CHAPTER VII, NORTH CAROLINA. THIS Colony, in geographical position, lies between South Carolina and Virginia. While it held slaves, it may be justly said its position on this great question was not so burdensome to the slave as the other Southern colonies, and even to the present time the Negroes and whites of this State seem to enjoy the most harmonious relations. The slave laws of this State gave absolute dominion of the master over the servant, but allowed him to join the churches from the first. Large communities of free Negroes lived in this State prior to the civil war, and, as late as the year 1835, could vote. They had some rights of citizenship and many of them became men of note. Prior to the Civil War there were schools for these free people. Some of them owned slaves themselves. In this colony the slaves were worked, as a rule, on small farms, and there was a close relation established between master and slave, which bore its fruits in somewhat milder treatment than was customary in colonies where the slave lived on large cotton plantations governed by cruel overseers, some of whom were imported from the North. The Eastern Section of North Carolina was thickly peopled with slaves, and some landlords owned as many as two thousand. The increase and surplusage of the slave population in this State was sold to the more Southern colonies, where they were used on the cotton plantations. A NORTH CAROLINA SLAVE POET. George M. Horton was his name. He was the slave of James M. Horton, of Chatham county, N. C. Several of his special poems were published in the Raleigh Register. In 1829, A. M. Gales, of this State, afterwards of the firm of Gales and Seaton, Washington, D. C., published a volume of the slave Horton's poems, which excited the wonder and admiration of the best men in this country. His poems reached Boston, where they were much talked of, and used as an argument against slavery. Hor ton, at the time his volume was published, could read but not write, and was, therefore, compelled to dictate his productions to some one who wrote them down for him. He afterwards learned to write. He seemed to have concealed all his achievements from his master, who knew nothing of his slave's ability except what others told him. He simply knew George as a field hand, which work he did faithfully and honestly, and wrote his poetry too. Though a slave, his was a noble soul inspired with the Muse from above. The Raleigh Register said of him, July 2d, 1829: "That his heart has felt deeply and sensitively in this lowest possible condition of human nature (meaning slavery) will be easily believed, and is impressively confirmed by one of his stanzas, viz. : "Come, melting pity from afar, And break this vast, enormous bar On wings of Liberty." CHAPTER VI. DELAWARE AND PENNSYLVANIA. Delaware was settled, as you will remember, by the Swedes and Danes, in 1639. They were a simple, contented, and religious people. It is recorded that they had a law very early in their history declaring it was "not lawful to buy and keep slaves." It is very evident, though, that later on in the history of the colony slaves were held, and their condition was the same as in New York. While the north of the colony was perhaps fully in sympathy with slavery, the western part was influenced by the religious sentiment of the Quakers in Pennsylvania. The Friends of Pennsylvania were opposed to slavery, and although slavery was tolerated by law, the way was left open for their education and religious training. In 1688, Francis Daniel Pastorious* addressed a memorial to the Friends of Germantown. His was said to be the first protest against slavery made by any of the churches of America. He believed that "slave and slave-owner should be equal at the Master's feet." William Penn showed himself friendly to the slaves. Williams. CHAPTER VII, NORTH CAROLINĄ. THIS colony, in geographical position, lies between South Carolina and Virginia. While it held slaves, it may be justly said its position on this great question was not so burdensome to the slave as the other Southern colonies, and even to the present time the Negroes and whites of this State seem to enjoy the most harmonious relations. The slave laws of this State gave absolute dominion of the master over the servant, but allowed him to join the churches from the first. Large communities of free Negroes lived in this State prior to the civil war, and, as late as the year 1835, could vote. They had some rights of citizenship and many of them became men of note. Prior to the Civil War there were schools for these free people. Some of them owned slaves themselves. In this colony the slaves were worked, as a rule, on small farms, and there was a close relation established between master and slave, which bore its fruits in somewhat milder treatment than was customary in colonies where the slave lived on |