive heat of the Sun, then to be put to work in a Mill.

——Various History, Book XIV, chapter XVIII, translated by Thomas Stanley.

Infanticide Is Illegal in Thebes

From Book II of Aelian’s Varia Historia, a remarkable and unusual custom of the Thebans:

CHAP. VII. That the Thebans expose not Children.

This is a Theban Law most just and humane; That no Theban might expose his Child or leave it in a Wilderness, upon pain of death. But if the Father were extremely poor, whether it were male or female, the Law requires that as soon as it is born it be brought in the swadling-clouts to the Magistrate, who receiving it, delivers it to some other for some small reward, conditioning with him that he shall bring up the Child, and when it is grown up take it into his service, man or maid, and have the benefit of its labour in requital for its education.

Obviously it is not worth recording unless Thebes is the only place Aelian can recall that has such a law. Instead of killing their unwanted children, the Thebans make slaves of them, which is far more just and humane than most other people are willing to be.

Aelian lived around the year 200, when the illegal Christian cult was growing rapidly. His remarks on this unusual Theban custom illustrate Rodney Stark’s hypothesis that the Christians’ rejection of infanticide was one of the reasons the cult grew so steadily: not only did Christians not kill their own children, but they took in children “exposed” by their neighbors.

Thomas Sims Returned to Slavery

Two engravings in Gleason’s Pictorial accompany a short description of the return of the fugitive slave Thomas Sims in 1851. Clearly Gleason’s is not on the side of the abolitionists; but the illustration above makes it clear that the Boston city government thought of abolitionism as a powerful and dangerous force. The Wikipedia article on Thomas Sims has a fairly good summary of the case. The Gleason’s article is probably reliable in its description of the events in Boston, where Gleason’s was based. This is probably not reliable: “It is somewhat amusing, now that Sims has arrived home, to know of his making a speech there, on landing, and declaring his delight at his escape from the Northern sympathizers, who so nearly used him up!” Here Gleason’s is probably repeating a malicious tall tale from a Savannah paper. Wikipedia tells us that Sims was given forty lashes minus one when he was brought back to Savannah, and then sold down the river; he was probably not as delighted as Gleason’s would have him. He escaped again during the Civil War, however, and ended up working for the U. S. Department of Justice, so that he got to see federal law from both sides.

The two scenes represented on this page, as will be observed by the titles, refer to the late subject of the fugitive slave, Sims; a theme which is still in every one’s mouth, and yet the comment of the press and the exciting subject of conversation to heated politicians. What every one is talking about becomes of general interest, as a matter of course, and therefore we have deemed these closing scenes in this much talked of business, worthy of presenting to our readers. The scene above represents the night watch joined with the day police, under direction of the Mayor and Marshal Tukey, as they appeared conducting Sims, the slave, from his place of confinement in the Court House to the wharf, from whence he embarked for Savannah, Geo. To some persons, the extraordinary precaution taken to guard against a rescue, may seem to be uncalled for; but such are reminded of the almost frantic efforts of heated politicians and mad fanatics, to bring about an open resort to arms by their followers; and there were two ministers, at least, in this city, who openly advised such a course from their pulpits. In view of all the circumstances, the fact of a former rescue from the hands of the law, and the heated state of the public mind generally, these measures were justly deemed but necessary and important, and as such, were adopted by those persons who controlled these matters. After an object of this character has been safely consummated, there are always plenty of wiseacres to laugh at all precautionary measures, but had an attempt at rescue been successfully put in practice—as would most assuredly have been done but for the vigilance of the proper authorities—then the whole body of our citizens would have immediately raised an outcry at the whole police force and the public officers generally, scorning their want of strict watchfulness and thorough knowledge of their important duty on this occasion. Consistency is, indeed, a very bright jewel, but one that is as rare as it is valuable. The scene depicted by our artist below, represents the departure of the brig Acorn from our harbor, not long since, with Sims, the slave, on board. The scene was sketched at the moment when the steamer Hornet took the vessel in tow, and she gathered way down the harbor, with the slave and his guard on board. It is somewhat amusing, now that Sims has arrived home, to know of his making a speech there, on landing, and declaring his delight at his escape from the Northern sympathizers, who so nearly used him up! It was decidedly requisite and necessary that proper officers of the law should attend the fugitive slave, and officially deliver him up to his rightful owner and master, in the city of Savannah, and this was, therefore, accordingly done. Even after the vessel had taken her departure from our harbor, the wind being in an unfavorable direction, she was necessarily compelled to come to an anchor in the lower bay; and here, again, it was deliberately planned to attempt a rescue, but when those disposed to engage in the hazardous undertaking to put such a plan into execution learned how warmly the officers on board the brig were prepared to receive them, this foolhardy intent was at once abandoned. The fugitive has now been delivered to his owner, and the officers who accompanied him to his place of destination have returned to this city. So ends the business.

——Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, July 19, 1851.