[VAcourier] Brandon Dorseys comments on the Slavery resolution

[Virginia Division SCV Communication List]

I am aware of a proposed resolution before the General Assembly that the
state apologize for the practice of slavery.  I have recently read Delegate
Frank Hargrove's response regarding the issue in the news.  
Before I go any further, you are aware that I am deeply committed to the
preservation of history in general and of Virginia and Confederate History
especially.  I am hesitant to even discuss this issue because it is counter
productive whether the measure passes or fails.  As a Christian, I believe
that all men deserve equal rights before God, but that all men are also
equally accountable for their own actions and attitudes.  The problem with
this resolution is that its goal is not 
simply to "apologize for slavery."   The object is to establish a basis 
for further demands down the road including payments for the "crime" to the
descendants of the enslaved.  As someone who also descends from the Native
Americans of Virginia, I suppose I could make such demands in part myself.
However, that would be unfair to those who had nothing to do with the
situation.  Today's citizens did not have the luxury of choosing whether
they were born the great grandchildren or slaves, slave holders, or
non-slaveholders.  For true progress to occur we should remember from where
we came from, but concentrate on where we are going.  Therefore, I support
preserving the history of slavery as I would a battlefield or historic
landmark.  It is not our duty to apologize for the actions of others.  It is
our duty to act with honor, integrity, and fairness in our own lives and to
make amends for our own mistakes alone.

If the General Assembly feels that it must delve into the realm of
apologizing for slavery, then as a citizen I would expect it to be done in a
through and responsible manner.  Slavery is a complicated issue that is not
as simple and pointing the finger at the South as some would like.  A
thorough job requires that roots of slavery be exposed from the Africans who
enslaved their fellow man and sold them to slave traders from foreign
countries or to Northern U.S. slave traders before the slaves arrived in the
Commonwealth.  A comprehensive study of the evolution of slavery in Virginia
should be undertaken which will reveal how the practice of Indentured
Servitude was transformed into permanent bondage by a court action involving
a free black man named Anthony Johnson against his indentured servant, John
(Casor) Punch.  The resolution should expose the fact that slavery is not
historically an issue of race, but the result of a common flaw of all
mankind which is the sin of greed.  All races have practiced it and all have
paid dearly for it in the end.  Any wealth of the Commonwealth created by
slavery was burned to the ground before the last shots rang out at
Appomattox.

Below is some information that I hope you will consider in making your
decision regarding the resolution.  I would encourage its passage only if it
is a true reflection of the history of the Commonwealth and slavery.
Otherwise, it should fail.  If an apology would be accepted in the manner
that God directs, then once it is given it should be accepted and never
again be held against or mentioned to the living who did not have a hand in
it, nor the dead who cannot suffer or profit from it.

Sincerely,
Brandon Dorsey
Lexington, VA



Regarding the issue of how indentured servitude turned into slavery in
Virginia one must study the actions of the former black indentured servant,
Anthony Johnson, who became Virginia's first true slave holder.  You may
find the following information from PBS at
www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr3.html
One of the few recorded histories of an African in America that we can glean
from early court records is that of "Antonio the negro," as he was named in
the 1625 Virginia census. He was brought to the colony in 1621. 
At this time, English and Colonial law did not define racial slavery; the
census calls him not a slave but a "servant." Later, Antonio changed his
name to Anthony Johnson, married an African American servant named Mary, and
they had four children. Mary and Anthony also became free, and he soon owned
land and cattle and even indentured servants of his own. 
By 1650, Anthony was still one of only 400 Africans in the colony among
nearly 19,000 settlers. In Johnson's own county, at least 20 African men and
women were free, and 13 owned their own homes.

In 1640, the year Johnson purchased his first property, three servants fled
a Virginia plantation. Caught and returned to their owner, two had their
servitude extended four years. However, the third, a black man named John
Punch, was sentenced to "serve his said master or his assigns for the time
of his natural life." He was made a slave.

It is interesting to note that Massachusetts, not Virginia was the first
colony to officially recognize slavery.

I would recommend that anyone wishing to explore the issue of slavery in
Virginia read the book "Virginia's Attitude Toward Slavery and Secession" by
Beverley B. Munford.  Some items to note from the book are as follows:

Virginia in 1778 passed a statue abolishing the slave trade which states
"...that from and after the passing of this act no slaves shall hereafter be
imported into this commonwealth by sea or land, nor shall any slaves so
imported be sold or bought by any person whatsoever."  
This precedes a similar act by Britain by 30 years.  A thousand pound fine
was to be levied against anyone selling a slave in violation of the statute
and a five hundred pound (English pounds) fine upon anyone buying such
slave.

