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

BECOMING AMERICA
REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD LITERATURE
Now I ask them, would they like for us to hold them and their children in abject
slavery and wretchedness? No says one, that never can be done—your are too
abject and ignorant to do it—you are not men—your were made to be slaves to us,
to dig up gold and silver for us and our children. Know this, my dear sirs, that
although you treat us and our children now, as you do your domestic beast—yet the
nal result of all future events are known but to God Almighty alone, who rules in
the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and who dethrones
one earthly king and sits up another, as it seemeth good in his holy sight. We may
attribute these vicissitudes to what we please, but the God of armies and of justice
rules in heaven and in earth, and the whole American people shall see and know it
yet, to their satisfaction. I have known pretended preachers of the gospel of my
Master, who not only held us as their natural inheritance, but treated us with as
much rigor as any Indel or Deist in the world—just as though they were intent
only on taking our blood and groans to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. The wicked
and ungodly, seeing their preachers treat us with so much cruelty, they say: our
preachers, who must be right, if any body are, treat them like brutes, and why
cannot we?—They think it is no harm to keep them in slavery and put the whip to
them, and why cannot we do the same!—They being preachers of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, if it were any harm, they would surely preach against their oppression
and do their utmost to erase it from the country; not only in one or two cities, but
one continual cry would be raised in all parts of this confederacy, and would cease
only with the complete overthrow of the system of slavery, in every part of the
country. But how far the American preachers are from preaching against slavery
and oppression, which have carried their country to the brink of a precipice; to
save them from plunging down the side of which, will hardly be aected, will
appear in the sequel of this paragraph, which I shall narrate just as as it transpired.
I remember a Camp Meeting in South Carolina, for which I embarked in a Steam
Boat at Charleston, and having been ve or six hours on the water, we at last arrived
at the place of hearing, where was a very great concourse of people, who were no
doubt, collected together to hear the word of God, (that some had collected barely
as spectators to the scene, I will not here pretend to doubt, however, that is left to
themselves and their God.) Myself and boat companions, having been there a little
while, we were all called up to hear; I among the rest went up and took my seat—
being seated, I xed myself in a complete position to hear the word of my Saviour
and to receive such as I thought was authenticated by the Holy Scriptures; but to
my no ordinary astonishment, our Reverend gentleman got up and told us (coloured
people) that slaves must be obedient to their masters—must do their duty to their
masters or be whipped—the whip was made for the backs of fools. &c. Here I pause
for a moment, to give the world time to consider what was my surprise, to hear
such preaching from a minister of my Master, whose very gospel is that of peace
and not of blood and whips, as this pretended preacher tried to make us believe.
What the American preachers can think of us, I aver this day before my God, I have
never been able to dene. They have newspapers and monthly periodicals, which
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