Identifier: negroinamericanh00crom (find matches)
Title: The Negro in American history (microform) : men and women eminent in the evolution of the American of African descent
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Cromwell, John W. (John Wesley), b. 1846
Subjects: African Americans -- History African Americans Slavery -- United States
Publisher: Washington : The American Negro Academy
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ionary and radical a doctrine.Garnet, however, was not playing to the galleries. The samedefiant, militant spirit exhibited when he learned on his returnto New York fourteen years before, that slaveholders fromjNIaryland, tracing the flight of the family to New York haddared to attempt to apprehend, seize and return them^to slavery;the spirit which had actually taken the offensive against theNew Hampshire mob that had closed the Academy at Canaan inwhich he, Alexander Crummell and Thomas S. Sidney werestudents—this spirit before the chosen delegates of the freemenof the North threw down the gage to slaveholding America. Itwas a command for the slaves to rise in their might and strikea blow for freedom. Though the Convention refused to adoptthe address, it was nevertheless published. John Brown, whosixteen years later led the insurrection at Harpers Ferry, pub-lished and circulated Garnets address at his own expense.No extract from this address can give a clear idea of its logic, 126
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PUⅈ HENRY HIGHLAND GARNET 127 its aptness of statement, its indignant protest against slavery, itseloquence. It deserves to be printed and preserved as a docu-ment of like character as Magna Charta and the Declaration ofIndependence. Brethren, arise, arise! Strike for your lives and liberties.Now is the day and hour. Let every slave throughout the landdo this and the days of slavery are numbered. You can notbe more oppressed than you have been. You can not suffergreater cruelties than you have already. Rather die freementhan live to he slaves. Remember that you are four millions!It is in your power so to torment the God-cursed slaveholder thatthey will be glad to let you go free. If the scale was turned, andblack men were the masters and white men the slaves, every de-structive agent and element would be employed to lay his op-pressor low. Rather die freemen than live to be slaves, the keynote ofthe address was more than a mild protest against the pro-slaveryprosecutions to whi

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