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PROGRESS OF EMANCIPA TION IN MAR YLAND. 319
performed. In it he admitted that the people of that State had ' indeed felt the unequal
operation of laws' which might 'have been unwisely but not unconstitutionally passed,'
but that ' that inequality must necessarily be removed;' and made to them a patriotic
appeal to refrain from the commission of acts which might require the employment of
force on the part of the Federal Executive." 1
The apprehension of open collision between the Federal authorities and
the people of South Carolina caused great excitement throughout the country,
und a bill, known as the Compromise Bill, providing for a general reduction
of duties was offered in Congress. This measure was passed on the 2d of
March, and on the 15th, the convention of South Carolina, by a nearly unanimous vote, rescinded its ordinance of nullification.
About this time (1832), unhappily a new movement was initiated in New
England. The New England Anti-Slavery Society was organized in Boston,
•on January 30th, 1832, that of New York in October, 1833, and the National
Society in Philadelphia in December 1833, and soon after affiliated societies
became numerous. These societies were formed for the avowed object of
abolishing slavery in the States, or dissolving the Union, and soon after their
formation agitation against slavery proceeded with redoubled vigor. One of
the first and most pernicious effects of these proceedings was to arrest the
natural progress of emancipation under legitimate State authority, which
was making steady progress. In no State of the Union had emancipation so
rapidly progressed as in Maryland ; and while several of the counties had
now a larger number of slaves than of white inhabitants, yet there were in
the State at this time, not only the largest proportion, but actually much the
largest number of free colored people, of any State in the Union.
The effect of Maryland's policy is plainly seen by comparing the items of
the several censuses:
Proportion of Whites
Years. Whites. Slaves. Free Colored. Tota1. Inc. in 13 yrs. to the Colored.
1755 107,108 46,356 153,564 2-3 to 1 colored.
1790 208,649 103,036 8,043 319,728 1-8
1800 216,356 105,635 ' 19,587 341,578 21,850 1-75
1810 235,117 111,532 33,927 380,546 38,968 1-62
1820 255,622 106,993 41,730 407,350 26,804 1-77
1830 291,103 102,994 52,933 447,040 39,690 1-88
1840 316,544 89,738 64,837 468,117 21,077 2-C
1850 417,943 90,368 74,723 583,034 114,91.7
1860 516,128 87,188 83,718 687,034 170,906
Thus it will be seen that during the period from 1755 to 1840, the colored
population had undergone a very material change. Sixty years before 1840,
all persons of color were slaves. In 1790, not quite one out of every fourteen
was free. In thirty years from that period (1820) the number of free had
increased to 44,730, and bore the proportion of considerably more than one-
fourth of the total number of their race in the State. During the same period
the entire increase of the slaves was but 3,968, being less than four per cent.
In 1830, more than one-third of the colored people of the State were free, and
1 Southern Review, July, 1867.
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| Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000350 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | PROGRESS OF EMANCIPA TION IN MAR YLAND. 319 performed. In it he admitted that the people of that State had ' indeed felt the unequal operation of laws' which might 'have been unwisely but not unconstitutionally passed,' but that ' that inequality must necessarily be removed;' and made to them a patriotic appeal to refrain from the commission of acts which might require the employment of force on the part of the Federal Executive." 1 The apprehension of open collision between the Federal authorities and the people of South Carolina caused great excitement throughout the country, und a bill, known as the Compromise Bill, providing for a general reduction of duties was offered in Congress. This measure was passed on the 2d of March, and on the 15th, the convention of South Carolina, by a nearly unanimous vote, rescinded its ordinance of nullification. About this time (1832), unhappily a new movement was initiated in New England. The New England Anti-Slavery Society was organized in Boston, •on January 30th, 1832, that of New York in October, 1833, and the National Society in Philadelphia in December 1833, and soon after affiliated societies became numerous. These societies were formed for the avowed object of abolishing slavery in the States, or dissolving the Union, and soon after their formation agitation against slavery proceeded with redoubled vigor. One of the first and most pernicious effects of these proceedings was to arrest the natural progress of emancipation under legitimate State authority, which was making steady progress. In no State of the Union had emancipation so rapidly progressed as in Maryland ; and while several of the counties had now a larger number of slaves than of white inhabitants, yet there were in the State at this time, not only the largest proportion, but actually much the largest number of free colored people, of any State in the Union. The effect of Maryland's policy is plainly seen by comparing the items of the several censuses: Proportion of Whites Years. Whites. Slaves. Free Colored. Tota1. Inc. in 13 yrs. to the Colored. 1755 107,108 46,356 153,564 2-3 to 1 colored. 1790 208,649 103,036 8,043 319,728 1-8 1800 216,356 105,635 ' 19,587 341,578 21,850 1-75 1810 235,117 111,532 33,927 380,546 38,968 1-62 1820 255,622 106,993 41,730 407,350 26,804 1-77 1830 291,103 102,994 52,933 447,040 39,690 1-88 1840 316,544 89,738 64,837 468,117 21,077 2-C 1850 417,943 90,368 74,723 583,034 114,91.7 1860 516,128 87,188 83,718 687,034 170,906 Thus it will be seen that during the period from 1755 to 1840, the colored population had undergone a very material change. Sixty years before 1840, all persons of color were slaves. In 1790, not quite one out of every fourteen was free. In thirty years from that period (1820) the number of free had increased to 44,730, and bore the proportion of considerably more than one- fourth of the total number of their race in the State. During the same period the entire increase of the slaves was but 3,968, being less than four per cent. In 1830, more than one-third of the colored people of the State were free, and 1 Southern Review, July, 1867. u a u u a a u u a a a a |
