Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

A Serious Address (Second Edition) - 5

Infants at the Breast, incapable of distinguishing between Right and Wrong, for the Crimes of their Parents, or of the Nation to which they belong, or perhaps only for the Crimes of other Nations of the same Colour, is shocking to every Person who has the common Feelings of Humanity. The visiting the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children can only be understood of such Children, who, from the Examples of their Fathers (which is too commonly the Case) pursue the same vicious Courses: For to understand it otherwise would be inconsistent with the moral Government of the Divine Being; who, by the Prophet has forbid to use this Proverb, the Fathers have eaten sower Grapes, and the Children’s Teeth are set on Edge;--because the Soul that sinneth, shall die, and the Son shall not bear the Iniquity of the Father.

To apply these Doctrines to the present Case of the Indians, let us consider,

That the Indians consist of different Nations or Tribes, inde­pendent of one another; and make War or Peace separately without each other’s Consent;--Some indeed for their mutual Protections have joined in Associations, like those of the Swiss Cantons, or the united Provinces. The Conostagoe Tribe in the Year 1701, confirmed a Grant of their Land to W. Penn; and, by a solemn Treaty with this Government, agreed to live together with us as one People. A small Spot of Land was assigned to them to live upon: And, tho’ we did not make them Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water, they have continued there ever since, in no better Condition, than that of poor Basket-makers and Broom-makers. If some of them have, now and then, been guilty of Offences, they were always ready to be apprehended and brought to Tryal: And indeed, from the prevailing Odium against Indians in general, if a Jury could be presumed to be byassed, ’tis most likely they would be so in Favour of the Prosecutors.

During all the Time of our late Troubles, they lived quietly and peaceably amongst us, and some of them have been employed by the Government.

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