Excerpt from Slavery and the Domestic Slave Trade, in the United States
Slavery is the exercise of arbitrary power, vested in one man over another, by the sanction of law, or common usage; extending, in some cases, to the taking of life, as among the ancient Romans; and in others, accompanied by certain restraints, imparting to it a mild and lenient character, as that which prevailed among the Israelites. Hence, the records of history exhibit this institution among the nations of antiquity, in different degrees of severity, between these two extremes. The term slavery, therefore, furnishes us with no just conceptions of the amount of evil embraced by it, and it becomes necessary in order to arrive at this knowledge, to inquire into its character in each particular case or nation.
In justification of this institution in the United States, it is alleged, that slavery has existed in every age of the world; that the scriptures lend it their unqualified sanction; that the slavery now existing on the continent of Africa is in its character more rigorous than that in the United States; and hence, that the condition of the natives brought from that country, has been improved by the exchange. As these arguments intrude upon us at the threshold, we will give them a brief consideration, before entering upon the main subject of this treatise.
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