The Slave not being regarded as a member of Society, nor as a human being, the Government, instead of providing for his education, takes care to forbid it, as being inconsistent with the condition of chattelhood.

     CHATTELS are not educated! And if human beings are to be held in chattelhood, education must be withheld from them.

     South Carolina.—Act of 1740: “Whereas, the having slaves taught to write, or suffering them to be employed in writing, may be attended with great inconveniences; Be it enacted, that all and every person and persons whatsoever, who shall hereafter teach or cause any slave or slaves to be taught to write, or shall use or employ any slave as a scribe, in any manner of writing whatsoever, hereafter taught to write, every such person or persons shall, for every such offense, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds, current money.” (2 Brevard’s Digest, 243 )

     Georgia, similar; penalty, twenty pounds. (Prince’s Dig., 445.)

     South Carolina.—Another Act in 1800: “That assemblies of slaves, free negroes, mulattoes and

mestizoes, whether composed of all or of any of such description of persons, or of all or any of the same, and of a portion of white persons met together for the purpose of MENTAL INSTRUCTION, in a confined or secret place, &c., &c., are declared to be an unlawful meeting; and magistrates, &c., &c., are hereby required, &c., to enter such confined places, &c., &c., and break doors, if resisted, and to disperse such slaves, free negroes, &c., &c.; and the officers dispersing such unlawful assemblage may inflict such corporal punishment, not exceeding twenty lashes, upon such slaves, free negroes, &c., as they may judge necessary for DETERRING THEM FROM SUCH UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLAGE IN FUTURE.” “That it shall not be lawful for any number of slaves, free negroes, mulattoes, or mestizoes, even in company with white persons, to meet together for the purpose of MENTAL INSTRUCTION, either before the rising of the sun, or after the going down of the same.” (2 Brevard’s Dig., 254-5.)

     Virginia.—Revised Code of 1819: “That all meetings or assemblages of slaves, or free negroes or mulattoes mixing and associating with such slaves at any meeting-house or houses, &c., in the night; or at any SCHOOL OR SCHOOLS for teaching them READING OR WRITING, either in the day or night, under whatsoever pretext, shall be deemed and considered an UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY; and any justice of a county, &c., wherein such assemblage shall be, either from his own knowledge or the information of others, of such unlawful assemblage, &c., may issue his warrant,

directed to any sworn officer or officers, authorizing him or them to enter the house or houses where such unlawful assemblages, &c., may be, for the purpose of apprehending or dispersing such slaves, and to inflict corporal punishment on the offender or offenders, at the discretion of any justice of the peace, not exceeding twenty lashes.” (1 Rev. Code, 424-5.)

     Besides the State laws, the corporate towns and cities frequently have ordinances on the subject. As for example, in Savannah, in 1818, the public journals announced as follows:

     “The City has passed an ordinance by which any person that teaches any person of color, slave or free, to read or write, or causes such persons to be so taught, is subjected to a fine of thirty dollars for each offense; and every person of color who shall keep a school to teach reading or writing is subject to a fine of thirty dollars, or to be imprisoned ten days, and whipped thirty-nine lashes!”

     “In North Carolina, to teach a slave to read or write, or sell or give him any book [Bible not excepted] or pamphlet, is punished with thirty-nine lashes, or imprisonment, if the offender be a free negro; but if a white, then with a fine of $200. The reason for this law, assigned in its preamble, is, that

teaching slaves to read and write tends to dissatisfaction in their minds, and to produce insurrection and rebellion.’” (Jay’s Inquiry, p. 136.) This was enacted in 1831. (Vide Child’s Appeal.)

     “In Georgia, if a white teach a free negro or slave to write, he is fined $500, and imprisoned at the discretion

of the Court; if the offender be a colored man, bond or free, he may be fined or whipped, at the discretion of the Court. Of course, a father may be flogged for teaching his own child. This barbarous law was enacted in 1829.” (Ib.)

     “In Louisiana, the penalty for teaching slaves to read and write is one year’s imprisonment.” (Ib.) The following statement will be regarded with interest, as being from one of the highest legal authorities:

     “In Georgia, by Act of 1829, no person is permitted to teach a slave, negro, or free person of color to read or write. So in Virginia, by statute, in 1830, meetings of free negroes to learn reading and writing are unlawful, and subject them to corporal punishment; and it is unlawful for white persons to assemble with free negroes or slaves, to teach them to read or write. The prohibitory Act of the Legislature of Alabama, passed in the session of 1831-2, relative to instruction to be given to the slave or free colored population, or exhortation or preaching to them, or any mischievous influence attempted to be exerted over them, is sufficiently penal. Laws of similar import are presumed to exist in the other slaveholding States; but in Louisiana, the law is armed with tenfold severity. It not only forbids any person teaching slaves to read or write, but it declares, that any person using language in any public discourse, from the bar, bench, stage, or pulpit, or in any other place, or in any private conversation, or making use of any signs or actions

having a tendency to produce discontent among the free colored population, or insubordination among the slaves, or who shall be knowingly instrumental in bringing into the State any paper, book, or pamphlet, having the like tendency, shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment or death, at the discretion of the Court.” (Kent’s Commentaries, vol. ii., part iv., p. 268, note.)

     Bible Societies do not distribute the Bible among slaves, because it is prohibited, and because the slaves are unable to read.

     John Woolman, of New-Jersey, (1757,) said:—“Some of our Society,” (Friends,) “and some of the Society called New Lights, use some endeavors to instruct those [slaves] they have, in reading; but in common this is not only neglected, but disapproved.” (Journal of Life, &e., of Woolman, p. 74.)

     In the House of Delegates of Virginia, in 1832, Mr. Berry said: “We have, as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light might enter their [the slaves’] minds. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be completed; they would then be on a level with the beasts of the field, and we should be safe! I am not certain that we would not do it, if we could find out the process, and that on the plea of necessity.”

     Kentucky is one of the few slave States (perhaps the only one except Maryland) in which slave education is not expressly prohibited; but the condition of the slave there was thus described by the Presbyterian Synod of Kentucky, in 1834. “Slavery

dooms thousands of human beings to hopeless ignorance.” “If slaves are educated, it must involve some outlay on the part of the master.” “It is inconsistent with our knowledge of human nature to suppose that he will do this for them. The present state of instruction among this race answers exactly to what we might thus naturally anticipate. Throughout the whole land, so far as we can learn, there is but one school in which, during the week, slaves can be taught. The light of three or four Sabbath-schools is seen glimmering through the darkness that covers the black population of a whole State. Here and there, a family is found where humanity and religion impel the master, mistress, or children to the laborious task of private instruction.” “Nor is it to be expected that this state of things will become better, unless it is determined that slavery shall cease.” (Address, &c., p. 8.)

     In North Carolina, the “patrols” were ordered to “search every negro house for books or prints of any kind. Bibles and hymn books were particularly mentioned.” (Weld’s “Slavery as it is,” p. 51.)

     The appeals and statements made by clergymen, missionaries and others, concerning the religious instruction of slaves, are usually guarded from misapprehension by the use of the phrase “oral instruction,” indicating that books are not to be put into their hands! “A Sabbath-school” for colored children at the South, commonly includes nothing more. Forgetful of their anathemas of the Church or Pope of Rome for withholding the Scriptures, most Protestant

ministers at the South, and some at the North, insist that mere “oral instruction” will answer very well for the negroes! And this introduces to us the subject of our next chapter.