When Virginia ceded the Northwest Territory in its possession on March 1,
1784 (now the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and
Wisconsin) to the United States in 1784 a proviso of the original ordinance
required that slavery not be allowed west of a line drawn from Lake Erie to
Spanish Florida.  This ordinance would have prevent slavery from being
allowed in the old Northwest Territory as well as Kentucky, Tennessee,
Alabama, and Mississippi.  The ordinance was rejected by the Congress as
only six states would vote for it.  However, later the Ordinance of 1787 was
enacted whereby Virginians demanded the provision of the deed excluding
slavery from the Northwest Territory which it had lawful possession to
control and deed with enforceable provisions be respected.  Congress
affirmed the provision with this ordinance which was staunchly argued for by
William Grayson of Virginia supported by Richard Henry Lee.  The Virginia
General Assembly in its secession following the adoption of the
Congressional Ordinance passed "the bill by which Virginia confirmed the
ordinance for the colonization of all the territory then in the possession
of the United States, by freemen alone." History of the Unites States,
Bancroft, Vol. VI, p.290

Regarding the slave trade again, the United States Constitution overruled
Virginia's ban on the trade.  With the Constitution's adoption, the foreign
slave trade was legalized for 20 years and was only allowed by the
Constitution Convention with the support of New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
and Connecticut.  On behalf of Virginia George Mason, supported by Governor
Randolph and James Madison, argued to the Constitutional Convention  "This
infernal traffic originated in the avarice of British merchants.  The
British Government constantly checked the attempts of Virginia to put a stop
to it.  The present question concerns, not the importing states alone, but
the whole Union....Maryland and Virginia, he said, had already prohibited
the importation of slaves expressly.  North Carolina had done the same in
substance.  All this would be in vain if South Carolina and Georgia be at
liberty to import."  New England and the Deep South joined together in this
debacle.  So, the fault of any slavery conflict is as much the fault of New
England as the South.

In 1832 the Virginia General Assembly took up debate on abolishing slavery.
A motion by William Ballard Preston was made to change a committee report to
partially read "that it is expedient for the present Legislature to make any
legislative enactment for the abolition of slavery."  Mr. Preston's motion
received a 44% vote to narrowly fail.  
However, a substitute motion by Mr. Bryce stating that the Commonwealth
should provide for the immediate relocation of the all free negroes and any
that should become free "believing that this will absorb all our present
means." was adopted by a vote of 65 to 58.  Thereafter several plans were
brought forward for the gradual emancipation and repatriation of the slaves,
but the plans failed to find consensus. (see Journal of the House of
Delegates, 1831 p. 109-110).  It was apparent that Virginia wanted to do
away with slavery, but finding agreeable plan as the method of when, how,
and cost proved problematic.  Northern Abolitionists attacks on the morality
of the slave holders and their sympathizers began alienating and
embarrassing those slave holders and their supporters which turned their
attention from working with the more peaceful anti-slavery statesmen in the
South.  The slavery supporters began to refuse to discuss any end to slavery
and turned to defending themselves and they furthermore began to lump the
Southern anti-slavery forces in with the Northern Radical Abolitionists who
supported violent slave insurrections which frightened the entire Southern
populace.  Had these Northern Radicals not interfered it may have well been
possible that the South beginning with Virginia would have begun rapidly
phasing out slavery beginning in the 1830's.

Virginia made several attempts to provide or find a colony where emancipated
slaves could live freely.  Beginning in 1800 the Legislature passed a
resolution calling for the Governor to consult with President to find such a
territory.  Governor James Monroe and President Thomas Jefferson
corresponded on the subject, but nothing resulted from the negotiations.  In
1805 the Legislature again passed a resolution calling this time on the
Virginia's Congressional delegation to secure such a territory in the
Louisiana Territory, but problems with France and then England in the War of
1812 brought the negotiations to a hold.

