An appeal to the religion, justice and humanity of the inhabitants of the British Empire, in behalf of the Negro slaves in the West Indies / by Wm. Wilberforce, Esq., M.P.

  • Wilberforce, William, 1759-1833.
Date:
1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An appeal to the religion, justice and humanity of the inhabitants of the British Empire, in behalf of the Negro slaves in the West Indies / by Wm. Wilberforce, Esq., M.P. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    4(> hope, even i'l all the scarcely superable obstacles arising; Irom the absolute rejection of Negro testimony were to be overcome, of a conviction under the terms of this act ? What offender could be unable to prove, to the satisfac- tion of a Barbadoes jury, that there had been some provo- cation ? let this is the amended, the ameliorating- law passed in April, 1805, entitled, “An Act for the better Protection of the Slaves of this Island Surely, with these and the many other evidences we have had of the state of mind respecting Negroes, which prevails in the Colonies, we should be more culpable than they, if we were still to commit implicitly to their legis- latures the task of devising and carrying into execution such physical and moral reforms as humanity demands in the slavery of the West Indies. More culpable, I say it advisedly; for, though it is no praise to us, but to the good providence of God, we are exempt from the influence of the harsh prejudices to which they, in some degree by our concurrent fault, have been subjected. The information also which we now possess, as to the African character, would aggravate our criminality. For though the day, 1 trust, is gone by for ever, in which the alleged inferiority of intellect and incurable barbarity of the African race were supposed to extenuate their oppression, yet it ought not to be left unnoticed, that the notions which formerly prevailed to their prejudice, in these respects, have of late years been abundantly refuted, not only by authority but experience. It maybe confidently affirmed, that there never was any uncivilized people of whose dis- positions we have received a more amiable character than that which is given of the Native Africans by Parke and Golberry, both of whom visited those districts of Africa from which victims for the Slave Trade were furnished ; * See papers entitled Colonial Laws respecting Slaves, 17BS—1815, ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 5th April, 1810.
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