奴隶ˇ马萨诸塞 皇家总督的申诉
The Slaves' Appeal to the Royal Governor of Massachusetts

我们是生而自由的而且从未签订任何契约或协议放弃上帝的这ˇ恩赐。

1619年ˇ一艘荷兰船将二十个非洲人带到维吉尼亚的詹姆斯敦。这些人究竟是奴隶还是契约仆人ˇ没人知道。十七世纪后期ˇ随着南方种植园的发展ˇ非洲人的输入也增加了ˇ同时殖民地的法律也确定他们终身爲奴。在三百五十年的奴隶贸易中ˇ约九百万到一千二百万非洲人在极其残恶的条件下被带到美洲各国ˇ其中约四十万被带到北美。

有些殖民者反对奴隶制ˇ尤其是教友派和孟诺派ˇ以及ˇ班哲明ˇ富兰克林、亚历山大ˇ汉米尔顿和约翰ˇ杰伊这样的领袖人物。以人类天生权利爲基础的革命号召激励这些奴隶提出他们也有获得自由的权利的主张。1774年5月25日ˇ马萨诸塞的一群奴隶ˇ皇家殖民总督托马斯ˇ盖奇提出了以下申诉。

在革命开始时ˇ美国军队将黑人排除在外。但是ˇ当英国人号召奴隶参加到他们那边时ˇ美国革命军就将其政策颠倒过来。大约有五千非洲裔美国人参加美国军队作战ˇ其中有奴隶也有自由人。许多人由于在战争期间服役而获得自由ˇ还有其它数以千计的奴隶在战争期间从奴隶制枷锁下逃跑。不过ˇ大部分非洲人仍然还是奴隶ˇ这是对这个新国家理ˇ的玷污。

在这个自由和基督的国家里ˇ由于神的许可ˇ处于被奴役状态的许多本省黑人ˇ您提出申诉。

我们谨ˇ您表明

您的申诉者明白ˇ如果我们的同胞没有剥夺我们的自由的话ˇ我们也和其它人一样都有获得这些自由的天赋权利ˇ因爲我们是生而自由的而且从未签订任何契约或协议放弃上帝的这ˇ恩赐。但是ˇ我们是被残酷的强权之手把我们从我们最亲爱的朋友身边拖走的ˇ有些人是从慈爱的父母的怀里被偷走的ˇ是从一个人口衆多、美丽富饶的国土上被拉走的ˇ我们被带到这里ˇ被迫在一个基督教国土里终身爲奴。这样我们就被剥夺了一切哪怕使生活仅可忍受的东西ˇ夫妻之间的甜蜜关系与我们无缘ˇ因爲我们不再是ˇ我们的男主人或女主人认爲的那样经正当结合或未曾结婚的夫妻。我们的孩子也被强行从我们身边夺走ˇ被送到离我们许多英里以外的地方ˇ强迫他们终身爲奴ˇ在那种地方我们很难得或者永远无法再见到他们。由于他们是从母亲怀里被强行拖走的ˇ他们的生命有时是非常短暂的。由于这些原因ˇ我们的生活非常痛苦。我们这种可怜的状况使我们无法ˇ万能的上帝表示我们的服从。一个奴隶如何ˇ妻子履行丈夫的职责ˇ或者ˇ孩子履行父母的职责。一个丈夫怎麽能离开主人去爲妻子干活并ˇ妻子表示忠心。妻子又怎麽能事事顺从自己的丈夫。孩子怎麽能事事服从自己的父母。我们中有许多人是虔诚的基督徒。主人和奴隶怎麽能说是履行了那条友爱ˇ处ˇ有难同当ˇ让兄弟般的友情继续加深的训戒。当主人给我套上沉重的奴隶锁链并压迫我的意志时ˇ怎麽可说他是在分担我的苦难。在这种情况下ˇ我们怎麽能尽到我们对上帝的职责ˇ因爲处于这种情况ˇ我们就不能ˇ我们应该做的那样去侍奉上帝。这个国家的法律并不认爲奴隶制是正当的而且谴责奴隶制ˇ可我们却不能从这些法律中得到同等的利益。如果真的有过什麽法律可以使我们成爲奴隶ˇ那麽我们谨以爲过去从来就没有过什麽法律规定我们的孩子在一个自由的国家里一出生就成爲终生奴隶。所以我们恳请大人阁下ˇ对于我们的申诉予以重视和考虑。您可据此使一顶法案通过ˇ以使我们获得天赋的自由权利ˇ我们的孩子也可在二十一岁时获得自由。特别是爲了我们的孩子ˇ您的申诉者有义务ˇ您提出申诉。

The Slaves' Appeal to the Royal Governor of Massachusetts

The Petition of a Grate Number of Blacks of this Province who by divine permission are held in a state of Slavery within the bowels of a free and Christian Country

Humbly Shewing

That your Petitioners apprehind we have in common with all other men a naturel right to our freedoms without Being depriv'd of them by our fellow men as we are a freeborn Pepel and have never forfeited this Blessing by aney compact or agreement whatever. But we were unjustly dragged by the cruel hand of power from our dearest frinds and sum of us stolen from the bosoms of our tender Parents and from a Populous Pleasant and plentiful country and Brought hither to be made slaves for Life in a Christian land. Thus we are deprived of every thing that hath a tendency to make life even tolerable, the endearing ties of husband and wife we are strangers to for we are no longer man and wife than our masters or mistresses thinkes proper marred or onmarred. Our children are also taken from us by force and sent maney miles from us wear we seldom or ever see them again there to be made slaves of for Life which sumtimes; is vere short by Reson of Being dragged from their mothers Breest Thus our Lives are imbittered to us on these accounts By our deplorable situation we are rendered incapable of shewing our obedience to Almighty God how can a slave perform the duties of a husband to a wife or parent to his child How can a husband leave master to work and cleave to his wife How can the wife submit themselves to there husbands in all things How can the child obey thear parents in all things. There is a great number of us sencear ... members of the Church of Christ how can the master and the slave be said to fulfil that command Live in love let Brotherly Love contuner and abound Beare yea onenothers Bordenes How can the master be said to Beare my Borden when he Beares me down whith the Have chanes of slavery and operson against my will and how can we fulfill our parte of duty to him whilst in this condition and as we cannot searve our God as we ought whilst in this situation. Nither can we reap an equal benefet from the laws of the Land which doth not justifi but condemns Slavery or if there had bin aney Law to hold us in Bondage we are Humbely of tile opinion ther never was aney to inslave our children for life when Born in a free Countrey. We therfor Bage your Excellency and Honours will give this its deer weight and consideration and that you will accordingly cause an act of the legislative to be pessed that we may obtain our Natural right our freedoms and our children be set at lebety at the yeare of twenty one for whoues sekes more petequeley your Petitioners is in Duty ever to pray.