CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE CRUSADE
III. EARLY CRUSADERS
IV. THE TURNING-POINT
V. THE VINDICATION OF LIBERTY
VI. THE SLAVERY ISSUE IN POLITICS
VII. THE PASSING OF THE WHIG PARTY
VIII. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
IX. BOOKS AS ANTI-SLAVERY WEAPONS
X. "BLEEDING KANSAS"
XI. CHARLES SUMNER
XII. KANSAS AND BUCHANAN
XIII. THE SUPREME COURT IN POLITICS
XIV. JOHN BROWN
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
THE ANTI-SLAVERY CRUSADE
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
The Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln marks the beginning
of the end of a long chapter in human history. Among the earliest
forms of private property was the ownership of slaves. Slavery as an
institution had persisted throughout the ages, always under protest,
always provoking opposition, insurrection, social and civil war, and
ever bearing within itself the seeds of its own destruction. Among the
historic powers of the world the United States was the last to uphold
slavery, and when, a few years after Lincoln's proclamation, Brazil
emancipated her slaves, property in man as a legally recognized
institution came to an end in all civilized countries.
Emancipation in the United States marked the conclusion of a century of
continuous debate, in which the entire history of western civilization
was traversed. The literature of American slavery is, indeed, a summary
of the literature of the world on the subject. The Bible was made a
standard text-book both for and against slavery. Hebrew and Christian
experiences were exploited in the interest of the contending parties
in this crucial controversy. Churches of the same name and order
were divided among themselves and became half pro-slavery and half
anti-slavery.
Greek experience and Greek literature were likewise drawn into the
controversy. The Greeks themselves had set the example of arguing both
for and against slavery. Their practice and their prevailing teaching,
however, gave support to this institution. They clearly enunciated the
doctrine that there is a natural division among human beings; that some
are born to command and others to obey; that it is natural to some men
to be masters and to others to be slaves; that each of these classes
should fulfill the destiny which nature assigns. The Greeks also
recognized a difference between races and held that some were by
nature fitted to serve as slaves, and others to command as masters. The
defenders of American slavery therefore found among the writings of the
Greeks their chief arguments already stated in classic form.
