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Selections: Extract From An Address To The Citizens Of The S...

Selections: Extract From An Address To The Citizens Of The S... image
Parent Issue
Day
22
Month
January
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Fellow Citizens: - The State Convention of colored citizens, assembled in Detroit, October 26th, and 27th, to consider their political condition, in behalf of their people in this State, would respectfully addressyou on a subject tothem of the most vital importance. We, theoppressed portion of this State, rejoice that we are the native born inhabïtants of a country that professes to be the land of the free, and anasylum for the oppressed of ail nations. But yet we feel ourselves aggrieved. that we are deprived by injustice of those inalienable rights with which we are endowed by the Creator of the Universe, and incorporated and made sacred to every native born inhabitant of these United States, by the Declaration of American Independence. Therefore do we solemnly appeal to you for a just reason, why we should be deprived of our free born rights, which are guarantied to us as native born Americans. For we find ourselves existing in this State, with no marks of criminality attachcd to our name as a class, no spots of immorality staining our character - ao charges of disloyalty dishonoring our birth-right; yet we are prevented from being participants in those free-born rights and sympathies, that are bountifully guaranteed not only to common humanity of this State, but also to foreigners of whatever clime or language. We find ourselves the subjects and not the obiects oflegislation. because we areprevented from giving an assenting or opposing voice in , the periodic appointment of those who . rule us and are made passive instruments , of all laws. justorunjust, that may be en; acted, to which we are bound to subscribe, even while we have no instrumentality,. either in their formation oradoption, and which in their practical operation actupon us with destructive tendency. By subjecting us to taxation without répi'esentation, by allowing us but a scant)r and inadequate participation in the privileges of education. For we are deprived of a just and equal participation in the cducational privileges of the State, for which we are equally taxed to support. By shutting usout from the exercise o the elective franchise;a right which orates the soul, and expands the mental powers, and is the saib-guard of the j erty and prosperity of a fyee and j pendent people, and by being doprived of this right, we are virtually and manifesïlv ! shut out from the attainment of those ] sourcesof peeüniary and professional fmolumentS; which an unsliackled citizonship does áhv'ays ensure. These proscriptions in the privileges of the Stato, we consider to bc undemocratic, uhjust, and not in accordance with the spirit nn-i political institutionsof our republican forni of gover nm ent, and contra'ry to the first article of our State Constitntion, which in the first three clausc-s of said article. expressly dcdare? fhat, Isf, AH poiitical jpw'er is inherent in the peopíe. 2d, Government is instituí ed for the protection security and benefit of the peoplo, and hey have the-right at al i timos, to alter oi' reform the same, and to abolish one form of governnient and establish aoother, vhenever the public good requires it. 3d, No man or set oL rnen are entitled toexclusive or separate privileges-. And as we, the oppressed form a portion of the people of the State, and are deprived of all the rights and privileges guaranteedto the people, therefore, we enter oursolemn protest against the word white, embodied in the first clause of the second article of the aforesaid Constitution, which provides for all white male citizens, the exclusive and separate privilege of the exerciseof the electivo franchise, of which we are deprived, and which is also contrary, and gives the lie to the third clause of the first article of the Constitution. which so positively declares that "ita man, or set of men are entitlcd to exclusive or separate privileges." For the same here avowed proscriptions in the privileges of the government. did the fathers of the Revolution of 1776, declare these United States to be absolved from all allegiance to the British crown. They published as a justification, a declation of rights, and an extensive list ofgnevances, anri then established a repubücan form of governmcnt for their future ?rotection, laying its foundation on the broad platform of those noble principies set forth in Declaration of Independence; which so nobly declares that all men are borrt free and equal, and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights, among which, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights.governrnents are instituted amongst men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that the people are the only legitímate source of lawful political power, and that they have a right to instituto, alter or abolish forms of government when they fail to secure the ends for which they were established; and that this right is inherent, inalienable andsup reme. That the definition of "the people," is all men; that to enable all men toexercise their right to institute governtnent, they should enjoy the right of suffrage. That this right is a natural right, belongmg to man, because he is a person and not a thing - an accountable being and not a brute. That government is a trust to be execuled for the benefit of all; that its legitimate ends are the preservation of peace, the establishment of justice, the punishrnent of crime, and the security of rights. These principies declare eterna war against all political The condemn all Legislation violating the spil