Becoming America - An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, 2018a

BECOMING AMERICA
REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD LITERATURE
years. But two hundred and nine, from 1620—when twenty of our fathers were
brought into Jamestown, Virginia, by a Dutch man of war, and sold o like brutes
to the highest bidders; and there is not a doubt in my mind, but that tyrants are
in hope to perpetuate our miseries under them and their children until the nal
consumation of all things.—But if they do not get dreadfully deceived, it will be
because God has forgotten them.
The Pagans, Jews and Mahometans try to make proselytes to their religions,
and whatever human beings adopt their religions they extend to them their
protection. But Christian Americans, not only hinder their fellow creatures, the
Africans, but thousands of them will absolutely beat a coloured person nearly to
death, if they catch him on his knees, supplicating the throne of grace. This
barbarous cruelty was by all the heathen nations of antiquity, and is by the Pagans,
Jews and Mahometans of the present day, left entirely to Christian Americans to
inict on the Africans and their descendants, that their cup which is nearly full may
be completed. I have known tyrants or usurpers of human liberty in dierent parts
of this country to take their fellow creatures, the coloured people, and beat them
until they would scarcely leave life in them; what for? Why they say “ The black
devils had the audacity to be found making prayers and supplications to the God
who made them!!!!” Yes, I have known small collections of coloured people to have
convened together, for no other purpose than to worship God Almighty, in spirit
and in truth, to the best of their knowledge; when tyrants, calling themselves
patrols, would also convene and wait almost in breathless silence for the poor
coloured people to commence singing and praying to the Lord our God, as soon as
they had commenced, the wretches would burst in upon them and drag them out
and commence beating them as they would rattle-snakes—many of whom, they
would beat so unmercifully, that they would hardly be able to crawl for weeks and
sometimes for months. Yet the American minister send out missionaries to convert
the heathen, while they keep us and our children sunk at their feet in the most
abject ignorance and wretchedness that ever a people was aicted with since the
world began. Will the Lord suer this people to proceed much longer? Will he not
stop them in their career? Does he regard the heathens abroad, more than the
heathens among the Americans? Surely the Americans must believe that God is
partial, notwithstanding his Apostle Peter, declared before Cornelius and others
that he has no respect to persons, but in every nation he that feareth God and
worketh righteousness is accepted with him.—”The word,” said he, which “ God
sent unto the children of Israel, preaching “ peace, by Jesus Christ, (he is Lord of
all.”) Have not the Americans the Bible in their hands? Do they believe it? Surely
they do not. See how they treat us in open violation of the Bible!! They no doubt
will be greatly oended with me, but if God does not awaken them, it will be,
because they are superior to other men, as they have represented themselves to be.
Our divine Lord and Master said, “all things whatsoever ye would that men should
do unto you, do ye even so unto them.” But an American minister, with the Bible in
is hand, holds us and our children in the most abject slavery and wretchedness.
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