from a country free from； and a country afflicted with the curse of slavery。〃 The debate was by no means confined to industrial or material considerations。 McDowell； who was afterwards elected Governor of the State； thus portrays the personal relations of master and slave 〃You may place the slave where you pleaseyou may put him under any process； which； without destroying his value as a slave； will debase and crush him as a rational beingyou may do all this； and the idea that he was born to be free will survive it all。 It is allied to his hope of immortalityit is the ethereal part of his nature which oppression cannot reachit is a torch lit up in his soul by the hand of the Deity； and never meant to be extinguished by the hand of man。〃 Various speakers assumed that the continuance of slavery involved a bloody conflict； that either peaceably or through violence； slavery as contrary to the spirit of the age must come to an end； that the agitation against it could not be suppressed。 Faulkner drew a lurid picture of the danger from servile insurrection； in which he referred to the utterances of two former speakers； one of whom had said that； unless something effective was done to ward off the danger； 〃the throats of all the white people of Virginia will be cut。〃 The other replied； 〃No； the whites cannot be conqueredthe throats of the blacks will be cut。〃 Faulkner's rejoinder was that the difference was a trifling one； 〃for the fact is conceded that one race or the other must be exterminated。〃 The public press joined in the debate。 Leading editorials appeared in the Richmond Enquirer urging that effective measures be instituted to put an end to slavery。 The debate aroused much interest throughout the South。 Substantially all the current abolition arguments appeared in the speeches of the slave…owning members of the Virginia Legislature。 And what was done about it？ Nothing at all。 The petition was not granted； no action looking towards emancipation was taken。 This was indeed a turning…point。 Men do not continue to denounce in public their own conduct unless their action results in some effort toward corrective measures。 Professor Thomas Dew； of the chair of history and metaphysics in William and Mary College and later President of the College； published an essay reviewing the debate in the Legislature and arguing that any plan for emancipation in Virginia was either undesirable or impossible。 This essay was among the first of the direct pro…slavery arguments。 Statements in support of the view soon followed。 In 1885 the Governor of South Carolina in a message to the Legislature said； 〃Domestic slavery is the corner…stone of our republican edifice。〃 Senator Calhoun； speaking in the Senate two years later； declared slavery to be a positive good。 W。 G。 Simms； Southern poet and novelist； writing in 1852； felicitates himself as being among the first who about fifteen years earlier advocated slavery as a great good and a blessing。 Harriet Martineau； an English author who traveled extensively in the South in 1885； found few slaveholders who justified the institution as being in itself just。 But after the debates in the Virginia Legislature； there were few owners of slaves who publicly advocated abolition。 The spirit of mob violence had set in； and； contrary to the utterances of Virginia statesmen； free speech on the subject of slavery was suppressed in the slave States。 This did not mean that Southern statesmen had lost the power to perceive the evil effects of slavery or that they were convinced that their former views were erroneous。 It meant simply that they had failed to agree upon a policy of gradual emancipation； and the only recourse left seemed to be to follow the example of James G。 Birney and leave the South or to submit in silence to the new order。
CHAPTER V。 THE VINDICATION OF LIBERTY With the changed attitude of the South towards emancipation there was associated an active hostility to dearly bought human liberty。 Freedom of speech； freedom of the press； freedom of worship； the right of assembly； trial by jury； the right of petition； free use of the mails； and numerous other fundamental human rights were assailed。 Birney and other abolitionists who had immediate knowledge of slavery early perceived that the real question at issue was quite as much the continued liberty of the white man as it was the liberation of the black man and that the enslavement of one race involved also the ultimate essential enslavement of the other。 In 1831 two slave States and six free States still extended to free negroes the right to vote。 During the pro…slavery crusade these privileges disappeared； and not only so； but free negroes were banished from certain States； or were not permitted to enter them； or were allowed to remain only by choosing a white man for a guardian。 It was made a crime to teach negroes； whether slaves or free men； to read and write。 Under various pretexts free negroes were reduced to slavery。 Freedom of worship was denied to negroes； and they were not allowed to assemble for any purpose except under the strict surveillance of white men。 