A Passionate Plea for Human Rights by a Quaker Farmer

Newspapers were crucial to American independence. By permitting the public to become educated about what was happening in the world, they fueled loyalty and rebellion amongst the people. The primary source, A Serious Address to the Rulers of America, on the Inconsistency of Their Conduct Respecting Slavery: Forming a Contrast Between the Encroachments of England on American Liberty, and American Injustice in Tolerating Slavery (1783), authored by Quaker farmer, David Cooper in February 1783 was printed as a 22-page pamphlet to create awareness about Anti-slavery and Human Rights.

Cooper, who was a Quaker leader, condemned slavery because he had deep concerns about how slaves were being treated in the United States. As the conflicts of the American Revolution came to an end in 1783, the awareness of human rights echoed throughout the new United States of America. Cooper found this hypocritical since slavery was also rife.

“You not only professed to be advocates for freedom, but were inspired by the love of mankind, and wished to secure the invaluable blessing to all; that as you disdained to submit to the unlimited control of others, you equally abhorred the crying crime of holding your fellow-men, as much entitled to freedom as yourselves, the subjects of your undisputed will and pleasure.

[footnoteRef:1] Cooper was inspired to write his pamphlet because the printing of pamphlets for newspapers and other media was one of the most important ways that the Quakers educated the public about their anti-slavery opinions. By printing and distributing his message, Cooper was using the press to shape public opinion.

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[1: David Cooper, “A Serious Address to the Rulers of America, On the Inconsistency of Their Conduct Respecting Slavery: Forming a Contrast Between the Encroachments of England On American Liberty, and American Injustice In Tolerating Slavery.” (London: Trenton, reprinted by J. Phillips, 1783).

Cooper’s message was directed toward both government officials and US citizens. Cooper immediately brings to the readers’ attention the hypocrisy of advocating for the principles of human rights while practicing slavery. He strengthened his claim with passages from the Declaration of Independence and the Pennsylvania Declaration of Rights of 1776. His goal was to inform everyone about the contradiction of declaring liberty and equality for all men, while also permitting slavery. He referred to paragraph two of the declaration ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ….,'[footnoteRef:2]. Next to this citation, he criticized the slave owners for their double standards. “If these solemn truths, uttered at such an awful crisis, are self-evident, unless we can show that the African race are not men, words can hardly express the amazement which naturally arises on reflecting, that the very people who make these pompous declarations are slave-holders, and, by their legislative[ conduct], tells us, that these blessings were only meant to be the rights of white men not of all men….”[footnoteRef:3] [2: Page 14] [3: Page 14]

Cooper gives the example of how the US must learn from Britain and not make the same mistakes they have, or it will lead to its downfall. “Her constitution was sound, strong, and firm, in a degree that drew admiration from the whole world; but, for want of a sound mind, her directing and governing powers being imprudent and unwise, to such a debilitated and sickly state is this fine constitution reduced, that, without a change of regimen, her decease may not be far remote.”[footnoteRef:4] He explains how Britain was strong and powerful, but by being inconsistent they lost their power. He then refers to America as Britain’s child who has now become a strong adult and must make wise decisions. He states that the government must do so: “It is the general Congress, as the head, that must give the coloring, and stamp wisdom or folly on the [4: David Cooper, “A Serious Address to the Rulers of America, On the Inconsistency of Their Conduct Respecting Slavery: Forming a Contrast Between the Encroachments of England On American Liberty, and American Injustice In Tolerating Slavery.” (London: Trenton, reprinted by J. Phillips, 1783). Page 5]

counsels of America.”[footnoteRef:5] He warns the people that if the United States claims that its people are free, yet promotes slavery, the rest of the world will consider the US untrustworthy and weak, and the USA will lose its power. “Let not the world have an opportunity to charge her conduct with a contradiction to her solemn and often repeated declarations; or to say that her sons are not real friends to freedom”[footnoteRef:6] [5: Page 5] [6: Page 5]

Abolitionists like Cooper used the media as a tool to denounce slavery as sinful and morally wrong because it destroyed the right to liberty that was cherished in the Declaration of Independence. They used newspapers and other publication tools available through the printing press to spread the word that slavery reduced a ‘God-like being’ to a state of inhumanity and if they continued to do so, they believed that it would lead to the demise of the United States.

Bibliography

1. Cooper, David. A Serious Address to the Rulers of America, On the Inconsistency of Their Conduct Respecting Slavery: Forming a Contrast Between the Encroachments of England On American Liberty, and American Injustice In Tolerating Slavery. [London]: Trenton printed: London, reprinted by J. Phillips, 1783.
2. Readex AllSearch, America’s Historical Imprints, Afro- Americana Imprints From LCP, no. 2701, https://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88- 2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:EAIX&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx &rft_dat=15ED806FDB654E40&svc_dat=Evans:eaidoc&req_dat=0D1A845FAF8F8CA0 Accessed 1 Feb. 2020.