The first article of the immortal Declaration of Independence was a mighty shield of beautifully wrought truths, that the authors intended should protect every human being on the American Continent.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident:—­that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

It was to be expected, that, after such a declaration of principles, the United States would have abolished slavery and the slave-trade forever.  While the magic words of the Declaration of Independence were not the empty “palaver” of a few ambitious leaders, yet the practices of the local and the national government belied the grand sentiments of that instrument.  From the earliest moment of the birth of the United-States government, slavery began to receive political support and encouragement.  Though it was the cruel and depraved offspring of the British government, it nevertheless was adopted by the free government of America.  Political policy seemed to dictate the methods of a political recognition of the institution.  And the fact that the slave-trade was prohibited by Congress at an early day, and by many of the colonies also, did not affect the institution in a local sense.

The Tory party accepted the doctrine of property in man, without hesitation or reservation.  Their political fealty to the Crown, their party exclusiveness, and their earnest desire to co-operate with the Royal African Company in the establishment of the slave institution in America, made them, as per necessity, the political guardians of slavery.  The institution once planted, property in man having been acquired, it was found to be a difficult task to uproot it.  Moreover, the loss of the colonies to the British Crown did not imply death to the Tory party.  It doubtless suffered organically; but its individual members did not forfeit their political convictions, nor suffer their interest in the slave-trade to abate.  The new States were ambitious to acquire political power.  The white population of the South was small when compared with that of the North; but the slave population, added to the former, swelled it to alarming proportions.