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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00921 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1801 |
| Title | John Adam to George Churchman and Jacob Lindley expressing his views on slavery |
| Date | 24 January 1801 |
| Author | Adams, John (1735-1826) |
| Recipient | Churchman, George Lindley, Jacob |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Written by Adams in the last months of his presidency to the Quaker abolitionists Churchman and Lindley. Adams wrote in response to a letter and pamphlet that the two abolitionists had sent him. The pamphlet was by Quaker abolitionist Warner Mifflin (1745-1798). Expresses his views on slavery. Says "Although I have never sought by any animated speeches or inflammatory publications against the Slavery of the Blacks, my Opinion against it has always been known and my practice has been So conformable to my Sentiment that I have always employed freemen both as Domisticks and Labourers, and never in my Life did I own a Slave. The Abolition of Slavery must be gradual and accomplished with much caution and Circumspection. Violent means and measures would produce greater violations of Justice and Humanity, than the continuance of the practice." Goes on to erroneously state that slavery is diminishing and that a lack of fidelity to the truth and other philosophical principles are more serious problems. Says that he has been informed that the conditions of poor whites in Virginia is worse than that of "the Negroes." |
| Subjects | African American History Slavery Religion Quaker Abolition Slavery Reform Movement Rebellion Freemen Morality and Ethics |
| People | Lindley, Jacob (fl. 1801) Mifflin, Warner (1745-1798) Adams, John (1735-1826) Churchman, George (1730-1814) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | Slavery & Abolition; African Americans; The Presidency; Religion |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | In response to two abolitionists, who had sent him an antislavery pamphlet by a Quaker reformer, Warner Mifflin (1745-1798), President Adams expresses his views on slavery, the dangers posed by abolitionists (who at the time were mostly Quakers and unpopular religious radicals), and emancipation. This letter is particularly revealing in what it discloses about Adams's sense of priorities. In his letter, Adams mistakenly concludes that slavery was an institution in decline. The 1790 census counted almost 700,000 slaves. According to the census of 1800, the year before Adams wrote this letter, that number had grown to almost 900,000. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |
| Transcript | Show/hide |