【英文读物】The Slavery Question.docx
《【英文读物】The Slavery Question.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《【英文读物】The Slavery Question.docx(83页珍藏版)》请在得力文库 - 分享文档赚钱的网站上搜索。
1、【英文读物】The Slavery QuestionPREFACE.American slavery is a great sina complicated iniquitya gigantic barbarismand it “is evil, only evil, and that continually.” But the depth of this wickedness is not very frequently sounded, if, indeed it can be sounded. The magnitude of this crime is not often measur
2、ed, if, indeed it is possible to determine its dimensions.Slavery has narcoticized the consciences of the American people to a most alarming extent. A deep sleep has come over the moral sense, which it would seem cannot be broken by the cries and entreaties of three millions of wretched bondmen. Are
3、 we not in imminent danger of being cursed with Pharaohs hardness of heart? May we not be visited speedily with judicial blindness such as was inflicted upon the doomed nations and cities of antiquity?The standard of national morality has been degraded to the level of an infamous lower law enacted b
4、y scheming political traders.Our national government, in all its departmentsExecutive, Judicial and Legislativehas been transformed into a pliant tool in the hands of an unscrupulous oligarchy.The powerful American Churches have ceased to be asylums for the oppressed, defenders of the down trodden,
5、uncompromising foes of tyranny, and they have become, on the contrary, the apologists of oppressors, a terror to the oppressed, and the only reliable bulwark of American slavery.The author has aimed to present in the following pages such a discussion of the general subject of slavery as would be cal
6、Pg ivculated to awaken the thoughts, and feelings, especially of those who have not had an opportunity of examining this question in larger and more ably written productions. There are thousands of honest people who would take a decided position on a Christian anti-slavery platform, and throw their
7、whole influence in the right direction if they were made acquainted with slavery as it is, and with their duties religiously and politically in relation to it. It is with the design of benefiting the common peoplethe people of plain sensewho are not offended at plain talk and plain facts, that the f
8、ollowing work is published. If the workingmen of the free and slave States can be aroused into action, slavery must fly from the churches and perish from the nation.With this purpose in view, we have sketched a history of the African slave trade, showing how slavery originated; have defined slaveryp
9、roving that its essential principle is property in a human being; and laws, facts and incidents have been adduced to illustrate the system so that even a child may see and feel its enormity.And, as a corrupt moral sense has been still more corrupted by efforts to bring revealed religion to the suppo
10、rt of slavery, particular pains have been taken to prove that not a single word, nor precept, nor example can be adduced from the Bible which sanctions any such system; and that the whole spirit of religion as revealed under the old economy and the new, is utterly and irreconcilably opposed to all s
11、lavery.It has been thought proper to present a concise view of the position occupied by the American Churches upon this question. No church can complain when its ecclesiastical action on so grave a subject is re-published. And besides, it is quite necessary for honest people to know on what platform
12、s the religious denominations of the country stand.The true position of a religious society or church in relation to slavery is exhibited. This is a point of more than ordinary importance. The doctrine is maintained that the honor of the Bible, the purity, power, peace, and success of the Church, it
13、s duty to God, to freedom, to slaveholders and especially to slaves, demand that it have no fellowship with slaveholding. Particular pains have been taken to point out the political duties of Christians in relation to slavery.The inquiry, “how are we to get rid of slavery?” is taken up, and the posi
14、tion assumed and defended that it ought to be abolished immediately.The book closes with a glance at the prospects. The watchman tells us that the sky from many points of observation is dark, but still that there are some very encouraging indications. The uncorrupted conscience, reason, truth, Chris
15、tianity and prayer, are on the side of the oppressed; and God, who is love, is their hope, and cannot fail to come to their help and bring them forth with a mighty hand and an out-stretched arm.Quite a number of works on slavery have been consulted in the preparation of this discussion, among which
16、may be mentioned, “American Slave Code” by Mr. Goodell; “Barnes on Slavery;” “Bible Servitude,” by E. Smith; “Elliott on American Slavery;” “Slavery and the Church,” by Mr. Hosmer; “Debate on Slavery by Blanchard & Rice;” “Non-fellowship with Slaveholders,” by Mr. Fee; “Sermon on the Slave Trade” by
17、 Jonathan Edwards; and “Thirteenth Annual Report of the American and Foreign Anti-slavery Society.”No “mealy words” have been used in this book. I have only aimed to present the plain truth, and shall be rewarded in whatever mite of influence it may cast on the side of liberty.CHAPTER I. Origin of A
18、merican Slavery. THE SLAVE TRADE.On the continent of America and adjacent Islands there are more than seven millions of slaves. Between three and four millions of these are enslaved by the most liberal, enlightened and prosperous nation on the Globe. The American Republic is a great slaveholding nat
19、ion, and, viewed in its slaveholding character, might fitly be termed also, the American Despotism. The highest form of freedom is here enjoyed by about twenty millions of persons and the lowest type of slavery suffered by more than three millions. One seventh of all born under our Democratic Consti
20、tution and under our world-renowned stars and stripes, are hereditary slaves.American slavery has flourished three hundred years, being coeval with the Reformation, and running back over one twentieth part ofPg 14 the whole period of time since Adam. Nine generations of slaves, under a crushing weig
21、ht of despotism, have toiled and suffered on through a wretched life, and have gone murmuring down to the grave.We shall now inquire into the origin of this immense iniquity. American slavery originated directly in the African slave trade; a trade most dishonorable to human nature, bad as that natur
22、e is admitted to be, and most disgraceful to christian civilization. Its history, although not fully written, except by heavens recording angel, cannot be read by a humane person, even in its fragmentary form, without the deepest sorrow. It is a history of villainy, of relentless cruelty, of raging,
23、 hollow-hearted avarice and of unmitigated diabolism on the one side; and of wrongs, wretchedness and writhing anguish on the other.Nothing had occurred to provoke a marauding attack upon the Africans. They were a peaceable and harmless people, and had no means of exciting either the jealousy or the
24、 displeasure of Europeans. They had not violated treaties, nor declared wars. The bloody wars among the African tribes, of which we hear so much from those who would palliate the atrocities of the slave trade, were excited by the traders themselves, and so far from palliating,Pg 15 only add blacknes
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- 英文读物 【英文读物】The Slavery Question 英文 读物 The
限制150内