第 5 节
作者:冷如冰      更新:2021-02-24 23:31      字数:9322
  ious century。 He established the first paper devoted exclusively to the cause of emancipation。 He foresaw that the question of emancipation must be carried into politics and that it must become an object of concern to the general Government as well as to the separate States。 In the early part of his career he found the most congenial association and the larger measure of effective support south of Mason and Dixon's Line; and in this section were the greater number of the abolition societies which he organized。 During the later years of his life; as it was becoming increasingly difficult in the South to maintain a public anti…slavery propaganda; he transferred his chief activities to the North。 Lundy serves as a connecting link between the earlier and the later anti…slavery movements。 Eleven years of his early life belong to the century of the Revolution。 Garrison recorded his indebtedness to Lundy in the words: 〃If I have in any way; however humble; done anything towards calling attention to slavery; or bringing out the glorious prospect of a complete jubilee in our country at no distant day; I feel that I owe everything in this matter; instrumentally under God; to Benjamin Lundy。〃 Different in type; yet even more significant on account of its peculiar relations to the cause of abolition; was the life of James Gillespie Birney; who was born in a wealthy slaveholding family at Dansville; Kentucky; in the year 1792。 The Birneys were anti…slavery planters of the type of Washington and Jefferson。 The father had labored to make Kentucky a free State at the time of its admission to the Union。 His son was educated first at Princeton; where he graduated in 1810; and then in the office of a distinguished lawyer in Philadelphia。 He began the practice of law at his home at the age of twenty…two。 His home training and his residence in States which were then in the process of gradual emancipation served to confirm him in the traditional conviction of his family。 While Benjamin Lundy; at the age of twenty…seven; was engaged in organizing anti…slavery societies north of the Ohio River; Birney at the age of twenty…four was influential as a member of the Kentucky Legislature in the prevention of the passing of a joint resolution calling upon Ohio and Indiana to make laws providing for the return of fugitive slaves。 He was also conspicuous in his efforts to secure provisions for gradual emancipation。 Two years later he became a planter near Huntsville; Alabama。 Though not a member of the Constitutional Convention preparatory to the admission of this Territory into the Union; Birney used his influence to secure provisions in the constitution favorable to gradual emancipation。 As a member of the first Legislature; in 1819; he was the author of a law providing a fair trial by jury for slaves indicted for crimes above petty larceny; and in 1826 he became a regular contributor to the American Colonization Society; believing it to be an aid to emancipation。 The following year he was able to induce the Legislature; although he was not then a member of it; to pass an act forbidding the importation of slaves into Alabama either for sale or for hire。 This was regarded as a step preliminary to emancipation。 The cause of education in Alabama had in Birney a trusted leader。 During the year 1830 he spent several months in the North Atlantic States for the selection of a president and four professors for the State University and three teachers for the Huntsville Female Seminary。 These were all employed upon his sole recommendation。 On his return he had an important interview with Henry Clay; of whose political party he had for several years been the acknowledged leader in Alabama。 He urged Clay to place himself at the head of the movement in Kentucky for gradual emancipation。 Upon Clay's refusal their political cooperation terminated。 Birney never again supported Clay for office and regarded him as in a large measure responsible for the pro…slavery reaction in Kentucky。 Birney; who had now become discouraged regarding the prospect of emancipation; during the winter of 1831 and 1832 decided to remove his family to Jacksonville; Illinois。 He was deterred from carrying out his plan; however; by his unexpected appointment as agent of the colonization society in the Southwesta mission which he undertook from a sense of duty。 In his travels throughout the region assigned to him; Birney became aware of the aggressive designs of the planters of the Gulf States to secure new slave territories in the Southwest。 In view of these facts the methods of the colonization society appeared utterly futile。 Birney surrendered his commission and; in 1833; returned to Kentucky with the intention of doing himself what Henry Clay had refused to do three years earlier; still hoping that Kentucky; Virginia; and Tennessee might be induced to abolish slavery and thus place the slave power in a hopeless minority。 His disappointment was extreme at the pro…slavery reaction which had taken place in Kentucky。 The condition called for more drastic measures; and Birney decided to forsake entirely the colonization society and cast in his lot with the abolitionists。 He freed his slaves in 1834; and in the following year he delivered the principal address at the annual meeting of the American Anti…Slavery Society held in New York。 His gift of leadership was at once recognized。 As vice…president of the society he began to travel on its behalf; to address public assemblies; and especially to confer with members of state legislatures and to address the legislative bodies。 He now devoted his entire time to the service of the society; and as early as September; 1835; issued the prospectus of a paper devoted to the cause of emancipation。 This called forth such a display of force against the movement that he could neither find a printer nor obtain the use of a building in Dansville; Kentucky; for the publication。 As a result he transferred his activities to Cincinnati; where he began publication of the Philanthropist in 1836。 With the connivance of the authorities and encouragement from leading citizens of Cincinnati; the office of the Philanthropist was three times looted by the mob; and the proprietor's life was greatly endangered。 The paper; however; rapidly grew in favor and influence and thoroughly vindicated the right of free discussion of the slavery question。 Another editor was installed when Birney; who became secretary of the Anti… slavery Society in 1837; transferred his residence to New York City。 Twenty…three years before Lincoln's famous utterance in which he proclaimed the doctrine that a house divided against itself cannot stand; and before Seward's declaration of an irrepressible conflict between slavery and freedom; Birney had said: 〃There will be no cessation of conflict until slavery shall be exterminated or liberty destroyed。 Liberty and slavery cannot live in juxtaposition。〃 He spoke out of the fullness of his own experience。 A thoroughly trained lawyer and statesman; well acquainted with the trend of public sentiment in both North and South; he was fully persuaded that the new pro…slavery crusade against liberty boded civil war。 He knew that the white men in North and South would not; without a struggle; consent to be permanently deprived of their liberties at the behest of a few Southern planters。 Being himself of the slaveholding class; he was peculiarly fitted to appreciate their position。 To him the new issue meant war; unless the belligerent leaders should be shown that war was hopeless。 By his moderation in speech; his candor in statement; his lack of rancor; his carefully considered; thoroughly fair arguments; he had the rare faculty of convincing opponents of the correctness of his own view。 There could be little sympathy between Birney and William Lloyd Garrison; whose style of denunciation appeared to the former as an incitement to war and an excuse for mob violence。 As soon as Birney became the accepted leader in the national society; there was friction between his followers and those of Garrison。 To denounce the Constitution and repudiate political action were; from Birney's standpoint; a surrender of the only hope of forestalling a dire calamity。 He had always fought slavery by the use of legal and constitutional methods; and he continued so to fight。 In this policy he had the support of a large majority of abolitionists in New England and elsewhere。 Only a few personal friends accepted Garrison's injunction to forswear politics and repudiate the Constitution。 The followers of Birney; failing to secure recognition for their views in either of the political parties; organized the Liberty party and; while Birney was in Europe in 1840; nominated him as their candidate for the Presidency。 The vote which he received was a little over seven thousand; but four years later he was again the candidate of the party and received over sixty thousand votes。 He suffered an injury during the following year which condemned him to hopeless invalidism and brought his public career to an end。 Though Lundy and Birney were contemporaries and were engaged in the same great cause; they were wholly independent in their work。 Lundy addressed himself almost entirely to the non…slaveholding class; while all