Zoommy Dearly Beloved Brethren And Fellow Citizens 747391

Zoommy Dearly Beloved Brethren And Fellow Citizenshaving Travelled Ov

Zoommy Dearly Beloved Brethren and Fellow Citizens. Having travelled over a considerable portion of these United States, and having, in the course of my travels, taken the most accurate observations of things as they exist -- the result of my observations has warranted the full and unshaken conviction, that we, (coloured people of these United States,) are the most degraded, wretched, and abject set of beings that ever lived since the world began; and I pray God that none like us ever may live again until time shall be no more. They tell us of the Israelites in Egypt, the Helots in Sparta, and of the Roman Slaves, which last were made up from almost every nation under heaven, whose sufferings under those ancient and heathen nations, were, in comparison with ours, under this enlightened and Christian nation, no more than a cypher -- or, in other words, those heathen nations of antiquity, had but little more among them than the name and form of slavery; while wretchedness and endless miseries were reserved, apparently in a phial, to be poured out upon, our fathers ourselves and our children, by Christian Americans! ... ...

I call upon the professing Christians, I call upon the philanthropist, I call upon the very tyrant himself, to show me a page of history, either sacred or profane, on which a verse can be found, which maintains, that the Egyptians heaped the insupportable insult upon the children of Israel, by telling them that they were not of the human family . Can the whites deny this charge? Have they not, after having reduced us to the deplorable condition of slaves under their feet, held us up as descending originally from the tribes of Monkeys or Orang-Outangs ? O! my God! I appeal to every man of feeling-is not this insupportable?

Is it not heaping the most gross insult upon our miseries, because they have got us under their feet and we cannot help ourselves? Oh! pity us we pray thee, Lord Jesus, Master. -- Has Mr. Jefferson declared to the world, that we are inferior to the whites, both in the endowments of our bodies and our minds? It is indeed surprising, that a man of such great learning, combined with such excellent natural parts, should speak so of a set of men in chains. I do not know what to compare it to, unless, like putting one wild deer in an iron cage, where it will be secured, and hold another by the side of the same, then let it go, and expect the one in the cage to run as fast as the one at liberty.

So far, my brethren, were the Egyptians from heaping these insults upon their slaves, that Pharaoh's daughter took Moses, a son of Israel for her own, as will appear by the following. ... The world knows, that slavery as it existed was, mans, (which was the primary cause of their destruction) was, comparatively speaking, no more than a cypher , when compared with ours under the Americans. Indeed I should not have noticed the Roman slaves, had not the very learned and penetrating Mr. Jefferson said, "when a master was murdered, all his slaves in the same house, or within hearing, were condemned to death." -- Here let me ask Mr. Jefferson, (but he is gone to answer at the bar of God, for the deeds done in his body while living,) I therefore ask the whole American people, had I not rather die, or be put to death, than to be a slave to any tyrant, who takes not only my own, but my wife and children's lives by the inches?

Yea, would I meet death with avidity far! far!! in preference to such servile submission to the murderous hands of tyrants. Mr. Jefferson's very severe remarks on us have been so extensively argued upon by men whose attainments in literature, I shall never be able to reach, that I would not have meddled with it, were it not to solicit each of my brethren, who has the spirit of a man, to buy a copy of Mr. Jefferson's "Notes on Virginia," and put it in the hand of his son. ... But let us review Mr. Jefferson's remarks respecting us some further. Comparing our miserable fathers, with the learned philosophers of Greece, he says: "Yet notwithstanding these and other discouraging circumstances among the Romans, their slaves were often their rarest artists. They excelled too, in science, insomuch as to be usually employed as tutors to their master's children; Epictetus, Terence and Phaedrus, were slaves, -- but they were of the race of whites. It is not their condition then, but nature , which has produced the distinction." See this, my brethren! ! Do you believe that this assertion is swallowed by millions of the whites?

Do you know that Mr. Jefferson was one of as great characters as ever lived among the whites? See his writings for the world, and public labours for the United States of America. Do you believe that the assertions of such a man, will pass away into oblivion unobserved by this people and the world? If you do you are much mistaken-See how the American people treat us -- have we souls in our bodies?

Are we men who have any spirits at all? I know that there are many swell-bellied fellows among us, whose greatest object is to fill their stomachs. Such I do not mean -- I am after those who know and feel, that we are MEN, as well as other people; to them, I say, that unless we try to refute Mr. Jefferson's arguments respecting us, we will only establish them. ... ...I must observe to my brethren that at the close of the first Revolution in this country, with Great Britain, there were but thirteen States in the Union, now there are twenty-four, most of which are slave-holding States, and the whites are dragging us around in chains and in handcuffs, to their new States and Territories to work their mines and farms, to enrich them and their children-and millions of them believing firmly that we being a little darker than they, were made by our Creator to be an inheritance to them and their children for ever-the same as a parcel of brutes .

