Carolina to Frederick Douglass, October 27, 1851
A Glance at New York - Colonization.
Mr. Editor:
Sir:—
As this is certainly a great age in which we live, and as great things are daily transpiring, I therefore trust that you will condescend to receive a communication from one who will esteem it, equally as great to himself at least, as many other extraordinary things daily coming to pass. I say great to me, because it has been my misfortune not only to have been raised in a State that tolerates the wicked institution of American slavery, but born and raised a slave myself, and not until a few short months have I ever known what it was to breathe the air of freedom - yes, a State that stands disgraced by having laws engrafted on its statute-book, prohibiting the poor slave from ever learning to read his Lord's prayers - a State whose white inhabitants believe, or rather pretend to believe, that they are doing the will of God, to keep us down beneath the yoke of oppression; and should we be accidentally caught with the leaf of a spelling-book, or the feather of a goose, trimmed in the form of a pen, nine and thirty stripes upon our bare persons, is the reward, according to slavery, we receive; and if we get a little "book lernin," we have to steal it. Among this state of things it was my misfortune to have been raised. May I not, then, say I feel great with some propriety as stated above. When I look around, and contemplate upon days gone by of my life, with my present position as a freeman - when I look around, and behold myself here, in the Empire State, fearlessly armed, with pen in hand, ready to do battle against slavery, in all its forms, though weak my weapon be - when I behold myself here, in this State of free institutions, with the [amaranthine] wreath of liberty encircling my brow; where I can dare stand forth in bold relief, and stare slavery in the face, with all its deformities, without fear or trembling - I can but reiterate the fact that I feel the change greatly. Then imagine the feelings of one thus experienced, to behold here, in this city, the great metropolis of the nation, where men, of whatever complexion of skin, can, in some degree, boast of freedom, colored men,
"Tho' few their numbers be,
And beautifully less they grow,"
striving, by whatever little influence they possess, to perpetuate this wicked and most infamous institution—by their Colonization meetings weekly held in our midst, and by promulgating to the world, reports of their Liberia farms. Farms, did I say? I fear I mistake, for after all, there seems to be but one farm in Liberia—that of L. H. Putnam's., who, Judas-like, turned traitor to the chosen twelve, or rather thirteen. (Vigilant Committee of New York.) But, notwithstanding this extraordinary proceeding, and famous farm report, the colored people in this section of the country at least, will not be driven away by any such sweet persuasions, come under whatever mantle of Colonizationism it may. Yes, these principles were floriously set forth last Monday evening, in Shiloh Church, by the colored people of this city. They declared in tones of thunder, that they would not be thus duped, and that they intended to arouse from their former lethargy, and their march henceforth should be upward, and onward, until slavery shall have become extinct on this continent. But Colonization is greatly at a discount at present; for I am credibly informed, that at the last meeting held, even the captain of the corporal guard of six, which constitutes
the height of Colonizationism in the city of New York, fled long before the adjournment of the meeting, and are now quietly reclining on the other side of the question. The next in command vacated the Chair, (for he was chairman of the meeting,) and soon followed the example of the chivalrous captain. The Liberian farmer, seeing himself alone, as manager of the meeting, also soon found his way to the door, and returned with a large delegation of policemen, from the fifth ward station-house. Not that he feared any bodily injury, but hoping, as I suppose, that he might find some one among them that he could contract with as consignee of his rich cargoes of coffee and logwood; and he was so unfortunate as not to find, even among them, one who could condescend to act in such a capacity, when varnished over with colonizationism, and soon left the hall in disgust. The whole cause of this stupendous flight among the Liberians was the astounding eloquence of those true men of liberty, Greignon, Powers, Bell, and others. On the next appointed evening of the meeting, I chanced to pass on the opposite side of the street to the hall, and espied two of the army of six, standing on the stoop, and as they were armed to the teeth, with something resembling hand-spikes, I presume they were acting the part of sentinels, awaiting the arrival of the captian, whom I understand, is an aspirant to the Captain-Generalship of Cape Measurado. I presume, however, he did not arrive, as I returned an half hour afterwards, and glanced my eye up to the window, expecting to catch the sound of some fine voice of an orator giving vent to his colonization principles, when lo! to my great surprise, the tone of the voice came down upon my ear in sweet accents, intermingled with the sound of the tambo, and the fandango, instead of a colonization meeting, went gaily on. I know not how to account for this strange and hasty revolution, unless it be that the female portion of our community have taken it in their heads that the walls of Farmer Hall shall never more be desecrated by any colonization movement.
