"The minds of the negroes are contracted; because slavery destroys all the springs of the soul."
— Raynal, Guillaume Thomas (1713-1796)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
J. Dodsley
Date
1777
Metaphor
"The minds of the negroes are contracted; because slavery destroys all the springs of the soul."
Metaphor in Context
But these negroes, say they, are a race of men born for slavery; their dispositions are narrow, treacherous, and wicked; they themselves allow the superiority of our understandings, and almost acknowledge the justice of our authority.
The minds of the negroes are contracted; because slavery destroys all the springs of the soul. They are wicked; but not sufficiently so with you. They are treacherous, because they are under no obligation to speak truth to their tyrants. They acknowledge the superiority of our understandings; because we have abused their ignorance; they allow the justice of our authority; because we have abused their weakness. I might as well say, that the Indians are a species of men born to be crushed to death; because there are fanatics among them, who throw themselves under the wheels of their idol's car betore the temple of Jaguernat.
(p. 171)
The minds of the negroes are contracted; because slavery destroys all the springs of the soul. They are wicked; but not sufficiently so with you. They are treacherous, because they are under no obligation to speak truth to their tyrants. They acknowledge the superiority of our understandings; because we have abused their ignorance; they allow the justice of our authority; because we have abused their weakness. I might as well say, that the Indians are a species of men born to be crushed to death; because there are fanatics among them, who throw themselves under the wheels of their idol's car betore the temple of Jaguernat.
(p. 171)
Categories
Provenance
Searching in Google Books
Citation
"Slavery Absolutely Inconsistent with and Even Contrary to, sound Policy, Humanity, Reason, and Justice .... From Abbé Raynal's Historical and Political Survey of the European Settlements in the East and West-Indies," The Annual Register, or a View of the History, Politics, and Literature for the Year 1776 (London: J. Dodsley, 1777): 168-176. <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
09/14/2011
