Condition of the American Colored Population, and of the Colony at Liberia

PUBLISHED BY PEIRCE & PARKER.

1833.

STATEMENT OF FACTS.

The statements in the pamphlet published by this Society during the last year, had reference principally, to the establishment and prosperity of the Colony at Liberia. It is proposed to exhibit in the following pages some facts relative to the present condition of the colored population in the United States, and to offer some remarks on the different measures recommended for their relief.

The facts to be presented, have all been derived from official documents, or from special correspondence with intelligent and responsible gentlemen in various parts of the country, and may be relied upon as substantially correct.

SLAVES.

The first presentation of facts is designed to show the condition of the slaves in the United States, and will have respect to the following topics. (1.) Their population and increase. (2.) Their civil disabilities. (3.) Their intellectual and moral condition.

I. Population and Increase of the Slaves in the United States.

The following table is designed to show the population and increase of the Slaves in the United States since 1820. The first column gives the name of the state; the second, the census of 1820; the third, the census of 1830; the fourth, the increase of the slaves during the intervening ten years; the fifth, the rate per cent. of slave increase; and the sixth, the rate per cent. increase of the whites.

----------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+----------------+-------------- | | | Increase | Rate per Cent. | Rate per | Census | Census | from 1820 | of Slave | Cent. of the | of 1820. | of 1830. | to 1830. | Increase. | Whites. ----------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+----------------+-------------- Connecticut, | 97 | 23 | | | Rhode Island, | 48 | 14 | | | New York, | 10,088 | 46 | | | New Jersey, | 7,557 | 2,246 | | | Pennsylvania, | 211 | 386 | 175 | | Delaware, | 4,509 | 3,305 | | | Maryland, | 107,398 | 102,878 | | | Virginia, | 425,153 | 469,724 | 44,571 | 10½ | 15 North Carolina, | 205,017 | 246,462 | 41,445 | 20 | 10½ South Carolina, | 251,783 | 315,668 | 63,882 | 25 | 8½ Georgia, | 149,656 | 217,407 | 67,761 | 45 | 56½ Alabama, | 41,879 | 117,494 | 75,618 | 180 | 122½ Mississippi, | 32,814 | 65,659 | 32,845 | 100 | 67⅓ Louisiana, | 69,064 | 109,631 | 40,567 | 58⅔ | 21¾ Tennessee, | 80,107 | 142,379 | 62,272 | 77 | 58⅓ Kentucky, | 126,732 | 165,350 | 28,618 | 30½ | 19⅓ Indiana, | 190 | | | | Illinois, | 917 | 746 | | | Missouri, | 10,232 | 24,986 | 14,754 | 144 | 104½ Arkansas, | 1,616 | 4,578 | 2,962 | 270⅔ | 104½ Michigan, | 27 | | | | Florida, | 15,500 | | | | D. Columbia, | 6,377 | 6,060 | | | +-----------+-----------+-----------+ | Amount, | 1,531,436 | 2,010,562 | 479,136 | | ----------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+----------------+--------------

The above table was compiled from Niles’ Register for January 26th, 1822, page 345, and for October 29th, 1831, page 176. The blanks in the fourth column show that instead of an increase, there was an actual diminution of slaves during the ten years comprised in the table. The diminution in Maryland was 4,520, and in the District of Columbia 313. In some others they have nearly disappeared. It appears however from the table, that in the Southern States, particularly those south of Virginia, there has been an astonishing increase of slaves. In some of the States it has surpassed the increase of the whites by forty, fifty, and even an hundred and fifty per cent. In Arkansas the increase of the slave population has surpassed the white by 166 per cent.

The following table shows the relative strength of the white and black population in the slave holding states, at the close of each successive 10 years, to the end of the present century, supposing the rate of increase to continue as it has been during the last ten. The table is taken from calculations made during the year by the Hon. Daniel Mayes, of Kentucky.

1840, Whites, 4,523,248 Blacks, 3,041,456 1850, “ 5,789,737 “ 4,136,380 1860, “ 7,131,863 “ 6,625,476 1870, “ 9,129,770 “ 9,010,647 1880, “ 11,696,110 “ 12,434,451 1890, “ 14,967,420 “ 16,910,853 1900, “ 18,158,297 “ 22,898,700

From the above table it appears that in 1900, should nothing take place to diminish the increase of blacks in the slave-holding states, they will exceed the whites by 4,741,166--being an amount greater than the population of all the United States under Washington’s administration.

II. Civil Disabilities of the Slaves.

The following statements have been taken principally from STROUD’S SKETCH of the Laws relative to slavery in the United States. They may be regarded as corollaries from the general law concerning the slaves, and also as matters of express legislation.

1. Slaves have no legal rights of property in things real or personal; but whatever they may acquire, belongs in point of law to their masters. (The bearing of this on the purchase of freedom is obvious.)

2. The slave, being a personal chattel, is at all times liable to be sold absolutely, or mortgaged or leased at the will of his master.

3. He may also be sold by process of law, for the satisfaction of the debts of a living, or the bequests of a deceased master, at the suit of creditors or legatees.

4. A slave cannot be a party, before a judicial tribunal, in any species of action, against his master, whatever may have been the injury received from him.

5. Slaves cannot redeem themselves, nor obtain a change of masters.

6. Slaves being objects of property if injured by third persons, their owners may bring suit, and recover damages, for the injury.

7. Slaves can make no contract.

8. Slavery is hereditary and perpetual.

It may also be further stated concerning the disabilities of the slave,

1. That he cannot be a witness against a white person, either in a civil or criminal cause.

2. He cannot be a party to a civil suit.

3. Submission is required of the slave, not to the will of his master only, but to that of all other white persons.

4. The penal codes of the slave holding states bear much more severely upon the slaves than upon the white persons,--taking the life of the slave, where a slight punishment only is inflicted upon the whites.

5. Slaves are prosecuted and tried upon criminal accusations, in many of the states, without a jury.

The condition of the slave, as regards emancipation, is peculiarly distressing.

The state of society in the slave holding states, and legislative enactments, have rendered it nearly impossible for any master to emancipate his slave.

In Virginia and Mississippi, an emancipated slave may be taken in execution to satisfy any debt, contracted by the person emancipating him, previous to such emancipation.

In Kentucky, the Act which authorises emancipation, contains a reservation of the rights of creditors.

In Louisiana, any enfranchisement made in fraud of creditors, &c. is null and void.

In South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, it is only by authority of the Legislature, specially granted, that a valid emancipation can be made.

In North Carolina it was enacted in 1777, that no negro or mulatto slave shall be hereafter set free, except for meritorious service to be adjudged of and allowed by the County Court, and license first had and obtained thereupon.

The laws of Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia and Maryland, afford greater facility to emancipation than the other slave holding states. In Virginia, however, there is a provision by which every emancipated negro, over twenty one years of age, who shall continue within the state more than twelve months after his right to freedom shall have accrued, may be again reduced to slavery.

In order to secure the slave holding states in the use and possession of their property in the persons of slaves, and to prevent all escape of slaves from their masters, the constitution of the United States provides, “That no person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up, on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due.”

III. Intellectual and Moral Condition of the Slaves.