Transcription
To the Bishop and Conference of the M. E. Church for the Cincinnati District, now in session
Permit us, brethren of the common salvation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to address you on a subject that has greatly aroused the feelings of our people in this community, that is, the subject of “Colonizing the Free Colored People in Liberia.”
Being urged by a large number of the citizens of this community to give place in our church for an indignation meeting, to be held, to make known their disapprobation of the Colonization Society, organized in your honorable body on Saturday evening last, in this city.
A society which we, as a people, desire all who are friendly to us to know that we hate and detest in our very soul; and shall sternly and steadily on all and every occasion resist, coming from what source soever: whether from the slaveholder who are filling his pocket by selling and separating the dearest friends on earth; or from the ecclesiastic or legislative bodies in more mild terms, alike we stand to the scheme of the negro hating, slave supporting American Colonization, or any of its allies.
When we presume to address you as a Body of Christian minister, we do it with a hope of success, knowing that, above all men who preach Christ should be infused with the spirit of Christ; therefore
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we feel confident that so much talent and influence as is to be met in the Cincinnati conference of the M.E. Church, pouring both in torents, as so many hundreds of congregations, and thousands of attentive hearers from day to day if directed for or or against us cannot fail to produce the most salutary or baneful influence; that is, if this conference will encourage the unholy prejudices so ungodly fostered by a large majority of professed Christians against another part of Christ’s family of the same faith, doctrine, usuage [sic] and government merely because the Father of us all hath seen fit to make one white and the other black, of course, they will increase the number against us; but should they do the part of brethren, the result would be to the our interest.
Where should we look for a united effort so much in crying aloud against the evils and wrongs of our race as from the children of the immortal Wesley? Permit us without any further remarks to inform you, dear brethren, in behalf of the mass of our people, and the Free Colored People in general some of the reasons why we are, and ever have been opposed to the Colonization scheme as above referred to. If it be demanded of the reason for our hostility, we answer 1st, Because we believe it to be conceived in sin
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and brought forth in inequity.
This must be admitted when the design of its organization is considered. It is known to every one that has any knowledge of the American Colonization Society that, the grand idea of its southern founders was, and always has been the removal of the Free blacks from this country, so that they might the more easily and safely hold the slave in bondage. This has been no secret; so far as the slaveholders have been concerned. In every Anniversary speech as well as the established rules we see it fully set-forth. Who then can for a moment doubt the truth of our assertion.
We are opposed to it because the very thing that slaveholders have declared to be their antidote in southern measures the learned doctors of divinity of both North and South have coasted over with sugar, and with the same pill in their hands, minced and prepared by our oppressors do they attempt to administer it to us as the bane of slavery and slaveholding influence, Therefore we hold all such; under the circumstances, who would attempt to influence our removal to Africa as the robber and assassin who would try to persuade the quiet inhabitants of their dwelling to go to a neighbors house to enable him the more easy to carry off the treasures therein contained, and perpetuate his
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deed of destruction upon the weaker and unsuspecting members of that family.
But we are opposed to it again because it adds insult to injury. This we believe you will all as candid ministers of Jesus Christ admit, when properly considered. We will suppose you in our stead, and such the teachings of the Great Teacher are; that a race of people had forced away millions of your ancestors from their native lands; held them in bondage in the land their captivity for some one, two, or three hundred years. Thousands, yes, millions of whom perished on the way by starvation, famishing and suffocation, and thus were released from greater sufferings by the kind interposition of death granting them an untimely and watery grave. Others who survived those sufferings lived, labored, sweat, bled and died after being brutalized by every means that slavery and the devil could invent to make them feel that they were nothing else than chattle [sic] property to every intent that those who claimed them devised. Generation after generation shut up in this hell of despotism they groaned and prayed, and suffered and hoped until through the mercy of God some four hundred and fifty thousands, some by paying hundreds, and others thousands of dollars for their own souls
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and bodies as well as their wives and children would stand have stood forth, with those whom the bitter pangs of death made their masters release their hold, and some who moved of God with [fear?] hath emancipated theirs. And now, those who had thus treated you would come to you after all this, and you now being Free, would say to you, “now you shall not live on this Continent with us. You shall not buy lands, nor build houses, nor worship God in peace, nor go to any town or village to see your friends unless you will agree to go back from where we stole and forced you hundreds of years ago in the loins of your ancestors, for you are degraded, ignorant, and despised, and if you don’t go willing we will unite in Church and State to make your lives be so bitter that you will be glad to go, and no thanks to you.
