Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, edited by Thomas H. D. Mahoney, New York, Liberal Arts Press, 1955, pp. 81-83.

9. Letter Addressed to the Addressers, on the Late Proclamation, London, 1792, p. 12.
10. Mark Philp, Paine, Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press, 1989, pp. 116-118.
11. Joyce Appleby, Capitalism and a New Social Order: The Republican Vision of the 1790s, New York, New York University Press, 1984, pp. 59-60.
12. Powell, Tom Paine, preface.
13. Michael Foot and Isaac Kramnick, eds., Thomas Paine Reader, Harmonds-worth, UK, and New York, Penguin Books, 1987, p. 29.
14. Powell, Tom Paine, p. II.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

We have elected to preserve Thomas Paine’s often erractic typography, regardless of whether it agress with modern usage or even itself (e.g. “Great-Britain” vs. “Great Britain,” “controuling” vs. “controlling”), as we feel it best represents the mercurial energy so essential to this storied agitator.

AFRICAN SLAVERY IN AMERICA

[1775]

AFRICAN SLAVERY IN AMERICA.

To AMERICANS.


That some desperate wretches should be willing to steal and enslave men by violence and murder for gain, is rather lamentable than strange. But that many civilized, nay, christianized people should approve, and be concerned in the savage practice, is surprising; and still persist, though it has been so often proved contrary to the light of nature, to every principle of Justice and Humanity, and even good policy, by a succession of eminent men,1 and several late publications.

Our Traders in MEN (an unnatural commodity!) must know the wickedness of that SLAVE-TRADE, if they attend to reasoning, or the dictates of their own hearts; and such as shun and stiffle all these, wilfully sacrifice Conscience, and the character of integrity to that golden Idol.

The Managers of that Trade themselves, and others, testify, that many of these African nations inhabit fertile countries, are industrious farmers, enjoy plenty, and lived quietly, averse to war, before the Europeans debauched them with liquors, and bribing them against one another; and that these inoffensive people are brought into slavery, by stealing them, tempting Kings to sell subjects, which they can have no right to do, and hiring one tribe to war against another, in order to catch prisoners. By such wicked and inhuman ways the English are said to enslave towards one hundred thousand yearly; of which thirty thousand are supposed to die by barbarous treatment in the first year; besides all that are slain in the unnatural wars excited to take them. So much innocent blood have the Managers and Supporters of this inhuman Trade to answer for to the common Lord of all!

Many of these were not prisoners of war, and redeemed from savage conquerors, as some plead; and they who were such prisoners, the English, who promote the war for that very end, are the guilty authors of their being so; and if they were redeemed, as is alleged, they would owe nothing to the redeemer but what he paid for them.

They show as little Reason as Conscience who put the matter by with saying—“Men, in some cases, are lawfully made Slaves, and why may not these?” So men, in some cases, are lawfully put to death, deprived of their goods, without their consent; may any man, therefore, be treated so, without any conviction of desert? Nor is this plea mended by adding—“They are set forth to us as slaves, and we buy them without farther inquiry, let the sellers see to it.” Such men may as well join with a known band of robbers, buy their ill-got goods, and help on the trade; ignorance is no more pleadable in one case than the other; the sellers plainly own how they obtain them. But none can lawfully buy without evidence that they are not concurring with Men-Stealers; and as the true owner has a right to reclaim his goods that were stolen, and sold; so the slave, who is proper owner of his freedom, has a right to reclaim it, however often sold.

Most shocking of all is alledging the Sacred Scriptures to favour this wicked practice. One would have thought none but infidel cavillers would endeavour to make them appear contrary to the plain dictates of natural light, and Conscience, in a matter of common Justice and Humanity; which they cannot be. Such worthy men, as referred to before, judged otherways; MR. BAXTER2 declared, the Slave- Traders should be called Devils, rather than Christians; and that it is a heinous crime to buy them. But some say, “the practice was permitted to the Jews.” To which may be replied,

1. . The example of the Jews, in many things, may not be imitated by us; they had not only orders to cut off several nations altogether, but if they were obliged to war with others, and conquered them, to cut off every male; they were suffered to use polygamy and divorces, and other things utterly unlawful to us under clearer light.
2. . The plea is, in a great measure, false; they had no permission to catch and enslave people who never injured them.
3.