Negro testimony in a court of law was invalid where the rights of a white man were involved。 The right of a negro to his freedom was decided by an arbitrary court without a jury； while the disputed right of a white man to the ownership of a horse was conditioned by the safeguard of trial by jury。 The maintenance of such policies carries with it of necessity the suppression of free discussion。 When Southern leaders adopted the policy of defending slavery as a righteous institution； abolitionists in the South either emigrated to the North or were silenced。 In either case they were deprived of a fundamental right。 The spirit of persecution followed them into the free States。 Birney could not publish his paper in Kentucky； nor even at Cincinnati； save at the risk of his life。 Elijah Lovejoy was not allowed to publish his paper in Missouri； and； when he persisted in publishing it in Illinois； he was brutally murdered。 Even in Boston it required men of courage and determination to meet and organize an anti…slavery society in 1832； though only a few years earlier Benjamin Lundy had traveled freely through the South itself delivering anti…slavery lectures and organizing scores of such societies。 The New York Anti…Slavery Society was secretly organized in 1832 in spite of the opposition of a determined mob。 Mob violence was everywhere rife。 Meetings were broken up； negro quarters attacked； property destroyed； murders committed。 Fair…minded men became abolitionists on account of the crusade against the rights of white men quite as much as from their interest in the rights of negroes。 Salmon P。 Chase of Ohio was led to espouse the cause by observing the attacks upon the freedom of the press in Cincinnati。 Gerrit Smith witnessed the breaking up of an anti…slavery meeting in Utica； New York； and thereafter consecrated his time； his talents； and his great wealth to the cause of liberty。 Wendell Phillips saw Garrison in the hands of a Boston mob； and that experience determined him to make common cause with the martyr。 And the murder of Lovejoy in 1837 made many active abolitionists。 It is difficult to imagine a more inoffensive practice than giving to negro girls the rudiments of an education。 Yet a school for this purpose； taught by Miss Prudence Crandall in Canterbury； Connecticut； was broken up by persistent persecution； a special act of the Legislature being passed for the purpose； forbidding the teaching of negroes from outside the State without the consent of the town authorities。 Under this act Miss Crandall was arrested； convicted； and imprisoned。 Having eliminated free discussion from the South； the Southern States sought to accomplish the same object in the North。 In pursuance of a resolution of the Legislature； the Governor of Georgia offered a reward of five thousand dollars to any one who should arrest； bring to trial； and prosecute to conviction under the laws of Georgia the editor of the Liberator。 R。 G。 Williams； publishing agent for the American Anti…Slavery Society； was indicted by a grand jury of Tuscaloosa County； Alabama； and Governor Gayle of Alabama made a requisition on Governor Marcy of New York for his extradition。 Williams had never been in Alabama。 His offense consisted in publishing in the New York Emancipator a few rather mild utterances against slavery。 Governor McDuffie of South Carolina in an official message declared that slavery was the very corner…stone of the republic； adding that the laboring population of any country； 〃bleached or unbleached；〃 was a dangerous element in the body politic； and predicting that within twenty…five years the laboring people of the North would be virtually reduced to slavery。 Referring to abolitionists； he said： 〃The laws of every community should punish this species of interference with death without benefit of clergy。〃 Pursuant to the Governor's recommendation； the Legislature adopted a resolution calling upon non…slaveholding States to pass laws to suppress promptly and effectively all abolition societies。 In nearly all the slave States similar resolutions were adopted； and concerted action against anti…slavery effort was undertaken。 During the winter of 1835 and 1836； the Governors of the free States received these resolutions from the South and； instead of resenting them as an uncalled…for interference with the rights of free commonwealths； they treated them with respect。 Edward Everett； Governor of Massachusetts； in his message presenting the Southern documents to the Legislature； said： 〃Whatever by direct and necessary operation is calculated to excite an insurrection among the slaves has been held； by highly respectable legal authority； an offense against this Commonwealth which may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor at common law。〃 Governor Marcy of New York； in a like document； declared that 〃without the power to pass such laws the States would not possess all the necessary means for preserving their external relations of peace among themselves。〃 Even before the Southern requests reached Rhode Island； the Legislature had under consideration a bill to suppress abolition societies。 When a committee of the Massachusetts Legislature had been duly organiz