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View, to the Trade in Question A HISTORY OF THE ( olored People of \outh ( arolina WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE Colored Race and Human Slavery* BY Jr£BOTSS3fc Edward \V. Williams, Lecturer on Political and Historical Subjects. FACTA NIGRI HOMfNISi HIC JACENT PRINT) H FOR THE AUTHOR. 1882. Robert W. Woodruff Library Special Collections EMORY UNIVERSITY A HISTORY folored People of South ( arolina WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE Colored Race and Human Slavery, BY Pitetessw Edward W. Williams, Lecturer on Political and Historical Subjects. FACTA NIORI HOM#NIS HIC JACENT. PHILADELPHIA: HARPER & BROTHER, ELECTROTYPERS AND PRINTERS, No. 610 Chestnut Street. 1882. DEDICATION. TO THE COLORED PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Tins record ofyottrforefathers' struggles is most regardfully inscribed. Respectfully, EDWARD W. WILLIAMS. CONTENTS. ]. The Colored Race 9 II. Slavery 12 III. The African Slave Trade 15 IV. Slavery in South Carolina 21 V. The Yamassee War 28 VI. Insurrection of the Slaves 31 VII. Continuation of Slavery in South • Carolina ■ • ■ 33 TIL Relation Between Master and Slave, . 44 IX. Emancipation 51 X. State Government in the Hands of the Colored People, 53 XL Ku Klux Conspiracy, 59 Hamburg Massacre, 62 PREFACE be me would useless for to name the many rea IT sons that impelled me to write this little trea tise. However, after witnessing the growing need among our people for history, I thought that I would spend some time in searching and recording such por tions of the History of the. Colored People of South Carolina, as I could get under very unfavorable circum stances. I found the task much harder than I thought it was, because the old historians of South Carolina' who are the proper authorities of the history of the State and people, had very little to say about the slaves- However, I have selected a series of indisputable facts that will add lustre to the name of the Colored Carolinians. You who wish to sympathize with suf fering humanity, attend to my story. My story is no fable made up to tickle the imagination of the read er. It is a record of an unfortunate part of the human family. The deeds of the Colored Race are just as interesting to mankind, and have as much title of as to the annals time, those of any other race. 7 8 And he who disregards the history of his own race, renders his own worth in utter insignificance. Of Course, this is not a full history of this people. But, I think it better than none. I have had occasions for naming a few leading men of our people, and I hope that those that I haven't named will not think themselves slighted. Up to this time, I have taken no active part in pub I stood as a careful lic affairs. observer upon the And political river. now, in my 23d year, having passed a life of hardship and toil, I feel myself called upon, as by the impulse of fate, to defend the rights of the unfortunate to race, which I belong. In my feeble effort to perform this sacred duty, I hope that I will receive the aid of all my fellow-men, who know all that we are (as ought to) one in blood and one in And if fail color. they to regard my works, I know as I that I will have, have always had, the sanction of the Most "fjfrgfc" Most Holy, the Supreme Ruler of eartfi and hell. With this Heaven, reliance I now which I will be begin my story hope alive and of use when be in the my body sleeping grave and my soul appears before the high tribunal of Almighty God EDWARD W. WILLIAMS. Sumter, South C^'oliua, Dec. 2j, 1SS1, CHAPTER I. THE COLORED RACE. history of the colored race has called forth THEmore speculation than that of any other race. It has received the attention of men of all climes and ages; and the various ways by which it has been turned by the wheel of fortune have properly won for it the terms remarkable and peculiar. The archives of time have been ransacked dili gently through, in most cases erroneously, in account ing for the origin of this race. But a survey of the field of history teaches us, that the colored race is descended from Ham, son of Noah ; that Ham mi grated to Africa with his sons, Menes, Phut, and Cush, and from these the colored race sprang. This is a settled fact, which no learned man will dispute. Again, we learn that the original settlers of Egypt and Ethiopia were black—consequently, trie original part of the colored race. We do afltaWrjw that the