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History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850: 1850-1854
History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850 18501854 Author:James Ford Rhodes Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 14 VERMONT, PENNSYLVANIA, MASSACHUSETTS [Cn. I. in Carolina was seriously discussed, and the policy was warmly recommended to Congress by Hamilton; but as a m... more »atter of policy it was disapproved of by Washington. He argued : " Should we begin to form battalions of them, I have not the smallest doubt" the British would "follow us in it, and justify the measure upon our own ground. The contest then must be, who can arm fastest. And where are our arms ?"' The year following the Declaration of Independence, Vermont separated from New York and framed a State constitution, in which slavery was forbidden forever; but of the original thirteen colonies, Pennsylvania was the first to take steps to abolish the system, the Assembly voting in 1780 a scheme of gradual emancipation.' In the same year Massachusetts adopted a new constitution, and in the declaration of rights it was asserted: " All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and inalienable rights." When the convention came to discuss how many of the old laws should remain in force, it was seen that any statutes that maintained or protected property in negroes were inconsistent with this clause; and it was therefore considered that its adoption abolished slavery. The common notion soon had the seal of judicial approval. The Supreme Court had occasion to pass upon the question, and decided that by virtue of this article slavery ceased to exist in Massachusetts. The colored inhabitants became citizens, and were allowed to vote if they had the requisite qualifications of age, property, and residence. At about the same time the Methodists of the United States, in solemn and regular conference, resolved that " slave- keeping was hurtful to society, and contrary to the laws of God, man, and nature."' 1 Bancr...« less