[205] Clarkson, Life of Penn, II, 78, 79.
[206] Cf. Bettle, 372.
[207] Ibid., 373.
[208] Ibid., 377.
[209] “Whereas several Papers have been read relating to the keeping and bringing in of Negroes ... it is the advice of this Meeting, that Friends be careful not to encourage the bringing in of any more Negroes” ... MS. “Negroes or Slaves,” Yearly Meeting Advices, 1682–1777 (1696). “This meeting is also dissatisfied with Friends buying and incouriging the bringing in of Negroes” ... MS. Chester Quarterly Meeting Minutes, 6 6th mo., 1711. “There having a conscern Come upon severall friends belonging to this meeting Conscerning the Importation of Negros ... after some time spent in the Consideration thereof it is the Unanimous sence of this meeting that friends should not be concerned hereafter in the Importation thereof nor buy any” ... MS. Chester Monthly Meeting Minutes, 27 4th mo., 1715. MS. Chester Quarterly Meeting Minutes, 1 6th mo., 1715. “This meeting have been for some time under a Concern by reason of the great Quantity of Negros fetched and imported into this Country.” Ibid., 11 6th mo., 1729. MS. Yearly Meeting Minutes, 19–23 7th mo., 1730. As soon as Friends had been brought to cease the importation of negroes, attack was made upon the practice of Friends buying negroes imported by others. Cf. MS. Chester Q. M. M., 11 6th mo., 1729; 9 9th mo., 1730. The MS. Chester M. M. M. mention 100 books on the slave-trade for circulation.
[210] “We also kindly received your advice about negro slaves, and we are one with you, that the multiplying of them, may be of a dangerous consequence, and therefore a Law was made in Pennsylvania laying Twenty pounds Duty upon every one imported there, which Law the Queen was pleas’d to disanull, we would heartily wish that a way might be found to stop the bringing in more here, or at least that Friends may be less concerned in buying or selling, of any that may be brought in, and hope for your assistance with the Government if any farther Law should be made discouraging the importation. We know not of any Friend amongst us that has any hand or concern in bringing any out of their own Country.” MS. Yearly M. M., 22 7th mo., 1714. This was written in reply to the London Yearly Meeting, and alludes to the act passed in 1712. See above, [p. 3].
[211] See above, [p. 65]. Cf. also P. C. Plockhoy’s principle laid down in his Kort en Klaer Ontwerp (Amsterdam, 1662): “No lordship or servile slavery shall burden our Company.” Quoted in Pennypacker, Settlement of Germantown, 204, 292.
[212] “The Germans seldom hire men to work upon their farms.” Rush, An Account of the Manners of the German Inhabitants of Pennsylvania (1789), 24. “They never, as a general thing, had colored servants or slaves.” Ibid., 24 (note by Rupp). “Slaves in Pennsylvania never were as numerous in proportion to the white population as in New York and New Jersey. To our German population this is certainly attributable—Wherever they or their numerous descendants located they preferred their own labor to that of negro slaves.” Buck, MS. History of Bucks County, 69. “Of all the nations who have settled in America, the Germans have availed themselves the least of the unjust and demoralizing aid of slavery.” W. Grimshaw, History of the United States, 79. The truth of these statements is revealed in the tax-lists of the different counties. Thus, in Berks County there were 2692 German tax-payers (61%) and 1724 (39%) not Germans. Of these 44 Germans held 62 slaves, and 57 of other nationalities held 92 slaves. 3 Pa. Arch., XVIII, 303–430. In York County, where there were 2051 German property-holders (34%) and 3993 who were not Germans (66%), 27 Germans held 44 slaves as against 178 others who held 319 slaves. 3 Pa. Arch., XXI, 165–324. (Both these estimates are for 1780.) In Lancaster County the property-holders included approximately 3475 Germans (48%) and 3706 not Germans (52%). Here 31 Germans held 46 slaves, while 200 not Germans held 402 slaves. 3 Pa. Arch., XVII, 489–685 (1779). The records of the German churches rarely mention slaves.
[213] The small number of negroes in Pennsylvania was often noticed. Burnaby, Travels through the Middle Settlements, 63, said “there are few negroes or slaves” ... (1759), Anburey, Travels through the Interior Parts of America, II, 280–281, said, “The Pennsylvanians ... are more industrious of themselves, having but few blacks among them.” (1778). Cf. Proud, History, II, 274. Estimates as to the number of Germans in Pennsylvania vary from 3/5 (1747, cf. Rupp’s note in Rush, Account, 1) to 1/3 (1789, ibid., 54). For many estimates cf. Diffenderffer, German Immigration into Pennsylvania, pt. II, The Redemptioners, 99–108. Some few Germans had intended to hold slaves from the first. Cf. the articles of agreement between the members of the Frankfort Company (1686): ... “alle ... leibeigenen Menschen ... sollen unter Allen Interessenten pro rato der Ackerzahl gemein seyn.” MS. in possession of S. W. Pennypacker, Philadelphia.
[214] Watson, (MS.) Annals, 530. The same spirit is apparent much later. “There generally appeared an uneasiness in their minds respecting them, tho all are not so fully convinced of the Iniquity of the practice as to get over the difficulty which they apprehend would attend their giving them their liberty” ... MS. Abstract Rec. Gwynedd Monthly Meeting, 278 (1770). “Perhaps thou wilt say, ‘I do not buy any negroes: I only use those left me by my father.’ But is it enough to satisfy your own conscience?” Benezet, Notes on the Slave Trade, 8.