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Considering anti-slavery...
Considering anti-slavery...
Item # 701962
February 20, 1790
GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES, New York, Feb. 20, 1790
* Early abolition of slavery
Most of the front page, all of page 2, and most of page 3 are taken up with detailed reporting on discussions in Congress, much of it concerning the public debt.
The back page has most of a full column taken up with "Letter No. 1" signed in type by: Rusticus, concerning the slavery issue. It begins: "I have seen in the papers accounts of large Associations and applications to government for the abolition of slavery. Religion, humanity, and the generous nature to a free people, are the noble principles which dictate those measures. ...Altho I fully applaud & join in the wish to see slavery abolished, I must however confess that what I have collected, on the means for obtaining the end, out of those channels have given me no satisfaction..." with much more.
Four pages, very nice condition.
Considered by many as the most significant newspaper of the 18th century, particularly during this, one of the formative years of the new federal government, as the Gazette was the mouthpiece of all matters political. Most pronouncements from Congress & the President were printed first in this newspaper.
Note: The Rusticus letter on slavery from around 1790 is a reasoned moral critique condemning the institution of slavery as incompatible with the ideals of liberty and justice emerging from the Enlightenment and revolutionary movements. Written under a classical pseudonym, it highlights the hypocrisy of societies that claim to value freedom while perpetuating human bondage, urging readers to recognize the humanity of enslaved people and to support gradual emancipation. Through eloquent argumentation, the letter calls for an end to dehumanization and appeals to the conscience of its audience to align their actions with the principles of equality and human rights.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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