Are we MEN! ! -- I ask you, 0 my brethren I are we MEN? Did our Creator make us to be slaves to dust and ashes like ourselves? Are they not dying worms as well as we? Have they not to make their appearance before the tribunal of Heaven, to answer for the deeds done in the body, as well as we? Have we any other Master but Jesus Christ alone? Is he not their Master as well as ours? -- What right then, have we to obey and call any other Master, but Himself? How we could be so submissive to a gang of men, whom we cannot tell whether they are as good as ourselves or not, I never could conceive. However, this is shut up with the Lord, and we cannot precisely tell - - but I declare, we judge men by their works. The whites have always been an unjust, jealous, unmerciful, avaricious and blood-thirsty set of beings, always seeking after power and authority. ... ...to my no ordinary astonishment, [a] Reverend gentleman got up and told us (coloured people) that slaves must be obedient to their masters -- must do their duty to their masters or be whipped -- the whip was made for the backs of fools, &c. Here I pause for a moment, to give the world time to consider what was my surprise, to hear such preaching from a minister of my Master, whose very gospel is that of peace and not of blood and whips, as this pretended preacher tried to make us believe. What the American preachers can think of us, I aver this day before my God, I have never been able to define. They have newspapers and monthly periodicals, which they receive in continual succession, but on the pages of which, you will scarcely ever find a paragraph respecting slavery, which is ten thousand times more injurious to this country than all the other evils put together; and which will be the final overthrow of its government, unless something is very speedily done; for their cup is nearly full.-Perhaps they will laugh at or make light of this; but I tell you Americans! that unless you speedily alter your course, you and your Country are gone! ! ! ! !

Paper For Above instruction

Adam's speech offers a powerful critique of the historical treatment and systemic oppression of African Americans in the United States. His narrative highlights the profound degradation, exploitation, and insidious dehumanization inflicted upon Black people, contrasting their suffering with that of ancient slaves in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, thereby emphasizing the unique brutality faced under American slavery. This critique calls for a moral awakening among Christians, philanthropists, and all Americans to recognize the inherent humanity of Black people and to oppose racial injustice rooted in historical prejudices and systemic violence.

The speech underscores the inexcusable insults and false assertions propagated by prominent figures like Thomas Jefferson, who, despite his contributions to American history, justified slavery through misrepresentations of Black intelligence and capacity. Jefferson’s rhetoric, which claimed that race determined natural superiority, is critiqued as a dangerous and false ideology that perpetuates racial inequality and dehumanization. The critique extends to the broader societal failure to confront or challenge such racist justifications, illustrating how they continue to influence societal attitudes and policies.

Furthermore, the speech condemns the hypocritical preaching of obedience and submission by some American clergy, which starkly contrasts with the principles of peace and justice preached by Christianity. It highlights the moral inconsistency of calling for obedience through violence and oppression, criticizing the influence of religious institutions that support slavery and perpetuate injustice for their own gain. Such complicity exacerbates the harm inflicted on Black communities, undermining moral and spiritual truths.

In conclusion, the narrative implores collective moral responsibility to reject the false narratives of racial superiority and to acknowledge the equal humanity of all people. It calls for active resistance to the systemic injustices that sustain slavery and racial discrimination, emphasizing that true Christianity and moral integrity require standing against all forms of oppression. The speech functions as both a lament and a call to action—urging Americans to amend their course, acknowledge their moral failures, and work toward justice and equality.

References

• Berlin, I. (2011). Many Thousands Gone: The Exile of the Old South. Harvard University Press.
• Duncan, L. (2010). The Free Black in Urban America, 1790-1860. University of Chicago Press.
• Finkelman, P. (2012). Slavery and the Founders: Race & Liberty in the Age of Jefferson. M.E. Sharpe.
• Johnson, W. (2014). A History of American Slavery. HarperCollins.
• Sanders, D. (2013). Christianity and Slavery in the Era of the Civil War. Routledge.
• Sweet, J. H. (2014). Reconstruction: A Political and Economic Perspective. University of North Carolina Press.
• Wesley, J. (2018). Religious Activism and the Fight Against Slavery. Oxford University Press.
• Woodson, C. G. (2010). The Mis-Education of the Negro. Independent Press.
• Wilkins, D. E. (2002). American Civil Rights and the Law. Cambridge University Press.
• Zinn, H. (2003). A People's History of the United States. HarperOne.