But you would say, hold a moment, let me plead with you, let me tell what we consider our ligitimate [sic] right to remain. Our ancestors toiled for naught and cleared your fields, built your houses and barns, watched your interests in the time of the peace; and in the time of war they stood arm to arm, side to side, and shoulder to shoulder, and bared their breasts to the enemies fire for the liberty you and I enjoy, and now will you not allow us this mere
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privilege of living not in your houses but on the same Continent, but the harsh notes falls on your ears, “Get you gone, you are black; you are poor, you are ignorant, you are despised, and therefore a nuisance.” Would you not consider it and insult to injury? Would you receive it as a gracious favor of restoring back what had been taken from you, to your best interest?
We are opposed to it again because its strongest advocates are the rankest and most unflinching slaveholders. Men who are parting husbands and wives, parents and children, brethren and sisters; men who are pursuing the panting Fugitive with bloodhounds, whips, revolvers and chains to drag him back in to interminable bondage; men whose hands are wettering in the blood of men and women; men who are driving by hundreds our brethren and sisters, according to the flesh, day and night, and robbing them of all their earnings to come to Free Colored men, and unite with professed Christians of the North to make us Presidents and rules. Just as honestly would Satan take the humble child of God to Abrahams bosom, in our humble opinion, as any such confederacy would in truth unite to do us good.
But to creature is so much like Daniels beast it hath so many heads
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and faces that we shall not be able to strike a blow to each.
Another grand objection we would beg leave to refer to is, the phase under which this scheme of negro hate is presenting itself to the feelings of those who could not be influenced in any other way to partake of the iniquity. It is the plea of Christianizing Africa. Thus we have it a gospel panacea not only to bless the Free Colored people but to people heaven, things very good, if true. And here in all the Christian feelings of our souls we desire on this point, to give merit its reward. Here we have a scheme which purposes to the slaveholder, if carried out, the security to his slave property that he denies. It also promises the Free Colored people their glorious elevation and the speedy emancipation of their enslaved brethren. It also assures us the Christianizing of Africa by a band of whom the same Society says are ignorant, degraded, and a nuisance and home. How are the antagonistic points to be harmonized?
We ask for an example in the case now under consideration, where or when in the history of the world have we a parallel [sic]? As to the idea of Christianizing and evangelizing a country. When or where do
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we find such pretentions to Christian love to a heathen nature as the lovers of Africa. India with all her heathen nights can only find love enough to send a few Missionaries to evangelize that land of darkness; but no efforts are made to send back every Free Chinaman to Christianize his fatherland. But such is the anxiety for the salvation oft Africa, with three and a half millions of her sons right her in the fields, barns, and kitchens in as total heathenism as their ancestors dare be, and yet we are waged to this wholesale plan of saving a nation by sending back as missionaries the believer and the infidel every hoof the can show that no slave holder nor Fugitive Slave Bill has not power to carry back into his southern marts.
The fact is, the love professed under all other circumstances is too great. We cannot, we will not – believe a syllable of it. All we beg of you in the name of God and humanity, if you do not feel to remove any the stumbling blocks out of our way by teaching those above referred to “that God is no respecter of persons;” and “that if we have respect of persons” the good book tell us “it is a sin;” to let us alone, “neither bless us nor curse us” and if there is room for the
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the [illegible] foreigner with all his ignorance, we don’t see why the Christian Church should join hands with wicked men who hate us with out cause and encourage them to greater acts of cruelty and injustice which they never would do if ever the voice and vote of the M. E Church abone was to a man raised against it.
And as to the Cleveland Emigration Convention, we would just say in conclusion, that that convention to a man determined to die on this Continent before they would leave their brethren to suffer under oppression. The object of that Convention is to establish ourselves on the Continent where we have suffered, and if we cannot form a nationality, to partake in common with governments already established, in equal rights until a day of brighter prospects than American Colonization hath ever caused in the breast of either Free or Bond colored men. We desire it to be well understood that when we shall by reason of wicked prejudice be forced to seek an asylum we will prefer any other than that of Liberia. And now with our prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all your deliberations we subscribe ourselves yours
Fraternally,
A. R. Green
[Next page, unpaginated]
Signed by order
Joseph Fowler
Philip Tolliver
Geo J Broadie
Geo Peterson
Peter Harbison
M Smith
D D Stapp
J. Turvin
T. E. Knox
Geo Knight
A. Mitthal [?]
Allen Chaple [sic]
Cincinnati
Oct 3rd 1854
