The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States | Page 5

was also necessary for them. And very reasonably too,
the first suggestion which occurred to them was, the advantages of a
location, then the necessity of a qualification. They reasoned with
themselves, that all distinctive differences made among men on account
of their origin, is wicked, unrighteous, and cruel, and never shall
receive countenance in any shape from us, therefore, the first acts of the

measure entered into by them, was to protest, solemnly protest, against
every unjust measure and policy in the country, having for its object the
proscription of the colored people, whether state, national, municipal,
social, civil, or religious.
But being far-sighted, reflecting, discerning men, they took a political
view of the subject, and determined for the good of their people to be
governed in their policy according to the facts as they presented
themselves. In taking a glance at Europe, they discovered there,
however unjustly, as we have shown in another part of this pamphlet,
that there are and have been numerous classes proscribed and
oppressed, and it was not for them to cut short their wise deliberations,
and arrest their proceedings in contention, as to the cause, whether on
account of language, the color of eyes, hair, skin, or their origin of
country--because all this is contrary to reason, a contradiction to
common sense, at war with nature herself, and at variance with facts as
they stare us every day in the face, among all nations, in every
country--this being made the pretext as a matter of policy alone--a fact
worthy of observation, that wherever the objects of oppression are the
most easily distinguished by any peculiar or general characteristics,
these people are the more easily oppressed, because the war of
oppression is the more easily waged against them. This is the case with
the modern Jews and many other people who have strongly-marked,
peculiar, or distinguishing characteristics. This arises in this wise. The
policy of all those who proscribe any people, induces them to select as
the objects of proscription, those who differed as much as possible, in
some particulars, from themselves. This is to ensure the greater success,
because it engenders the greater prejudice, or in other words, elicits less
interest on the part of the oppressing class, in their favor. This fact is
well understood in national conflicts, as the soldier or civilian, who is
distinguished by his dress, mustache, or any other peculiar appendage,
would certainly prove himself a madman, if he did not take the
precaution to change his dress, remove his mustache, and conceal as
much as possible his peculiar characteristics, to give him access among
the repelling party.
This is mere policy, nature having nothing to do with it. Still, it is a fact,

a great truth well worthy of remark, and as such as adduce it for the
benefit of those of our readers, unaccustomed to an enquiry into the
policy of nations.
In view of these truths, our fathers and leaders in our elevation,
discovered that as a policy, we the colored people were selected as the
subordinate class in this country, not on account of any actual or
supposed inferiority on their part, but simply because, in view of all the
circumstances of the case, they were the very best class that could be
selected. They would have as readily had any other class as
subordinates in the country, as the colored people, but the condition of
society at the time, would not admit of it. In the struggle for American
Independence, there were among those who performed the most
distinguished parts, the most common-place peasantry of the Provinces.
English, Danish, Irish, Scotch, and others, were among those whose
names blazoned forth as heroes in the American Revolution. But a
single reflection will convince us, that no course of policy could have
induced the proscription of the parentage and relatives of such men as
Benjamin Franklin the printer, Roger Sherman the cobbler, the tinkers,
and others of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. But as
they were determined to have a subservient class, it will readily be
conceived, that according to the state of society at the time, the better
policy on their part was, to select some class, who from their political
position--however much they may have contributed their aid as we
certainly did, in the general struggle for liberty by force of arms--who
had the least claims upon them, or who had the least chance, or was the
least potent in urging their claims. This class of course was the colored
people and Indians.
The Indians who in the early settlement of the continent, before an
African captive had ever been introduced thereon, were reduced to the
most abject slavery, toiling day and night in the mines, under the
relentless hands of heartless Spanish