it of equality. They are the foundation of a true, and unproscriptive repúblican forrn of government and the correct guides in all political action.For the maintenance of these noble re publican principies, the fathers of the Rev olution, pledged to each other their lives their fortunes, and their sacred honors and thereupon ordained and estabiishec the Constitution of these United States which guarantees to every State in this Union a republican form of government, and explieitly declares that the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States. In accordance with these glorieus republican principies, have we, year aftcr year petitioned our State Legislature for the redress of grievances. and we have rèceived from time to time but little or no attention. In that declaration of fundamentalcij)]es, set forth by the fathers of '76, we fail to discover anvíhing like a systerñ oí exclusión. No! tliere is not an expression. nor an implied sentiment to be found making a disttnetion in the rights and privileges of any class of American citizens. But on thecontrary,itsfirst infant breath; boldly proclaims that all men are born free and equal, and tliat consequently life, IíbertVj and the pursuit of happinessj nre inlie'rcnt in every individual, vested inalienably by natural birth-right. Had the declaration said that all ':vhite men are born free and equal," ihenoar incesiors would not have been deceivedinto the belief, thai they werè mcluded as constituting a portion of the party, engaged in the strife against British oppresion. Nor have givcn occasion to theobservation of General La Fayette, when he-visited this country, tliat, during the Revolution, the vhite ini, black sokiiers foughtand messeJ togdlicr without hesitation. The records of ihat poriodly proved thr.t the b!acks ruslied l'orth to the conflict, and poured out asmuch bravci-y a t heil' white leilow sokliers, in the atiadcs made tïpon what they th'en considcred to bc the common enetn)r. The estimen y of Gl'HcíIs Washington. Green, and many othe s, to tlie vakrofouppeo)'Ie in ihc time ofour coantry's geeatest )cril, anddanger, shines foo conspicuous o be ini)eachcd by any enlightened indiidual. Yes! fellow citizens - again in the War of 1812. our people were called upon to epcl an im-ading foe f rom our nativc soil. 'egardless of the wrongs thnt hadalrèady )öen-heaped upon them, they immediatey nuhod forth to the conflict; and under tjL command of General Jackson in the Southern army, and especially at the bat-tle of New Orleans, distinguished Ihem-selves as valiant soldiers, fighting in de-fence of their country's The splendid naval achievements,on Lakes Ë- rie& Champlain, were owing,mostly, to the skill and prowess of Coloi-cd men. - - The fame of Perry was gained at the ex pense of the mangled bodiesand bleeding veins of our disfranchiscd people. The" blood of our fathers is mingled with the' soil of every battle field: and their bones haveenriched the most productive íands of our country. Yes! in those ever-memorable battles which achieved the Independence, . and maintained the honor of our country, your fathers and ottrs,fought side by side, many of both were laid low, bleeding and wallowing in their gore,which was the dear price they paid for theIndcpendence of this, our beloved country, that all thcir posterity might enjöy the blessings of Equal LibertyV Therefore, Ave feel ourselves aggrieved,that blessings obtaíñed by the bíood and? toil of our fatheis, are not administered as equally to us as to yourselves; We feol that our sufferings caused by out being deprivedof our Political Rights, shouldf cali forth the syrnpatbiespfthe whoíe-íiu man race, but more especially those of yourselves, among whom we dweil and who are the authors of our calamities. - - For you have tram'plecbpur Líberííes ín' the dust, and thus stariamg with the iron-' heel of Oppression upon our heads, you bid us rise to a level with yourselves;and because we do not rise, you point the finger of scorn and contempt at us, and say,that we are an inferior race by nature.- Yes! when all the avenues of priviïeged I life has been closed agairist u's, our hand bound with stationary fctters, oUr minda" left fo grope in fhe pri'son eelt of impenetrable gloom, and our%hoíe action regü-lated by constitutional law,and a perverse'public sentiment: we have been taunfmg}y required ttf prove the di'gnity of' our human nature,by disrobing ourselves of hv feriority andexhibiiing to the woríd,ouír pröfound scholars, distinguished phiíosophers, learned jurists, and eminent : statesrnen. Thé very expectafion on whüch sucn a reqnisition is founded, fo say the' least, is unreasonabïe: for it is onïy wheii the seed is sovvn, that we can justly expect to reap. Bu'f yet we feel coBstrained to say,we present the curious and' ac-knowledged creditabíe spectacíe of a peo-ple bending under the weight of a gáííing proscription, who yct wíll nol suffer by comparison with our more priviïegea ieW low citizens of the same rañk,either in re-? ügion, morality, industry or general information.-Á spirit of intel%encé pervade? our éruife popiüaiion, pace with the progressiv? spirit of the agé, and thé contiriunl intellectual progress of the riaiion. There are but févfr families in which pen, jnk nnd and books, are not common and necèssary conïmodities. ïf then amidst all the diffieuítjeswith which we are siirrouncied, and privations we have we present an equaJ amounÉ of intelligence with ihat class of our felfow cid'zens that have been so pecnTiarïy favoréd; a verj' grave and danérous question present tself to the world, on the nat ui al equañty of man: a:id tbo best mie of loofic, would píacft ose who have opprese'd us, the scate of nfc-riorirw

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News