of the various colonies. Between 1620 and 1770 three million slaves were
driven in gangs down to the African seacoast, and transported to the
colonies. At this time some of the greatest houses in London, Lisbon and
Madrid were founded, and some of the greatest family names were
established during these one hundred and fifty years when the slave
traffic was most prosperous. De Bau thinks that another 250,000 slaves
perished during the voyages across the sea. For the eighteenth century
was a century of cruelty as well as gold,--of crime and art,--of
murderous hate and increasing commerce. If the prophet Daniel had been
describing the Spain, Portugal and England of that time, he would have
portrayed them as an image of mud and gold,--but chiefly mud. Little
wonder that Thomas Jefferson, in his "Notes on Virginia," treating of
the influence and possible consequences of slavery, wrote, "Indeed, I
tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." As England
anchored war-ships in the harbour of Shanghai, and forced the opium
traffic upon China, so she forced the slave traffic upon the American
colonies by gun and cannon. The story of the English kings who crowded
slavery upon the South makes up one of the blackest pages in the history
of a country that has been like unto a sower who went forth to sow with
one hand the good seed of liberty and justice, while with the other she
sowed the tares of slavery and oppression.

From the very beginning, the climate and the general atmosphere of the
North was unfriendly to slavery, just as the cotton, sugar and indigo,
as well as the warm climate of the South encouraged slave labour. At
first, neither Boston nor New York associated wrong with the custom of
buying and using slave labour. And when, after a short time, opposition
began to develop, this antagonism to slavery was based upon economic,
rather than upon moral considerations.