Peculiar Institution
Uploaded by lmmu on May 25, 2007
“I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” Stated so eloquently in a speech by Abraham Lincoln, those words prove true. There exist arguments from all sides-the abolitionist, the proslavery man, and views in between. For instance, Thomas R. Dew writes of slavery and its positives while Theodore Dwight Weld states, “There is not a man on earth who does not believe that slavery is a curse.” Meanwhile, William Lloyd Garrison notes his desire for “the immediate enfranchisement of our slave population.” Despite that all three men propose prime arguments, it is evident that Dew, though wayward in conclusion, presents the strongest statement in the slavery debate.
Thomas R. Dew writes his essay with intentions to counter arguments that slavery stands unbiblical, negatively consequential, and bad for the republic. Using the bible, he describes how slaves number greatly in biblical days, and that the book commands slaves to respect even the worst master. Dew also explains that the Israelites owned slaves; however, he neglects to acknowledge the Israelite’s suffering. “And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I have come to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians. . . I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.” – (Exodus 3:7-9) Mr. Dew writes of slavery not being abrogated because of God’s acceptance towards it, but the Lord himself ends slavery for the Israelites because the conditions continue so harshly. Hearing and witnessing their suffering, he rescues them. Why then should the same not be done for the American slave?
By quoting many men, Jefferson, Smith, Hall, and Giles, Dew notes that many think slavery entails drastic consequences. This includes stripping slaves of their liberties, most notably, the pursuit of happiness. Earnestly he believes that the happiest people on earth should include the slaves because they do not know any better. He states, “. . . all of us . . . are too prone to judge of the happiness of others by ourselves-we make self the standard, and endeavor to draw down every one to its dimensions.” However, if someone does not give the opportunity to experience, what Dew calls,...