It
is true that some cruel forms of slavery still flourish in many places in the
“enlightened” world today. This is a
really hard thought for us to process in our democratic and comfortable society
isn’t it? It is inconceivable to most
humans (we hope) that one person can own another person and be in total control
of their lives – or indeed, whether they live or die. However, when I consider slavery and it
becomes clear that historically many slave owners professed Christianity and some
even used quotes from the Bible as an “excuse” for their treatment of fellow
humans, I feel desperately ashamed of their behaviour and sad to know just how
many times over the centuries slavery has reared its ugliness and horror.
On
Sunday 9th August the Rev. John told us that “Although the Rev. John Wesley claimed to have been opposed to slavery
from the first time, he heard of it, …we do not know with certainty when he
first heard of slavery. He might have come into contact with slaves in
England.”
However,
we do know that; “In 1736-7, Wesley
visited North America including Georgia, which was then a British colony, and
there he came into contact with enslaved people. This experience left him with
a loathing of slavery but at first, he felt unable to act on this.”
“In 1774, he wrote that tract called
"Thoughts on Slavery" that went into four editions in two years. In it, he attacked the Slave Trade and the
slave-trader with considerable passion and proposed a boycott of slave-produced
sugar and rum. In August 1787, he wrote to the Abolition Committee to express
his support. In 1788, when the abolition
campaign was at its height, he preached a sermon in Bristol, one of the
foremost slave trading ports. In those days, an anti-slavery sermon could not
be preached without considerable personal risk to the preacher and a
disturbance broke out. He maintained an
interest in the abolition movement until he died.”
Although
John Wesley noted in his journal that he did not like a sentimental style of
writing, he seems to have written his “Thoughts
on Slavery” in a deliberately impassioned style in order to strengthen his
moral, religious and economic arguments.
He made no apologies to those who are sensitive about the truths that he
has written. He has been credited with
being the first advocate for the abolition of slavery to make his arguments with
sentimental rhetoric, which became the model for the subsequent debates against
slavery.
Wesley
also famously said: "Give liberty to
whom liberty is due, that is, to every child of man, to every partaker of human
nature. Let none serve you, but by his own act and deed, by his own voluntary
action. Away with all whips, all chains, all compulsion. Be gentle toward all
men; and see that you invariably do with everyone as you would he should do
unto you."
It
is not easy reading, yet I feel compelled to share a few of John Wesley’s
“Thoughts on Slavery” – with apologies for this shocking content. The problems of greed and the lack of
kindness, care, understanding and love have overwhelmed society and allowed
unbelievable evil to overcome good often throughout history. People like John and Charles Wesley, William
Wilberforce, John Newton, Lord Mansfield and many others were the right people
for their time and were willing to work together and be examples of the power
of working with the love of God as your strength. On 22 May 1787, the first meeting of
the Society for Effecting the
Abolition of the Slave Trade took place, bringing like-minded British Quakers and Anglicans together in the same
organisation for the first time. All the
Abolitionist organisations working to free the slaves in America and the
British and other colonies were making progress against the terrible problems of
greed, dependence on slaves and the cruelty it brought to hundreds of thousands
of the innocent victims were at last gaining momentum.
In his booklet, John Wesley gave DETAILED information from various
sources about the orderly and calm nature and life of the inhabitants of the
coast of Africa from which huge numbers of native people were seized,
transported and sold as slaves. He noted
these details to quash the stories of the kidnappers that they were “saving”
them from a terrible environment where few could survive!
“The Gold-Coast and Slave-Coast,
all who have seen it agree, is exceeding fruitful and pleasant, producing vast
quantities of rice and other grain, plenty of fruit and roots, palm-wine, and
oil, and fish in great abundance, with much tame and wild cattle. The very same
account is given us of the soil and produce of the kingdoms of Benin, Congo and Angol--From all which it appears,
That Guinea in
general, far from being an horrid, dreary, barren country, is one of the most
fruitful, as well as the most pleasant countries in the known world. It is said
indeed to be unhealthy. And so it is to strangers, but perfectly healthy to the
native inhabitants.
Such is the country from which the
negroes are brought. We come next to enquire, What sort of men they are, of
what temper and behaviour, not in our plantations, but in their native country.
And here likewise the surest way is to take our account from eye and ear
witnesses. Now those who have lived in the Senegal country observe, it is inhabited by three nations,
the Jaloss, Fulis,
and Mandingos. The king of
the Jaloss has under
him several ministers, who assist in the exercise of justice. The chief justice
goes in circuit through all his dominions, to hear complaints and determine
controversies. And the viceroy goes with him, to inspect the behaviour of
the Alkadi, or Governor of
each village.
