Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/185

 the first petition (being two years earlier than that from the inhabitants of Bridgwater) which was ever presented to parliament for the abolition of the slave-trade.

In the same year, 1783, an event occurred which will be found of great importance, and in which only individuals belonging to the society were concerned. This event seems to have arisen naturally out of existing or past circumstances. For the society, as before stated, had sent a petition to parliament in this year praying for the abolition of the slave-trade. It has also laid the foundation for a public distribution of books, which had been published with a view of enlightening others. The case of the ship Zong had occurred this same year. A letter also had been presented, much about the same time, by Benjamin West, from Anthony Benezct, in America, to the Queen, in behalf of the injured Africans, which she had received graciously. These subjects occupied at this time the attention of many Quaker families, and among others, that of a few individuals who were in close intimacy with each other. These, when they met together, frequently conversed upon them. They perceived, as facts came out in conversation, that there was a growing knowledge and hatred of the slave-trade, and that the temper of the times was ripening towards its abolition. Hence a disposition manifested itself among these, to unite as laborers for the furtherance of so desirable an object. An union was at length proposed and approved of. The first meeting was held on the seventh of July, 1783. At this "they assembled to consider what steps they should take for the relief and liberation of the negro slaves in the West Indies, and for the discouragement of the slave-trade on the coast of Africa."

To promote this object, they conceived it necessary that the public mind should be enlightened respecting it. They had recourse therefore to the public papers, and they appointed their members in turn to write in these, and to see that their productions were inserted. They kept regular minutes for this purpose. It was not, however, known to the world that such an association existed.

This was the first society ever formed in England for the promotion of the abolition of the slave-trade.

The Quakers in America early manifested a deep and compassionate feeling toward the afflicted African. It is true that, at first, they with others became the owners of slaves, the manner in which they were procured not being at that time generally known. Most of them, however, treated their slaves with great kindness. But notwithstanding their mildness toward them, and the consequent content of their slaves, some of the society soon began to entertain doubts in regard to the lawfulness of holding the negroes in bondage at all.

So early as in the year 1688, some emigrants from Krieshiem, in Germany, who had adopted the principles of William Penn, and followed him into Pennsylvania, urged in the yearly meeting of the society there, the inconsistency of buying, selling, and holding men in slavery, with the principles of the Christian religion.

In the year 1696, the yearly meeting for that province took up the subject