from A Testimony against the Anti-Christian Practice of Making Slaves of Men
A native of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and son of a prominent New England family, Elihu Coleman (1699–1789) was an adult convert to Quakerism. Influenced by earlier Quakers like John Hepburn, Coleman confessed in his preface “To the Reader” that he found it hard to write against slavery partly because it had been “carried on so long pretty much in silence.” He was thus one of the first to stigmatize silence as complicity when one is confronted with an evil like slavery. In the passage selected here from his eighteen-page treatise, Coleman uses biblical citations to debunk the “mark of Cain” myth more thoroughly than anyone previously—though that belief would persist among slaveholders for generations to come. Ultimately all of Coleman’s arguments are rooted in his belief that to deprive a person of freedom on the basis of race is “to deface the image of God,” thus implying that racism itself is an offense against God.
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But some may object, as I my self have heard them, that there was a Mark set upon Cain, and they do believe that these Negroes are the Posterity of Cain, because of their Hair, and their being so black, differing from all others, and that Canaan was to be a Servant of Servants to his Brethren, whom they take to be of the same Linage: But if we do but observe, and read in the Genealogy of Cain, we may find that they were all drowned in the old World, and that Canaan was of the Line of Seth. And altho’ it was of the Will of God that the World was drowned, because of their great Wickedness; yet we may observe also, that there was unclean Beasts went into the Ark, as well as clean, and that it was the Will or Permission of God, that there should be a Ham, as well as a Shem and Japhet: By which we may see that God suffers wicked Men to live as well as Righteous, and we find that the Sun shineth on the Evil as well as on the Good, and that the Rain falleth on the Unjust as well as the Just, and that Christ forbids his Followers to meddle with the Tares lest they hurt the Wheat; therefore none can have any Plea for making of them Slaves, for their being either ignorant or wicked; for if that Plea would do, I do believe they need not go so far for Slaves as now they do.
And altho’ Canaan was to be a Servant of Servants to his Brethren, yet the Lord afterwards spake by the Prophets, that the Son should not bear the Iniquity of the Father, nor the Father should not bear the Iniquity of the Son, but the Soul that sinneth should die. Then the Posterity of Canaan, or of Ham, do not bear their Sins: And the Apostle Peter saith, Now I perceive of a Truth that God is no respecter of Persons, but in every Nation he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness, is accepted of him. Now altho’ the Negroes might not have the Understanding that some other Nations have, then I do believe there is the less required, and if they do but as well as they know, I do believe it is well with them. For John the Divine saith in the Revelations, that he saw them that were sealed in their Foreheads, of the Tribes of Israel, of each Tribe Twelve Thousand, which made an Hundred and Forty and Four Thousand: And after this I beheld (said he) and lo a great Multitude which no Man could Number, of all Nations, and Kindreds, and People, and Tongues, stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white Robes, and Palms in their Hands, and they cried with a loud Voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb, Rev. 7. 9, 10. Now if there was of all Nations, Kindreds, Tongues and People, then there was some of the Negroes.
Now altho’ the Turks make Slaves of those they can catch, that are not of their Religion, yet (as History relates) as soon as any embraces the Mahomitan Religion, they are no longer kept Slaves, but are quickly set free, and for the most part put to some place of Preferment; so zealous are they for Proselites and their own Religion. Now if many among those called Christians, would but consider how far they fall short of the Turks in this Particular, it would be well; for they tell the Negroes that they must believe in Christ, and receive the Christian Faith, and that they must receive the Sacrament, and be baptized, and so they do; but still they keep them Slaves for all this. Now how partial are those that can judge a Negro that should run away from his Master to deserve beating, and if one called a Christian (altho’ it may be no better Christian than the other) should run away from the Turks, they can judge him to be a good Fellow, and to have done well. Now I look upon this Practice of making Slaves to be so great a Sin, that even Men whose Principles will allow of killing Men in their own Defence, will not allow of making Slaves; for they counting it better to deprive them of Life that rise up against them, than to deprive those of Liberty that have done them no Harm.
Now if any one should ask one of the Negroes Masters that had a Negro Child and a Child of his own, what Harm the one had done, that it should be made a Slave more than the other? that they would not I believe be able to answer it; and if they have done us no Harm, (as it is evident they have not) then it is very contrary to Scripture, and even to Nature, to make them suffer. Now if we will but look back into the Original of this Practice, which ought to be most looked into, and spoken against; for until the Cause is removed, I know not how the Effect should cease; we shall find that they were stollen in the first place either by them that fetched them, or they carrying such Goods as induced some of their own Nation to steal them; and they standing ready to receive them, which is as bad as if they had stollen them themselves.
Now we may find that Man-stealing and Man-slaying were joined together, and there was the same Punishment for the one as for the other. See Exod. 21. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. And he that smiteth a Man, so that he die, shall surely be put to Death. And he that stealeth a Man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his Hands, he shall surely be put to Death. We may find it also in the New Testament joined with the worst of Murderers, as such as were Murderers of Fathers and Murderers of Mothers, and Man-stealers, 1 Tim. 1. 9, 10. The Prohibition is general, he that stealeth away Man, a Brother or a Stranger, or Heathen, or any Man, the Punishment is Capital; for he that killed was to be put to Death, because it was the Image of God, Gen. 9. 6. So he that robbeth a Man of his Freedom, which only maketh Knowledge useful, seems to deface the Image of God, and therefore is punished with Death.
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