In 1816 the Virginia Legislature passed another resolution requesting the
Governor to correspond with the President on acquiring land along the coast
of Africa or in the United States territory as an refuge "for such persons
of color as are now free and desire the same," or "that may hereafter be
emancipated"
About the same time as the Virginia resolution of 1816 "there assembled in
Washington on the 21st of December 1816, a body of prominent citizens from
the various states, who effected a tentative organization, from which
resulted the American Colonization Society.  Over this meeting Henry Clay
presided, and among the notable persons present were Daniel Webster, Bushrod
Washington and John Randolph of Roanoke.  the Rev. 
Robert Finley, of New Jersey, and Mr. E.B. Caldwell, at that time Clerk of
the Supreme Courth at Washington, were especially active in bringing about
the assemblage.  Charles Fenton Mercer, of Virginia, Francis Scott Key, of
Maryland, were also among the most zealous friends of the enterprise.  In
addition to Randolph and Washington, Bishop William Meade, Rev. William H.
Wilmer, John Taylor, Edmund I. Lee and other Virginians were present.  Mr.
Clay has left upon record that "the original conception of the project is to
be traced to a date long anterior," to the meeting and that "the State of
Virginia, always prominent in works of benevolence, prior to the formation o
the American Colonization Society....had expressed her approbation of the
plan of colonization."  see The African Repository and Colonial Journal vol.
VI, No. 1 p. 13 In 1817 Judge Bushrod Washington of Virginia was elected as
president of the society and lead it for thirteen years.  The society began
taking steps to acquire land on the coast of Africa for a colony for
emancipated slaves.  Bishop Meade of Virginia was sent representing the
Society to Georgia where he secured the release of illegally imported slaves
seized by the state of Georgia.  George Washington Parke Custis, of Virginia
and Robert E. Lee's future father-in-law, offered an island near Cape
Charles, Virginia as a place for the slaves to remain until they could be
transported to Africa.  Following the knowledge of the steps being taken by
the Society, Charles Fenton Mercer and John Floyd of Virginia introduced
into Congress a bill which provided that all illegally imported slaves
seized be returned to their native country.  
The bill became law in 1819 and also appropriated $100,000 to carry the law
into effect.  Territory was then acquired on the coast of Africa through
this act which established the colony of Liberia (which remains a nation to
this day).  To show their appreciation to President James Monroe for
actively supporting the bill, in 1824 the citizens of Liberia named their
capital Monrovia in his honor.

The American Colonization Society was actively supported by many in Virginia
and auxiliary chapters of it were formed in Richmond, Norfolk,
Fredericksburg, Petersburg, Alexandria, Lynchburg, Wheeling (now WV),
Charlestown (WV), Shepherstown (WV), Hampton, and Harpers Ferry (WV) and in
the more than 20 other Virginia counties.  The Virginia chapters worked to
raise money to assist emancipated slaves in transportation to Liberia where
they could live freely.  In 1826 the Virginia Legislature began
appropriating money to assist in the work.  Other slave states including
Maryland and Kentucky also had auxiliaries of this society.  
In 1828 the Virginia Auxiliaries of the society broke away and formed the
Colonization Society of Virginia.  The society was lead by John Marshall (US
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) of Virginia and included men such as
James Madison, James Monroe, and John Tylers as vice-presidents.  In 1850
the Virginia Legislature appropriated $30,000 (about $665,000 in today's
dollars see http://www.westegg.com/inflation) per year for five years
towards the transportation and sustenance of free Negroes wishing to
emigrate.  Private donations from Virginia nearly equaled as much.

There are numerous instances of private colonization and emancipation by
slave holders for example (also from Virginia's Attitude Towards Slavery and
Secession) "By his will, John Randolph of Roanoke, who died in 1833,
emancipated all of his slaves and directed his executor, Judge William
Leigh, to transport them to some one of the free states and settle them upon
lands which he was directed to purchase for the purpose.  The will
bequeathed the sum of thirteen thousand dollars (about $240,000 in today's
dollars) to defray the expenses incident to their colonization and to pay
for the land [in Ohio]."

Many in the South had come to see slavery as economically diminished and a
moral evil.  The natural course of slavery's death began first in the North
which once had the institution.  As the profitability of the institution
began to diminish it was easier for those concerned with the social and
moral evils of the institution to have it revoked.  By the time of the
outbreak of the War Between the States, the upper South was nearing the
abolition of slavery, yet the efforts of the anti-slavery forces within the
South was negated by the fanatical hatred pouring from the Radical
Abolitionists.  Fearing slave insurrections like those lead by the likes of
John Brown, the natural movement away from slavery especially in the upper
South and Virginia was delayed.  Regardless, reality is that slavery's
profitability and the moral implications of it had it on the verge of a
rapid a peaceful decline.  When the time came for the various states to
determine their allegiance in the upcoming war, the upper South's decision
and especially Virginia rested little upon slavery, but in the perceived
aggressiveness of the Federal government against the deep South states.
States like Virginia worked for peaceful compromise until the end and great
Southerners like Robert E. Lee where opposed to the institution.

John Randolph  of Roanoke in addressing Congress on March 2, 1826 stated
"...The disease [of slavery] will run its course.  It has run its course in
the Northern States; it is beginning to run its course in Maryland.  
The natural death of slavery is the unprofitableness of its most expensive
labor."