not the natural elements of the blacks, as the Americans try to make
us believe; but these are misfortunes which God has suffered our
fathers to be enveloped in for many ages, no doubt in consequence of
their disobedience to their Maker, and which do, indeed, reign at this
time among us, almost to the destruction of all other principles: for
I must truly say, that ignorance, the mother of treachery and deceit,
gnaws into our very vitals. Ignorance, as it now exists among us,
produces a state of things, Oh my Lord! too horrible to present to the
world. Any man who is curious to see the full force of ignorance
developed among the colored people of the United States of America,
has only to go into the southern and western states of this
confederacy, where, if he is not a tyrant, but has the feelings of a
human being, who can feel for a fellow creature, he may see enough to
make his very heart bleed! He may see there, a son take his mother,
who bore almost the pains of death to give him birth, and by the
command of a tyrant, strip her as naked as she came into the world,
and apply the cow-hide to her, until she falls a victim to death in
the road! He may see a husband take his dear wife, not unfrequently in
a pregnant state, and perhaps far advanced, and beat her for an
unmerciful wretch, until his infant falls a lifeless lump at her feet!
Can the Americans escape God Almighty? If they do, can he be to us a
God of Justice? God is just, and I know it--for he has convinced me to
my satisfaction--I cannot doubt him. My observer may see fathers
beating their sons, mothers their daughters, and children their
parents, all to pacify the passions of unrelenting tyrants. He may
also, see them telling news and lies, making mischief one upon
another. These are some of the productions of ignorance, which he will
see practised among my dear brethren, who are held in unjust slavery
and wretchedness, by avaricious and unfeeling tyrants, to whom, and
their hellish deeds, I would suffer my life to be taken before I would
submit. And when my curious observer comes to take notice of those
who are said to be free (which assertion I deny) and who are making
some frivolous pretensions to common sense, he will see that branch of
ignorance among the slaves assuming a more cunning and deceitful
course of procedure. He may see some of my brethren in league with
tyrants, selling their own brethren into _hell upon earth_, not
dissimilar to the exhibiti