monopoly of the traffic was not strictly enforced, and a change of policy sometimes favored the export of negroes to the English colonies. The enfranchised negro might become a frecholder." "With the African came the African institution of abject slavery; the large emigration from Connecticut engrafted on New Netherlands the Puritan idea of popular freedom," &c. "Their presence and their activity foretold a revolution." 1 William Penn, in a letter to his wife on taking leave of his family, writes, "Live low and sparingly till my debts are paid," 2 though he wished no expense to be spared in the education of his children; for, by parsimony here, he considered all lost that was saved; but agriculture he proposed as their employment. "Let my children be husbands and housewives;" evidently meaning, whatever may have been his practices respecting the holding of slaves, that his children should depend upon themselves for their own support. It may be asked if William Penn thought all was lost that was saved in not instructing his children, what must have been lost to the country, if he was correct, by not instructing the children of the African? The sum, we think, would be more than twelve hundred millions of money; and who can doubt but it has been ! We have before quoted the remarks made by Mr. Haynes of the character of the people of South Carolina, and have also spoken of the inhabitants 1 Bancroft's History of the United States, vol. ii. p. 303. of North Carolina, and it may not be necessary for us to go farther in our quotations, to show the nature of the population that came to these shores. Much might be brought from other sources, but we will make what we have quoted suffice. While slavery was introduced at an early age by the aristocracy, including kings and queens, and, like alcohol, served to intoxicate the people, and came very near making them forget the very nature of man, yet the love of liberty continued to increase and expand in this country, through all the various conflicts it had to maintain, till, finally, it burst out in our revolutionary struggle. The Declaration of Independence, as has been said, formed a new era in the history of mankind; all seemed to be impressed with the importance of liberty, and more confirmed in their views. Yet slavery ex Many, no doubt, isted, and what was to be done? were inclined to let it rest, and work out its own cure as best it might. Others, on the contrary, were anxious to have it expelled the land, sensible of the inconsistency which they as a people exhibited while these violations of man's rights continued. When first introduced, like spirituous drinks, few were sensible of the evils that might result; and, while the practice appealed to the selfish principle of our nature, many gave way to this feeling, and were willing to let future consequences take care of themselves. It has been remarked, the first cargo of slaves ever brought into this country arrived in Virginia on the same day that the Pilgrims arrived on the shores of Plymouth; and the Dutch captain who brought, could not find a market for them, and, upon his refusing to take them away, the people at last took pity at their forlorn situation, and giving a small compensation, received them to their houses. Hence arose that mighty evil that is now threatening destruction to our social institutions. CHAPTER V. THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION. We now turn to the convention that formed the Constitution, and to the proceedings of the several State conventions, and also to some remarks taken from Mr. Wirt's life of Patrick Henry, and from the Federalist, all tending to show that, while our fathers came to this country for freedom, they meant to transmit this blessing to posterity; and that they did, for the most part, think they had attained this object, and that what they did not accomplish themselves, they left their children to perform. We will, however, observe, that, in these debates, it will be noticed there was a party who were for a strong government, and another party who were jealous for our State rights, and who feared a consolidated government. Whether those who wished for a strong government thought the people were really unable to take care of themselves, and, consequently, required the strong arm of the law to preserve the peace, &c. or, being conscious they meant, or wanted to produce, such a state of things as would make one portion of the community dependent on the other, and thereby create a jealousy and a distrust in the breast of different portions of society against each other, making a powerful government necessary, we will not decide; perhaps both reasons entered into the breast of some, and determined them in their course of action. But, on the whole, a sincere. desire is manifested to do what they thought was for the best good and interest of the country. It appears the members of the convention, from South Carolina and Georgia, were alone instructed on the subject of slavery; and it was through their influence the slave-trade was not immediately abolished, and, if we can judge, that any equivocal expressions on the subject of slavery were introduced into the Constitution. The Virginia delegates, in the first place, received instructions to use their exertions to have the trade abolished; but they were, for some reason or other, withdrawn. South Carolina and Georgia, therefore, have the unenviable distinction of having been the cause of the continuance of slavery, or, rather, that there was no direct action of the convention on the subject. Since, then, having gained some points, they have taken advantage of these to effect their whole object, and they would now try to make us believe the whole government was made for them, and that they have a right to do with it as they think proper; and, by combining their action, they have been enabled to effect their purpose; and, while our government has been apparently a free one, it has, for the most part, been ruled by the slaveholder's influence. Hon. John Q. Adams has said every important question has been decided by |