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342 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
latter of those possessions which made them envied or hated by their poorer
neighbors. Plow grossly Brown misjudged the condition of the society by
which he was surrounded, the sequel showed him; and many circumstances
which could have been given in evidence upon his trial, because not relevant
to the issue before the jury, could have been adduced to satisfy those who
took the same view of the Southern fallacy of their conclusions regarding
us. Not only did the negroes fail to make any movement whatever, when
the news spread through the county that their fellows were in arms at
Harper's Ferry, but during the panic which followed close upon the exaggerated reports which were flying in every direction, they were, in many
instances, relied upon to defend their masters had the necessity arisen. Men
heard of the difficulty when miles away from home and'started at once for
the scene, leaving their servants and families together without a thought of
danger. One farmer armed his slaves, and this was the only case in which
they willingly accepted weapons. Most of them sought the dwelling houses
of the whites at the first alarm, as if these were the safest places of refuge;.
and the five who were captured and employed by Cook on the Maryland side
the day after the seizure of the arsenal, in transporting rifles from Brown's
farm to the school-house, ran away from him that night and made their way
to their homes, excepting one, who was drowned in the effort to cross the
river.1
Notwithstanding these facts, the fanatics of the North could not be convinced
that slavery was anything but an evil, although they found that the condition
of the negroes of Maryland and Virginia was in the main, more comfortable
and happier than the lot of the laboring population in any quarter of Europe.
If this were so, the philanthropists of the North ought to have seen that they
were fighting against a substantial thing, and though they might desire to
suppress the name of slavery, yet it was not worth while to uproot society
itself to accomplish that purpose.
This attempt of John Brown to incite the Virginia slaves to insurrection and murder, was the direct and logical consequence of the ideas on the
subject of Southern slavery, and the duty of Northern men with reference
thereto which the republican press and orators had most sedulously labored
to inculcate, and which the Republican masses entertained. They were also
responsible for his crimes, as they had for years been engaged in inciting the
slaves of the South to insurrection, and justified the massacre of the whites
in the Southern States.2
1 In the testimony of Colonel Lewis Washing- thing, they were much more tractable than
ton, who, as we have previously stated, was before."—Senate Report, p. 40.
seized and kept a prisoner, with some of the 2 Mr. Joshua R. Giddings said: "I would not
slaves, by Brown, until rescued by the party of , be understood as desiring a servile insurrection;
United States troops under Colonel Robert E. but I say to Southern gentlemen, that there are'
Lee, appears the following question and answer hundreds of thousands of honest and patriotic-
in regard to the affair: " Question—Did it excite men, who will laugh at your calamity, and will
any spirit of insubordination among your ne- mock when your fear connth. If blood and
gro33?" "Answer—Not the slightest. If any- massacre should mark tho struggle for liberty
| 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 | 00000373 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 342 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. latter of those possessions which made them envied or hated by their poorer neighbors. Plow grossly Brown misjudged the condition of the society by which he was surrounded, the sequel showed him; and many circumstances which could have been given in evidence upon his trial, because not relevant to the issue before the jury, could have been adduced to satisfy those who took the same view of the Southern fallacy of their conclusions regarding us. Not only did the negroes fail to make any movement whatever, when the news spread through the county that their fellows were in arms at Harper's Ferry, but during the panic which followed close upon the exaggerated reports which were flying in every direction, they were, in many instances, relied upon to defend their masters had the necessity arisen. Men heard of the difficulty when miles away from home and'started at once for the scene, leaving their servants and families together without a thought of danger. One farmer armed his slaves, and this was the only case in which they willingly accepted weapons. Most of them sought the dwelling houses of the whites at the first alarm, as if these were the safest places of refuge;. and the five who were captured and employed by Cook on the Maryland side the day after the seizure of the arsenal, in transporting rifles from Brown's farm to the school-house, ran away from him that night and made their way to their homes, excepting one, who was drowned in the effort to cross the river.1 Notwithstanding these facts, the fanatics of the North could not be convinced that slavery was anything but an evil, although they found that the condition of the negroes of Maryland and Virginia was in the main, more comfortable and happier than the lot of the laboring population in any quarter of Europe. If this were so, the philanthropists of the North ought to have seen that they were fighting against a substantial thing, and though they might desire to suppress the name of slavery, yet it was not worth while to uproot society itself to accomplish that purpose. This attempt of John Brown to incite the Virginia slaves to insurrection and murder, was the direct and logical consequence of the ideas on the subject of Southern slavery, and the duty of Northern men with reference thereto which the republican press and orators had most sedulously labored to inculcate, and which the Republican masses entertained. They were also responsible for his crimes, as they had for years been engaged in inciting the slaves of the South to insurrection, and justified the massacre of the whites in the Southern States.2 1 In the testimony of Colonel Lewis Washing- thing, they were much more tractable than ton, who, as we have previously stated, was before."—Senate Report, p. 40. seized and kept a prisoner, with some of the 2 Mr. Joshua R. Giddings said: "I would not slaves, by Brown, until rescued by the party of , be understood as desiring a servile insurrection; United States troops under Colonel Robert E. but I say to Southern gentlemen, that there are' Lee, appears the following question and answer hundreds of thousands of honest and patriotic- in regard to the affair: " Question—Did it excite men, who will laugh at your calamity, and will any spirit of insubordination among your ne- mock when your fear connth. If blood and gro33?" "Answer—Not the slightest. If any- massacre should mark tho struggle for liberty |