Ethiopians were black. Taking it for granted that the first settlers of Africa were black, we claim for the colored race a noble origin, which no authentic histo rian can dispute. This race was one of the first that engaged in science, arts and literature. It was this 9 10 race that instructed the world in the all-important topics of ancient days. It was this race that filled an cient Africa with those noble and wondrous specimens of human arts. It built the great Pyramids of Egypt, the obelisk and those beautiful cities of the Nilotian region. The learned men of ancient Greece and other countries went to Africa in search of wisdom. Be fore civihzation reached the shores of Greece, or the oiood of Spartan patriots dyed the fields of Laceda- COl°red race was the one on earth. TZ' f leading And, for it centuries, disseminated its boundless trea sure of knowledge to other nations. But, while the negro race was at the zenith of it rated in civilization, degene consequence of a long and bloody revolution, :Lr:]fsr -thout- The in- ^™TvasionsrSlans' Assyrians and other nations upon Afr,v !i -x ,hey did' g°ds* **• ^ ^rrrr^rCan Sreatn«s. Then the colored race 2. j ^ " Wnd in thTt L ??" had ducted man- ^^ the rusty inhabitanu^flr^fV*''* "d for then, an R°™' ^ "^ everSn,P^honorable memory of man. abode in the Then laid slavery hands UDnn f. The world ^ rose up against it" ^r^ people of this Y ^ SCe race, scattered in VJ °f the globe, hewing wood and drawing '7 ?*** low-men. ^ feI" They are scorned by mTn £* pressed by man. God All-mighty has' m2 °P" an?,?men 11 of the same blood. He is the common Father of all, and no man has a right to oppress another. Whoso ever does so will undoubtedly receive the severest pun ishment a of future state. It is a distinct and promi nent part of this race, domiciled in the limits of South that Carolina, this book is to treat upon. But it is but for us to make a justice few remarks upon the char acter of our ancient ancestors and their land. Jt is said in Scripture that Nimrod, son of Cush, was' the first monarch. So the first mortal that wore a royal diadem, was a negro. He it was who built the first city (Babylon) from the ruins of the Tower of Babel. He it who was, reared the first political government the world ever saw. It was the colored race that fed the ancient world with the corn of its ancient granary. For Moses in the says twelfth chapter of Genesis : "And there was a famine in the land: and~*Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there ; for the fam ine was grevious in the land." CLIAPTER II. SLAVERY. is one of the qualities by which vice SLAVERYhas succeeded in injuring all that religion holds dear. It is an institution that does not regard the right of any that may, unfortunately, become its victim. It is the goal of rapacity, the pride of in humanity and the foul usage of barbarous man. Slavery has deprived man of the blessings intended for him by Nature. She has made life a burden." Slavery has taken the place of religion, invoked the blessings of God on its institution and sung the paean in honor of His name. It has robbed religion of her glory, and has polluted the shrine of Christi anity. This world was not made for the abode of such an execrable creature. But slavery has made this beautiful kingdom a pandemonium where vile men lust for dominion, and overturn the grand principles on which rest the happiness of all mankind. And now it presents to us a record of shame and It has corruption. stained the altar of human liberty with its blood, and filled our world with every species of wickedness. Its system has called forth the resent ment of and its high Heaven, practice has been de nounced by every lover of mankind. 12 13 Whence came this Demon? It must have been among that crew of fallen an that warred gels against Heaven, caused our first pa rents to disobey the command of the Most High, and consequently hurled the human family from the height of bliss down to the abyss of misery. Let slavery be forever damned. Let it find no rest this ing place upon beautiful globe. Let the strong, musical and peaceful voice of Christianity continue to out cry against it. Slavery is the oldest institution on earth. It received its missson from vice, and was con ducted into the inmost recesses of the human heart. The Bible is the oldest and most authentic history we have, and the first mention made of slavery in the Bible is in Gen.
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