CHAPTER XVI — SLAVERY AND SERVITUDE
102. The First Vote against Slavery (1688)
The agitation against slavery was at this period confined chiefly to the Quakers. The minute was sent to the Yearly Meeting at Burlington, which declined to confirm it. — Bibliography : Winsor, Narrative and Critical History, V, 243-245 ; Channing and Hart, Guide, § 148. — On slavery, see also Contemporaries, I, No. 86, and III; and Nos. 103-108 below. On the Quakers, see Nos. 98 above and 106 below.
THIS is to the monthly meeting held at Richard Worrell's :
These are the reasons why we are against the traffic of men-body, as followeth : Is there any that would be done or handled at this manner? viz., to be sold or made a slave for all the time of his life? How fearful and faint-hearted are many at sea, when they see a strange vessel, being afraid it should be a Turk, and they should be taken, and sold for slaves into Turkey. Now, what is this better done, than Turks do? Yea, rather it is worse for them, which say they are Christians ; for we hear that the most part of such negers are brought hither against their will and consent, and that many of them are stolen. Now, though they
are black, we cannot conceive there is more liberty to have them slaves, as [than] it is to have other white ones. There is a saying, that we should do to all men like as we will be done ourselves ; making no difference of what generation, descent, or colour they are. And those who steal or rob men, and those who buy or purchase them, are they not all alike? Here is liberty of conscience, which is right and reasonable ; here ought to be likewise liberty of the body, except of evil-doers, which is another case. But to bring men hither, or to rob and sell them against their will, we stand against. In Europe, there are many oppressed for conscience-sake ; and here there are those oppressed which are of a black colour. And we who know that men must not commit adultery — some do commit adultery in others, separating wives from their husbands, and giving them to others : and some sell the children of these poor creatures to other men. Ah ! do consider well this thing, you who do it, if you would be done at this manner — and if it is done according to Christianity ! You surpass Holland and Germany in this thing. This makes an ill report in all those countries of
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