Yes, the colored people begins to see that they have a duty to perform, and that duty is to stand up manfully and do battle against slavery, and contend for their liberty and their lives, and that it is time to begin this duty. They are not insensible of the fact, that by the 'lower law' authority, neither their liberty nor their lives are secure. They see that at the very moment the ears of this great nation are deafened by the thundering peals of artillery, in welcoming foreign heroes to our shores - at the very moment the knee of this mighty republic is bowed, in doing homage to foreign patriots, citizens of their own country are incarcerated in dungeons, and undergoing trials for high treason, for daring to defend the very same thing for which these strangers from abroad are lauded to the skies for doing. Is not this consistency, indeed?
But such are the mighty workings of slavery. And when we then look around and see colored men striving to perpetuate this state of things, by persuading us to abandon our part, and fly to the desolate wilds of Africa, thereby riveting stronger the chains that now bind three millions of our fellow-brethren to the yoke, encouraging, by their actions the legislators of the several States in passing laws to expel us if possible, from the land of our birth, from the graves of our fathers and mothers, and seek refuge among the savages of Africa the height of Colonizationism in the city of New York, fled long before the adjournment of the meeting, and are now quietly reclining on the other side of the question. The next in command vacated the Chair, (for he was chairman of the meeting,) and soon followed the example of the chivalrous captain. The Liberian farmer, seeing himself alone, as manager of the meeting, also soon found his way to the door, and returned with a large delegation of policemen, from the fifth ward station-house. Not that he feared any bodily injury, but hoping, as I suppose, that he might find some one among them that he could contract with as consignee of his rich cargoes of coffee and logwood; and he was so unfortunate as not to find, even among them, one who could condescend to act in such a capacity, when varnished over with colonizationism, and soon left the hall in disgust. The whole cause of this stupendous flight among the Liberians was the astounding eloquence of those true men of liberty, Greignon, Powers, Bell, and others. On the next appointed evening of the meeting, I chanced to pass on the opposite side of the street to the hall, and espied two of the army of six, standing on the stoop, and as they were armed to the teeth, with something resembling hand-spikes, I presume they were acting the part of sentinels, awaiting the arrival of the captian, whom I understand, is an aspirant to the Captain-Generalship of Cape Measurado. I presume, however, he did not arrive, as I returned an half hour afterwards, and glanced my eye up to the window, expecting to catch the sound of some fine voice of an orator giving vent to his colonization principles, when lo! to my great surprise, the tone of the voice came down upon my ear in sweet accents, intermingled with the sound of the tambo, and the fandango, instead of a colonization meeting, went gaily on. I know not how to account for this strange and hasty revolution, unless it be that the female portion of our community have taken it in their heads that the walls of Farmer Hall shall never more be desecrated by any colonization movement.
Yes, the colored people begins to see that they have a duty to perform, and that duty is to stand up manfully and do battle against slavery, and contend for their liberty and their lives, and that it is time to begin this duty. They are not insensible of the fact, that by the 'lower law' authority, neither their liberty nor their lives are secure. They see that at the very moment the ears of this great nation are deafened by the thundering peals of artillery, in welcoming foreign heroes to our shores - at the very moment the knee of this mighty republic is bowed, in doing homage to foreign patriots, citizens of their own country are incarcerated in dungeons, and undergoing trials for high treason, for daring to defend the very same thing for which these strangers from abroad are lauded to the skies for doing. Is not this consistency, indeed?
But such are the mighty workings of slavery. And when we then look around and see colored men striving to perpetuate this state of things, by persuading us to abandon our part, and fly to the desolate wilds of Africa, thereby riveting stronger the chains that now bind three millions of our fellow-brethren to the yoke, encouraging, by their actions the legislators of the several States in passing laws to expel us if possible, from the land of our birth, from the graves of our fathers and mothers, and seek refuge among the savages of Africa—such men, I
can look upon in no other light than enemies to their country, enemies to their race, and enemies to the cause of freedom and emancipation.
But the colored people of this country say that they will not go. Though you may deny us the title of citizens, and call us residents, yet, we will not go, but intend to remain and contend for our liberties, for those liberties guaranteed to us by the founders of this Republic, when they declared that we, like the rest of manking, are endowed with certain inalienable rights, among which are life and Liberty.
CAROLINA.
New York, Oct. 27, 1851.