In February 3, 1860, the Vindicator carried an article on the debate on what should have been done to the free Negroes in the South. This article looks at the unjust generalization of the black people as bad, and should be ejected from the state. It sheds light on the harsh treatment of the free slaves (Vindicator, 1).
It reports on some exact tribulations of the free blacks in Arkansas. The cruel legislation demands that they should either subject themselves as slaves to the Whites, who are considered to be the superior race. The second option is that of expulsion from the state (Vindicator, 2). In countering this claim, the author claims that not all free blacks are associated with crime and lawlessness. It is therefore inhuman, cruel and unfair to punish the good ones for the transgressions of the bad. Furthermore, it is quite unfair to badly handle such people who were ripped from their families and the country they loved against their will (Vindicator, 3).
This article was edited by Ann S. Stephen, who hails from the South, in Virginia. The likely readers of this article were the Southern slave masters, who had such stern and negative attitudes towards the blacks. It is in this line that at the end she says, “Thus I have discarded the name of ‘WAR’, and plead I the name of PEACE” (Vindicator, 5).
According to the Vindicator (4), the abolitionists took a sympathetic, philanthropic approach. They argued for fair treatment of the free slaves and respect for their human dignity. For instance, they suggested that a fair legislation be enacted in Virginia to give the blacks a better life. They even believed that the blacks could be of economic importance to the state. On the other hand, the pro-slavery factions had a tough stand. They dictated that the blacks must submit themselves as slaves or otherwise leave the state. This was very oppressive, viewing the black men as cursed, degraded people. This was the cause of the row between the pro and anti- slavery campaigners.
Works Cited
Anonymous. For the Vindicator. What Should Be the Policy of the South towards Free Negroes? The Vindicator, February 3, 1860, p.1, c.7. web, 21st Nov. 2011, http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/news/rv1860/va.au.rv.1860.02.03.xml#01