The Mandingos, says Mons. Brue, are rigid Mahometans,
drinking neither wine nor brandy. They are industrious and laborious, keeping
their ground well cultivated, and breeding a good flock of cattle. Every town
has a governor, and he appoints the labour of the people. The men work the
ground designed for corn; the women and girls, the rice-ground. He afterwards divides the corn and rice among
them: And decides all quarrels if any arise. All the Mahometan negroes
constantly go to public prayers thrice a day: there being a priest in every
village, who regularly calls them together: And so the reports of the
places and people go on.
We have now seen, what kind of
country it is, from which the negroes are brought: And what sort of men (even
whitemen being the judges) they were in their own country. Enquire we, Thirdly,
In what manner are they generally procured, carried to, and treated in America.
First. In what manner are they procured?
Part of them by fraud. Captains of ships from time to time, have invited
negroes to come on board, and then carried them away. But far more have been
procured by force. The Christians landing upon their coasts, seized as many as
they found, men, women and children, and transported them to America. It was about 1551, that
the English began
trading to Guinea: At
first, for gold and elephants teeth, but soon after, for men. In 1566,
Sir John Hawkins sailed
with two ships to Cape Verd,
where he sent eighty men on shore to catch negroes. But the natives flying,
they fell farther down, and there set the men on shore, "to burn their
towns and take the inhabitants." But they met with such resistance, that
they had seven men killed, and took but ten negroes. So they went still farther
down, till having taken enough, they proceeded to the West-Indies, and sold them*.
It was some time before the Europeans found a more
compendious way of procuring African slaves,
by prevailing upon them to make war upon each other, and to sell their
prisoners. Till then they seldom had any
wars: But were in general quiet and peaceable. But the white men first taught
them drunkenness and avarice, and then hired them to sell one another. Nay, by
this means, even their kings are induced to sell their own subjects.
Such
is the manner wherein the Negroes are procured! Thus the Christians preach the
gospel to the heathens!
Thus they
are procured. But in what
numbers and in what manner are they carried to America?--Mr. Anderson in
his History of trade and commerce, observes, "England supplies her American colonies with Negro slaves,
amounting in number to about an hundred thousand every year." That is, so
many are taken on board our ships; but at least ten thousand of them die in the
voyage: About a fourth part more die at the different Islands, in what is
called the Seasoning. So that at an average, in the passage and seasoning
together, thirty thousand die: That is, properly are murdered. O earth, O Sea,
cover not thou their blood!
When they are
brought down to the shore in order to be sold, our surgeons thoroughly examine
them, and that quite naked, women and men, without any distinction: Those that
are approved are set on one side. In the mean time a burning iron, with the
arms or name of the Company, lies in the fire, with which they are marked on
the breast. Before they are put into the ships, their masters strip them of all
they have on their backs: So that they come on board stark naked, women as well
as men. It is common for several hundreds of them to be put on board one
vessel; where they are stowed together in as little room, as it is possible for
them to be crowded. It is easy to suppose what a condition they must soon be
in, between heat, thirst, and stench of various kinds. So that it is no wonder,
so many should die in the passage; but rather, that any survive it.”
I
will not burden you with the horrendous laws that John Wesley wrote about in
his Booklet – laws that were made for the punishments to be metered out to
slaves. However, he did record; “The author of the history of Jamaica, wrote about the year 1740,
in his account of the sufferings of the negroes; The people of that island have
indeed the severest ways of punishing; no country exceeds them in a barbarous
treatment of their slaves, or in the cruel methods by which they are put to
death.”
The
Rev. John concluded his Sermon: “Slavery
continues to flourish in our world today. People who are hungry, homeless, or
otherwise vulnerable are lured into debt slavery because they are promised a
better life. Some of them are forced into prostitution. Some are forced
labourers. Some are illegal immigrants who pay large fees to an “agent,” who
smuggles them into a nation, and then keeps them in virtual slavery because of
the debts run up. Some are children sold as jockeys, as prostitutes, as
labourers. Some are farm labourers whose parents passed on debts to them and
they will, in turn, pass those debts on their children.”
“The greatest riches are
spiritual and moral. And they are
produced by a Gospel-enlivened society organically rooted in stable marriages
and families, chastity, sobriety, self-denial, thrift, hard work and moral
responsibility. These virtues and
practices are rightly encouraged by churches, which are called to redeem the
fallen, and governments, which are responsible for public order.”
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